Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cusco: Full-Day Guided Tour

Walk the Temple of the Sun and the Guardian's House with a guide who knows the engineering behind each stone.

A full-day guided tour of Machu Picchu departing from Cusco includes hotel pickup, train travel through the Sacred Valley, entrance tickets and a 2.5-hour guided walk of the Inca citadel's main sites, plus free time to wander the terraces and plazas afterward. The tour runs 15 hours total, starting before dawn and returning to your hotel by evening. Your guide speaks English or Spanish, with other languages available for an additional cost.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Aguas Calientes3h
2. Machu Picchu3h · entry included

Full-day Machu Picchu tour from Cusco

• Hotel pickup in Cusco early morning
• Transfer to Ollantaytambo train station
• Train ride to Aguas Calientes
• Meet local representative at arrival
• Bus ride to Machu Picchu entrance
• 2.5-hour guided tour of Machu Picchu
• Free time to explore and relax
• Lunch at local restaurant in Aguas Calientes
• Train back to Ollantaytambo
• Transfer back to hotel in Cusco

The experience

You'll be picked up from your Cusco hotel between 3:50 and 5:40 a.m. Early enough to catch the train from Ollantaytambo at 7:20 a.m. The bus ride to the station takes about 90 minutes through the highlands. Once aboard, the train climbs through the Sacred Valley for roughly two hours, following the Urubamba River as it winds toward Aguas Calientes. You arrive in Machu Picchu Town by mid-morning, and a local representative meets you at the station with instructions for the rest of the day.

A shuttle bus takes you up the steep switchbacks to the citadel entrance, where your guide presents the tickets and leads you through the gates. The 2.5-hour guided tour covers the Guardian's House (positioned at the site's edge with a panoramic view of the entire complex) the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, the stone quarry and both the agricultural and urban sectors. Your guide explains the Inca engineering, the purpose of each structure and the history of how the citadel was built and abandoned. After the tour ends, you have roughly an hour to walk on your own, sit in the plazas or climb to viewpoints the group didn't reach.

By 4:12 p.m. you board the train back to Ollantaytambo, arriving around 6 p.m. A private transfer meets you there and drives you back to your hotel in Cusco's historic center, where you arrive between 8 and 10:30 p.m. depending on traffic and your hotel's location. Lunch in Aguas Calientes is on your own at one of the local restaurants near the train station or town plaza.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and return transfer in Cusco.
• round-trip train ticket (Expedition or Voyager service) from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu.
• entrance ticket to Machu Picchu with your choice of four different circuits.
• 2.5-hour guided tour with a professional guide in English or Spanish.
• round-trip shuttle bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel.

Options for this experience

3 options

Guide in 5 languagesAvailable from 2 Dec · 04:00 and 06:00

Guide in 5 languagesAvailable from 12 Dec · 06:00

Guide in English or SpanishAvailable from 30 Oct · 04:00

You pick the guide language when booking. Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 04:00 and 06:00

AgesAdult (18 to 80 years) · Youth (11 to 17 years) · Child (6 to 10 years) · Under 6: can't be included in the booking

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by Aremika Travel

Is this one for you?Choose this if you're flying into Cusco and want to reach Machu Picchu in a single day. The group tour departs early morning from your hotel and includes bus, train, and a guided walk through the site, so you handle one booking instead of coordinating transport and entry separately.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 17 years); Child (6 to 10 years). Under 6: they can't be included in the booking.

What exactly does the 2.5-hour guided tour of Machu Picchu include?

The guided tour covers the Guardian's House, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, the stone quarry and the agricultural and urban sectors of the citadel. Your guide explains the Inca engineering and history of each site, then you have about an hour of free time to explore on your own before returning to Aguas Calientes.

Do I need to arrange my own train tickets to Machu Picchu?

No. The round-trip train ticket from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) is included, as is the entrance ticket to the citadel and the shuttle bus between the town and the ruins. Hotel pickup in Cusco and the return transfer from Ollantaytambo are also included.

What time does the tour start and when will I be back at my hotel?

Pickup from your Cusco hotel happens between 3:50 and 5:40 a.m., and you'll return to your hotel between 8 and 10:30 p.m. the same day. The full tour is about 15 hours, including travel time, the guided walk and the train ride back.

Is lunch included in the tour price?

Lunch is not included. You'll have free time in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town) to eat at one of the local restaurants before boarding the train back to Ollantaytambo.