One long day from your Cusco lodging to the citadel and back, with the train, the shuttle bus and the entry ticket all arranged before you leave.
Updated 9 October 2026
In shortThis is a 14-hour day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu with hotel pickup, round-trip train or bimodal bus and train, the shuttle bus up and down, citadel admission and about three hours inside the site. The guiding is done by a local expert in Spanish or English, so state your language when you book. It suits travellers with one spare day in Cusco and a tight budget, starting at $336 per adult.
14 htour length
from $336per adult
★ 4.51716 reviews
up to 15people per group
What the day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu covers
The day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu compresses the whole chain into one 14-hour block: pickup at your lodging, transfer to the station, the train you selected at booking, the shuttle bus up the hairpins from Aguas Calientes, roughly three hours inside the citadel with a local guide, then the same sequence in reverse. Prices start at $336 per adult, the lowest full-day figure listed on this site, and the tour holds a rating of ★ 4.5 from 1716 reviews. Groups run up to 15 people.
Guiding is in Spanish or English by a local expert, and the train can be the Expedition, Vistadome, Executive Class 360 or Voyager service depending on what you choose. Lunch, bottled water and gratuities are not part of the price. Food and tableware are banned inside the citadel, so eat in Aguas Calientes before you ride up or after you come down, and carry a small amount of cash for drinks and the odd fee.
Admission is included, but the ticket is nominal: it carries your full name and ID document number exactly as supplied, and the printed entry hour is the one you must present yourself at. Give the operator your passport details as they appear in the document, since names cannot be changed later. The circuit and route depend on what the Ministry of Culture has released for your date, which is the main reason the operator asks for bookings 60 days ahead. Last-minute requests inside that window are generally possible only on the midday and afternoon shifts, and all sales on this tour are final.
The listing gives 14 hours for the whole day but does not publish fixed pickup or train times: those depend on the train service and the entry hour on your ticket, and the operator confirms them after booking. Expect a pre-dawn start and an evening return, and keep that night free. One more point in your favour: the citadel sits at 2,340 m against 3,399 m in Cusco, so the day is a descent, and the sensible order is to acclimatise in Cusco first and go down to Machu Picchu after.
Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cusco
Citadel admission, round-trip train or bimodal bus and train from Cusco, the shuttle bus both ways, a local guide in Spanish or English and pickup at your lodging. The operator suggests booking 60 days ahead; later bookings usually land on the midday or afternoon shift.
Cusco Pickup at your hotel, apartment or house in Cusco, then the transfer to the station for the service you selected when booking.
Aguas Calientes About 1.5 hours by train down the valley, on the Expedition, Vistadome, Executive Class 360 or Voyager service, or on the bimodal bus and train combination from Cusco. At Aguas Calientes station you board a small bus for the climb to the gate.
Machupicchu180 min Three hours at the citadel: terraces, shrines, stairways and the urban sector, walked with your local guide on the route printed on your ticket, with time left over to stop and look on your own.
Aguas Calientes Back down by bus to Aguas Calientes station to board the return train.
Cusco The train takes you back up the valley and a vehicle drops you at your lodging in Cusco.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Machu Picchu citadel admission ticket
Round-trip train ticket of the class you choose, or the bimodal bus-and-train service, from Cusco
Round-trip shuttle bus between Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes) and the citadel
Local expert guide, in Spanish or English
Pickup and drop-off at your lodging in Cusco
Not included
Gratuities
Lunch
Bottled water
Meeting point, pickup and cancellation
Pickup: round-trip transfer from your hotel, apartment or house in Cusco.
Cancellation: All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Ages: child 2–11, adult 12+
Other ways to do the day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu
The four alternatives below are the same single day arranged differently: longer guided time at the site, a smaller or private format, or a shorter 10-hour version. Pick on guide language and on what the price actually includes, because train class and the number of people in the vehicle move the figure more than anything else.
Check dates for the day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu
Dates fill from the Ministry side as much as the operator side, so look at availability early and give your passport name and ID number exactly as printed. Sales on this tour are final once confirmed.
