Small Group Tour Machu Picchu: Train, Bus and Entry Ticket
This small group tour Machu Picchu covers a full 16-hour day from Cusco, with the train, the shuttle bus and the entrance ticket already arranged and no more than 10 people in the group.
Updated 9 October 2026
In shortA 16-hour day from Cusco in a group of up to 10 people: hotel pickup, tourist train, the bus up from Aguas Calientes, a two-hour guided visit of the citadel with a professional guide in Spanish or English, and the official entrance with the circuit assigned at the time of booking. The price starts at $379 per adult and a meal with appetizer, main course and dessert is part of the package. It suits travellers who want the whole chain of transport organised for them but dislike moving around in a full coach.
16 htour length
from $379per adult
★ 4.9277 reviews
up to 10people per group
What you get on this small group tour Machu Picchu
The day runs for 16 hours and starts from $379 per adult, with a rating of ★ 4.9 from 277 reviews. A vehicle collects you at your accommodation in Cusco, takes you to the train station, and the tourist train carries you to Aguas Calientes, where the local team puts you on the bus to the citadel gate. The guided visit inside lasts about two hours, the route depending on the circuit assigned to your entrance ticket, and the listed time on site is 2 hours 30 minutes.
Group size is capped at 10 people, below the 16 that the visit regulation allows inside the citadel, which in practice means the guide walks with the group the whole way and you can ask something without shouting over a dozen other heads. The guide works in Spanish or English, so state your language when you book. Local assistance at each stage covers the station, the bus and the gate, which is the part of the day most people get wrong on their own.
Included in the price: the official entrance, circuit subject to availability at the time of booking, the round-trip tourist bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel, shared transport in modern vehicles, pickup and drop-off at your Cusco hotel, and a meal with appetizer, main course and dessert. Cold drinks are paid directly by the traveller. Breakfast, dinner, tips, travel insurance and personal spending stay outside the package.
Altitude is easier here than in Cusco: the citadel stands at 2,340 m against 3,399 m in the city, so the walking part of this day is usually gentler than the first days of a Cusco stay. Entrance tickets carry the visitor's full name and ID document number, cannot be transferred or changed, and admit you at the exact hour printed on them, so book with the passport details you will actually travel on.
Small group, train and entrance in one booking
Up to 10 travellers, tourist train both ways, the bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel gate, the official entrance with the circuit assigned at booking, a professional guide in Spanish or English, and a meal with appetizer, main course and dessert.
Cusco Pickup at your hotel in Cusco and transfer to the train station for the ride to Machu Picchu. Transfer only, no sightseeing on this leg.
Aguas Calientes The local team meets you on arrival and helps you board the tourist bus up to the Machu Picchu entrance. About 30 minutes.
Machupicchu120 min Guided visit with a professional guide: the main sectors of the citadel, its history and its role in Inca culture. The route follows the circuit assigned to your entrance ticket. About 2 hours of guiding, 2 hours 30 minutes on site.
Aguas Calientes120 min Back down to Aguas Calientes with roughly 2 hours of free time to eat, walk around the town or rest before the return train.
Ollantaytambo At Ollantaytambo station the vehicle is waiting for the road back to Cusco. The service ends at your hotel or at an agreed point near the Historic Centre.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Official entrance to Machu Picchu, circuit subject to availability at the time of booking
Tourist train to Machu Picchu and back
Round-trip tourist bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel gate
Professional guide in Spanish or English at Machu Picchu
Shared tourist transport in modern, spacious vehicles
Pickup at your hotel in Cusco and return at the end of the day
Local assistance throughout the trip
A meal with appetizer, main course and dessert; cold drinks are paid directly by the traveller
Not included
Tips
Breakfast and dinner
Cold drinks with the included meal
Personal expenses
Travel insurance
Any service not expressly listed as included
Meeting point, pickup and cancellation
Pickup is included from hotels, Airbnb and other accommodation in the Historic Centre of Cusco and nearby areas. The exact time is confirmed the day before, between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM, by WhatsApp or booking message; wait in the reception or lobby at that time.
If your accommodation sits on a street that vehicles cannot reach, a nearby and safe meeting point is agreed instead. At the end of the day the return transfer takes you to your hotel or to the agreed point in Cusco.
Cancellation: all sales are final and no refund is available for cancellations.
Ages: child 3 to 17, adult 18 and over. Minors aged 3 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult inside the sanctuary.
How this small group tour Machu Picchu compares
The three day tours below cover the same basic chain of train, bus, guide and entrance, and differ mainly in price and in how long the day runs. The 5-day Salkantay trek belongs to a different kind of trip: four nights on the trail before you reach the citadel, for walkers with time and legs for 70 km of highland and Amazonian paths.
Tour
Length
From
Rating
Machu Picchu from Cusco in Small Group, Train and Ticket (this page)
Dates and places on this small group tour Machu Picchu
Departures sell by date and the entrance circuit is assigned at the time of booking, so the earlier you fix the day the more choice you have. Pickup time is confirmed the evening before, between 6:30 PM and 7:00 PM, and all sales are final once confirmed.
