The fortress: what you are looking at
The hill on the west side of the plaza is the Temple Hill, seventeen terraces climbed by a single stone stairway of about 200 steps. At the top stands the unfinished Temple of the Sun: six monoliths of rose granite, some over four metres high, fitted with the thin spacer stones that are the signature of Inca ceremonial masonry. The granite was quarried on the opposite side of the valley and dragged across the river; blocks abandoned on the way, the 'tired stones', still lie on the slope. Ollantaytambo is also where the Incas won: in 1537 Manco Inca flooded the plain below and turned back Hernando Pizarro's cavalry from these terraces. At the foot of the hill, the Baño de la Ñusta fountain and the water channels still run. Allow two hours, and go at opening: by 10:00 the Sacred Valley tours arrive and the stairway becomes a queue.
- Ticket: The Cusco Tourist Ticket, not a single entry: Circuit III (S/70 for foreign visitors, valid two days, covers Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chinchero and Moray) or the full ticket (S/130, ten days, sixteen sites). Sold at the gate; cash in soles is safest. Children and students have reduced fares with ID. Our Sacred Valley guide explains the ticket in full.
- Hours: Opens at 07:00 every day; sources disagree on the close, between 16:30 and 18:00, and the gate stops admitting people before it. Treat 16:00 as the last safe entry and confirm at the gate.
- Effort: The 200 steps are steep and uneven, with no rail on most of the climb; the top is reached in 20 to 30 minutes at a steady pace. At 2,800 m it is noticeably easier than Cusco. Not for wheelchairs; fine for children who climb.
Pinkuylluna: the free hill opposite
On the mountain east of the plaza, the Pinkuylluna storehouses (qolqas) hang above the town: long stone granaries built where the cold wind kept the harvest. A lane off the plaza (ask for the Pinkuylluna trail; the entrance is a small gate behind a street of houses) climbs for 30 to 45 minutes to the buildings. No ticket, no gate hours, a steep and exposed path with drop-offs, so not in rain and not at dusk. From the storehouses the whole fortress sits in front of you, best in the afternoon when the light is on the terraces. It is the view of Ollantaytambo that the tours never get.
The town: streets that are five centuries old
West of the plaza the town is the Inca grid: narrow lanes between high stone walls, water running in open channels beside your feet, and the big trapezoid doorways that open into canchas, the walled compounds of several houses around a courtyard that families still live in. Walk Calle Lari and the lanes behind it in the early evening when the day-trippers are gone. The plaza has the market, the cafés and the bus to Urubamba; the artisan stalls are by the ruins' gate. Pumamarca, a quieter Inca site 6 km up the Patacancha valley, is a half-day walk or a short taxi for a second day. Hotels run from hostels on the plaza to the valley's lodges a few minutes away; anything near the river hears the trains, anything up the lanes is quieter and a walk with bags.
Why to sleep here the night before Machu Picchu
- The train leaves from here, all year: Both PeruRail and Inca Rail run from Ollantaytambo every month; from January to April it is the only departure point, and the rest of the year it has the most trains. The station is 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the plaza, downhill by the river, or a few soles by mototaxi. A 06:40 or 07:22 train means breakfast at 06:00, not a 04:00 alarm in Cusco. Every class and fare is in the train guide.
- 600 metres lower than Cusco: At 2,800 m most people sleep better here than at 3,400 m, which is why we tell anyone who reacts to altitude to come straight from the airport to the valley. The practical rules are in our altitude guide.
- The day fits: Sacred Valley by road from Cusco in the morning (Chinchero, Moray, Maras), the fortress at 15:00 when the tours have left, Pinkuylluna for the last light, dinner on the plaza, and the morning train to Aguas Calientes. The day-by-day version is in our 3, 4 and 5-day itineraries.
Frequent questions about Ollantaytambo
How much is the entrance to the Ollantaytambo ruins?
There is no single ticket. The site is on the Cusco Tourist Ticket: Circuit III for S/70 (foreign visitors, two days, also Pisac, Chinchero and Moray) or the full ticket for S/130 (ten days, sixteen sites). Bought at the gate, cash in soles.
What are the opening hours of Ollantaytambo?
The ruins open at 07:00 every day. Sources give the close as 16:30, 17:30 or 18:00; treat 16:00 as the last safe entry and confirm at the gate. The town and Pinkuylluna have no hours.
Is Ollantaytambo worth a night?
Yes, and more than Cusco the night before Machu Picchu: it is 600 m lower, the train leaves from its station, and the fortress and the free Pinkuylluna climb fill an afternoon once the tours have left.
How far is the Ollantaytambo train station from the town?
About 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the plaza, downhill along the river, or a few soles by mototaxi. Allow 30 minutes before departure for the platform check.
How do I get from Cusco to Ollantaytambo?
By road, 1 h 45 to 2 h: private transfer or taxi from the airport or your hotel, or shared vans from Pavitos street in Cusco for a few soles. There is no train between Cusco city and Ollantaytambo outside PeruRail's May-to-December services from Poroy.
Is Pinkuylluna free?
Yes. The storehouses on the hill east of the plaza have no ticket and no gate; the trail starts from a lane off the plaza and climbs 30 to 45 minutes. Steep and exposed, so not in rain or at dusk.
Sleep in Ollantaytambo, take the morning train
Fix your Machu Picchu entry first on the live calendar, then pick the train from Ollantaytambo that arrives the evening before or early that morning. Every class and departure is in the train guide.