Machu Picchu Tickets 2026: Prices, Circuits and How to Buy Them
What a ticket costs in 2026 with the new conservation fee, what each of the ten routes shows and how long it allows, where to buy and how far ahead.
A Machu Picchu ticket is no longer a simple entrance pass. It is a booking for one circuit, one route and one entry time, tied to your passport, and it cannot be moved to another day. Buy the wrong one and you will walk past the view you came for without being allowed to reach it. This guide covers what each ticket includes, what it costs in 2026, where to buy it and how far ahead you need to do it.
The citadel from the upper terraces. Which part of it you see depends on the route printed on your ticket. Photo: Jorge Castro Ruso, CC BY-SA 2.0
The short version
- Official seller: tuboleto.cultura.pe, run by Peru's Ministry of Culture. Everything else is a reseller or an agency.
- Per purchase: from 1 to 5 tickets.
- What you choose: a circuit (1, 2 or 3), a route inside it, a date and an entry time.
- What you bring: the passport whose number is on the ticket.
- Changes: dates are fixed. A missed entry time is a lost ticket.
- Daily cap in 2026: 5,600 visitors in high season and 4,500 in low season, set by Ministerial Resolution 000285-2025-MC.
Machu Picchu ticket prices in 2026
Prices are set in Peruvian soles and depend on two things: who you are and which route you pick. The rates below are the ones in force for 2026. The portal always shows the final amount before you pay, and that figure is the one that counts.
| Visitor | Standard routes | Routes with a mountain or the Great Cavern |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign adult | S/152 + S/11 conservation fee | S/200 + S/11 conservation fee |
| Foreign student (valid card) | S/77 | Check the portal |
| Foreign child | S/70 | Check the portal |
| Peruvian, resident or Andean Community adult | S/64 | S/112 |
| Peruvian, resident or Andean Community student or child (3 to 17) | S/32 | S/80 |
| Under 3 | Free | Free |
Three things to know about this table:
- The conservation fee is new. Since May 1, 2026, SERNANP, the agency that manages Peru's protected areas, charges foreign adults an extra S/11 and Peruvians an extra S/5 (Directoral Resolution 000006-2026-SERNANP/DUSRN). A foreign adult on a standard route now pays S/163. The fee does not apply to hikers who arrive on the Inca Trail.
- The Andean Community rates (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) come from Ministerial Resolution 000284-2025-MC. US and European visitors pay the foreign rate.
- The entrance is the cheap part. The train and the bus cost more than the ticket. Our Machu Picchu trip cost guide adds up every line of the trip.
Circuits and routes: what each ticket lets you see
Since June 1, 2024, the site has been split into three circuits and ten routes. Each route is one-way, and the park rangers check it at the control points. The maximum time on site comes from the official route maps published by the Ministry of Culture.
| Route | Name | Max time on site | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-A | Machu Picchu Mountain | 7 h | All year |
| 1-B | Upper Terrace | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 1-C | Intipunku (Sun Gate) | 4 h | High season only |
| 1-D | Inca Bridge | 3 h | High season only |
| 2-A | Designed route (classic) | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 2-B | Lower Terrace | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 3-A | Huayna Picchu Mountain | 6 h | All year |
| 3-B | Designed route (royalty) | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 3-C | Great Cavern | 7 h | High season only |
| 3-D | Huchuy Picchu | 3 h 30 | High season only |
In 2026 high season runs from June 19 to November 2, plus January 1, April 2 to 5 and December 30 and 31. The four seasonal routes are only on sale on those dates.
Circuit 1, panoramic. The upper terraces and the postcard view. Route 1-B is the photo without a hike. Routes 1-A, 1-C and 1-D add a walk out of the citadel to the mountain, the Sun Gate or the Inca Bridge.
Circuit 2, classic. The only circuit that combines the high viewpoint with a walk through the center of the city. Route 2-A goes past the Temple of the Sun lookout, the Plaza of the Temples, the Intihuatana, the Sacred Rock and the Temple of the Condor. It is the one most first-time visitors want, which is why it sells out first.
Circuit 3, royalty. The lower part of the city and the royal sector. It is also the circuit that leads to Huayna Picchu, the Great Cavern and Huchuy Picchu. Route 3-B is the gentlest walk of the ten.
If you are still undecided, our complete guide to the Machu Picchu circuits compares them by view, effort and photo spots.
The trail up Huayna Picchu, route 3-A. Narrow steps, a small daily quota and the highest price of the standard list. Photo: Crookesmoor, CC BY-SA 4.0
Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu Mountain or Huchuy Picchu?
The three mountain options are not add-ons. Each one is its own route, and the ticket includes the citadel portion that leads to it.
- Huayna Picchu (3-A). The peak behind the classic photo. Steep and exposed, with stone steps and cables in places. Up to 6 hours on site. It has the smallest quota, so it is the ticket to book first.
- Machu Picchu Mountain (1-A). Higher than Huayna Picchu and longer, but on a wider trail with less exposure. Up to 7 hours. It sells out later than Huayna Picchu and makes a good backup.
- Huchuy Picchu (3-D). A short climb to a small peak on the north side, with a close view of the citadel. Only in high season, up to 3 hours 30.
The view from the top of Machu Picchu Mountain, route 1-A. Photo: EnriqueGuia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Remember that the citadel sits at 2,430 meters and the mountains climb well above that. If you are arriving from sea level, give yourself two days in Cusco first. Our guide on how to acclimatize in Cusco explains the timing.
How to buy Machu Picchu tickets online
- Go to tuboleto.cultura.pe and choose "Llaqta Machupicchu".
- Pick the circuit, then the route.
- Pick the date. The calendar only shows dates with space left.
- Pick the entry time.
- Choose how many tickets, up to five.
- Enter each visitor's details exactly as they appear in the passport, then pay by card.
- Save the PDF ticket on your phone and print a copy. You will show it at the gate with your passport.
Before you pay, have the train booked or at least chosen. The entry time on the ticket has to fit the train you take to Aguas Calientes and the 25-minute bus ride up. Our guide to the Machu Picchu trains compares the services and schedules.
Buying in person in Aguas Calientes
The Ministry of Culture sells 1,000 tickets a day at its office in Machupicchu Pueblo, the official name of Aguas Calientes. There are two catches. These tickets are for the next day, not the same day, and the line starts long before the office opens in the busy months. The ministry publishes how many of the 1,000 remain at tuboleto.cultura.pe/disponibilidad/llaqta_machupicchu.
It is a real option if you already have a night booked in town, as on our two-day Machu Picchu tour by train. It is not a plan for a day trip from Cusco.
The entrance control. Ticket and passport are checked here, and the entry time is enforced. Photo: F Delventhal, CC BY 2.0
How far ahead to book
The daily cap does not change with demand, so the busy months fill up first, and the routes with a mountain go before the rest because their quotas are much smaller. The practical rule is simple: buy the ticket as soon as your travel dates are fixed, and for June, July and August think in months, not weeks. You can see the remaining space for any date on the calendar at tuboleto.cultura.pe before you commit to flights.
Holidays such as Easter and the last days of December behave like peak months. February is quieter because the Inca Trail closes for maintenance, and it is also the rainiest month. Our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Machu Picchu weighs crowds against weather.
If you plan to hike in, the permit is a different system with its own quota, and it includes the entrance. See the Inca Trail permits availability by month, and our comparison of Salkantay and the Inca Trail if you are choosing between them.
Rules on the day
- Passport: foreign visitors enter with the passport used for the purchase.
- Arrival window: PeruRail publishes a tolerance of 30 minutes in low season and 45 minutes in high season. After that you can be refused entry.
- Bag size: the official code of conduct limits bags to 40 x 35 x 20 cm. Larger bags go to the storage at the entrance.
- Not allowed: walking sticks, tripods, selfie sticks, umbrellas, drones, food, and heels or hard-soled shoes. Breaking the rules means expulsion with no refund.
Our Peru packing list covers what fits inside those limits.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Machu Picchu ticket in 2026? For a foreign adult on a standard route, S/152 plus the S/11 conservation fee in force since May 2026, so S/163. Routes with Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu Mountain or the Great Cavern cost more.
Can I buy Machu Picchu tickets at the gate? No. There is no sale at the entrance. The only in-person sale is in Aguas Calientes, and it is for the following day.
Can I change the date or get a refund? No. Dates cannot be changed, and the ticket is not refundable or transferable. Check the passport number and the date twice before paying.
Is a guide required? The ticket does not include one. A licensed guide makes a real difference on the one-way routes, where you cannot go back to something you missed.
Which ticket should I buy for my first visit? Circuit 2, route 2-A. It is the only one with both the high viewpoint and the walk through the center of the city.
Are Machu Picchu tickets included in a tour? In ours, yes. The ticket is part of the package, booked with an entry time that fits the train.
Let us handle the ticket
Getting the ticket right is mostly a matter of timing: the route you want, an entry time that matches the train, and a booking made before the quota runs out. At Viajes Cusco Perú, the Cusco tour operator behind this blog, we book all of that for our travelers. Our Machu Picchu day trip from Cusco includes the circuit 2 ticket, the train, the bus and a licensed guide. The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in two days adds the valley on the way in, and the four-day Cusco and Machu Picchu tour builds in time to acclimatize. Hikers can arrive on the classic four-day Inca Trail. All our options are on the Machu Picchu tours page, and if you have spare days in the city, here are the best things to do in Cusco.
Prices, routes and rules checked on September 29, 2026, against tuboleto.cultura.pe, machupicchu.gob.pe and the official route maps of the Ministry of Culture. Rates change by resolution, so confirm the final price on the portal.