Are you planning a trip to Peru within the next 6 months? If you are, then use the below tips to make your trek to Machu Picchu as smooth as possible. This is your step by step guide to purchasing tickets for Machu Picchu and visiting the Incan Ruins. You’ll also find our itinerary that allowed us to do everything we wanted!

There are 2 suggested ways to visit this once hidden gem, and they are by train and foot. I opted out of hiking the Incan Trail, but for those that are interested, I suggest the 3 day option opposed to the 5 day option.

Step 1: Purchase Tickets to Machu Picchu

First, purchase your tickets to Machu Picchu online through Peru’s Ministry De Cultura website at least 2-4 months in advance. At a minimum, you’ll purchase the General Admission tickets into the citadel (ruins).

Times vary from when you can enter the Citadel, so the time you choose to enter will need to depend on how you’ll get to the ruins (staying in the nearby town or coming from Cusco). My tour group took a 4am train from Cusco City to Aguas Calientes so we chose to enter the citadel at 8:00 am (A patir de, which means you can enter beginning at, 8:00 am). This usually sells out quicker. We also chose to hike WaynaPicchu Mountain (10:00 am - 11:00 am entry). I highly recommend the WaynaPicchu hike, which is a much steeper climb than Machu Picchu mountain, but you’ll be able to see the ruins from high above the clouds and it is truly a rewarding, yet difficult hike. It took our group 1.5 hours (1 hour up and :30 min down) with a decent amount of breaks.

Ok, you purchased the tickets, great! The email you’ll receive is considered your booking form. You will need to print this out and present at the ticketing office on the mountain along with your passport.

The Price: $60

Step 2: Purchase Transportation Tickets to the Ruins

Next, we purchased IncaRail tickets immediately after we bought out admission tickets to the mountain. We chose the 360 Degree Train from IncaRail with an outdoor cart that was perfect for taking in the views. They offered complimentary water, tee, and soft drinks as well as a small breakfast and sandwiches.

Once the tickets are purchased, you MUST bring the printed email confirmation and go to one of IncaRail’s offices in Cusco to receive physical tickets to present to the conductor.

Office Locations:

Cusco Airport: Velasco Astete Airport, national and international arrivals lounge. Monday to Friday 05:45- 21:45. - We redeemed our tickets here when we landed in Cusco!

Cusco: Av. El Sol 843 block 6. Monday to Fridays from 07:00 to 22:00. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 07:00 to 20:00.
Cusco: Portal de Panes 105 - Plaza de Armas [Main Square]. Monday to Friday 07:00 - 22:00. Saturday, Sunday and holidays 07:00 - 20:00.
Cusco: Av. Cascaparo S/N, San Pedro. Monday to Sunday: From 04:30 to 09:00
Ollantaytambo: Calle Ferrocarril s/n, 30 metres from Ollantaytambo train station. Monday to Sunday 06:00 - 19:30.
Machu Picchu: within Machu Picchu train station, 10 metres from the railway.Monday to Sunday 07:00 - 21:30.

Roundtrip ticket price: $200.

Step 3: Purchase Bus Tickets from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu Town (Mountain)

It is highly recommended to purchase the roundtrip bus tickets before you go to the mountain. Buying these round-trip tickets will save you a headache when you get to Aguas Calientes and see a giant line of people waiting to purchase tickets. When you purchase a round-trip ticket, you can choose your times and buses seem to come by every 10-15 minutes. We bought our tickets in the Cusco Office, but you can purchase bus tickets on the mountain, Cusco City, Aguas Calientes, and other locations up to 7 day before the trip:

*Tickets are non-refundable

The price: $24

Timeline and Recap:

5:00 AM - Departure from Av. Cascaparo S/N, San Pedro, Cusco on IncaRail Train

9:00 AM - Bus Ride (30 min) from Aguas Calientes to Machu Pichu (tickets purchased before the trip)
9:30 AM - Minor exploration of the citadel
10:00 AM - Began Waynapicchu hike for 2 hours
12:00 PM - Explored the citadel again for 2 hours
2:00 PM - Left the citadel and walked to the nearby town of Macchu Picchu to grab snacks for the bus and train ride back of Aguas Calientes to eat food rLeave MachuPichu mntn in time to catch our 4:12 pm departure train back to Cusco- Maybe 3:45pm? The bus ride back to Agra’s Calientes is 30 minutes
4:12 pm - Departure from Aguas Calientes back to Cusco City
Return Address: Same as departure location
What To Bring: Printed Machu Pichu tickets (electronic), passport, print out of the IncaRail receipt of purchase, credit card with which purchase was made

Emily Michelle Kaiser

Step by Step Guide To Visiting Machu Picchu