The Sacred Valley and the train to Machu Picchu on the same day: fitting the tour around your ticket
Book for tomorrow: Express US$32 · Classic US$30 · is there space? · how to book
How it works
6:20 am on the Express (Chinchero, Maras, Moray) or 7:20 am on the Classic (Taray, Pisac). Lunch in Urubamba at 12 pm on both.
Last visit from 2:15 to 3:30 pm at the fortress. The service ends inside the archaeological park; the bus heads back to Cusco without you.
15 minutes through the town, flat and small. Mid-afternoon trains are within reach; if your ticket is before 4 pm, ask us before you pay.
Which of the two departures
Express · final en Ollantaytambo
Chinchero, the Maras Salt Mines, Moray and Ollantaytambo. For travelers who want Maras and Moray before Machu Picchu. It does not visit Pisac.
Classic · final en Ollantaytambo
Taray viewpoint, Pisac and Ollantaytambo. The cheapest and the lowest of the four: no stop goes above the altitude of Cusco. It does not visit Chinchero.
What you need to know about the train
| Who sells it | The rail companies, directly. We do not sell or handle tickets; the tour costs US$1 less precisely because the ride back to Cusco is not included. |
| Which train time to pick | A departure from Ollantaytambo from mid-afternoon onwards. Between the end of the tour (3:30 pm) and boarding, leave at least 45 minutes: 15 of walking and the rest for the passport and ticket check at the station. |
| If your train leaves before 4 pm | Write to us before booking with the exact time. If it does not fit, we say so; we do not sell the departure knowing you will be cutting it fine. |
| If your train is the next day | Sleep in Ollantaytambo: the town has places to stay a few minutes from the park and the station, and you go up to Machu Picchu rested. |
| Luggage | The bus does not return to Cusco: travel with what you need for Machu Picchu. Leave the big suitcase at your hotel in Cusco; most of them store it free. The rail companies limit carry-on luggage: check their website. |
Which train fits a tour that ends at 3:30 pm
Three ways to carry on from the archaeological park, with the station 15 minutes away on foot. The times are for reference: each rail company sets them, they change by season and you must confirm them on your ticket.
4:36 pm · Inca Rail
You leave the park at 3:30 pm, walk to the platform and board with time for the check. The valley looks its best from the train in the last light.
7 pm · PeruRail
Three and a half hours for the square, the Inca streets and dinner in Ollantaytambo before heading up. The calmest option if you would rather not rush.
Train the next day
You sleep in Ollantaytambo, minutes from the park and the station, and go up to Machu Picchu early. It is the combination we recommend to anyone who landed in Cusco today.
Which one suits you?
Write to us with the time on your ticket and we tell you whether it fits the end of the tour, before you pay anything.
Ask about my trainIf your train leaves before 4 pm, ask us before booking: we do not sell the departure knowing you will be cutting it fine. You buy the ticket from the rail company; the tour neither includes it nor handles it.
A typical day
Why this combination works
Machu Picchu Pueblo sits lower than Cusco and than the whole valley, so today’s route goes down rather than up: Cusco 3,350 m, Ollantaytambo 2,790 m. You gain a day in the valley without returning to Cusco and without paying separately for a Cusco–Ollantaytambo transfer, because the tour already takes you to the station. And if you book the night before, the price is the same as a month ahead.
Bookings for tomorrow: non-refundable; you can move the date if there is space, and we reschedule or refund if we cancel for weather. The train ticket is separate and has its own policy.