Entrance to Machu Picchu!!

Tickets to enter Machu Picchu can no longer be bought at the entrance to Machu Picchu itself. You now have to buy the entrance tickets at the Machu Picchu Cultural Centre in Aguas Calientes (10m from the main Plaza, opens at 5:15am). The entrance fee is 122 Peruvian Soles (which is approximately US$44). There is a 50% discount for students with a valid ISIC card. They only accept payment in Peruvian Soles and rarely have any change so make sure that you take the exact amount. If you don’t they’ll just tell you to come back when you have the correct change – which can be difficult at 5:15am !! If you can, best to buy the entrance tickets the day before. Alternatively you can buy the tickets in Cusco at the Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INC) offices which can be found at Calle San Bernado a few blocks from the main Plaza de Armas). The tickets are valid for 3 days from the day of purchase which means you have time to travel to Aguas Calientes, stay the night and enter Machu Picchu the following morning. However once you enter Machu Picchu they are only valid for that day. If you want to return to Machu Picchu the following day then you have to buy another ticket!!

Machu Picchu opens at 6am and stays open until 6pm. You can take small bags into the ruins but anything larger must be left at the luggage store near the entrance for US$1.5 a piece.

Machu Picchu is a lot quieter before 11am and after 3:30pm. Monday is the busiest day, as many people head off to Machu Picchu after visiting Pisac market on Sunday. Sunday is one of the quietest days. June, July, August and September are the busiest months when as many as 2500 people visit the ruins everyday. Even during the low season you can expect between 1500 and 2000 visitors per day.