A visit to Machu Picchu comes down to three pieces: a timed entry ticket for one circuit and route, a train or trek to get there, and, for the Inca Trail, a permit bought only through a licensed operator. Below is how each piece works, how to check your dates, and when to go.
Every ticket is sold for one circuit, one route, one date and one entry time, across 3 circuits holding 10 routes. The citadel admits up to 5,600 visitors a day in high season and 4,500 in low season, so the popular routes sell out furthest ahead in the dry season. A citadel visit lasts up to 2 hours 30 minutes from your entry.
There is no road to Machu Picchu for regular vehicles: every visitor arrives through Machu Picchu Town (Aguas Calientes). Most drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley and take the train from there, about 1.5 hours, then ride the shuttle bus or climb the footpath to the gate. Sleeping in town the night before lets you enter early, on the slot you want.
The dry season, roughly May through September, is the most reliable time to visit, with clear mornings and firm trails, and also the busiest. April and October are the shoulder months: still green, with thinner crowds. The Inca Trail network closes every February for maintenance.
The classic Inca Trail walks into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, and the network admits up to 750 people a day. Places are bought only by travel agencies registered with the Ministry of Culture's Cusco office, in each hiker's name. The Salkantay trek is the wilder, higher route, with far easier availability.
On our Inca Trail trips, operated by Highland Adventures, the permit is arranged as part of the trip.
Huayna Picchu is the steep peak behind the citadel in the classic photo: roughly 45 to 60 minutes up narrow stone staircases, comfortable for a fit climber with no fear of heights. Its routes sit on Circuit 3, and a mountain ticket allows up to 5 hours 30 minutes on Huayna Picchu or 6 hours 30 minutes on Machu Picchu Mountain, citadel included. Without a climb, Circuit 2 is the default for a first visit.
Cusco sits at about 11,150 ft and most visitors feel it within hours of landing; Machu Picchu is much lower, at about 7,970 ft (2,430 m). The Sacred Valley lies between the two, lower and warmer than Cusco, and the most common train to Machu Picchu leaves from Ollantaytambo at its western end. Sleeping low before you sleep high is the easiest way to acclimatize.
The tools
Availability, permit releases, and the route that fits, for your exact dates. Free to use, no email asked. If your dates are tight, set an alert and we will map the closest option that still works.
Complete trips
Entry, trains, guiding and hotels arranged as one trip, for your dates. Operated by Highland Adventures, planning complete Peru trips since 2006.
The classic southern route, paced gently for the altitude: Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, a night below Machu Picchu, and a morning climb above it.
7 days
From$1,295
6 nights
per person
Physical rating
Physical rating 3 out of 5
The complete version: full days in Lima and the Sacred Valley, the trek in over the passes, and a second morning at the citadel for the peak above it.
10 days
From$2,095
9 nights
per person
Physical rating
Physical rating 4 out of 5
The southern route through Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu, then two nights at a Tambopata rainforest lodge reached by boat down the river.
9 days
From$2,095
8 nights
per person
Physical rating
Physical rating 3 out of 5Before you go
Yes. Every ticket is sold for one circuit, one route, one date and one entry time, and daily numbers are capped, so the popular routes sell out months ahead in the dry season and Inca Trail permits go faster still. On our trips, entry is arranged as part of the trip, so the route and dates are locked in when the trip is booked rather than left to chance.
Our packages run 4 to 10 days. 4 days is about the floor for Cusco, the Sacred Valley and a guided day at Machu Picchu without rushing the altitude, since the first days are spent getting used to the thin air. The longer trips make room for more of the valley and a slower pace.
By train, for most visitors: a short drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, then about 1.5 hours on the train to Machu Picchu Town, or roughly 3.5 to 4 hours on the rail leg from the Cusco area. There is no road for regular vehicles; the alternatives are a trek that ends at the site, or the road to Hidroelectrica and a walk of about 2.5 to 3 hours along the rail line. From Machu Picchu Town, the shuttle bus or the footpath climbs to the gate.
May through September is the dry season, with the clearest views and the busiest trails. The shoulder months, April and October, trade a little more rain for thinner crowds. February is among the wettest months, and the Inca Trail network closes every February for maintenance.
No. Inca Trail places are bought only by travel agencies registered with the Cusco office of the Ministry of Culture, with the full name list of hikers, guides and support staff, and each ticket is issued in the hiker's name for one date and route. If permits are gone for your dates, the Salkantay trek reaches Machu Picchu with far easier availability. On our Inca Trail trips, the permit is arranged as part of the trip.
A citadel visit lasts at most 2 hours 30 minutes from entry, with entries between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The two mountain routes allow longer, citadel included: up to 5 hours 30 minutes for Huayna Picchu and 6 hours 30 minutes for Machu Picchu Mountain.
For a complete week in Peru built around Machu Picchu, most travelers budget $1,500 to $3,000 per person before international flights. Our complete trips start at $795 per person, and that is the whole trip rather than a day rate: hotels, trains and transfers, guiding, and Machu Picchu entry arranged as part of it. Longer trips and private departures price higher, and every itinerary is quoted for your dates and group size.
We check availability for your exact dates before anything is confirmed. Once your trip is confirmed, your entry is booked in your name and guaranteed as part of it. If your dates are already full, you hear that first, along with the closest option that still works.
The rules
The rules behind the tools above, each carrying the date we last checked it.
Current rule
Operator-only, passport-bound permits with a hard daily quota; following-year permits release roughly a year ahead; since 2026, trail arrivals enter the citadel on route 3-B, and since September 2026 places are sold only with full payment at purchase.
Current rule
Timed, circuit-specific, capacity-capped entry tickets sold only by Peru's Ministry of Culture.
Current rule
Since June 2024 the citadel is visited on 3 circuits with 10 designated routes; your ticket locks your route.
Research
The research questions, answered by the team that operates the trips.
About this site
MachuPicchu.com is an independent guide to visiting Machu Picchu, operated by Highland Adventures since 2006; official entry to the citadel is managed by Peru's Ministry of Culture. Every rule on the site names its official source and carries the date we last checked it, and every availability reading shows the date it was observed. Highland Adventures Inc. holds Florida Seller of Travel License ST37447.
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