Having recently returned from Machu Picchu, I felt that the process of taking the train to Machu Picchu was a bit hard to understand from afar, but now that I’ve done it, taking the train to Machu Picchu was not that hard to do so I thought I would write a brief guide with some tips for taking the train to Machu Picchu
How to buy Machu Picchu train tickets
You can (at least in theory) buy Machu Picchu train tickets from the PeruRail website. The site looks nice, it’s available in English and should be fairly straightforward. I personally had some major problems completing a sale on the PeruRail website (READ MORE: It took me 15 tries to book Machu Picchu train tickets). I have read other people that have had problems, and have heard from other people who were able to book Machu Picchu train tickets on the PeruRail site with no problem.
The problem I ran into was at the end, when I was trying to pay with a credit card, it would either not even show me the iframe where I was supposed to put in my credit card information, or, if it got that far, it said it only accepted cards that had a “Mastercard Secure Code” or were “Verified by Visa”. All cards I tried were declined. I checked with my bank and they never even saw the transactions, so it was declined by PeruRail, not my bank.
You are also able to buy tickets at PeruRail stations in the Sacred Valley. If you’re traveling during the busy season (June – November), you run the risk of your train selling out. Our Machu Picchu train tickets were for June 1st, and I had no problems buying the tickets at the PeruRail ticket office on the grounds of the Tambo del Inka hotel in Urubamba. I paid with a credit card there (you can also pay in Peruvian Soles but I don’t believe you can pay in USD)
What’s the difference between Expedition train vs Vistadome train (vs Hiram Bingham train)
There are 3 different classes of Machu Picchu trains. Well, there is also a 4th type of train but it is only allowed for local people from Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes) to access the rest of Peru, and since I’m pretty sure you’re not one of those people, we’ll ignore that in this comparison of different trains to Machu Picchu. The most common train to Machu Picchu is the Expedition class. We ended up taking the Vistadome train on the way TO Machu Picchu and an Expedition train on the way back.
The Peru Rail website lists a few other distinctions, but I did not really notice much of a difference between the Vistadome vs Expedition classes. As a comparison, here is the “snack” that they serve on the 2 trains – first the Vistadome train snack (carrot cake and juice)
and then the Machu Picchu Expedition train snack (a roll and the same juice as well as some corn nuts – not pictured)
I would not pay any premium for the Vistadome trains over the Expedition trains. In our case, the Vistadome Machu Picchu train tickets were 15% off and so comparable in price to the Expedition trains and at a time that is more convenient.
The Hiram Bingham train (named for the guy who “discovered” Machu Picchu in 1911) runs you over USD$400, and so I assume will not be most people’s first choice. It does come with much more as well as tickets to Machu Picchu and a guide while you’re there.
Taking the train to Machu Picchu – ride itself
The train to Machu Piccchu takes about 90 minutes from Ollantaytambo. Our 7:05 train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu arrived at about 8:30 a.m. There is only one train from Urubamba to Machu Picchu (on the site of the Tambo del Inka hotel). It leaves at 6:50 a.m. and arrives at 9:24 a.m. – so it takes about an hour longer. The train must have to go slow through Ollantaytambo, or maybe it stops at Ollantaytambo station, as a taxi ride from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo is only 20-25 minutes. As I’ve mentioned before, the trains to/from Urubamba are usually priced USD$20-30 more per person one way than trains to/from Ollantaytambo as well.
We felt that a day was enough for Machu Picchu though of course there is always more to see everywhere. We had a 7:05 train from Ollantaytambo which arrived to Machu Picchu Pueblo at 8:30 a.m. After getting bus tickets and taking the bus up to Machu Picchu itself (see below), we were inside on the grounds by about 9:30 a.m. We hiked up to the Sun Gate (Intipunku) and walked all the way through the ruins, and were down back by the train station by 1:30 p.m. or so.
Another option would be to overnight in Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu Pueblo. You’ll definitely need to do that if you want to be at Machu Picchu for sunrise or stay late in the afternoon (after most of the tourists have gone), or if you’ve also got early tickets to hike up Huayna Picchu.
What to do when you’re done taking the train to Machu Picchu
When you get to the town of Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes), you’ll leave the train station, walk straight through a giant covered market filled with people selling touristy things. That will put you in the town itself, where you’ll cross a bridge over the Urubamba River, take an immediate U-turn down to the street itself. That will put you right at the place you need to be to buy your bus tickets to go up to Machu Picchu itself. Here’s an annotated map – base map copyright OpenStreetMap contributors
The bus tickets cost USD$12 per person. You can also pay in Peruvian Soles, and you can pay with Mastercard or American Express (no Visa), but with an additional surcharge. We paid in Soles.
You then queue up for the bus – buses come along very frequently, though depending on when you get there, the queue can get long I’m sure. We arrived to Machu Picchu Pueblo at about 9:30 a.m. and the line was short and we got on the first bus that came – no more than a 5 minute wait.
You can also hike up / down from the town to Machu Picchu. It’s a series of steep stone steps and will take about 45-60 minutes to go up. You are allowed to take the bus up and hike down if you want to as well. We paid for roundtrip bus tickets.
Readers – any other tips for taking the train to Machu Picchu?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Where are your six children?
Grandma’s! 🙂
As for the bus tickets, there are two lines, one faces up hill the other one faces down hill on the back side. The one facing down hill do not take VISA cards, the one on the opposite side does.
You could use discover since they are part of union pay.
Your picture of the train is actually “Inka rail” not “Peru rail” two different companies. Peru rail has more departures. Prices are about the same.
Ah – thanks. That was a picture of the train that left right before ours
You can’t pay with a credit card online. It will be declined 15 times. You will need to go to the bank to pay or pay at train station. They need to verify your information, copy passport etc before they accept your credit card. They don’t accept online credit card payments as they have no means of verifying your information. You need to carry your passport everywhere in Peru. They check your passport so many times going to machu picchu: train, entrance, buying entrance tickets etc. Total of
Almost 10 times.
its great view of Machu Picchu, and you look awesome.
How was that bus ride up. If I recall, it was some adventure. Twist and turns and an uneven road. Thanks for the memories.
Yeah it was super windy and narrow and I have no idea how buses coming down and going up don’t hit each other / fall off the side of the cliff 🙂
We are back in Lima after staying 5 days in Cusco. With regards to the rail, we did the Inca Rail option. Main reason was that they counted our 12 year old as a child rather than an adult like Peru Rail. And it went through first transaction on a new Barclays Arrival Plus mastercard. No billing address even entered. Did it online and picked up tickets at the office in Cusco square.
The vast majority of people seem to do MP in a day trip. Rode home on the train with several that had left on a 5 a.m. from Poroy and hiked Huanya Pichuu. Little tiring for our family so we did a 2 day trip and it worked out great. And honestly, after hiking all day, hopping on a train/car back to Cusco without a shower didn’t really appeal.
Took an Uber to Ollantaytambo for a little sight seeing, and a train ride to Aguas Caliente to arrive at around 1p.m. Then a (slightly) cheaper afternoon only MP entrance ticket and we had the ruins to ourselves after a hike to the Sun Gate. Great pictures of an empty MP at sunset and we literally closed down the park day 1. It’s amazing how peaceful and tranquil the place can be with noone around.
AC is a nifty little town if you avoid the tourist hordes. Gets sleepy after all the day people are gone, and is a colorful base camp. We spent some time wandering the town along the railroad tracks with the many stray dogs. Day 2 we went for the gap in between the “must see sunrise” folks and the first trains arriving and got up no mess no fuss. Negotiated a $40 tour guide for 2 hours to do the MP city, and ended with more hiking/pictures with lunch at the restaurant at the Belmond (not recommended) sandwiched in between.
On the way back we went to Poroy, and grabbed a cab back to Cusco. I’m still torn – many people recommend the Ollantaytambo route, and I would do it to see the sacred valley and countryside again. But for a family, Poroy just seems a less tiring journey.
Ah well – on to the next leg!
Sounds like you had a great time!
Thanks for the tips! My friend lives in Cusco and is getting married in December so I’m thinking of going and will definitely add in a Macchu Picchu trip but I think the hiking might be too much. My friend suggested the train and I had no idea there were a couple options. Will definitely keep in mind when I go!
Vistadome (as in name) has panoramic windows on the sides and on the part of the ceiling, so compared to simple Explorer train you have more visual coverage on your ride to Machu Picchu. From Poroy Cusco) it’s about 3 hour ride – very scenic. On Vistadome they serve full breakfast in the morning and light dinner at evening. On the way back on evening train they also have entertainment with folklore dances and showcase Peruvian hi-end crafted clothing (for purchase). So overall it was a very pleasant journey.
We took the Vistadome one way and the Expedition the other way. I did not notice any appreciable difference in the meal or the view that would make me pay the ~$20 price premium per person.
So glad you wrote this! I need this for my planning!
To travel from Cusco to Machu Picchu, there are two train companies and eight types of services:
Perurail: Expedition, Vistadome, Sacred Valley and Hiram Bingham.
Inca Rail: Voyager, The 360°, The first Class and The Private train.