Bestseller2,334 reviews
12 hFrom Cusco: Full-Day Group Tour of Machu Picchu
★ 4.7 · 2,334 reviews
- Twelve hours, Pickup in Cusco historic center
- Guided visit of about 2 hours
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$349$29.08 / hour
Check availability→ Which train, which trip
Machu Picchu train tour: which trip rides which train
All nine trips on this site put you on a train for at least one leg. This Machu Picchu train tour guide sets out which listing names which carriage class, which way it rides, how long the ride takes and what the price covers. Hikes start at $585 per person. Day trips by train cost $308 to $349.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a Machu Picchu train tour in one day, three trips pick you up in Cusco, the earliest at 4:00 AM, and ride the train to Aguas Calientes: the $349 group day (2,334 reviews at 4.7), the $308 day that names Tourist or Superior class, and the $320 day that names the Expedition or Voyager train. The Vistadome is named on three hikes, each time on the ride back to Ollantaytambo. Our top pick, the $840 four-day Inca Trail, is one of them.
Machu Picchu train tour at a glance
- Trips with a train leg
- 9 of 9
- Hike price
- From $585per person, two days
- Day trips by train
- $308 to $349per person, 12 to 15 hours
- Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
- 1 h 45 min to 2 hby train, per listing
- Classes named
- Tourist or Superior; Expedition or Voyagerone pair per day trip
- Vistadome
- On the way backon three hikes
- Bus up to the citadel
- 25 to 30 minutesticket not stated as included
- Guided time inside
- 2 to 2.5 hourson the day trips
- Lunch on day trips
- Not in the priceown expense or an option
- Refunds
- Non-refundableon 7 of the 9 listings
The rail leg
From Ollantaytambo station to Aguas Calientes
Road to Ollantaytambo, rail to Aguas Calientes, bus up the hill.
On a Machu Picchu by train tour from Cusco, road and rail share the journey. A bus, van or car takes you to Ollantaytambo station in about 1.5 hours, the train runs down the valley to Aguas Calientes, also called Machu Picchu Pueblo, and a bus climbs to the citadel in 25 to 30 minutes.
The ride takes about 1 hour 45 minutes on the group day, 110 minutes on the Tourist or Superior day and about two hours on the $320 day, which leaves Ollantaytambo at 6:10 AM or boards at Poroy for about 3.5 hours. An Expedition train to Machu Picchu tour is the nearest thing here to a named class, and it is still an «or»: «the Expedition or Voyager train».
Train by trip
Which carriage class each trip names
Each Machu Picchu train tour on this site, with the class exactly as its listing gives it. Where no class is named, we say so.
- Group day from Cusco, $349
Class not named. The itinerary lists a panoramic train ride as optional.
- Day with optional lunch, $308
«Either Tourist or Superior category train options», both ways.
- 1-day by train, $320
«The Expedition or Voyager train», from Ollantaytambo or Poroy.
- Sacred Valley, two days, $370
Class not named; back by train to Ollantaytambo, then by bus to Cusco.
- Four-day Inca Trail, our top pick, $840
A van to Km 82; the «Panoramic Vistadome train» back to Ollantaytambo, then two hours by van.
- 2-day hike with Vistadome, $630
The outbound ride is not described; the Vistadome back to Ollantaytambo, then a bus.
- 2-day overnight hike, $585
Class not named; a «return train to Ollantaytambo», then a car to Cusco.
- 2-day hike with panoramic train, $679
1.5 hours to Km 104, class not named; the Vistadome back to Ollantaytambo.
- Four-day alternative route, $1,290
A train to Km 104 on day three and the train back to Cusco; class not named.
On the line
The track, the roof and the seats
A Machu Picchu train tour from outside and inside the carriage.
Looking up
Curved glass panels run along the carriage roof, and through them rocky peaks stand against a blue sky with white cloud.
Down the aisle
Rows of tan and rust-brown seats line a wood-floored aisle, with glass panels overhead and green slopes in the side windows.
Ollantaytambo
The town spreads between two steep mountainsides under a blue sky, with stone-walled buildings, lawns and a line of walkers in front.
The river below
White water runs over grey boulders between steep green slopes, with tall buildings at the foot of the mountain upstream.
Out of the window
What the listings say about the view
The Andes, the river and snow peaks, in the listings' own words.
We repeat only what the listings say about the ride. The day with optional lunch asks you to «take in the landscape of the Andes». The $320 day describes, in the operator's words, «the best views of the Andean landscapes». The 2-day overnight hike mentions «snow capped mountains on the train», and the 2-day hike with the panoramic train runs «along the Urubamba River» to Km 104.
Reviewers on the day trips talk about the ride, too. Martin from Sweden, on the day with optional lunch: «…the train ride is very beautiful». Zuzanna from the United States, on the group day: «The train was comfortable, the staff was very attentive.»
Every trip, current fare
Machu Picchu train tour prices and what they cover
All nine trips, priced per person. Hikes start at $585. Day trips by train cost $308 to $349. No listing says the bus ticket up to the citadel is in the price.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day with optional lunch | $308 | per person | 15 hours | Cusco pickup, Tourist or Superior train, 2.5-hour guided visit. Entry and lunch by option | 4.6 · 984 |
| 1-day by train | $320 | per person | 12 hours | Hotel pickup at 4:00 AM, Expedition or Voyager train, about 2 hours guided. Lunch extra | 4.7 · 209 |
| Group day | $349 | per person | 12 hours | Pickup in the historic centre, train, about 2 hours guided. Lunch on your own | 4.7 · 2,334 |
| Sacred Valley, two days | $370 | per person | 2 days | Hotel pickup, Pisac and Ollantaytambo, train, guided visit. Day-two lunch to buy | 4.6 · 345 |
| 2-day overnight hike | $585 | per person | 2 days | Pickup, Inca Trail section, hotel night, 2-hour guided walk, train and car back | 4.9 · 227 |
| 2-day hike with Vistadome | $630 | per person | 2 days | Pickup, picnic breakfast and lunch, guided visit, Vistadome back, bus to Cusco | 4.8 · 333 |
| 2-day hike with panoramic train | $679 | per person | 2 days | Pickup at 4:00 AM, train to Km 104, 3-star hotel, guided visit, Vistadome back | 4.9 · 9 |
| Four-day Inca Trail, our top pick | $840 | per person | 4 days | Pickup, three nights in camps, trail meals, guided visit, Vistadome back, van to your hotel | 4.9 · 595 |
| Four-day alternative route | $1,290 | per person | 4 days | Pickup at 5:00 AM, two camp nights, a hotel night, train, two visits to the citadel | 5.0 · 1 |
A day by train
A Cusco to Machu Picchu train tour, step by step
How the three day trips run, with the times their listings give.
- From 4:00 AM: pickup in Cusco
4:00, 6:00 or 8:00 AM on the group day, by train time; 4:00 to 8:00 AM on the optional-lunch day; 4:00 AM on the 1-day by train.
- About 1.5 hours: the road to Ollantaytambo
By bus, van or car. The 1-day by train may instead drive 30 minutes to Poroy.
- 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours: the train
Down the valley to Aguas Calientes; about 3.5 hours from Poroy.
- 25 to 30 minutes: the bus up
From Aguas Calientes to the entrance. Each listing says agency staff meet you or help you to the bus.
- 2 to 2.5 hours: the guided visit
About two hours on the group day and the 1-day by train, 2.5 hours on the optional-lunch day. The group day allows no re-entry once you leave.
- Lunch: on you or by option
Your own expense on the group day and the 1-day by train; an optional extra on the third.
- The way back
The same train and road in reverse: 12 to 15 hours in all, with up to 30 minutes of waiting at Ollantaytambo on one listing.
Hike or ride
Machu Picchu train or hike: how the two compare
Every hike here rides the train too.
Hike or train to Machu Picchu is less of a choice than it sounds: every hike here also uses the train, so the question is how much you walk. On a Machu Picchu train tour in one day, you sit for the ride, walk with a guide for about two hours and head back. On the 2-day hikes, you start at Km 104, walk past Wiñay Wayna to the Sun Gate, spend the night in Aguas Calientes and visit the citadel the next morning.
For a 2 day train tour to Machu Picchu without a trail day, the $370 Sacred Valley trip stops at Pisac and lets you tour Ollantaytambo Machu Picchu day-trippers simply pass through on the way to the platform. Its listing does not say where you sleep.
Fitness comes up in two hike listings and in none of the day trips. Our top pick asks for «at least a moderate level of physical fitness», and the four-day alternative route names «a challenging 3-hour climb» to Kuychicassa Pass. That is all the listings say about training for Machu Picchu hike days.
Before you book
Five things to check on a train day
Each point comes from a listing and can change your Machu Picchu train tour.
- Refunds
Seven of the nine listings say «This activity is non-refundable», including all three day trips by train. The 2-day hike with the panoramic train and the four-day alternative route offer free cancellation.
- Passport details
The 1-day by train asks for a passport copy; the optional-lunch day for passport details, with no changes once the ticket is issued.
- The class on your day
Two day trips name classes with an «or»: Tourist or Superior, Expedition or Voyager. Neither listing promises one of the two.
- The circuit inside
Routes go by availability: Circuit 2 first on the group day, Circuit 2 or 3 on the optional-lunch day, Circuit 1, 2 or 3 on the 1-day by train.
- Your date
The 1-day by train says «there is no change of dates for this tour» and recommends booking Circuit 2 three to four months ahead.
Our verdict
Our Machu Picchu train tour verdict
For one day, book the $349 group day: 2,334 reviews at 4.7, the most on this site. For a named class pair, the $308 Tourist or Superior day. For the Vistadome, walk first: our top pick, the $840 four-day Inca Trail at 4.9, rides it back. For less walking, the 2-day overnight hike at $585 per person.
Book direct
Book a Machu Picchu train tour
The three day trips by train and our top pick, which rides the Vistadome back. All four are priced per person.
Lowest price here984 reviews
15 h - 2 dayMachu Picchu: Full-Day Tour from Cusco with Optional Lunch.
★ 4.6 · 984 reviews
- 15 hours - 2 days, Tourist or Superior class train
- 2.5 hours at Machu Picchu
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
$308
Check availability→ 
12 h209 reviews
12 hFrom Cusco: 1-day Machu Picchu Tour by Train
★ 4.7 · 209 reviews
- Twelve hours, Hotel pickup at 4:00 AM
- Train from Ollantaytambo station
- Lunch and hot springs extra
- Free cancellation
$320$26.67 / hour
Check availability→ 
Our top pick595 reviews
4 daysMachu Picchu: 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic Train
★ 4.9 · 595 reviews
- Four days, Starts at the Km 82 trailhead
- Three nights in trail campsites
- Likely to sell out
- Free cancellation
$840
Check availability→ Common questions
Machu Picchu train tour: questions, answered
How long is the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes?
About 1 hour 45 minutes on the group day, 110 minutes on the optional-lunch day and about two hours on the 1-day by train. From Poroy, that listing rides about 3.5 hours.
Vistadome or Expedition: which train does each trip use?
The Vistadome is named on three hikes, each time on the ride back to Ollantaytambo: our top pick, the 2-day hike with Vistadome and the 2-day hike with the panoramic train. The $320 day names «the Expedition or Voyager train». The listings do not compare the classes.
What time is pickup on the day trips from Cusco?
4:00 AM on the 1-day by train; 4:00, 6:00 or 8:00 AM on the group day, by train time; between 4:00 and 8:00 AM on the optional-lunch day, confirmed the day before.
Is lunch included on a Machu Picchu train tour?
Not on the day trips: it is at your own expense on the group day and the 1-day by train, and an option on the third.
Is the bus up to Machu Picchu included?
The bus ride from Aguas Calientes, 25 to 30 minutes, is part of every programme, but no listing says the bus ticket is in the price.
Can I cancel and get a refund?
On seven of the nine trips, no: those listings say «This activity is non-refundable», and that includes all three day trips by train. The 2-day hike with the panoramic train and the four-day alternative route offer free cancellation.
Go deeper
More guides to Machu Picchu
In one day
In one day
Train there, guided visit, train back: what a single long day looks like.
From CuscoFrom Cusco
Pickup times, the train from Ollantaytambo and the way back to the city.
Sacred ValleySacred Valley
Two days with a night near the citadel and the valley on the way.
Two daysTwo days
The short trail: one walking day, one night, the citadel next morning.
What it costsWhat it costs
What each price includes — permit, train, entry, meals, nights — and what it leaves out.
