Official ticket, booked in your name
Pick your Machu Picchu date, any day through September 2027
Choose the route, the day and the entry hour. We buy the Ministry ticket in your name and email it to you. From $62 per adult.
Travelling in the next 30 days and your date is sold out? The 2-Day Tour gets you in →
First, the hours that exist
Machu Picchu does not sell a day ticket. Every ticket is for one route and one entry hour, and you may enter only during that hour. On the four city routes, 1B, 2A, 2B and 3B, there is an entry every hour from 6 AM to 3 PM. The mountain and trail routes have fixed morning hours: Machu Picchu Mountain (1A) at 7 and 9, Huayna Picchu (3A) at 7 and 10, Gran Caverna (3C) at 8 and 9, Huchuypicchu (3D) at 9 and 11, and the Sun Gate (1C) and Inca Bridge (1D) trails from 7 to 10. If one of those is the point of your trip, the hour is chosen for you and you can skip to the logistics below.
Two rules shape every hour. Inside, the official maximum stay is 2 h 30 on the city routes. At the gate, you can enter up to 30 minutes after your printed hour in low season and 45 minutes in high season, and never before it. The price is the same at every hour; what changes is who is there with you, what the sky is doing, and how you get there and back.
6 and 7 AM: the quiet, cold, famous slot
The first entry is the one everybody wants, and for one good reason: the terraces are nearly empty for the first hour, and the postcard platform on route 2A has room to stand still. The light is soft and sideways; the sun clears the eastern ridges and reaches the city between roughly 6:30 and 7:30 depending on the month, so you do not watch the sun rise so much as watch it arrive. In the dry season (May to September) the sky is usually clear and the temperature is close to freezing when you get on the bus.
The costs are real. From Aguas Calientes you need the 05:30 bus, which means being in the queue by 05:00 in high season, which means sleeping in town the night before. From Cusco there is no train that gets you to the gate by 6 or 7; the earliest arrival in town is around 8. And in the wet season (November to March) cloud often sits on the peaks at dawn and lifts between 8 and 10, so the 6 AM photo can be a white wall. The 7 AM entry keeps most of the quiet and softens all three problems a little.
8 and 9 AM: the balanced slot
This is the hour we recommend most often to travelers staying in Aguas Calientes who do not want a 4:45 alarm. The sun is on the city, the morning cloud is usually breaking up, and the day-trip wave has not arrived yet: the 06:40 and 07:22 trains from Ollantaytambo put their passengers at the gate between about 9:30 and 10:30. An 8 AM entry gives you 2 h 30 that end just as the site fills. It is also the first hour you can reach from Cusco on the same day, with the 04:10 or 04:30 departures and the walk from the station to the bus.
10 AM to 1 PM: the busy middle
Every day trip from Cusco and the Sacred Valley lands here. Between 10 and 1 the one-way paths of the circuits move at the speed of the slowest group, the platform on 2A has a queue for the photo, and in the dry season the sun is directly overhead with almost no shade inside. It is still Machu Picchu and it is still worth it, but if you have any choice, this is the stretch to trade away. The one honest advantage: in the wet season the cloud has usually lifted by now, so the mountains are visible.
1 to 3 PM: quiet again, with a catch
From about 1 PM the day-trippers start walking down to catch the 14:30 and 16:12 trains, and by 2 the city is as calm as it was at 7, with warmer, lower light for photos. In the wet season the afternoon is when the showers come, so bring the rain layer; in the dry season it is simply pleasant. The catch is the way back: with a 3 PM entry and 2 h 30 inside you are back in Aguas Calientes around 6, which means the 19:00 train or a night in town. Afternoon slots are also the ones most often still open when a date looks sold out; we cover that in our guide to Machu Picchu afternoon entry.
The four slots side by side
| 6–7 AM | 8–9 AM | |
|---|---|---|
| Crowds | Lowest of the day | Low, filling up by the end |
| Light and cloud | Soft side light; cloud at dawn in the wet season | Full sun on the city; cloud usually lifting |
| Where you must sleep | Aguas Calientes, bus at 05:30 | Aguas Calientes, or Cusco with the 04:10 train |
| Routes that sell it | 1B, 2A, 2B, 3B; Huayna Picchu and Mountain at 7 | 1B, 2A, 2B, 3B; Mountain at 9, Gran Caverna at 8–9 |
| Best for | Photographers, dry-season visits, the empty platform | Most travelers; first-timers on 2A |
| 10 AM – 12 PM | 1–3 PM | |
|---|---|---|
| Crowds | Highest of the day | Low after 2 PM |
| Light and cloud | Overhead sun, no shade; mountains clear in the wet season | Warm low light; showers in the wet season |
| Where you must sleep | Cusco or the Sacred Valley; same-day train both ways | Anywhere; the 19:00 train or a night in town after a 3 PM entry |
| Routes that sell it | 1B, 2A, 2B, 3B; Huayna Picchu at 10, Huchuypicchu at 11 | 1B, 2A, 2B and 3B only |
| Best for | Day trips from Cusco; the 10 AM Huayna Picchu shift | Same-day arrivals by train, sold-out dates, rainy-season views |
Adjust for the season
- Dry season, May to September: Mornings are reliably clear and cold, midday sun is hard. The 6 and 7 AM entries are at their best, and the afternoon is a good second choice. Avoid the middle of the day if you can; book early, these are the busiest months.
- Wet season, November to March: Cloud at dawn, lifting mid-morning; showers most afternoons. The 8 and 9 AM entries have the best odds of a clear view, and an early slot is a gamble you may win beautifully as the mist burns off. Carry a real rain jacket at any hour; umbrellas are not allowed inside.
- Shoulder months, April and October: A bit of both. Mornings usually clear, occasional afternoon showers, fewer people than July. Any slot works; pick by your train.
Let the route pick the hour when it has to
If you are climbing Huayna Picchu, the choice is 7 or 10 AM, and the trade-off is cold mist with few people against clearer views with the main wave. Machu Picchu Mountain is 7 or 9, and 7 is the cooler climb. Gran Caverna, Huchuypicchu, the Sun Gate and the Inca Bridge are all morning routes. For the city routes the hour is genuinely yours, and the only one with a built-in constraint is 3 PM, which needs the late train.
Getting the timing right on the day
- Count backwards from your hour: The bus from Aguas Calientes takes about 25 minutes, and the queue to board it 30 to 60 minutes in high season. For a 7 AM entry, be in the bus line by 05:45; for 10 AM, by 08:45. Walking up the stairs is 1 h 30 to 2 h.
- Early is a wait, late is a risk: You cannot enter before your hour. After it, the tolerance is 30 minutes in low season and 45 in high season; past that the ticket is lost. Aim to be at the gate at your printed time.
- Buy the bus in advance in high season: The bus is $24 round trip at the Consettur office in town, or $34 online with us with the tickets by email, so you skip the ticket window and go straight to the boarding line.
- Match the return train: The afternoon trains out of town leave at 14:30, 16:12, 19:00 and later. Add 2 h 30 inside plus 45 minutes to get down and to the station to your entry hour, and book the train that fits.
Circuit 2A Classic
The iconic postcard photo of Machu Picchu
What is the best time of day to visit Machu Picchu?
For the fewest people and the softest light, the 6 or 7 AM entry; for most travelers, 8 or 9 AM balances quiet, sun and a reasonable wake-up; 1 to 3 PM is quiet again and often the only slot left on busy dates. 10 AM to 1 PM is the most crowded stretch.
Can you see the sunrise at Machu Picchu?
Not the sun breaking the horizon: the gate opens at 6 AM and the sun clears the eastern ridges and reaches the city between about 6:30 and 7:30 depending on the month. The 6 AM entry gives you that moment, with the site nearly empty.
What time is Machu Picchu least crowded?
The first hour after 6 AM and the afternoon from about 2 PM. The busiest stretch is 10 AM to 1 PM, when the day-trip trains from Cusco and Ollantaytambo have arrived and before their passengers walk down for the afternoon trains.
How long can I stay inside Machu Picchu?
The official maximum stay is 2 h 30 on the city routes 1B, 2A, 2B and 3B; the mountain routes allow longer for the climb. You cannot re-enter once you leave.
What happens if I arrive late for my entry time?
You can enter up to 30 minutes after your printed hour in low season and 45 minutes in high season. After that the ticket is no longer valid and is not refunded. You cannot enter before your hour.
Is an early ticket more expensive?
No. Every entry hour costs the same, $62 for a foreign adult on the city routes. Early slots sell out first, so book them further ahead.
Can I visit Machu Picchu at 6 AM on a day trip from Cusco?
No. The earliest train arrives in Aguas Calientes around 8 AM, so from Cusco the first realistic entry is 9 or 10 AM. For a 6 or 7 AM entry you sleep in Aguas Calientes the night before.
Pick your hour on the ticket page
Every ticket page shows live availability by entry hour. Open Circuit 2A, choose the date, and the 6 AM, 8 AM and afternoon slots are right there with what is left of each.