The full city route: 13 official stops through the Inka llaqta in 2 h 30.
Circuit 2A ("Ruta diseñada") is the one-way route through the Inka city of Machu Picchu. The official Ministry of Culture map gives it a maximum stay of 2 h 30 and takes it past 13 of the 14 numbered landmarks of the llaqta — every one except the Upper Platform. This guide walks you through each stop, in order, with tips from travelers who already did it.
Follow the trail — tips by travelers who were just there
Photo viewpointThe first stop after the entrance climb and the only viewpoint on this route: the whole citadel opens below you with Huayna Picchu behind — the frame on every postcard of Machu Picchu.
Good to know: Route 2A stays on the lower platform; the Upper Platform (landmark 2) belongs to the Circuit 1 routes.
No tips here yet — be the first to leave one.
The great trench that separates the agricultural terraces from the urban sector. Crossing it is the moment you enter the Inka city itself.
The route does not enter the Temple of the Sun: it passes at the official viewpoint that looks down on the only curved building in Machu Picchu, raised over a natural cave.
The quarry of the city: half-carved granite blocks abandoned mid-work, as if the stonemasons had just stepped away.
The main religious sector, home to the Temple of the Three Windows — its openings face the sunrise over the Vilcanota range.
The famous "hitching post of the sun", a carved ritual stone at the highest point of the urban sector. Access is often limited to the morning hours.
No tips here yet — be the first to leave one.
A monolith carved to mirror the silhouette of the mountain behind it. This is the northern end of the route, where the path turns back down the eastern side of the city.
Good to know: The Huayna Picchu trailhead starts by this rock, but it belongs to Circuit 3 tickets — not to 2A.
No tips here yet — be the first to leave one.
An enclosure of twelve trapezoidal niches — one of the clearest examples of Inka niche architecture in the city.
The granite storehouses — qolqas — that kept the food supply of the city, built along the eastern slope.
Two carved stone basins believed to have reflected the night sky for observation — also known as the "mortar room".
No tips here yet — be the first to leave one.
A natural rock formation completed with Inka stonework into the shape of a condor in flight — head carved on the floor, wings rising behind.
Good to know: Fountains in this sector still run on the original Inka spring channels.
No tips here yet — be the first to leave one.
The small plaza named after its native pisonay tree, on the way out of the urban sector.
Roofless rooms and corridors on the way to the exit — your last look back at the citadel. There is no re-entry once you leave.
No tips here yet — be the first to leave one.
Official Ministry ticket · real-time availability
