Machu Picchu Tickets and Circuits: How to Plan Your Visit

This guide explains the circuits, how to buy, and how to reach the site from Cusco. Rules and prices change, so we point you to the official sources for anything that varies.

The three circuits and ten routes

According to Peru's Ministry of Culture, three circuits grouping ten routes have been in place since June 1, 2024. Four routes open only in high season.

Circuit	Routes	Seasonal?
Circuit 1: Panoramic	1-A Machu Picchu Mountain · 1-B Upper Terrace · 1-C Inti Punku (Sun Gate) · 1-D Inca Bridge	1-C and 1-D: high season only
Circuit 2: Classic	2-A Designed Route · 2-B Lower Terrace	Year-round
Circuit 3: Royalty	3-A Huayna Picchu Mountain · 3-B Designed Route · 3-C Great Cavern · 3-D Huchuy Picchu	3-C and 3-D: high season only

Circuit structure checked against the Ministry’s entry regulation on November 15, 2026. Seasonal operation and available time slots must also match your visit date.

Mountain routes (1-A and 3-A) are steep hikes with a higher ticket price and limited spaces.

Which circuit should you choose?

If you want…	Start with	Keep in mind
The high viewpoints over the site	Circuit 1 (Upper Terrace, 1-B)	A panoramic route, not a substitute for walking through the main urban sector
The most complete walk through the site	Circuit 2 (2-A or 2-B)	Compare the official route maps; neither ticket permits unrestricted wandering
A mountain hike with a view down on the site	1-A Machu Picchu Mountain or 3-A Huayna Picchu	Steep stairs and exposure; limited spaces
The lower sector and royal areas	Circuit 3 (Designed Route, 3-B)	Fewer of the high viewpoints
To walk toward the Sun Gate or Inca Bridge	1-C or 1-D (high season only)	Not available all year

If you want two routes, compare their permitted durations before buying separate timed tickets. Leave room to finish the first route, exit and reach the next entry control. Two bookings do not let you switch circuits inside or guarantee that a tight connection will work.

How to buy tickets

1. Start from the Ministry’s official ticket instructions, which link to TuBoleto.cultura.pe. Create an account using your identity document and email.
2. Select Llaqta Machupicchu, then the exact date, circuit, route, entry time, and visitor category. Look at the official route map before paying.
3. Enter your identity details carefully and complete payment within the checkout’s displayed time limit. The direct-sale system issues the ticket after payment confirmation; it does not provide the old unpaid reservation hold. Download the issued ticket and check it through TuBoleto’s ticket-verification service. An agency receipt alone is insufficient.
4. Only then match your train, bus, accommodation, and any guide to the admission time.

Booking for 2027: the annual capacity has been approved, but that does not mean every date is on sale. Check your date in TuBoleto and follow the Ministry’s release announcement if it is absent. An agency’s advance payment is not proof of an issued entry ticket. Confirm admission before making nonrefundable transport bookings.

Price: use the official checkout for your route, date and visitor category, and review the complete amount and its components. Train, bus and guide services are separate costs. Tickets are issued for a named visitor and fixed visit details; check them carefully before payment.

Sanctuary charge for 2027: a SERNANP decision issued in November 2026 sets the promotional sanctuary charge at zero through December 31, 2026, for the listed categories. For 2027, it lists S/11 for foreign adults aged 18 and over and S/5 for foreign children aged 3–17, with different categories for Andean Community visitors, residents and Peruvians. This is distinct from the Ministry of Culture’s archaeological-site admission: zero sanctuary charge does not make the cultural-site ticket free. Check how the applicable charge is included or collected before paying; the decision excludes the Inca Trail network.

2027 high season: the official annual decision sets January 1–3, March 25–28, June 19–November 2, and December 29–31 as the higher-capacity periods. The limit is 5,600 visitors daily on those dates and 4,500 on other dates. A published capacity is not a promise of tickets for your preferred route.

Near-term exception, checked November 15, 2026: the Ministry has also approved higher capacity for November 16–19, 2026, using that year’s high-season distribution. Check TuBoleto for actual available routes; this temporary measure does not extend the normal season.

In-person tickets: authorized Culture offices, including Machu Picchu Pueblo, sell a limited allocation. Check the current procedure and available visit dates before traveling to buy. Treat this as a fallback with uncertain availability, not a substitute for a confirmed admission ticket on a tightly timed trip.

Entry times and rules on the day

• Your entry time is printed on your ticket. Be at the entrance for that time. Any permitted tolerance is subject to the applicable rules and is not extra sightseeing or transfer time to spend in advance.
• Bring the original identity document used for booking—normally a valid passport for an international visitor. The entry regulation also accepts specified alternative documents for eligible visitors. Bring any original evidence required for your discounted category.
• Follow your route. Paths are one-way and you can't switch circuits inside.
• Plan your transport backward from your entry time: the bus from Aguas Calientes to the entrance, and the train to Aguas Calientes before that.

Mountain timing changes from January 1, 2027: under the new alternate-route regulation, entry to the Machu Picchu Mountain, Huayna Picchu and Great Cavern route controls ends at 10 a.m.; the deadline to start returning from the summit or cavern is noon. The 2027 allocation separates the earlier main-gate admission from the later route-control window. Follow both times on your ticket. These changes do not replace the rules for visits through December 31, 2026.

Allow the right visit length: there is no universal two-hour ticket. From January 2027, the maximum combined visit is 6½ hours for Machu Picchu Mountain and 5½ hours for Huayna Picchu. These limits do not grant unrestricted access to other circuits. Check the duration of your selected route, then add the descent, bus queue and walk to the station before choosing a return train.

Keep your day bag small: the official conduct rules prohibit bags larger than 40 × 35 × 20 cm. Check the full prohibited-item list as well as your rail operator’s baggage allowance; leave larger luggage at a suitable storage point before the visit.

Getting there from Cusco

• Train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo): compare PeruRail and Inca Rail for your date and departure point. A Cusco booking may be a bus-and-train journey: PeruRail’s bimodal service and Inca Rail’s Cusco service include a road transfer before the train. Check the actual boarding location, transfer and arrival time, then book transport around your confirmed entry ticket.
• Bus to the entrance: from Aguas Calientes, Consettur serves the climb to the archaeological site. Allow roughly 30 minutes for the ride, plus the queue and entry checks; arriving at the town’s railway station is not arriving at the site gate. Check the rail operator’s onward-bus guidance and current service notices.
• The Inca Trail: hiking in requires a separate permit and an authorized operator, with limited spaces. Ask which site route is included: the current entry regulation assigns Inca Trail arrivals to 3-B, so do not assume the trek includes Circuit 2.

Rail service can be disrupted by protests or weather. Follow your rail operator's notices, and read the U.S. State Department's Peru advisory before you go.

Altitude: Cusco is around 11,150 feet (3,400 m), higher than the Machu Picchu ruins at roughly 7,970 feet (2,430 m). Build acclimatization into the journey; sleeping lower in the Sacred Valley can be part of that plan, but it is not a guarantee against altitude illness. CDC guidance favors gradual ascent and mild activity during the first 48 hours at altitude. Discuss your itinerary and individual risk with a travel-health clinician before the trip, especially if planning mountain hikes.

Where to stay

• Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo): The practical overnight base for early entry. You still need time for the bus queue and ascent to the entrance.
• The Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo and nearby): Lower than Cusco, close to the trains.
• Cusco: The most choice, with the longest trip to the site.

Plan your overnight base

Stay in Aguas Calientes for an early entry

Compare stays in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) for the night before an early visit. Check the walk from the station, the route to the bus queue and luggage storage before choosing a property.

Accommodation does not include archaeological-site admission. Confirm your official entry ticket first, then match your room and transport to that time; allow for the bus queue and ascent.

Affiliate link: BoardingNotes may earn a commission if you book through this link.

Compare Aguas Calientes stays

Our travel insurance guide explains what to check in a policy for a trip like this.

Keep / Swap / Skip

Your situation	Keep	Swap	Skip
Your preferred route is sold out	Your date	Another route or circuit on the same day	Unofficial resellers
Early entry time	A night in Aguas Calientes	—	A same-day trip from Cusco
Afraid of heights or steep stairs	Circuit 2 or 3-B	A non-mountain route	Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
Visiting in low season	Year-round routes	—	Seasonal routes (1-C, 1-D, 3-C, 3-D)
Want to see more	One route matched to your priorities	A second timed ticket, if the full schedule works	Trying to switch circuits inside
Short on time	A realistic transport and altitude plan	Reduce sightseeing elsewhere	Sacrificing acclimatization or medical advice to save a night

Your preparation checklist

• Choose your circuit and route.
• Buy through an official channel with the correct identity details, then verify the issued ticket.
• Book your train to arrive well before your entry time.
• Plan the bus from Aguas Calientes to the entrance.
• Bring the original identity document used for booking and any required discount evidence.
• Plan your first nights for the altitude.
• Read the State Department advisory and check rail notices.
• Use our international travel checklist for documents.

Planning sources

Booking and rule review: November 15, 2026. Start with the official circuit maps, entry regulation, conduct and bag rules and Peru advisory. The 2027 capacity, mountain-timing and sanctuary-fee decisions are linked beside their respective details above. Check the current ticket and transport calendars for your actual date.