The three rules behind every plan
- Altitude decides the order: Cusco is at 3,400 m, the Sacred Valley at 2,800, Aguas Calientes at 2,040, Rainbow Mountain at 5,200. Nearly everyone feels the first day in Cusco: headache, short breath on stairs, bad sleep. So the first day is slow and in town, the next days go down, and the one high excursion goes last, when you have three or four nights of acclimatisation behind you.
- Machu Picchu sets the dates: The entry ticket is the only piece that sells out months ahead, by circuit and entry hour. Fix that date first, on the live calendar, and let the rest of the trip bend around it. The train has many departures a day; hotels are plentiful outside June to August.
- Sleep in Aguas Calientes the night before: A night in the Pueblo turns a 16-hour day trip into two easy ones and gives you a 06:00 or 07:00 entry, before the day-trippers from Cusco arrive around 10:00. Our Aguas Calientes guide covers the night itself; the plans below assume it.
3 days: Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu
The shortest plan that is not a race. It needs you to land in Cusco by late morning on day one and to fly out on the evening of day three or the morning of day four.
- Day 1 · Cusco, slowly: Land, taxi to the centre (20 minutes), hotel, coca tea, a light lunch. In the afternoon, on foot and on the flat: Plaza de Armas, the cathedral, Qorikancha, the San Blas lanes. Early dinner, no alcohol, bed early. The tourist ticket for tomorrow can be bought at any site in the morning.
- Day 2 · Sacred Valley, ending at the train: Private car or tour from Cusco through Chinchero, the Moray terraces and the Maras salt mines, lunch in Urubamba, Ollantaytambo last. Tourist ticket Circuit III (S/70, covers Chinchero, Moray, Ollantaytambo and Pisac) plus S/20 at Maras. Leave the suitcase at your Cusco hotel; take hand luggage only, the trains allow 8 kg. Afternoon or evening train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (1 h 20 to 1 h 45, from $62), dinner, sleep. With us, the Sacred Valley day is a private transfer that drops you at the station.
- Day 3 · Machu Picchu, back to Cusco: Bus up at 05:30 ($24 round trip at the counter), entry at 06:00 or 07:00 on Circuit 2A ($62), the designed route through the whole Inka city, 2 h 30. Down by bus or on foot, lunch in town, the 14:30 or 16:12 train to Ollantaytambo and road to Cusco, arriving early evening. Fly out the next morning.
4 days: add a Cusco day, or a second route at Machu Picchu
The fourth day goes to one of two places, and which one depends on what you want from Machu Picchu.
- Option A · a full day in Cusco (days 1 and 2 in the city): Day 1 as above. Day 2: Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo and Tambomachay above the city in the morning (tourist ticket), the San Pedro market and a museum in the afternoon. Day 3: Sacred Valley ending at the train. Day 4: Machu Picchu and back. This is the plan for most first-timers: two nights of acclimatisation before any effort, and Cusco gets the time it deserves.
- Option B · two nights in Aguas Calientes, two routes: Days 1 and 2 as in the 3-day plan. Day 3: early entry on Huayna Picchu, Circuit 3A ($78, adults only, up to 6 h) or Machu Picchu Mountain, Circuit 1A ($78, up to 7 h), afternoon in town, second night. Day 4: Circuit 2A for the city itself, then the afternoon train to Cusco. Two tickets, two dates; book the mountain first, it sells out months before the city routes. Our Mountain vs Huayna Picchu comparison helps choose.
5 days: Rainbow Mountain at the end, or a day to breathe
Five days is the trip most people wish they had booked. Take the 4-day Option A and add one of these as day 5, after you are back in Cusco with four nights of altitude behind you.
- Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca): A 04:00 pickup, three hours by road, a 1.5 to 2-hour walk to the 5,200 m viewpoint, back in Cusco by late afternoon. Do it last, never in the first two days. Our Rainbow Mountain guide has the walk, the horses and the weather; the private transfer is $85 per person from your hotel.
- Pisac and the Sunday market: The one Sacred Valley site the 3-day loop skips. Pisac's terraces and the ruins on the ridge are the morning; the market, biggest on Sundays, is the afternoon. Covered by the same tourist ticket, 45 minutes from Cusco by road.
- A free day in Cusco: Not a filler. Four days of early starts earn a late breakfast, the markets, the museums you walked past, and a dinner reservation. If the Machu Picchu date you wanted was only available a day later, this is also the buffer that absorbs it.
What the core of the trip costs
Per person, base prices, before hotels and food. Machu Picchu entry on Circuit 2A $62 (Huayna Picchu or the Mountain $78). Train Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes from $62 each way in the standard class on a real October date, more in the panoramic or dining classes. Bus up and down $24 at the Consettur counter, or $34 booked online with us with the tickets by email. Tourist ticket Circuit III S/70, Maras S/20, Rainbow Mountain transfer $85. One night in Aguas Calientes from about $30 in a guesthouse to $200 and more by the river. Guides at the sanctuary are recommended, not mandatory, since September 2026; we offer one for $40 at checkout.
Frequent questions about the itinerary
How many days do I need for Cusco and Machu Picchu?
Three is the minimum that is not a race: Cusco, Sacred Valley with the train, Machu Picchu. Four lets you give Cusco a real day or climb Huayna Picchu as well. Five adds Rainbow Mountain or a day to breathe. Most people are happiest with five.
Should I go to Machu Picchu first or Cusco first?
Cusco first, but slowly, then down to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. If you have only two nights, go straight from the airport to the Sacred Valley and sleep at 2,800 m instead of 3,400 m.
Can I do Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain in the same trip?
Yes, with at least four nights in the region and Rainbow Mountain on the last day, never the first two. The viewpoint is at 5,200 m; the walk is short but you feel every metre.
What should I book first?
The Machu Picchu entry, by circuit and hour. Then the train that arrives the evening before and the return after your visit. Then the Sacred Valley day, Rainbow Mountain and hotels, which rarely sell out outside June to August.
Is one day at Machu Picchu enough?
For one circuit, yes: 2A covers the whole Inka city in 2 h 30. If you also want Huayna Picchu or the Mountain, that is a second ticket on a second day, so plan two nights in Aguas Calientes.
How much does the core of a 4-day trip cost?
Per person, base prices: entry $62, train from $62 each way, bus $24, tourist ticket S/70 plus S/20 at Maras, one night in Aguas Calientes. Roughly $250 to $300 before hotels in Cusco, food and the optional guide.
Circuit 2A Classic
The iconic postcard photo of Machu Picchu
Start with the only date that sells out
Pick the circuit and the entry hour on the live calendar; the train, the bus and the nights follow from it. We build the rest with you on WhatsApp.