Machu Picchu can be visited either with a tour or on your own. The tour already includes all the necessary tickets for a proper visit. The self-guided visit requires the tourist to purchase all the tickets separately. While many visitors visit on their own, a good number of people decide to visit with an all-inclusive tour. How to choose the right tour agency? What services are included in a tour? Know some important aspects of the tour to Machu Picchu and make the visit of your dreams.

• Visiting Machu Picchu today
• Visiting Machu Picchu on your own
• Getting to know Machu Picchu with a tour
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Machu Picchu with tour or on your own: Differences
• Questions and answers about travel to Machu Picchu with tour

Machu Picchu on a cloudy day

Can I cancel a tour to Machu Picchu and request a refund?
The sale of tickets to Machu Picchu is organized by the Ministry of Culture of Peru. All people can purchase their entrance ticket online through their home page. The purchase of a ticket to the Inca city does not allow cancellations or refunds. The same happens in the case of contracting a tour with a tourist agency. The tourist agencies buy the tickets for the tours with the visitors. These tickets are not subject to cancellation or refund. However, if the tourist agency considers it necessary, it can cancel and refund a part of the tour or the price of the entrance ticket to Machu Picchu. It all depends on the travel agency. In any case, it is recommended to be sure of the date of the visit to Machu Picchu. The only case in which the Machu Picchu authorities offer a refund or rescheduling of the date of the visit is on days of protests or natural disasters that prevent the transit of visitors to the entrance gate to Machu Picchu.

Visiting Machu Picchu today

Since 2024 there are ten types of entrance tickets to Machu Picchu. All of them can be purchased in two ways: online or in person in Cusco. Most visitors prefer to do it online because it allows them to get tickets from anywhere in the world and in advance. And all tickets have limited availability.

Each of the ten tickets offers one of the three circuits around Machu Picchu. Circuit 1 or photographic route allows access to the Guardian’s House where the classic photo is taken. Circuit 2 allows you to visit the temples of the middle and lower part of the Inca city. Circuit 3, the route through the lower part of the archaeological site.

These are the ten entrance tickets to Machu Picchu:

1. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu Classic Photo (circuit 1).
2. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu Classic (circuit 2).
3. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu Classic lower terrace (circuit 2).
4. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu Temples of the lower part (circuit 3).
5. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu (circuit 3).
6. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu with Mountain (circuit 1).
7. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu with Huchuy Picchu (circuit 3).
8. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu with Inca Bridge (circuit 1).
9. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu with Intipunku (circuit 1).
10. Entrance ticket Machu Picchu with Temple of the Moon (circuit 3).

The visitor can visit Machu Picchu on his own by choosing one of these ten types of tickets. Or you can do it with a tour that already includes the entrance ticket (usually the Classic Machu Picchu ticket), as well as train and bus tickets.

The train ticket (for the route Cusco – Aguas Calientes) can be purchased with two companies: Peru Rail or Inca Rail. In both cases you can buy the ticket online or in person in Cusco. The bus ticket (for the Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu route) can be purchased online or in the town of Aguas Calientes, without any problem of availability.

There are other ways to visit Machu Picchu, through the 4-day Inca Trail (qhapac ñan tour) or with the alternative route through Hidroeléctrica (on your own or with a two-day tour). In any case, it is recommended to buy the entrance or tour to Machu Picchu two or three months in advance. Otherwise, the availability of the most requested tickets by tourists is exhausted.

Whether you visit on your own or with a tour, Machu Picchu offers one of the best experiences in Peru.

Map of Machu Picchu with the circuits + hikes

Visiting Machu Picchu on your own

To visit Machu Picchu on your own requires the purchase of different types of tickets separately: the entrance to Machu Picchu, the train ticket, the bus ticket and the tour guide service.

The main thing is to buy the entrance to Machu Picchu. From the date and time of visit to the Inca city, you must buy the ticket by train and bus. The tour guide service is optional but highly recommended.

Getting to know Machu Picchu on your own is a good option if you plan to do a different route such as the alternative adventure to Machu Picchu by Hidroeléctrica.

Getting to know Machu Picchu’s lower terrace

Getting to know Machu Picchu with a tour

Visiting Machu Picchu with a tour is an excellent option if you are traveling with your family or if you do not have clear information about tickets, circuits and visiting hours in Machu Picchu.

The only thing the visitor must do is to search the internet for the best tour agency to consider (it is recommended to check TripAdvisor reviews). Usually the tours include: pick up, complete transportation (train and bus), professional guide, entrance fees and return to Cusco. Most tours offer meals as an optional part of the tour.

There are two types of tours to Machu Picchu: group service tour or private service tour. The first is aimed at several people from different backgrounds who purchased the same service. The second is private for the tourist, his partner, friends or family.

Whether with a tour or on your own, Machu Picchu is one of the best tourist destinations in the world.

Visiting Machu Picchu with a highly recommended agency

Advantages and disadvantages

• Advantages of visiting Machu Picchu with a tour:

  • The tour to Machu Picchu avoids queues and complications in the purchase of train tickets, bus and entrance to Machu Picchu.
  • The tour starts and ends with the pick up of the visitor from the door of his hotel in Cusco.
  • The tour to Machu Picchu always includes the ticket ‘Machu Picchu Classic’ considered the best in the visit to the Inca citadel.

• Disadvantages of visiting Machu Picchu with a tour:

  • The tour to Machu Picchu being a group service requires the visitor to adapt to the pace of the group. This is not suitable for older tourists who walk at a slow pace.
  • The tour to Machu Picchu can be a little more expensive compared to visiting on your own.

Machu Picchu with tour or on your own: Differences

Questions and answers about travel to Machu Picchu with tour

• 1) Which tour agency to choose for the Machu Picchu tour?

  Boleto Machu Picchu is a recommended Machu Picchu Terra tour agency to choose for the Machu Picchu 1 day tour.

• 2) How much does a tour to Machu Picchu cost?

  The 1 day tour to Machu Picchu in group service costs $250 per foreign adult on average. The price includes pick up, transportation, entrance fees, tourist train and more.

• 3) What does a tour to Machu Picchu include?

  The tour to Machu Picchu includes pick up from the hotel in Cusco, full tourist transportation in minivan and tourist train (Expedition of Peru Rail or The Voyager of Inca Rail), Consettur bus (from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and return), professional group guide, entrance to Machu Picchu (usually the ticket ‘Machu Picchu Classic’) and the return to the door of the tourist’s hotel in Cusco.

• 4) How does a private tour differ from a group tour in Machu Picchu?

  The private tour is intended for a single tourist, your partner, group of friends or family. The group tour is aimed at visitors from different backgrounds who hired the same service.

• 5) What is the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu tour? Can I do it on my own?

  The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu tour is one of the best trekking routes in the world (39 kilometers through the historical qhapac ñan until arriving to Machu Picchu through the Intipunku). Because it is a route protected by the Peruvian State, it can only be done with a tour organized by a tourist agency.

• 6) What type of entrance to Machu Picchu includes a tour?

  The tour to Machu Picchu usually includes the ‘Machu Picchu Classic’ ticket, considered the best ticket to visit Machu Picchu for the first time.

• 7) What circuit in Machu Picchu includes a tour?

  The Classic Machu Picchu ticket, which is usually offered by the tours, allows you to do circuit 2 in Machu Picchu, considered the best in the visit to the Inca citadel because it allows you to see most of the Inca constructions.

• 8) Does the Machu Picchu tour offer discounts?

  Yes, usually the tours to Machu Picchu offer discounts for university students, children under 18 years old and citizens of the Andean Community of Nations: Peru, Colombia, Ecuador or Bolivia.

• 9) How to buy a tour to Machu Picchu online?

  Most tourists buy their Machu Picchu tour online. You only need to register the necessary information and make the purchase with any type of credit or debit card.

• 10) ¿Puedo comprar el tour a Machu Picchu en Cusco?

  Sí es posible comprar un tour a Machu Picchu una vez en Cusco, algunos días o semanas antes de la visita. Sin embargo, debido a la disponibilidad limitada de entradas a Machu Picchu, se recomienda hacer por internet.

Advice from people who have been there

Machu Picchu

By: Angélica B.

“Great, a fantastic place“

“Machu Picchu was a dream come true. It was an excellent choice to do the tour with Boleto Machu Picchu. The guides are great, always attentive. A hug to Adner, from Madrid“

By Ticket Machu Picchu – Last updated, October 14, 2024