[Rates 2020] How to go to Machu Picchu without having to trek, walk, get tired

Article & Rates updated in May 2020

To join Machu Picchu from Cusco is really the course of the fighter. There is no direct way where one can simply go up in a bus, make a small nap then to wake up just in front of the entrance of the ruins while saying “Oh! we already arrived!”. Moreover, many agencies, intermediaries, various options which are offered to us in Cusco do not arrange the things. Too much information kills information!

Before coming here, I believed that only the Inca Trail of 4 days led to Machu Picchu. And then, I was told about a 2h walk along the rails then 2h walk from Aguas Calientes. Then a one day tour from Cusco, where we finally spend only 1h to visit the ruins. WTH?

After inquiring, I decided to take the easiest solution for non-sportsmen like me: the Train. Certainly, it’s the most expensive option, but by following my advice, you can still save 15USD/person for the train, and 12USD/person for the bus, while spending as much time as possible in Machu Picchu.

A. Recommended itinerary

• DAY 1
  • Cusco -> Ollantaytambo : Departure at 8 am. Journey of 2 hours in a collective van, 10 soles/person or 3$US. Take the opportunity to visit the magnificent ruins of Ollantaytambo.
  • Ollantaytambo -> Aguas Calientes (or Machu Picchu Pueblo, the new name of the city): 1h30 by train, 60$US to 77$US/person for the cheapest (departure around 11hxx recommended)
  • Night in Aguas Calientes: 9$US/person in dormitory. If you want more comfort, I recommend Cusi Qoyllor, very early breakfast included, 24€ per double room (link Booking)
• DAY 2 :
  • Aguas Calientes -> Machu Picchu: bus, 30 minutes, 12$US/person. Regular departure from 5:30 am, last ascent at 3:30 pm. I recommend you to take the bus at 11am.
  • Spend the whole afternoon in Machu Picchu until closing: entrance ticket from 152 soles/person (46$)
  • Return to Aguas Calientes: bus, 20 minutes, US$12/person. Regular departure until 5:30 pm. Or walk down to Aguas Calientes (very easy if it doesn’t rain because the descent is non-stop, saving 12$)
  • Night in Aguas Calientes: 9$US/person in dormitory. If you want more comfort, I recommend Cusi Qoyllor, very early breakfast included, 24€ per double room (link Booking)
  • or for the more motivated among you, you can go back to Ollantaytambo by train but it’s not safe to have a collective van this late.
• DAY 3 :
  • Aguas Calientes -> Ollantaytambo: train, US$68 to US$75/person for the cheapest.
  • Ollaytaytambo -> Cusco: 2h by collective van, 10 soles/person or US$3.

Rate: about 210$US/person, 3 days, 2 nights, INCLUDING entrance to Machu Picchu and 2 nights hotel. Food not included

The plusses

• 0 walk, or easy walk (downhill only)
• A real half-day (4h) to enjoy the ruins of Machu Picchu (I tell you which places to visit first within the ruins in this article)
  • Those who took 2H to climb dry from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu have no more strength to stay a long time in the ruins.
  • Or they are pressed by the schedules of their bus to return to Cusco that they botch the visit: they will be in Machu Picchu at 6am and must leave for Aguas Calientes at 11am-12pm. However, the view is clear from 11 am, and the visit of Machu Picchu is your PRIORITY number 1, isn’t it? What’s the point of exhausting yourself BEFORE the visit?

The – :

• The price: Inevitably, when we compare this price to the option at 85USD/person sold in all the agencies in Cusco (where you have to walk a total of 7 hours and get up super early and be a bit pressed for time), the most economical will choose to walk.

If booking everything by yourself proves too difficult, you can opt for a paying excursion including the round trip by train, go up to Machu Picchu by bus, entrance tickets, a 2h30 guided tour with an English / Spanish speaking guide and return to Cuzco by bus and then by train (snack and food excluded though) for US$310/adult (279,40€) and US$190/child for a full day. Click to see the offer here

B.Colectivo Cuzco – Ollantaytambo

To learn more about this colectivo, read our travel diary here

C. The train to Aguas Calientes : Peru Rail or Inca Rail?

There are 2 train companies taking you to Aguas Calientes, the closest city to Machu Picchu.

Peru Rail

• Starting Points
  • Cusco (finally in the suburbs of Cusco, we join the train station Poroy Station by cab colectivo for 3-5 soles/person). Attention, 4 months a year, because of the rainy season, no train will leave from Cusco.
  • Ollantaytambo (you can get there from Cusco by cab colectivo for 10 soles/person, take the opportunity to visit the ruins next door)
  • Urubamba (you can get there from Cusco by cab colectivo for 8 soles/person)
• Arrival point
  • Aquas Calientes, renamed Machu Picchu Pueblo, which is 30mn by bus from the entrance of Machu Picchu
• Rates: from 70$US (2020 rates) for reasonable schedules (there are departures at 4am too!!). Departures from Cusco or Urubamba are more expensive than from Ollantaytambo
• Where to buy the tickets: Online or in person (in Cusco, Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes). Payment by credit card is possible.

Inca Rail <- I recommend

• Departure point
  • The Poroy Station train station, on the outskirts of Cusco. We go there by cab colectivo for 3-5 soles/person
  • Ollantaytambo (you can get there from Cusco by cab colectivo for 10 soles/person, take the opportunity to visit the ruins next door)
• Arrival point
  • Aquas Calientes, renamed Machu Picchu Pueblo, which is 30mn by bus from the entrance of Machu Picchu
• Rates: from US$54 (2020 rates)
• Where to buy the tickets: Online or in person (in Cusco, Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes). Payment by VISA card only.

Photo: IncaRail’s seats (it lacks some leg room) and their huge windows.

Tips

Tickets departing from Ollantaytambo, whatever the season, are always the cheapest.

Since it is very easy to reach Ollantaytambo by cab colectivo (they all leave from Pavitos street, search for “Pativos Colectivo a Ollantaytambo on Google Maps; or ask your hostel to book for you) and this town is very pretty, I recommend you to go through Ollantaytambo.

If possible, allow some time to visit Ollantaytambo and its ruins in the morning before taking the train to Aguas Calientes.

To learn more about the train, read our travel diary here.

Inca Rail being cheaper with reasonable schedules, this is the company I recommend.

Note

Both Inca Rail and Peru Rail offer bimodal combo tickets, including bus from Cusco -> Ollantaytambo + Train. But I don’t recommend this option because it doesn’t cost you much to go to Ollantaytambo by cab colectivo (3$US) and it’s very very easy to find one during the day. Don’t pay 10-20$US more for the bimodal option .

Nothing prevents you from buying the round trip at IncaRail and the return at PeruRail(or the other way around), since buying the round trip at the same company gives you absolutely NO discount.

Inca Rail rates in 2020

As you can see, staying two nights in Aguas Calientes allows you to go longer and choose the cheapest train schedules. I find Inca Rail’s schedules more suitable than Peru Rail’s.

Go: Ollantaytambo -> Machu Picchu station (in Aguas Calientes)

Return : station Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) -> Ollantaytambo

Peru Rail Fares

The rotten schedules are the cheapest (July 2020 rates)

Go: Ollantaytambo -> Machu Picchu station (in Aguas Calientes)

Return : station Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) -> Ollantaytambo

D.The bus from Aguas Calientes -> entrance of Machu Picchu

Only one company (Consettur) serves this route. You can buy the tickets online, or in person in Cusco or Aguas Calientes (in Aguas Calientes you can pay in cash or only by MasterCard)

• The return ticket costs US$24/person (2020 fares)
• One-way ticket costs US$12/person (2020 fares)

To save money, you can go to the ruins of Machu Picchu by bus (it goes up dry), then return to the village of Aguas Calientes on foot (8km) because the descent is easier than the ascent.

Note: To purchase the tickets, you will need your passport.

Below are the posters seen at the sales office in Aguas Calientes. Subida = Ascent. Bajada = Descent. The information is still valid in 2020

E. Entrance ticket to Machu Picchu

Be careful, you can’t buy the tickets just at the entrance of the ruins. You have to buy them BEFORE your visit. We bought the tickets 4 days before our visit
But it is possible to buy the day before if you visit in low season and especially in the afternoon

Tickets for 2021 will go on sale on January 1, 2021.

Adult rates (2020)

• Machu Picchu: 152 soles – 2500 places/day. There are two time slots to choose either between 6 am and noon – or between noon and 5:30 pm (we recommend you to visit in the afternoon if you only visit the main site of Machu Picchu, to have less clouds and less people)
• Machu Picchu + HuaynaPicchu group 1 (7 am-8am): 200 soles – 200 places/day – to be booked at least 2-3 months in advance
• Machu Picchu + HuaynaPicchu group 2 (10 am-11 am): 200 soles – 200 places/day – to be booked at least 2-3 months in advance
• Machu Picchu + Machu Picchu Mountain group 1 (7am-8am) : 200 soles – 400 places/day – to be booked at least 1 week in advance
• Machu Picchu + Machu Picchu Mountain group 2 (9am-10am) : 200 soles – 400 places/day – to be booked at least 1 week in advance

Note

HyuanaPicchu and Machu Picchu Mountain allow to climb higher and have an even more spectacular view of the ruins. However, it goes up dry, and it is dangerous especially during the rainy season. Personally, we were satisfied to buy the Machu Picchu ticket at 152 soles.

Where to buy

You can buy the tickets online, or in person in Cusco or Aguas Calientes.

To buy on line, do NOT pass by the retailers, buy on the official site of Machu Picchu: http: //www.machupicchu.gob.pe/ (only the VISA card is accepted)

If you buy on site in Cusco, payment by credit card is accepted, but increased by 3% for Mastercard, and 4% for VISA.
Address: Casa Garcilaso (in front of Plaza Regocijo)
, 7:00-19:30 Monday to Saturday

If you buy on site at Aguas Calientes, only cash payment is accepted.

To learn more about our visit to Machu Picchu, read our travel diary here.
Read absolutely this article to know our tricks to choose the schedules of visit & better enjoy the place

Other options

Other more economical options (by colectivo or bus) are available. I invite you to consult these excellent articles at VoyagePerou and Backpackadeux .

Watch out!

• The prices of these two items aren’t quite correct. Inflation is terrible in Cusco. Since then, the train Hidroelectrica -> Aguas Calientes now costs 25$USD (86 soles) instead of 50 soles. The bus Cusco -> Hidroelectrica now costs between 65 soles and 75 soles. And the entrance fees to Machu Picchu have also increased
• The road is dangerous, but very pretty. During the rainy season, inquire upstream to make sure there is no runoff. Otherwise, the train will remain the safest option.

Photo: Information on the colectivos, their locations and rates (January 2017)

Tourism Agencies

When you are in Cusco, ask your agency a lot of questions if you want to go through an agency. The mention “all inclusive” Cusco – Machu Picchu may not be what you think, because the city Aguas Calientes is also named after Machu Picchu, which is confusing. Ask if the Machu Picchu they are talking about refers to the ruins(las ruinas) OR the village(el pueblo)

The “all inclusive” option (including the entrance to Machu Picchu) will cost more than if you take only the transport and buy yourself the entrance to Machu Picchu.
Take a day in Cusco to study all the options before choosing this or that transport. For info, below is the program that we have been proposed for 120$US per person, you have to walk a lot ! It gives you a good idea of the visit and departure times.