Quick answer: The ideal Machu Picchu itinerary is 4–5 days based in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. You need time to acclimatise to the altitude (3,400m in Cusco), explore the Sacred Valley, and reach Machu Picchu itself by train or trek. Below is a day-by-day plan, plus exactly how to get there, which tickets to buy, and how to avoid altitude sickness.
How many days do you need?
Spend a minimum of four days: two to acclimatise and see Cusco and the Sacred Valley, one to travel to Aguas Calientes, and one for Machu Picchu. Five days lets you add Rainbow Mountain or the Humantay Lake day trip without rushing the altitude adjustment — the single biggest mistake visitors make.
Best time to visit
The dry season (May to September) brings the clearest skies and best trekking conditions — June to August is peak (book months ahead). The shoulder months (April and October) offer green landscapes and thinner crowds. Avoid heavy rains from January to March; the classic Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance.
Day-by-day Machu Picchu itinerary
Day 1 – Arrive in Cusco, rest and acclimatise. Fly into Cusco, take it slow, drink coca tea, and stroll the Plaza de Armas and San Blas. Do not hike today — let your body adjust to the altitude.
Day 2 – Sacred Valley. Head to the lower-altitude Sacred Valley (about 2,800m, easier on the body): the Pisac ruins and market, then the Ollantaytambo fortress. Sleep in Ollantaytambo — it puts you on the morning train.
Day 3 – Train to Aguas Calientes. Take the scenic train along the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). Settle in, see the small town, and rest for an early start.
Day 4 – Machu Picchu. Catch the first bus up (or hike the steep 1.5-hour trail) to enter at sunrise. Follow your ticket’s circuit; add Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain if you booked it. Return to Cusco by afternoon train.
Day 5 (optional) – Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake. A long but spectacular high-altitude day trip from Cusco — only attempt it once well acclimatised.
How to get to Machu Picchu
There are three routes. By train (the easiest): PeruRail or Inca Rail from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, then a 25-minute bus up. The classic Inca Trail: a 4-day guided trek that must be booked months ahead through a licensed operator (permits are strictly limited). The Salkantay Trek: a tougher, cheaper 4–5 day alternative with no permit cap and stunning scenery.
Tickets and permits — book ahead
Machu Picchu uses timed entry and fixed circuits, and daily numbers are capped. Buy your dated ticket well in advance through the official channel, especially in high season. If you want to climb Huayna Picchu (the iconic peak behind the ruins) or Machu Picchu Mountain, those add-on tickets sell out earliest. Bring your passport — it’s checked at entry.
Avoiding altitude sickness
Cusco sits at 3,400m and altitude sickness is common. Arrive and rest, hydrate heavily, avoid alcohol the first day, eat light, and consider seeing a doctor about acetazolamide before you travel. Counter-intuitively, sleeping lower in the Sacred Valley for your first nights helps — many travellers go straight there from the airport.
Where to stay
Cusco (San Blas for charm, central for convenience) as your hub; Ollantaytambo for one night before the train; and Aguas Calientes for the night before Machu Picchu so you make the sunrise entry.
Budget
| Style | Per day (excl. flights) |
|---|---|
| Backpacker | $45–65 |
| Mid-range | $90–160 |
| Comfort | $220+ |
The big fixed costs are the Machu Picchu ticket, the train, and the bus up — budget extra for these on top of daily spending.
Mistakes to avoid
Don’t hike hard on day one, don’t leave tickets or Inca Trail permits to the last minute, don’t pack only for heat (mornings are cold, afternoons can rain), and don’t try to do Machu Picchu as a single rushed day trip from Cusco.
Book in the right order, or you don’t get in
The single mistake that sinks Machu Picchu plans is booking backwards: flights and hotels first, the citadel ticket last. Reverse it. Lock the timed entry first, then build the PeruRail or Inca Rail train and the Aguas Calientes bus around that exact date and slot. Most first-timers want Circuit 2 (Machupicchu Clasico), the one with the postcard panorama and the Guardian House. In the dry season of roughly May through September it sells out three to six months ahead, and the same-day shuffle of finding a matching train rarely works.
On the train, don’t overspend by accident. The cheap Expedition (PeruRail) and Voyager (Inca Rail) classes run about 80 to 95 dollars round trip from Ollantaytambo and get you there in the same 1 hour 40 minutes as the Vistadome, which costs roughly 120 to 150 each way for big windows you barely use at dawn. Sleep in Ollantaytambo, not Cusco, the night before so you catch an early train and reach the gate before the day-trip wave. Bring the passport you booked with; they check names at entry, and your 2.5-hour clock on Circuit 2 starts at your printed time.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Machu Picchu? Four at a minimum (including acclimatisation); five is ideal.
Do you need to book Machu Picchu tickets in advance? Yes — entry is capped and timed, and Huayna Picchu sells out earliest.
Is Machu Picchu hard to visit? The site itself is moderate walking; the challenge is the altitude, so acclimatise first.
Plan more of Peru with our Peru itinerary and see the best time to visit Peru.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.