Organizing the visit to Machu Picchu requires both anticipation and dedication. The first is due to the restriction of daily visitors, which makes it necessary to buy the tickets 2-3 months in advance of our trip

We have different schedule options and we must choose the one that is most convenient for us, taking into account where we are staying and the duration of the trip to Aguas Calientes.

As in the entrance to the citadel, the price of the train ticket is very high, and keep in mind that unless you do the route on foot, the train is the only way to arrive there. There are only two companies that make the trip: PERU RAIL and INCA RAIL.

The train line stops at Poroy-Cusco, beginning of the route, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, the final station of the route.

With Peru Rail there is an option to pay a supplement and travel on trains called Vistadome that have windows on the sides and a large part of the roof. These trains cost around USD 20 more per trip and, in my experience, they are not worth it. On the day we traveled, at the end of July in supposedly dry season, it was very cloudy. We started from Ollantaytambo on one of the first trains in the morning. The trip started at night and when it dawned, the fogging of the windows did not let us enjoy the magnificent scenery through which the road runs. Despite our efforts to dry it continuously, the humidity was such that we could not see the outside with some clarity beyond a few seconds. In our case, the return journey was completely at night, so it does not make sense to pay a higher price.

If we choose the basic option on the EXPEDITION trains the price per trip, departing from Ollantaytambo, is between 42 and 72 USD, depending on the time and direction of the trip.

The price from Cusco-Poroy is similar, although the trip from there to Aguas Calientes is about 3 and a half hours and from Ollantaytambo is 1 hour and a half. The drawback of the Cusco-Poroy station is that it is on the outskirts of Cusco, there are fewer trains and schedules and, because of the weather, it is closed from January to April.

Peru Rail offers options similar to Inca Rail, with only one wagon model and, therefore, a single price. As an extra, it has a bimodal option, leaving from Cusco city by bus in the direction of Ollantaytambo, to complete the trip by train from there.

And for the most exquisite tourists both companies put at their disposal more exclusive trains, Peru Sacred Valley in Peru Rail and the First Class in Inca Rail, with prices over USD 200 each way.  And the extra class Hiram Bingham in Peru Rail, one of the most expensive trains in America.

After the train, we need to take a bus in Aguas Calientes that leaves us at the entrance of the premises. In general, the trip to the citadel of Machu Picchu is somewhat complicated by the changes in means of transport that must be done, the time to be spent and the high cost, but the fact is that the visit is really worth it both for the archaeological site and for the landscape that surrounds it.

And a final tip: do not forget your passport, they ask for it along with the entrance ticket.