All Machu Picchu tours on this site, compared

How to choose the tour

The choice comes down to three things: the city you sleep in the night before, the language you want the guiding in, and the budget you have per adult. The tours on this site are grouped below along those lines.

If you sleep in Cusco

A single day is enough for the citadel if you accept an early start. The 14-hour day trip from $336 per adult is the shortest route, with hotel pickup, train, shuttle bus and about three hours on site. The full-day guided tour runs 12 to 16 hours with pickup at 4:30 a.m. and a return to Cusco around 19:00, and the all inclusive day by train bundles the CONSETUR bus and about two and a half hours of guiding into 14 to 16 hours. The one-day category page sets four Cusco departures side by side, from 11 to 17 hours and from $389 to $480 per adult.

If you sleep in Aguas Calientes

Splitting the trip over two days removes the pre-dawn start on citadel day. The two-day Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour from $449 per booking puts the valley and a buffet lunch on day one, a night in a private room in Aguas Calientes in between and Circuit 2 on day two.

If you start from Lima

Long itineraries handle the internal travel for you. The seven-day trip from Lima costs from $1070 per adult and includes six nights of accommodation, daily breakfast, airport pickups and a round-trip Voyager train ticket. The seven-day escorted tour from $974 per adult covers Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the citadel on an early admission ticket with a private guide, and the eight-day Cusco, Machu Picchu and Amazon tour from $1215 per adult adds the rainforest.

If you want to walk in

Trekking routes reach the citadel on foot and need more days. The classic four-day Inca Trail from $835 per adult includes three nights camping, a personal porter for up to 7 kg and all trail meals, with groups to 14 people. The four-day Inca Jungle Trail from $430 per adult mixes a bike descent with forest walking in groups of up to 8, and the hiking category page compares five routes from 18.5 hours to five days, from $480 to $760 per adult.

Guide language

Guiding in English or Spanish is the norm, but the way you request it changes. On the day trip from Cusco and the small group tour you state your language at the time of booking. The guided full day uses a multi-language guide, the private full day works in English or Spanish for your group alone, and the two seven-day itineraries from Lima use a bilingual guide or a private guide at the citadel.

Budget

Day tours from Cusco span $336 to $480 per adult, or from $339 and $360 per booking on the private and all inclusive formats, which can work out better for two or more people. Above that, the Belmond Hiram Bingham day at $1130 per adult is the top of the range, with a three-course lunch outbound, a four-course dinner back and tea at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge. For a gentler pace at mid-range cost, the panoramic train day with Circuit 2 runs 14 to 15 hours from $395 per booking, with about 2 hours 30 minutes of guiding.

If you are combining countries

Peru and the islands are always two separate bookings. The Machu Picchu and Galapagos page compares the $336 day trip and the $449 two-day tour against Galapagos options of five days at $1399 and seven days at $1896, while the Machu Picchu and Easter Island page pairs the same Peru tours with a 6-hour Rapa Nui day from $70 or a 13-hour private highlights tour from $560.

All tours compared