How Much a Trip to Machu Picchu Costs in 2026, Line by Line
Between US$250 and US$580 per person from Cusco, and more than half of it is the train. Ticket, train, bus, guide and hotel, with 2026 figures.
A trip to Machu Picchu costs between US$250 and US$580 per person once you are standing in Cusco, and the train is more than half of it. The entrance ticket, the thing everyone asks about first, is the smallest line on the list.
Here is every item, with what it actually costs in 2026.
The short answer
| What you pay for | Cheapest | Usual | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entrance ticket | US$44 | US$44 | US$55 |
| Train both ways from Ollantaytambo | US$155 | US$180 | US$220 |
| Bus up to the gate, both ways | US$24 | US$24 | US$35 |
| Transport Cusco to Ollantaytambo | US$10 | US$15 | US$60 |
| Guide, shared | US$15 | US$25 | US$60 |
| One long day from Cusco | US$248 | US$288 | US$430 |
| A night in Aguas Calientes | US$25 | US$60 | US$150 |
Those figures are per person, in 2026, for a foreign adult. They do not include your hotel in Cusco, food, or the flight to Peru.
Machu Picchu sits at 2,430 m, lower than Cusco. Photo: Pierre André Leclercq, CC BY-SA 4.0
The entrance ticket: about US$44
The adult foreign ticket is S/152, plus an S/11 SERNANP conservation fee added on 1 May 2026. That is S/163 in total, roughly US$44 depending on the exchange rate that week.
The circuits that add Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain cost around S/200, about US$55. Children under 18 and holders of a valid international student card pay less, and citizens of Peru and the Andean Community pay a separate, lower rate.
Tickets are sold by the Ministry of Culture and by authorised agencies. There is a fixed number per day and per circuit, and in June, July and August the popular circuits sell out weeks ahead.
The train: US$155 to US$220 return
This is where the money goes. There is no road to Aguas Calientes, so unless you walk in on a trek, you take the train.
The line that matters runs from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, about an hour and forty minutes. Two companies run it, PeruRail and Inca Rail, and in 2026 a one-way seat costs roughly:
- Expedition / Voyager, the basic service: US$77 to US$82
- Vistadome / 360, with panoramic windows and a snack: US$105 to US$110
- Hiram Bingham, the luxury service with dinner: several hundred dollars
So a return ticket is about US$155 in the cheapest class and US$210 to US$220 in the panoramic one. Fares move with the season and with how far ahead you book, and the early morning and late afternoon departures are always the first to go.
The Vistadome costs about US$30 more each way than the basic service. The view out of the window is the same either way. Photo: Rodrigo.Argenton, CC BY-SA 3.0
Some trains leave from Poroy, near Cusco, instead of Ollantaytambo. That saves you the road transfer but costs more and takes longer, and the service is not offered all year.
Getting to the station: US$10 to US$60
Ollantaytambo is about two hours from Cusco by road.
- A shared van from Pavitos street in Cusco: S/30 to S/50, around US$10 to US$15
- A private transfer: US$50 to US$60 for the car, split between everyone in it
- A taxi: negotiable, usually between the two
If you are on a package, this is already included and you will be picked up at your hotel.
Ollantaytambo station. Almost every trip to Machu Picchu passes through this platform. Photo: PsamatheM, CC BY-SA 4.0
The bus up the mountain: US$24
From Aguas Calientes the road climbs 400 metres in fourteen switchbacks. Consettur runs the only buses. The published fare for foreign adults is US$12 each way, US$24 return, and some 2026 listings show it closer to US$35, so check the fare before you count on it.
You can walk instead. It is a steep stone stairway, about an hour and a half up and an hour down, and it is free. People who have just arrived from sea level usually regret it.
The guide: US$15 to US$60
A licensed guide is required to enter, and on a group tour the cost is shared, so it lands at US$15 to US$25 a head. Hiring one privately at the gate costs US$40 to US$60 for the whole group, which is good value if there are four of you.
A night in Aguas Calientes: US$25 to US$150
Doing Machu Picchu in one day from Cusco means leaving at 4 a.m. and getting back around 10 p.m. Sleeping in Aguas Calientes turns it into a calm two-day trip and lets you be at the gate when it opens.
Hostel beds start around US$25. A decent mid-range double is US$60 to US$90. The hotels beside the river run to US$150 and up.
Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of the mountain. Everything in it exists because of Machu Picchu, and the prices reflect that. Photo: Jorge Castro Ruso, CC BY-SA 2.0
What a package costs instead
Booking each item yourself saves money on paper. It also means five separate purchases, two of them with fixed inventory that sells out, and no one to call when a train is cancelled by a landslide.
For comparison, these are our own prices per person:
- Machu Picchu in one day from Cusco, train, bus, ticket and guide: US$300
- Machu Picchu by train, two days, with the night in Aguas Calientes: US$591
- Machu Picchu and Cusco, three days: US$723
The one-day package is about the same as assembling it yourself, because the agency buys train seats in blocks. Where a package is clearly worth it is the multi-day version, where hotels, transfers and entrance times all have to line up.
The cheapest way in: walk
Every trek ends at Machu Picchu on foot, which removes the train on the way in and, on some routes, both ways.
- The Classic Inca Trail, four days is US$797 all in, including permit, camping, food, porters and the entrance ticket. There is no cheaper way to do the Inca Trail, because the permit system fixes the costs.
- The Salkantay Trek, five days is US$707 and needs no permit.
- The Inca Jungle Trail, four days, with cycling and zip lines, is US$607.
Per day on the mountain, a trek is the best value on this page. It is also four days of walking at altitude.
Where people overspend
Buying the panoramic train both ways. Take it in one direction if you want the experience. The scenery does not change.
Booking the ticket last minute in high season. When the circuit you want is sold out, you end up paying an agency to find one, or taking a worse entry time.
Paying for a private transfer for one person. The shared vans leave all morning and cost a fifth as much.
Flying into Cusco the same morning. People do this to save a night, then lose the day to altitude sickness. Cusco is at 3,400 m and Machu Picchu is at 2,430 m, so arriving a day or two early is not wasted time, it is what makes the visit work.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to go to Machu Picchu from Cusco? Between US$250 and US$430 per person for one long day, covering train, bus, entrance ticket and guide. A two-day trip with a night in Aguas Calientes adds US$25 to US$150.
How much is the Machu Picchu entrance ticket in 2026? S/152 plus an S/11 conservation fee for a foreign adult, about US$44. Circuits that include Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain cost around S/200, about US$55.
Can you visit Machu Picchu without a tour? Yes. You buy the entrance ticket, the train and the bus separately and hire a licensed guide at the gate. It takes more planning and saves little on a one-day visit.
Why is the train so expensive? There is no road to Aguas Calientes. The rail line is the only way in other than walking, it is operated under concession by two companies, and demand is high all year.
What is the cheapest way to reach Machu Picchu? Walking. The Inca Jungle Trail at US$607 and the Salkantay Trek at US$707 both include everything for four or five days, which works out to less per day than a one-day train visit.
How far ahead should I book? Entrance tickets and trains for June, July and August should be bought two to three months ahead. The Inca Trail is different again: permits for 2027 go on sale in the first week of October 2026 and the best dates are gone within days.
More on that in our guide to Inca Trail permits and availability, and on when to go in the best time to visit Machu Picchu.