Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, is the great day trip or overnight trip from Cusco. The citadel sits on a mountain ridge at about 2,430 metres, above the Sacred Valley and the Urubamba River, roughly 80 kilometres north-west of Cusco. It is believed to have been built around 1450 as an estate of the emperor Pachacuti, although no written records from the time confirm this, and radiocarbon dating places its occupation between about 1420 and 1530. It was abandoned around the time of the Spanish conquest and was brought to international attention by Hiram Bingham in 1911, although local people knew it long before. Peru made it a historic sanctuary in 1981 and UNESCO inscribed it in 1983.

The visit is organised into fixed circuits set by the Ministry of Culture, and it is worth understanding them before you book. Since 1 June 2024 there have been three circuits grouping ten routes. Circuit 1, the panoramic circuit, includes the climb to Machu Picchu Mountain and the Upper Terrace route, plus routes to the Intipunku gateway and the Inca Bridge that open only in high season. Circuit 2, the classic circuit, covers the designed route and the Lower Terrace. Circuit 3, the royalty circuit, includes Huayna Picchu, a designed route and, in high season only, the Great Cavern and Huchuy Picchu. Each route follows a set path, so choose the one that covers what you most want to see, whether that is the classic postcard view or the temples.

Highlights inside the site include the Intihuatana ritual stone, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Three Windows. Huayna Picchu, the smaller peak beside the citadel, has its own Inca structures and is reached only on its own route.

Tickets are sold by the Ministry of Culture, which lists both online and in-person purchase on the official Machu Picchu site, and its online ticketing platform is Tu Boleto. Rules and routes change from time to time, so check the official pages before you travel rather than relying on older guides.

Most people reach the site by train from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, then take the 8.6-kilometre bus road or walk up to the entrance. A road route to the Hidroeléctrica station, followed by a walk or a short train ride, is less advisable in the rainy season. With a train journey each way, you can also break the trip with a night in Aguas Calientes or Ollantaytambo rather than doing it all in one day.