MachuPicchu Cusco
Machu Picchu1 day

Machu Picchu in One Day

Round trip from Cusco, by train along the Urubamba valley

  • Duration1 day
  • DifficultyEasy
  • GroupUp to 14
  • Max. altitude2,430 m
  • PickupAt your hotel

About the tour

Leave Cusco before dawn, tour the citadel with a guide and sleep in your own hotel that night. Train, bus, ticket and guide included. From US$320.

For travellers with only a few days in Cusco who don't want to leave without seeing Machu Picchu. It's a long day but not a physically hard one: almost all of it is by road and rail, and the only walking is the guided tour inside the citadel.

How the day runs

  • 4:00–5:00 am · Hotel pickup. The exact time depends on your train and we confirm it the evening before.
  • About 1 h 45 min by road to Ollantaytambo station, crossing the Sacred Valley at sunrise.
  • Around 1 h 30 min by train along the Urubamba river, from Andean valley to cloud forest.
  • 30 min on the official bus that zigzags up from Aguas Calientes to the entrance.
  • Guided tour of the citadel and return to Cusco the same night.

Who it suits

Families, older travellers and first-time visitors to Cusco. If you'd rather go up without the early start and at a slower pace, see the two-day version with a night in Aguas Calientes.

Before you book

  • Bring your original passport: it's checked on the train and at the entrance.
  • Spend at least two days in Cusco beforehand to acclimatise.
  • Meals are not included; Aguas Calientes has restaurants for every budget.

Highlights

  • Train along the Urubamba valley
  • Professional guide at the citadel
  • Entrance ticket and official bus included
  • Back in Cusco the same night

Itinerary

Cusco · Ollantaytambo · Machu Picchu · Cusco

  1. Hotel pickup between 4:00 and 5:00 am.

  2. Drive through the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo station (about 1 h 45 min).

  3. Train to Aguas Calientes along the Urubamba river (around 1 h 30 min).

  4. Official bus to the Machu Picchu entrance and guided tour of the citadel.

  5. Bus down to Aguas Calientes, free time for lunch and the return train.

  6. Transfer from Ollantaytambo to your hotel in Cusco in the evening.

What's included

Included

  • Hotel pickup and transfer to Ollantaytambo
  • Return tourist train
  • Return bus up to the citadel
  • Machu Picchu entrance ticket
  • Professional guide

Not included

  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • Huayna Picchu (extra cost, subject to availability)
  • Tips

Frequently asked questions

In the evening. It depends on the return train; we confirm it together with your pickup time.

Your original passport. It's required to board the train and to enter the citadel; a photo or copy is not accepted.

No. You're back in Cusco at night, so book your flight for the next day.

Yes, at an extra cost and only if permits are available for your date. Tell us when you book, as they sell out weeks ahead.

One day if you're short on time. Two days if you want to go up rested, with more entry-time options and a chance to see Aguas Calientes.

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From

USD 320 per person

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