Machu Picchu Tours From Cusco: Two Days by Train with the Sacred Valley

Machu Picchu Tours From Cusco: What the Two Days Cover

The itinerary splits the altitude as well as the driving. Day one leaves Cusco, which sits at 3,399 m, and goes down into the lower Sacred Valley, where the buffet lunch is included, then carries on by tourist train to Aguas Calientes for the night. Day two is the citadel itself, at 2,340 m, which is the lowest point of the whole route and the part of the trip least likely to give you altitude trouble.

Circuit 2 is the classic walk, and the tour asks for priority allocation on it, subject to Ministry availability. That is a request rather than a reserved seat, so book early if the route matters to you. Routes 2-A and 2-B cap your time inside the site at 2 hours 30 minutes, and the reference duration for the circuit is two and a half to three hours.

On day two the shuttle takes you from Aguas Calientes up to the gate: about 8 km of road with roughly 13 hairpin bends, 20 to 25 minutes each way, both legs included here. Your guide stays with the group throughout the citadel, which is how the visit regulation requires guided groups to work.

The entry ticket is nominal. It carries your full name and ID document number, so the passport details you give at booking have to match the document you present at the gate, and neither the name nor the date can be changed afterwards.

Accommodation is chosen at checkout, either the standard tier or the upgraded premium 3-star tier, both with a private room in Aguas Calientes. Breakfast the next morning is included, as are hotel or Airbnb pickup and drop-off in Cusco; the operations team keeps you updated by WhatsApp.

Two things in this package need cash in hand. The Sacred Valley Boleto Turistico is paid in Peruvian soles at the entrance to the ruins, and if you want to add Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain it costs US$70, paid in cash in Cusco. Breakfast and dinner on day one and lunch and dinner on day two are left to you.

Meeting point, pickup and cancellation

• Meeting point: pickup happens steps from your lodging, at a nearby corner or landmark. For lodgings outside the central zone, or on a narrow historic street with no vehicle access, the meeting point is Plaza Regocijo by the central fountain.
• Confirmation: the operations team contacts you on WhatsApp at least 72 hours before departure to fix your exact pickup time and place.
• Pickup: hotel or Airbnb pickup in central Cusco. A direct airport pickup is also possible, provided your flight lands in Cusco no later than 6:40 a.m. on day one.
• Drop-off: back in central Cusco, as close to your hotel door as traffic rules allow, otherwise at the nearest vehicle-accessible point.
• Cancellation: all sales are final and no refund is available for cancellations.
• Ages: infant 0 to 2, child 3 to 10, youth 11 to 17, adult 18 and over.

What is included

How Other Machu Picchu Tours From Cusco Compare

The two-day format on this page exists for one reason: the night in Aguas Calientes removes the pre-dawn start and the late return that a single-day run from Cusco involves. The full-day options below finish the same evening and cost less; the other two-day listing follows a similar shape at a similar price, so compare the included hotel tier and the guide language before you choose.

Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 9 October 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.

More ways to plan your visit

Tickets and circuits: what each route covers

Tickets and circuits: what each route covers

Sacred Valley: towns and ruins on the way

Sacred Valley: towns and ruins on the way

Aguas Calientes: the town below the citadel

Aguas Calientes: the town below the citadel