The Bus to Machu Picchu: Tickets, Changes, & More
If you’ve heard horror stories about the bus to Machu Picchu, I have some good news: They seem to have made some changes post-pandemic!
I’ll address those, plus explain in detail how you buy tickets and find the bus from Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) to make sure you arrive at the entrance to Machu Picchu for your timed entry!
You can’t drive to Machu Picchu on your own.
If you really want to avoid the bus, you can hike up, and I’ll go over that option, too.
Key Info About the Bus to Machu Picchu
- It’s a 20-25 minute ride from town.
- The cost is $12-$20.
- There are no taxis.
- Line up for the bus one hour before your Machu Picchu entry reservation.
- If you arrive in Aguas Calientes the same day as your Machu Picchu reservation, give yourself 90 minutes in town to find the bus ticket office, buy your tickets, and line up for the bus.
The Best Tour Options
I’ll explain below how easy it is to take the bus to Machu Picchu on your own, but a lot of people want to take all the hassle away (understandable!) and have everything booked before their trip.
With that in mind, these are the best tours to book for different parts of your visit to Machu Picchu:
➡️ Click to Book: Bus & Guide to Machu Picchu
- Includes your Machu Picchu entry, the bus ticket, and a guide.
- Hotel pickup in Aguas Calientes.
➡️ Click to Book: Just the Guide
- Private guide to accompany you to Machu Picchu.
➡️ Click to Book: Just the Bus
- Round trip bus tickets, booked in advance, from Aguas Calientes.
Stay in Aguas Calientes Before the Bus
I’d definitely recommend staying in Aguas Calientes for a night (or two) before your visit to Machu Picchu.
Arriving the day prior to your Machu Picchu reservation will allow you to relax and avoid rushing around trying to figure out the logistics of buying a bus ticket.
This interactive map is centered on the town. You can plug in your dates for all of the hotels and rental options available:
How to Buy Bus Tickets to Machu Picchu
There’s really no need to buy bus tickets far in advance.
They have plenty of buses, which run constantly through the day from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.
The Ticket Office for the Bus
I’d recommend buying your bus ticket the night before your reservation for Machu Picchu.
The ticket office is just off the main street by the railroad tracks. It’s open early-morning and late-night, and they usually have several windows open to move the line along.
They sell 4,500 bus tickets daily, so they have the system pretty well-organized.
It’s cash-only, so stop by an ATM on the way, and make sure to bring your passport when you buy your tickets.
If you arrive on the train that morning, make sure it arrives at least 90 minutes in town before your scheduled entry to Machu Picchu.
As an anecdotal example for a noon entry:
- 10:00am: Train arrival in Aguas Calientes
- Buy your bus ticket.
- Get some food in town.
- 11:00am: Line up for the bus
- 12:00pm: Machu Picchu entry time
Cost of the Machu Picchu Bus
You have two purchase options for the bus to Machu Picchu:
- $12 USD for a one-way ticket
- $20 USD for a round-trip ticket
Tour Guides
If you’re interested in hiring a tour guide, you’ll find a few outside the bus ticket office who you’ll easily be able to book for the following day.
Or, when you line up for your bus ride, you’ll find guides walking along the line offering their services.
You have one more chance to hire a guide at the entry to Machu Picchu, when the bus drops you off.
Catching the Bus in Aguas Calientes
At first, it seems like a chaotic scene, but the town of Aguas Calientes really knows how to host tourists destined for Machu Picchu.
You’ll soon realize: It’s a very organized chaos, and you won’t have to worry about missing your bus or not finding a seat.
Make sure to bring your passport, bus ticket, and Machu Picchu entry ticket!
When to Line Up for the Bus
Lines for each timed entry start forming more than an hour before the buses depart. Truthfully, unless you’re looking to be the very first people in Machu Picchu that day, there’s no reason to line up so early.
For a 10:00am entry reservation to Machu Picchu, you can line up shortly after 9:00am. The buses will start departing around 9:20am.
There are around 10 to 12 buses which run constantly, so you’ll be guaranteed a seat.
Where to Line Up for the Bus
The line of buses will park on the main street in Aguas Calientes, adjacent to the train tracks.
They’ll have placards out with Machu Picchu entry times. So if your reservation is for 10:00am, look for the sign with a big “10” on it. The line will form there and stretch back a long way!
Tour Guides
Again, tour guides will be walking up and down the line of people waiting for the bus, offering their services.
If it’s your first visit to Machu Picchu, I’d definitely recommend hiring a guide since there’s virtually no information at the site itself.
The Bus Ride From Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
I remember the 25-minute bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu being hellish!
The drivers took the sharp turns at high speeds, nauseating people onboard along the way.
Add to that, the fact that there are no guardrails on most of the road, so you’re cliffside for the entire adventure.
Here’s an aerial view of the road from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu:
It’s not a public road, and there are no cars or taxis, but still – the buses passing along on the curves raised the hair on my neck!
The scary ride up on the bus to Machu Picchu is what led to our decision to hike down (which is always a great idea, weather-depending).
Changes Since the Pandemic
I was pleasantly surprised by the bus ride to Machu Picchu after it reopened post-pandemic!
The buses all have speedometers the passengers can see, and our driver didn’t go much faster than 30 kilometers per hour (around 20 mph) even on the straightaways!
The drivers take the turns much slower these days, which is a great improvement. Look at how tight they are!
It’s still cliffside, and you’ll still make the dozen-or-so hairpin turns along the way, but at a slower speed, the bus ride to Machu Picchu seems far safer these days.
Alternatives to the Bus to Machu Picchu
This is easy. There’s only one alternative to the bus: hiking!
You can’t drive your own car or take a taxi up to Machu Picchu.
When you arrive by train in Aguas Calientes, you’ll notice: there are only a couple vehicles in town. The people who live here say they’ve all been brought in by train, since there are no roads to this remote valley.
Even people who call Aguas Calientes “home” and work in the hotels, stores, and restaurants depend on the trains to leave town.
The Hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
The hike up to Machu Picchu is steep and challenging, especially at this elevation. The hike *down is much more doable and enjoyable.
If you want to hike up, just follow the sloping street down through town, which runs along the river. You’ll eventually come to a bridge you’ll use to cross the water.
After the bridge, you’ll see a sign marking the start of the hiking trail from town up to Machu Picchu.
You can see from the map that the hiking trail is more direct, compared to the series of more than a dozen switchback turns the buses will make on the road.
The hike itself is well-marked, and largely made of stone steps. It’s also a shady route, covered by the tree canopy, so you won’t get too hot on a sunny day!
How to Get to Aguas Calientes
There are a few ways to get from Cusco to Aguas Calientes.
- Train: You’ll have to take a train at some point during the journey, and you can take one directly from Cusco (a 3+ hour ride). Trains are operated by companies such as PeruRail and Inca Rail. The journey offers beautiful views of the Andean landscape and is an experience in itself. Trains have different service classes, including Expedition, Vistadome, and luxury options like the Belmond Hiram Bingham. Costs vary widely.
- Bus and Train Combo: Some travelers opt for a combination of bus and train. You can take a bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo and then catch a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. This can be more cost-effective, since the bus fare is very low.
- Car and Train Combo: If you don’t care to take the bus, you can hire a driver in Cusco (for about $50) to take you from the city to the ancient Inca town of Ollantaytambo. From here, you can buy a train ticket to take you the rest of the way to Machu Picchu Pueblo.
The Best Way to get to Aguas Calientes
I always suggest the car + train option to get from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, or Machu Picchu Pueblo.
It’s easy to find a driver to bring you to Ollantaytambo. Again, it’s about $40-$50 (plus tip) for the car ride, and it’ll take less than two hours.
Once in Ollantaytambo, I’d suggest visiting the famous ruins here. You can climb the terraces and temples, or hike across the valley to the old grain storage structures.
It’s one of the many beautiful spots in the Sacred Valley, and you’ll enjoy walking the cobblestone streets and eating at the local restaurants.
If you have the time, I’d recommend an overnight stay at StarDome Lodge in Ollantaytambo. It’s an unforgettable experience to wake up to the view from their dome!
From Ollantaytambo, several trains run daily to Machu Picchu Pueblo, from very early in the morning to late into the evening.
It’s about a 90-minute ride on the train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo, and the cost will be about $100 for a fancier car with glass-domed ceilings, or $40 for a lesser ticket.
It’s only a 27-mile journey, and the train moves slowly, at 35-40 kilometers per hour along the river valley.
Things to do in Aguas Calientes
I mentioned earlier that it’s a good idea to spend at least one night in Aguas Calientes before your day at Machu Picchu.
It’ll help your body acclimate further to the high elevation (though this area is lower than Cusco) and it’ll help you feel less rushed the morning of your visit to the site.
Food in Aguas Calientes
The streets in Aguas Calientes are steep, and lined with stores, restaurants, massage parlors, and other businesses.
You’ll notice: the restaurants serve a lot of American food, like pizzas and hamburgers. But they also serve Peruvian food, like guinea pig. I had a number of really good quinoa salads and other dishes during our last stay.
Hot Springs
At the top of the town, the walkway will bring you to the hot springs. They’re not my cup of tea, but a lot of people love them!
We were charged the equivalent of $10 USD each to walk up the path to the hot springs.
They’re a series of pools, filled with water pumped from the ground which is 97 – 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
Waterfalls
On the same path beyond the hot springs, you’ll find a beautiful waterfall. This is much more my speed! In addition to the natural beauty, it makes for a good swimming hole on a hot day!
Markets
Aguas Calientes is home to a huge open-air market, full of touristy souvenirs. Once you get in there, it can be hard to find your way out, through all of the winding sidewalks through the different vendors.
FAQs About the Bus to Machu Picchu
Let’s tackle a few frequently-asked-questions about the bus, most of which were answered above.
What’s the cost of the bus to Machu Picchu?
The bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu will cost the equivalent of $12 USD for a one-way ticket, or $20 USD for a round trip.
If you buy a one-way, intending to hike down, but you later regret it due to weather or exhaustion, you can always buy a $12 return ticket at Machu Picchu to get back down the hill to town.
This is the ticket booth at Machu Picchu:
Can you drive to Machu Picchu?
No, there are no roads to Machu Picchu Pueblo, or Aguas Calientes. The only vehicles in town are the buses, which are used to ferry tourists and guides from town up to Machu Picchu.
Ignore the misleading tour offers online that advertise taxis or drivers to Machu Picchu.
In the fine print, you’ll see you can only take a car from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, before you have to take the train the rest of the way to Machu Picchu.
How long is the bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu?
The bus ride is about 20 to 25 minutes from town to the entry of Machu Picchu.
Where do you catch the bus to Machu Picchu in Aguas Calientes?
You’ll find a long line of buses on the main street, adjacent to the train tracks in Aguas Calientes.
When does the first bus to Machu Picchu leave each morning?
Machu Picchu opens to the public each day at 6:00am, so the first bus option begins at 5:20am.
Are there taxi cabs from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu?
No, there are no taxi cabs at all in Aguas Calientes. Your two options to get from town to the entry of Machu Picchu are: the bus or hiking.
Wrap: The Bus to Machu Picchu
The bus to Machu Picchu is safer than ever, thanks to the post-pandemic improvements. Namely: a reduction in speed!
Again, since 4,500 people visit Machu Picchu daily in 2024 (up from 3,800 in 2023), they really have developed an efficient system, from the ticket office through the line-up pre-departure.
If the weather cooperates, my recommendation is always to take the bus up to Machu Picchu, and then hike back down to town after your visit.
Check out our other posts on the Cusco region of Peru!
🇵🇪 Aguas Calientes: Machu Picchu Pueblo
🇵🇪 Pallay Punchu: The New Rainbow Mountain
🇵🇪 The Best Time to Visit Machu Picchu
🇵🇪 Moray
