The right time for your visit
The right entry time depends on your plans and the tickets available. We’ll discuss the circuit, season and any mountain hike before recommending how to arrange the day.
Machu Picchu
Walk through Machu Picchu with a guide who can explain what you’re seeing and answer the questions that matter to you. We’ll plan the entry, circuit and journey there around your dates, whether you arrive by train or make the Inca Trail part of the trip.
Plan your journeyWhat to see
The right entry time depends on your plans and the tickets available. We’ll discuss the circuit, season and any mountain hike before recommending how to arrange the day.
Machu Picchu admission is tied to a selected circuit, route and entry time. A classic archaeological visit, a panoramic viewpoint and a mountain hike are different choices. We discuss what matters to you before selecting tickets.
We often recommend staying in Aguas Calientes before and after your visit. It separates the site visit from the return journey and gives you time to enjoy your hotel. With less time, we’ll discuss the options and trade-offs.
Where we stay
Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, in Aguas Calientes, is the hotel featured on our sample itineraries. Belmond Sanctuary Lodge sits by the site entrance and can be discussed as a stay; lunch there in the itinerary is a meal stop, not an overnight.
Price on request
Best time to visit
May is a month our team often recommends, but the best choice depends on your dates and priorities. Weather is never guaranteed. Your circuit and entry slot matter as much as the month; we secure them as part of the whole itinerary.
Peru’s official tourism information.
Read our guide to timing your visitChoose your route before fixing the rest of the day. Machu Picchu tickets and circuits explained. Official circuits and routes.
A few useful answers
Do not assume so. Rail arrangements and site entry must both be confirmed. The ticket needs the correct traveler details, date, route and entry time.
Only if the ticket arrangements and current entry rules allow the visit you want. Do not assume a morning ticket permits re-entry or unrestricted afternoon access.
We favor two nights in our featured journeys: arrive by train, visit early the following day, and return toward Cusco the next day. This avoids combining the main visit with an immediate long return.
Journeys that bring you here
5 days / 4 nights
Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Cusco
Peru’s essentials in five days: begin in the Sacred Valley, spend two nights beside Machu Picchu and finish with a night in Cusco. A focused private journey for travelers with four nights to spend.
Featured hotels: Inkaterra. Confirmed in your proposal.
From $3,295 pp
Explore this journey
7 days / 6 nights
Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Cusco
Our complete introduction to Peru: two nights in the Sacred Valley, two beside Machu Picchu and two in Cusco. Private cultural visits, Inkaterra throughout and an open day to make the city your own.
Featured hotels: Inkaterra. Confirmed in your proposal.
From $4,395 pp
Explore this journey
9 days / 8 nights
Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Cusco
Nine days to explore more deeply: three nights in the Sacred Valley, two beside Machu Picchu and three in Cusco. A slower valley stay, private cultural visits and two open days in the city.
Featured hotels: Inkaterra. Confirmed in your proposal.
From $5,295 pp
Explore this journey
10 days / 9 nights
Lima · Amazon · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Cusco
From the Amazon canopy to the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco. Ten days with three nights at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica, two nights beside Machu Picchu and a final stay at JW Marriott El Convento Cusco.
Featured hotels: Inkaterra. Confirmed in your proposal.
From $5,495 pp
Explore this journeyWhy we recommend two nights beside Machu Picchu · Understand the tickets and circuits
Your Peru, privately designed
Tell us when you’d like to visit Machu Picchu. We’ll help you plan the journey around it.