Tickets and ages: what a child actually pays
- Under 3: free, but with a ticket: Babies and toddlers under 3 on the day of the visit enter free, and still need their own ticket at $0 with name and passport number, because every visitor is on the Ministry's list. Add them at checkout as an infant.
- 3 to 17: the child fare: $39 on the standard routes (2A, 2B, 1B, 1C, 1D, 3B, 3D) against $62 for an adult; $57 on Machu Picchu Mountain. The age that counts is the age on the day of the visit. Full detail in our children's ticket guide.
- Adults only: 3A and 3C: Huayna Picchu and the Great Cavern are sold to adults only. If one parent wants the peak, book it on a second day while the other takes the children on 2A; both tickets are separate purchases.
- Passports at the gate, every child: Each child shows the document used at checkout. A photo on a phone is not accepted; carry the passports.
Which route, by age
- Babies and toddlers (0 to 3): Circuit 3B in a carrier: The lower royal sector, 2 h 30, the flattest route inside the city, short flights of steps. A carrier on the back and the adult who carries takes it slowly. No stroller: they are on the prohibited list and there is nowhere to push one anyway. 3B.
- Ages 3 to 6: 3B or 1B: Short legs and a two-hour attention span. 3B keeps the walking low and the stops frequent (the fountains, the Condor); 1B is one short climb to the platform for the photo and then terraces. Either fits a morning. 1B.
- Ages 6 to 12: Circuit 2A: The whole city: up to the platforms for the postcard, then down through the temples, the Intihuatana, the Sacred Rock and the Condor, with the tunnel and the stairs children remember. 2 h 30, mostly descending. 2A.
- Teenagers: 2A, and the Sun Gate or the Mountain if they hike: 1C adds the walk to Intipunku (about an hour each way) and 1A the climb to 3,082 m, both with a child fare. Huayna Picchu has to wait until 18.
The family day that works
- The night before in Aguas Calientes: Train in the afternoon, dinner, bed at 2,040 m. The visit then starts after breakfast at the bus stop, not at 04:00 in Cusco; a 07:00 or 08:00 entry has a shorter bus queue than 06:00 and the same cool morning. The town, the hotels and the bus are in the Aguas Calientes guide.
- Bus up and bus down: 25 minutes each way, $24 round trip per adult at the counter or $34 booked online; children pay a reduced fare at the counter with their passport. Never the stairs with children: 1.5 to 2 hours up in full sun.
- One small bag per adult: The limit is 40×35×20 cm, a daypack; anything bigger goes to paid storage at the gate. Inside it: a litre of water per person in reusable bottles, hats, sunscreen, a rain layer from November to March, and nothing to eat (eating on the terraces is prohibited). Snacks come out at the exit.
- A guide who talks to children: Guides are recommended, not mandatory, since September 2026. With children a private guide is worth more than anywhere else: they set the pace, know where the llamas are, and turn the stones into a story. We offer one for $40 at checkout; ask us for one used to families.
- Altitude first: Children get altitude sickness like adults and show it as tiredness, headache and no appetite. Two slow nights before the visit, ideally in the Sacred Valley at 2,800 m rather than Cusco at 3,400 m; the citadel itself is lower than both. The full guidance is in our altitude guide.
What children actually like
The llamas, which graze on the terraces along 2A and 1B and are the thing every child under ten talks about afterwards. The stairs and the tunnel of 2A. The Condor, once someone shows them the wings in the rock. The train, which for many is the best part of the trip: the windows in the roof, the snacks, the river. And the bus down the switchbacks. What they do not care about is the Intihuatana, so keep the explanations short and let the guide pick the three stories that land.
Frequent questions from families
Is there a minimum age to visit Machu Picchu?
No. Any age can enter; under-3s are free with a $0 named ticket, 3 to 17 pay the child fare. The only age limits are Huayna Picchu and the Great Cavern, sold to adults only.
How much is a child ticket for Machu Picchu?
$39 for ages 3 to 17 on the standard routes (2A, 2B, 1B, 1C, 1D, 3B, 3D), $57 on Machu Picchu Mountain, free under 3. Peruvian and Andean Community children pay $25. We add a 5% service fee at checkout.
Can I take a stroller into Machu Picchu?
No. Baby strollers are on the sanctuary's list of prohibited items, and the routes are stairs and packed earth in any case. Use a carrier; the gentlest route for it is 3B.
Which Machu Picchu circuit is best for kids?
Circuit 2A from about age six: the whole city in 2 h 30 with the stairs and the tunnel children remember. Under six, 3B (flattest) or 1B (one short climb and the photo). The mountains and the Sun Gate are for teenagers who hike.
Are there toilets inside Machu Picchu?
No. The only toilets are outside the gate (S/2, cash). Everyone goes before scanning in; the routes are one-way and you cannot return to the entrance until the exit.
Is the altitude dangerous for children?
No more than for adults, but they show it differently: tiredness, headache, no appetite, tears. Give them two slow nights first, ideally in the Sacred Valley, keep them drinking water, and remember the citadel at 2,430 m is lower than Cusco.
Do children pay for the train and the bus?
Yes, with child fares on both: the bus sells a reduced fare at the Consettur counter with the child's passport, and the train operators sell child tickets with the same name and document rules as the entry.
Circuit 2A Classic
The iconic postcard photo of Machu Picchu
Circuit 3B Royalty
The royal lower sector — temples and sacred sites
Book the family on one ticket page
Add each child at checkout with their age and passport; the child fare and the free infant ticket apply automatically. Then the bus and the night in Aguas Calientes in Mi Tour.