There are 3 ways to get to Machu Picchu: through the Inca Trail, with the long route by Hydroelectric and by train. If you are not one of the people who enjoy outdoor walks, you should choose the train ride. The train to Machu Picchu is a beautiful journey through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town), at the foot of the Wonder of the World.
How to get to Machu Picchu by train?
To get to Machu Picchu by train, you must book tickets online in advance. It is recommended to do it immediately after knowing the date of visit to the Wonder of the World.
Once in the Cusco City (Peru), the visitor must approach the chosen train station (Poroy, Urubamba or Ollantaytambo station). It is advisable to be 30 minutes before the scheduled travel time.
All train services have as their final destination, the town of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). From there it only remains to board one of the buses that lead to the door of Machu Picchu in approximately 30 minutes.
What is the Inca Rail train and what services does it offer?
Inca Rail is the new company that offers the transfer by train to Machu Picchu (it began operating since 2007 and continues until now).
It offers up to 4 train services to Machu Picchu: The Voyager, The 360º, The First Class and the exclusive train ‘The Private’.
Currently, Inca Rail does not offer routes to Puno, Arequipa or any other route that is not Cusco – Machu Picchu.
Inca Rail has departures in 4 stations: San Pedro (Cusco), Poroy (Cusco), Ollantaytambo (Sacred Valley) and Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu).
Types of Train offered by Inca Rail
The Voyager Machu Picchu Train
Start your journey enjoying comfortable seats and our excellent service. Enjoy the incredible scenery that surrounds the road to Machu Picchu between snow-capped peaks, imposing mountains, meandering river and the change of vegetation until entering the magical rainforest that houses the Inca citadel. Enjoy a variety of complimentary natural drinks, prepared with Andean essences that represent the region. The hospitality of our staff will ensure you a pleasant experience until you reach the Aguas Calientes train station.
The economy Inca Rail train to Ollantaytambo offers you:
- Inca Rail train to Ollantaytambo has comfortable seats with tables in front to enjoy the trip
- Inca Rail train to Ollantaytambo has large windows that allow you to admire all the beauty of the landscape
- Relaxing background music
- An excellent human team that will make your trip the best experience First Class Inka Rail Train
- Delicious selection of hot and cold drinks, made with fruit juices and Andean herbs.
The 360° Inca Rail Train
Experience a unique way to travel to Machu Picchu, exploring the Andean landscape like never before with wider and taller panoramic windows and an observation outdoor carriage. The 360° Inca Rail Train is the only train in Peru with an entertainment app onboard which will allow you to learn more about the train journey and the Inca civilization.
Enjoy our healthy box lunch made with organic ingredients from the Sacred Valley, as well as an appetizing selection of cold and warm drinks hot and cold drinks, prepared using fruit juices and Andean herbs.
The Inca Rail First Class train
Travel with maximum comfort and space on board; delight in the gourmet menu made with organic and Andean ingredients such as trout, quinoa, aguaymanto and a selection of wines. In addition to a welcome cocktail and a variety of hot and cold natural drinks. The new Inca Rail First Class train has a luxury Observatory-Lounge car that offers live music, a bar and a balcony where you can appreciate the most incredible landscapes (*). Without a doubt, this will be a journey full of details that evoke all the color and flavor of Peruvian culture!
- Inca Rail First Class train has comfortable seats with tables in front to enjoy the trip
- Inca Rail First Class train has large windows that allow you to admire all the beauty of the landscape
- Live music
- The Observatory – Lounge is an elegant, finely decorated lounge, with comfortable seats, large spaces and a bar on board? it also has a balcony (*)
- Welcome cocktail Gourmet menu, made with? Andean ingredients
- Delicious selection of hot and cold drinks, made with fruit juices and native herbs.
The Private Machu Picchu Train
A whole car just for you and your companions. Includes welcome champagne and the most exquisite tasting menu accompanied by the best wines of the region, as well as an open bar with the best drinks at your entire disposal. A car full of details that evoke all the color and flavor of the Andean culture.
- Beautiful finely decorated room, comfortable armchairs, ample spaces, audio track, live music.
- Observatory – Lounge.
- Welcome bottle of champagne.
- Delicious tasting menu with the best wines of the region.
- It operates on demand any day of the year at any of the train schedules.
Advantages of Inca Rail
- Inca Rail is the only company that offers the option of accumulating ‘Latam Pass’ miles for the purchase of a ticket.
- It offers one of the most exclusive services in the world. This is the ‘The Private’ train, which includes complimentary champagne, gourmet menu, private bus to Machu Picchu, live music show, open bar as well as all the amenities on board.
- The Ollantaytambo train station of Inca Rail has a waiting room with coffee service, music and free Wi-Fi.
- Inca Rail has an interactive and easy-to-use website. There you can make the purchase of the ticket paying with a credit or debit card.
- Inca Rail has an easy-to-navigate website where you can make purchases of train tickets in complete safety.
Inca Rail train price: Cusco – Machu Picchu (round trip)
| Train service | Price in dollars | Price in soles |
| The Voyager Train | $ 140 | S/. 459 |
| The 360° Train | $ 150 | S/. 491 |
| First Class Train | $ 398 | S/. 1305 |
Are there discounts on the price of the Inca Rail train to Machu Picchu?
Infants (0 to 2 years old) do not pay for the train ticket. Children travel on the arms or legs of their father or mother. Only one infant is allowed per adult passenger.
Children from 3 to 12 years old pay for the train ticket with a discount of around 50% of the adult price.
Inca Rail train schedule
The Voyager Train schedules (Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes)
| Departure time | Arrival time |
| 6.40 a.m. | 8.01 a.m. |
| 11.15 a.m. | 12.41 p.m. |
| 11.30 a.m. | 1.06 p.m. |
| 4.36 p.m. | 6.09 p.m. |
| 7.27 p.m. | 9.09 p.m. |
The 360° Train train schedules (Cusco / Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes)
| Departure time | Arrival time |
| 5.55 a.m. | 8.48 a.m. |
| 07.22 a.m. | 8.48 p.m. |
| 12.36 p.m. | 2 p.m. |
First Class Train schedules (Cusco / Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes)
| Departure time | Arrival time |
| 9.28 a.m. | 12.41 p.m. |
| 11.15 a.m. | 12.41 p.m. |
Inca Rail offices
Inca Rail offers the sale of tickets in all its stations in Cusco.
In Cusco:
- Portal de Panes Street 105, Plaza de Armas of Cusco.
- Avenida El Sol 843, Cusco.
- Avenida Cascaparo S / N, San Pedro, Cusco (San Pedro Station).
- Avenida Velasco Astete s / n, Wanchaq District (Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport).
- Avenida Ferrocarril s / n, Ollantaytambo (Ollantaytambo train station).
- Machu Picchu town s / n, Las Orquídeas neighborhood (Aguas Calientes Station).
How to book with Inca Rail?
- Enter the official Inca Rail website.
- Complete the travel information: date of departure, return, number of passengers and currency. Click on ‘Buy tickets’.
- Select a route and check that the train of your liking has availability.
- Complete the passenger record with the personal information of each one.
- Check the validity of the information. Then select a payment method and fill in the requested spaces. Finally, click on ‘Start payment’.
- After making the payment, you just have to print the tickets purchased and present them on the day of the trip.
How long before booking the train ticket?
Train tickets must be reserved as soon as the date of the visit to Machu Picchu is known. It is recommended to make the purchase one week in advance.
If you plan to make the trip during the peak tourist season in Machu Picchu (from April to October), you must separate the tickets one month in advance.
During May, June and July it is recommended to book train tickets a month or more in advance. The number of visitors and passengers during those days increases in Cusco and Machu Picchu.
Touring Cusco and Machu Picchu is discovering endless mysterious places, with hidden stories in corners that you may have never seen before stepping on this country. We recommend you to visit another impressive destinations in Cusco like the tour to rainbow mountain peru or the humantay lake tour from cusco, which only takes one day. But if you are gonna to stay more days in Perú, other archaeological places you can know will be the choquequirao trek peru, the salkantay trek to machu picchu, and the classic inca trail 4 days 3 nights.
