Machu Picchu had been on our dream trip list for years, and over those years it’s changed a lot. Since posting our guide to the Machu Picchu circuits we received lots of messages from people who visited back when there were no circuits, you could walk where you wanted, exit and re-enter, bring food in and so many more things that are not allowed today.
However, that’s not to say that a visit here is no longer magical, Machu Picchu has an ethereal quality to it that transcends all the finickity rules and restrictions. The sort of place you find your mind wandering back to many times after you leave.
The trick to an incredible visit today is understanding how it all works now that it’s not quite so straightforward.
In this guide we’re sharing everything we learnt about Machu Picchu and how to plan the perfect trip based on three full days in the site.
Things to know before visiting Machu Picchu
1. A guide is not mandatory
There was lots of rumours a little while ago that Machu Picchu was going to have a mandatory guide policy. I remember reading about it and seriously regretting not having already visited (nothing against guides, but we like to do our own thing).
It’s hard to understand quite what’s happening with the mandatory guide policy, whether it came into effect and was later scrapped, or whether it was never enforced at all. But for our visit and as I write this today, a guide is not mandatory.
You can of course hire one, but if you prefer exploring independently then you still can! Although for how long is anybody’s guess.
2. You have to pick a circuit and time slot
Probably the biggest change that’s come to Machu Pichu since it first became a major tourist attraction is the circuit system. Your ticket will give you access to one circuit and it comes with a time slot - a one hour window in which you may enter the site.
Technically with a ticket for one circuit you are only allowed to stay in the site for 4 hours, however, this was not being enforced on our visit.
And it’s worth noting that some circuits are vastly better than others. However, if you buy a general entry ticket you could walk any one of the four circuits, but you cannot deviate, so you need to choose your circuit wisely. If you book one of the mountain climb tickets, a circuit will be allocated to you and you cannot change it.
That’s why some people book a fabulous hike like Huayna Picchu but still come away disappointed when they realise that it only comes with access to circuit 4, a lower level circuit that does not cover those classic postcard views.
We bought a lot of tickets and walked every circuit to bring you this guide on how to pick the right circuit for you. If you’re thinking of taking on one of the two big mountain hikes, check out this guide on Huayna Picchu vs Machu Picchu Mountain.
3. Tickets usually need to be booked a couple of months in advance
Depending on which ticket you want, you are best off booking as soon as you are sure of your dates. This is especially important if you’re keen on getting hold of the coveted sunrise tickets. Though we’ve been told that some tickets are always available in Aguas Calientes town for use the following day, that seems like a pretty big risk to take if visiting Machu Picchu is really important to you.
You don’t need an agent to book tickets for you as they will add on a service fee, but the official ticket website for Machu Picchu is temperamental, so tread carefully! We found the best way to avoid it crashing was not to translate the page. Stick to Spanish and try to translate it on another device if you don’t understand it (Google Translate on a phone has a camera you can scan over anything and it will translate it).
Once you’ve picked your tickets and put in your details, you’ll get an email. This is not your ticket - it looks like a ticket - but this is a pdf to tell you that you’ve initiated a purchase. Then you need to put in your card details, pay and hope a ticket turns up. After one strange incident in which we paid and did not receive the tickets (we were refunded 60 days later) we managed to buy four sets of tickets without an agent.
4. Only two circuits offer that ‘postcard’ view
That’s right, if you want to see that classic shot of Machu Picchu you need to choose circuit 1 or 2. Circuits 3 and 4 are lower level circuits which don’t visit the upper levels that offer elevated views of Huayna Picchu looming over the citadel.
If you are taking circuits 3 and 4, you will use the lower entry gate and there’s no chance to cut on to the upper circuits. This is because there is a one way system at Machu Picchu, so anyone heading in the wrong direction is very obvious to the guards (it’s the one policy they were strictly enforcing at the site).
Even when choosing circuit 1 or 2 you need to be careful. You must pick the ‘superior platforma’ when you see the sign or you will end up missing the classic views and you guessed it, you can’t backtrack. We found this out the hard way thinking we should look at ‘inferior platforma’ first before moving onto what we assumed from the name would be the best one.
We were nearly kicked out the site when realising our mistake and backtracking. Had we not had the ‘Inca Bridge’ ticket which can’t be accessed from the inferior platform we would have been out of luck, as not one but two guards refused to allow us to turn back.
5. The Inca Bridge ticket is the best of all the tickets
The Inca Bridge is a fun little side trail you can only walk to if you purchase the specific Inca Bridge ticket (which is the same price as a general entry ticket). There are very limited numbers of these tickets sold and that keeps the trail wonderfully quiet. We actually didn’t see a single soul on our walk to Inca Bridge - no mean feat in Machu Picchu today. I loved the walk and the bridge, but the solitude was the bit I’ll always remember. We even got to see some wildlife!
Given the fact the cost of the ticket is the same as general entry and it comes with access to either circuit 1 or 2 makes it an absolute no brainer. If you only buy one ticket for Machu Picchu, make it the Inca Bridge ticket.
Here’s our detailed guide to the Inca Bridge Trail.
6. Sunrise is the quietest time to visit
Back in the day - before daily visitor numbers were capped and the circuit system was introduced - everyone told us that Machu Picchu used to be much less crowded at the end of the day.
However, over all the three days we visited, we found that Machu Picchu was the least crowded at sunrise. Yes, there will be people - the tickets always sell out for sunrise - but there will be fewer people.
We found that many visitors with time slots earlier in the day hung around late into the afternoon, then you also have those that bought tickets for the afternoon slots. This means that though the same number of tickets will have been sold across the time slots, it culminated in more people being at the site in the afternoon.
Although there is technically meant to be a four hour maximum stay in Machu Picchu, from our experience this was never enforced. Therefore many people who arrive earlier in the day will maximise their time at the site by staying as long as possible, and more people enter the site every hour.
If you buy a sunrise ticket you will be in the first tranche of people allowed into the site and no one else will come in for a further hour - which is the next time slot.
You can read more about sunrise at Machu Picchu in our sunrise vs sunset guide.
7. There are no toilets inside Machu Picchu……
When I first heard there were no toilets inside the site, I thought it might be a mistake. Turns out it’s not, so you’ll definitely want to use the bathroom at the entry gate (bring small change) before heading in. Although I think it makes the site much more special not to have things like toilets inside, it is surprising when you consider point number 8.
8. …And once you exit you can’t re-enter
Yep, you can’t re-enter the site if you’ve exited. Well for almost all tickets at least, at time of writing only one ticket (Machu Picchu Mountain) allows re-entry. Anything you need to visit the site must come in with you, because though there are luggage storage facilities at the entry gate, you can’t access them until you have exited the site. The only way round this is to buy multiple tickets.
9. You can’t take any food into Machu Picchu
No food or drink beside water is allowed inside Machu Picchu. This was another one I was a bit worried about because we had mountain climbs and circuits booked for the same day. If you’re also planning this then it actually works out ok because there is a cafe (and buffet restaurant) at the entry gate, so if you have two tickets there is somewhere to get food inbetween.
If you only have one ticket you want to make sure you have a good brekkie before going in as you won’t be able to eat anything until you leave and depending on what circuit you’re doing there can be quite a few steps involved! We’ve heard of people sneaking food in, but personally we stuck to the rules.
In addition to this you aren’t allowed hiking poles or tripods inside Machu Picchu and if you bring them you’ll be told to leave them in the luggage storage area for a small fee.
10. There is very little information about Machu Picchu at the site, so you may want to hire a guide or bring a guide book
Machu Picchu is not one of those sites that has information boards and little plaques explaining the history of the site. That’s wonderful for the aesthetics, but it does mean if you want to know more about the citadel you’ll either need to hire a guide, bring a guide book or look things up online. In terms of guides, we didn’t use one, but there were always people at the entry gate offering their services.
As much of what’s known about Machu Picchu is educated guesswork, you’ll never truly uncover its mysteries, but a guide will be able to shed some light.
11. The Machu Picchu Mountain ticket comes with special access to a coveted viewpoint
On paper the Machu Picchu Mountain ticket looks like a rough deal as it only comes with access to circuit 3, the worst circuit at Machu Picchu. However, what they inexplicably don’t tell you online (for now at least) is that it also comes with access to the Guardian House viewpoint, the most sought after view in Machu Picchu. It’s located on the upper level of the site, so you get that picture perfect photo opportunity that you don’t get on the lower level circuits, 3 and 4.
In addition to this, as access to this viewpoint is restricted to Machu Picchu Mountain ticket holders and multi day trekkers alone, it’s the quietest of the upper level viewpoints. Granted it’s close to several other good views which anyone on circuit 1 or 2 can visit, but it does mean that you’re not sharing your spot with many others.
In fact we were two of four people watching sunrise from the Guardian House on our visit. More people came later, but we never saw it busy. It’s another one of those weird quirks as there seems no particular reason to restrict access to this viewpoint but not the other lookouts just behind it, but it did mean we had an extra special sunrise, so we’re not complaining!
12. The bus journey is not as scary as we’d heard!
I’d seen videos and read up online and had started to get a bit worried about the bus journey to Machu Picchu, especially as I knew we’d be doing it six times. South America is not known for its road safety and everyone kept talking of a very narrow road with a huge drop off.
Now whilst that’s technically true, I would say that the bus never felt scary - though don’t pick the window seat if you have vertigo. The buses were all in good condition and the road surface was decent too. It is steep and mainly single track, but there are regular points at which the buses can pass each other. There was never a moment, even when the buses passed each other, that you felt like you were teetering on the edge.
13. ...and nor are the ‘stairs of death’
Huayna Picchu’s ‘stairs of death’ are notorious and certain angles in Youtube videos can definitely make them look scarier than they are. Obviously if you suffer from vertigo they would not be fun in the least, but if you have an ok head for heights, they aren’t too bad. They are steep and have a sheer drop to the left, but on the right there is a sturdy wall, which makes it much less anxiety inducing than it would be if the drop were on two sides.
The steps are also in good condition and when dry, not slippery (wet would be a whole other story). They are also one way, so you never have to worry about oncoming traffic.
That’s not to say if you look down that you won’t feel like they are one crazy set of stairs, but we actually walked them a couple of times when we decided we wanted to sit longer at the lower viewpoint - and I definitely wouldn’t have done that if they were terrifying.
14. It’s well worth staying a night (or more) in Aguas Calientes…
Aguas Calientes is a sweet little town at the foot of Machu Picchu. The setting amongst the sheer limestone cliffs is magnificent - it was far more beautiful than I had imagined. I expected it to have a dearth of good cafes and restaurants as most people come for just one night, but it was actually a lot better than nearby Ollantaytambo in that respect. If you’re into coffee then definitely head for Cafe Trotter, the walk there is all uphill, but it’s worth it.
More importantly though, is that staying the night allows you to visit Machu Picchu without rushing. It will be less tiring and more enjoyable, though a day trip is of course possible if you have limited time.
15. …but you can’t bring a suitcase!
This was another one I googled several times before booking tickets - can you really not take your luggage? Well as it turns out neither train company that run services to Aguas Calientes allow you to bring more than a carry on bag (and there is no road access to the town). This is fine for an overnight stay, but was trickier for us planning to stay three nights and one full bag was camera gear : )
There are laundry services in town if needed though, so it’s not really too much of an issue. We also did notice a couple of people bring bigger bags, but it’s a risk as they could stop you taking them on the train back, which would be a real problem.
The train station in Ollantaytambo has a left luggage area if needed.
16. Machu Picchu is high up, but much lower than Cusco
If you’re worried about hiking around Machu Picchu due to the altitude, the good news is that it sits at a much lower elevation than Cusco. In fact it’s lower than most of the Sacred Valley at just 2400m elevation. This means that if you’ve already spent a couple of days acclimatising to life at 3500m in Cusco, you can breathe easy in Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes is even lower, so sleeping here is a dream after Cusco.
If you come to Machu Picchu from sea level then you may find yourself slightly more breathless, but overall it shouldn’t be too bad.
17. The train ride to Machu Picchu is one of the most beautiful in the world
I always thought we’d arrive at Machu Picchu on foot, but a horrendous bout of food poisoning that lasted for almost half our time in Peru put paid to many of the bigger hikes we’d been planning. What made that a little bit easier to bear was just how truly jaw-dropping the train ride to Machu Picchu was. We love train travel and have been lucky enough to take several of the train journeys often described as the most beautiful in the world.
For us the journey between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes was up there with the best of them. Kilometre for kilometre it might even be the best we’ve ever done as there is no filler, it’s incredible view after incredible view - although it does matter what side of the train you sit on! More on that as well as whether the Vistadome carriage is worth it in this guide.
18. You need to bring your passport to the site
Although we were only asked for it on one of the three days we entered Machu Picchu, you don’t want to risk not having it with you just in case! We were also asked for it every single time we left Aguas Calientes on the bus too and you don’t want to queue for the bus only to be sent back to your hotel to get your passport!
19. There is more than one Inca Trail but…..
Although everyone talks about the fact that the Inca Trail is all marketing and there are many Inca trails, that’s only half the truth. Yes there are many Inca trails - trails that the Inca’s built - but only one will take you directly into Machu Picchu via the Sun Gate. Treks such as the Salkantay finish at Aguas Calientes and though you can hike up to Machu Picchu from there, you are not entering via the Sun Gate, you are entering via the main gate along with everyone that took the bus up.
Most people we spoke to almost looked down on the Inca Trail as the ultra touristy one that people only do because they think it’s the only real Inca Trail. But I know which one we’ll be back for next time - I can’t imagine there is anything quite like entering Machu Picchu through the original Sun Gate.
However, the Inca Trail is wildly popular, so you need to book your permits up to six months in advance (if hiking in high season). A guide is mandatory, so most people opt to go on a group tour to keep the price down.
If you aren’t able to secure a place on the Inca Trail there are many alternatives where the number of people allowed to hike each day is not restricted. The most popular of which is the Salkantay Trek (which can be hiked without a guide) but if you want quieter options try looking at the Lares Trek or Vilcabamba Trail.
Where to stay near Machu Picchu
Sanctuary Lodge
Sanctuary Lodge is literally at the gates of Machu Picchu itself. You can actually see it from the gardens, or so I’m told, as this option was waaay out of our budget. It is on my dream hotels list, so maybe we’ll be back one day! I’ve seen videos of the hotel and it looks beautiful and the restaurants are meant to be great too. The other perk is being able to walk to the entry gate in less than a minute!
You can check out the reviews and prices on:
Tierra Viva Machu Picchu Hotel
We stayed at the Tierra Viva Machu Picchu Hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes. The rooms are simple but have a big comfy bed and good shower. If you opt for a room with a view you not only get to see the gorgeous limestone mountains from your window, but also go to sleep to the sound of the rushing river.
It was around a five minute walk from the train ‘station’ and you can send them your arrival time and someone will come and help you with your bags and show you the way to the hotel if needed (as there are no taxis etc).
They also allowed us to shower after checking out on our last day which meant we could climb Machu Picchu Mountain and then get on the train feeling fresh.
It is a lot pricier than a hotel of the same standard in other parts of the Sacred Valley, but that’s due to its location.
You can check out the reviews and prices on:
Getting to Aguas Calientes (the nearest town to Machu Picchu)
The closest town to Machu Picchu is Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes can be accessed via train from Cusco, but more commonly from Ollantaytambo, which is only 1.5 hours away.
You can get as far as Hidroelectrica by bus, which is much cheaper than the train. However, from here you need to continue on foot, which takes approximately two hours. You can get to Hidroelectrica via collectivo, which is the cheapest but longest option. Alternatively you can catch a shuttle bus, which is pricer but more direct.
Once you arrive in Aguas Calientes you will get around on foot as there isn’t any transport (aside from the buses up to Machu Picchu).
Getting to Machu Picchu
From Aguas Calientes you have two options for getting to Machu Picchu. The first is the steep walking track which zigzags up the mountain, this is said to take around 1.5 hours, but as we didn’t do it, we’re not sure if this would be an average pace or not. The walk is on a dedicated hiking track, but crisscrosses the road the bus uses, so it’s by no means a wilderness hike. The patches of forest looked lovely though.
The second and by far the most popular option is to take the bus. This takes between 20 and 25 minutes from town and at time of writing costs USD $12 each way. You need to book the bus ticket to get up the mountain from the little ticket office in town, you can’t buy tickets on the bus. The return journey can either be purchased at the same place, or when you get to Machu Picchu. There’s no discount for a return ticket so you can always decide later if you’re considering hiking back down instead.
The bus journey is on a steep windy road and it’s narrow in places, however, not scary like I’d read online that it was.
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