Take the train to Aguas Calientes and the Consettur bus up to the gate. That is the whole trip. The only choice is where you start. We read PeruRail's and Inca Rail's own pages on 12 October 2026. Consettur's site did not open for us.
Where the trains start
Getting there: Inca Rail has no train from Cusco itself. Its trips from Cusco begin with a bus from its Av. El Sol 843 office to Ollantaytambo, then the train. Arrive at least 30 minutes early (Inca Rail Cusco ticket office page, undated, read 12 Oct 2026)
Getting there: PeruRail's bimodal service is a private bus from Wanchaq station, 5 minutes from the centre, to Ollantaytambo or Pachar, then the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. You can also choose the all-train trip (PeruRail bimodal page, read 12 Oct 2026)
PeruRail's notice of 29 August 2025 explains Pachar. Ollantaytambo's council banned vehicles over 6,500 kg on the road to the station from 1 September 2025. So some bus trips now end at Pachar. The notice said the list would grow from January to April 2026, and that two more trips would join for about eight months from April 2026. We found no later notice that ends this.
| Starting point | Ride to Machu Picchu Pueblo | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Wanchaq, Cusco (bimodal) | About 4 hours | Bus first, then train |
| Pachar | About 2 hours | Where some bimodal buses now stop |
| Ollantaytambo | About 1 h 30 | Shortest ride |
| Poroy, Cusco | About 3 h 30 | Listed on PeruRail's compare page |
| San Pedro, Cusco | About 4 h 30 | Listed on PeruRail's compare page |
Source: PeruRail's train compare page, read 12 Oct 2026. PeruRail's timetable shows the first Machu Picchu train from Wanchaq at 03:20 and the last departure on the network at 23:37.
Getting to Ollantaytambo on your own
PeruRail also sells a trip from Cusco to Ollantaytambo only, so you can stop there first.
Hours: Train 33 leaves Wanchaq at 05:40 and reaches Ollantaytambo at 08:22. Train 203 leaves San Pedro at 07:30 and arrives at 10:22. The return, train 604, leaves Ollantaytambo at 19:08 and reaches Poroy at 20:52 and San Pedro at 21:52. For trips from Wanchaq the first part is by bus (PeruRail Cusco to Ollantaytambo page, read 12 Oct 2026)
Price: PeruRail's own plan page gives taxi estimates from central Cusco: San Pedro station 10 minutes, S/ 5 to S/ 8. Poroy 30 minutes, S/ 25 to S/ 30. Ollantaytambo 1 h 30, S/ 70 to S/ 85 (PeruRail plan page, read 12 Oct 2026)
The trains
PeruRail sells Expedition, Vistadome and Vistadome Observatory trains. Inca Rail sells the Voyager, the 360°, the Prime and the First Class, and says its Prime and First Class include dining. We found no fare on either site without searching a date, so we give none. Both sell the Machu Picchu train. Inca Rail also sells an all-inclusive fare with the entry ticket, the bus and a guided tour, says its home page.
Bags on the train
Note: PeruRail: one backpack up to 8 kg (100 cm in total) or one carry-on up to 12 kg (115 cm). Free storage, or $15 for a carry-on and $25 for a checked bag up to 23 kg on Machu Picchu trips (PeruRail luggage page, read 12 Oct 2026)
Note: Inca Rail: one bag up to 8 kg and 118 cm in total. Bigger bags stay at your hotel or in storage (Inca Rail Machu Picchu page, read 12 Oct 2026)
The bus from Aguas Calientes
Getting there: Consettur is the only operator on the road from Aguas Calientes to the gate, says Inca Rail's blog. Its office is on Av. Hermanos Ayar before the Puente Ruinas, open 05:00 to 21:00. The ride takes 25 to 30 minutes, and you can walk down (Inca Rail blog, undated, read 12 Oct 2026)
| Detail | PeruRail says | Inca Rail's blog says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Every 20 minutes | Every 10 minutes | Not settled. Expect a short wait |
| First bus | 05:00 | About 05:30 | Not settled |
| Ride time | 25 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Fare | None given | A 2024 table that we could not read cleanly | We have no confirmed fare |
Consettur's own page showed a security check and then sent us to a site with a different domain name. We did not go on. Check the fare and the last bus on the day.
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 12 October 2026: PeruRail's pages on schedules, the bimodal service, the compare table, the Cusco to Ollantaytambo train, luggage and its plan-your-trip guide, PeruRail's notice of 29 August 2025, Inca Rail's Cusco ticket office page, its Machu Picchu page and its home page, and an Inca Rail blog post on the bus.
Not checked: any fare, any live timetable, whether the Pachar change is still in force, Consettur's own page, fares and hours, and the Hidroeléctrica route by road. We did not ride the trains for this page. The luggage rules of the two operators differ, and we did not test either.
