Machu Picchu is no longer a place where you wander freely. To protect the site, the Ministry of Culture sells every ticket for a circuit, a route inside that circuit and an entry time. Once inside you follow a one-way path and cannot return to areas you have passed.
The three circuits
- Circuit 1, Panoramic: upper terraces and viewpoints, including the Machu Picchu Mountain, Upper Terrace, Inti Punku and Inca Bridge routes
- Circuit 2, Classic: the postcard view from the upper terraces plus the main temples in the lower city; the most complete visit for first-timers
- Circuit 3, Royalty: the lower sector and the Temple of the Condor, with the Huayna Picchu, Great Cavern and Huchuy Picchu routes
How to choose
If it is your first visit and you want the classic photo, aim for Circuit 2. If you want a mountain climb, Huayna Picchu (Circuit 3) is steep and exciting, while Machu Picchu Mountain (Circuit 1) is longer but less vertiginous. Both have very limited daily spaces.
Check availability before you book
On every Machu Picchu tour on this site you will find a 'Machu Picchu tickets' button that shows the spaces left per route for each date. Availability changes by the minute, so we confirm it when we buy your ticket. If your preferred route is sold out, we suggest the closest alternative.
