Machu Picchu — 2 Days
The citadel over two days, with a night in Aguas Calientes and entry on the first slots of the morning.
- Duration
- 2 days / 1 night
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Maximum altitude
- 3,400 m
- Group size
- Maximum 12 people
- Acclimatisation needed
- 1 day in Cusco
- Best season
- April to October (dry season)
The visit to the citadel spread over two days, with a night in Aguas Calientes. It avoids the pre-dawn start and the late-night return of the single-day programme, and lets you enter Machu Picchu on the first slots of the morning.
Day one combines road transport with a stop in the Sacred Valley and the rail leg through the Urubamba canyon. The afternoon is free in the town, where the hot springs that give it its name are.
Entry to the site works with daily capacity, predefined circuits and an assigned time, exactly as on the one-day option. The difference is not how long you spend inside the citadel — the circuit is the same — but how much the journey around it takes out of you.
Next departures
Daily departures
These are the dates this route runs, worked out from its schedule. Availability is confirmed when you enquire: in high season some departures are already closed.
Itinerary
Day 1
Cusco – Sacred Valley – Aguas Calientes
Morning departure with a stop in the Sacred Valley and the train from Ollantaytambo through the Urubamba canyon. Arrival in Aguas Calientes in the afternoon, with free time for the hot springs or the craft market.
2,040 m above sea level
Day 2
Machu Picchu early
Shuttle bus on one of the first slots and a guided visit of around two hours along your assigned circuit. Free time at the site, back down to town and the return train, with transfer to Cusco.
2,430 m above sea level
What's included
- Hotel pickup in Cusco
- Tourist transport to the train station
- Round-trip train in tourist service
- Hotel night in Aguas Calientes with breakfast
- Round-trip bus Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu
- Machu Picchu entrance ticket
- Professional guide in English or Spanish
Not included
- Lunches and dinners
- Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets (booked separately)
- The hot springs in Aguas Calientes
- Tips
What to bring
- Your original passport — it is required to enter
- A small overnight bag — large luggage stays at your Cusco hotel
- Sunscreen and a hat
- Rain poncho between November and March
- Insect repellent
- Cash in soles for meals and small expenses
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth it over the full-day trip?
The full day is 16 hours, leaving at 04:30 and back in Cusco around 21:30. This version leaves in the morning, stays overnight in Aguas Calientes and enters the citadel on the earliest slots, when there are fewer visitors and better light. Time inside the site is the same on both.
Can I go up to Machu Picchu twice?
Not on one ticket: each ticket allows one entry, one circuit and one time slot. If you want to go in on both days, that means two tickets and we quote it separately.
What happens to my large luggage?
It stays at your hotel in Cusco, which is standard practice. You go up to Aguas Calientes with hand luggage only; the train also has weight and size limits per passenger.
Is entering at dawn better?
The first slots have fewer people and the mist lifting off the terraces, which is the image most travellers are after. In the rainy season, though, dawn can be completely closed in and may not clear until mid-morning.
Does it suit someone who has just arrived in Cusco?
Yes, it is one of the kindest programmes altitude-wise: Machu Picchu sits at 2,430 m and Aguas Calientes at 2,040, almost a thousand metres below Cusco. Even so, it is worth spending a night in the city first.
When not to go: January and February — heavy rain and possible train disruptions