How long is the train ride from Cusco to Machu Picchu Pueblo?

You cannot enter Machu Picchu with large backpacks or suitcases, only with a handbag or small backpack. If you will only be there for one day, you should take water, a hat, sunglasses, and a jacket for the cold in the morning. Only snacks are allowed and you cannot eat inside the wonder (there is a restaurant at the entrance).

If you make a single-day trip you may not enjoy your tour to the fullest. You must leave very early and return to Cusco at night.

Although you will be able to climb Huayna Picchu in the morning and do Circuit 1 in the afternoon, you will miss the opportunity to get to know the town of Aguas Calientes a bit, which has to offer, for example, the hot springs.

The best alternative would be to go from Cusco to Machu Picchu Pueblo in the morning, explore the surroundings, go to the hot springs, and sleep there. The next day, get up early to see Machu Picchu and return in the afternoon.

The minimum you need to visit Machu Picchu departing from Cusco is one day. You can take the first train, arrive in Aguas Calientes around 8:30 in the morning, enter the Wonder at 9 or 9:30, enjoy the citadel until closing time and return on the last train to Ollantaytambo, arriving at the Imperial City of Peru almost at 10 PM.

It all depends on the time of year. Keep in mind that the high season is from May to October (dry months) and the low season is from November to April (rainy months).

If you want to go to Machu Picchu, for example, in July and August, the most popular months, you will have to buy your tickets at least two months in advance.

If you go in the less touristy months, such as February or March, you can even buy from one day to the next.

The dry season (May to October) is the best to visit the entire area of the Sacred Valley, including Machu Picchu. The days are warm and the nights are cold or cool. It does not rain for weeks or months. The bad thing is that there are more tourists and it is more difficult to get tickets or hotels.

If you go in high season, at any time of the day there will be a lot of people. However, most tourists prefer to go in the morning. Therefore, in the afternoon you will have more space and time to walk and take pictures.

If you want to climb Huayna Picchu, you can go very early to descend before noon, rest and enter Llaqta in the afternoon.