Cusco to Aguas Calientes: Every Way to Get There

Route comparison at a glance

San Pedro Station

San Pedro Station sits on Calle Cascaparo, only about 5 minutes from downtown Cusco, which makes it the easiest platform to reach if your hotel is in the historic centre. The trade-off is ride time. PeruRail states the journey from San Pedro to Machu Picchu Station takes about 4 hours 30 minutes, the longest of the direct train options.

SERNANP's own access table puts the Cusco to Machu Picchu Pueblo rail leg at 111 km and about 4 hours 10 minutes, which gives you the same picture from an official source. The line descends steadily from Cusco's high plateau toward the Urubamba valley. Pack light either way.

Both PeruRail and Inca Rail cap carry-on luggage at 8 kg (17.6 lb), about 115-118 linear cm, so a large suitcase will not board. Free luggage storage is available at Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu stations if you are splitting the journey, covered in full on our luggage storage page.

Poroy Station

Poroy Station is on Calle Roldan in the district of Poroy, about 20 minutes from downtown Cusco, so you need a taxi or transfer to reach it. In exchange, PeruRail states the ride from Poroy to Machu Picchu Station takes about 3 hours 30 minutes, a full hour shorter than the San Pedro departure. The same station also serves intermediate stops, with PeruRail listing about 1 hour 40 minutes from Poroy to Ollantaytambo, useful if you later want to break the trip in the Sacred Valley.

On arrival at Machu Picchu Station you are in the town itself, not at the citadel gate, which sits on the ridge above; most visitors take the bus up, though it is roughly 6 km or a 90-minute walk to the entrance if you prefer to climb on foot. Whichever station you pick, book the train well ahead. Seats on this corridor are limited and sell out in busy periods.

How the two legs work

The road leg is straightforward in principle. Buses and colectivos (shared vans) run from Cusco to Ollantaytambo through the Sacred Valley, and PeruRail's own FAQ notes Ollantaytambo Station is about 1 hour 30 minutes by car from downtown Cusco. The train leg from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo covers 60 km and takes about 2 hours 10 minutes per SERNANP's access table.

You can book just this train segment with PeruRail or Inca Rail and arrive at the same Machu Picchu Station in town. One thing to state plainly: no official body publishes fares or timetables for the Cusco-Ollantaytambo bus or colectivo leg. It is informal transport, priced in cash at the door.

People do this to save money against a through-train from Cusco, and it generally works, but you are arranging two tickets instead of one. Read our full guide to the Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes train for the rail leg.

Why many travellers choose it

The appeal is flexibility and cost. You can spend a night in the Sacred Valley, a region worth a day on its own, and take a morning train that would be impossible from Cusco without a very early start. Ollantaytambo also has more frequent departures than the Cusco stations, and PeruRail offers free luggage storage there from 04:15 to 21:00 if you want to leave a large bag behind while you visit the citadel.

The downside is logistics. You carry your bags onto public transport, find the correct departure point in Cusco without a posted schedule, and accept the small risk that a road delay eats into your train time. Leave a generous buffer between the two legs.

The overland chain

The route runs Cusco to Santa Maria, Santa Maria to Santa Teresa, and Santa Teresa to Hidroelectrica, mostly on mountain roads through the high jungle. No official authority publishes fares or schedules for any of these legs. They are informal colectivo and bus services with no fixed timetable, and third-party guides disagree on both prices and durations, so we will not quote figures for them here.

What can be said is that the full chain is a long day or more of travel, and PeruRail notes the descent from about 3,400 m at Cusco to about 1,890 m at Hidroelectrica, so you finish far lower and warmer than you started. Book through a trusted agency rather than flagging vehicles at random. Our Hidroelectrica guide covers the station itself in detail.

The last stretch: train or walk

From Hidroelectrica station you have two ways into town. PeruRail runs a short service on its Expedition, Vistadome and Vistadome Observatory trains that takes about 30 minutes to Machu Picchu Pueblo. No fixed fare is published on PeruRail's own page for this segment.

The alternative is walking. PeruRail itself describes the walking option as taking about 2 hours 30 minutes, and third-party trekking sources report the walk as roughly 10 km, flat and easy, following the railway line and the Urubamba river with a couple of short tunnels; that 10 km distance figure is not an official measurement. Read our comparison of Hidroelectrica or the train if you are weighing the two.

The classic Inca Trail

Entry to the Inca Trail network is only possible through SERNANP-licensed agencies. Independent trekking is not permitted, so you must book a guided group or private trek in advance. The main route, Route 1 or the Main Inca Trail, is 33.7 km long, typically walked over 4 to 5 days.

It begins at Piscacucho (km 82), reached by tourist-agency bus from Cusco, a drive of 85 km taking about 2 hours 30 minutes per SERNANP's access table, then crosses the trail's high pass before descending through cloud forest to the citadel. The SERNANP entry fee for the 4 to 5 day routes is US$86.00 (S/292) for adults, charged on top of your Machu Picchu citadel ticket, which trekkers also need. Visiting hours for the trail network run 05:30 to 14:00, and permits are limited and sell out months ahead in the dry season.

Shorter alternatives exist too, including one-day versions of the trail and multi-day jungle treks that reach the town via Santa Teresa and Hidroelectrica. Once in town, see our list of things to do in Aguas Calientes.

Match the route to your trip

If you are time-pressed, book the direct train from Poroy and keep the whole transfer at about 3 hours 30 minutes, or skip the planning entirely with a full-day tour from Cusco that handles every leg for you. If you are travelling on a budget, take the bus or colectivo to Ollantaytambo and the short train from there, or push further and use the overland route to Hidroelectrica, accepting that neither informal leg is officially priced or timetabled and both need flexibility in your schedule. If you are adventurous and book months ahead, trek the classic Inca Trail with a licensed agency and earn the arrival on foot, or choose a two-day version if four days and the permit scramble do not fit your trip.

Whichever you pick, every option ends at the same riverside platform or the same dirt path, and from there the bus or the stair path is the only way up.