There are two ways to arrive at Machu Picchu, and they could hardly be more different. On the classic Inca Trail you walk for four days over Dead Woman’s Pass, camp three nights and come through the Sun Gate as the citadel appears below. By train, you ride along the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes and take the bus up the mountain, arriving with clean boots and dry socks. Both are wonderful, and the choice shapes the whole holiday.
This guide is for anyone choosing a Machu Picchu tour. We compare every tour on our Peru tours page, grouped by how it reaches Machu Picchu: on the Inca Trail, by train with a second visit to the citadel, or by train on a single visit, from a four-day trek to a month across South America.
The quick answer
- If you are already in Cusco and acclimatised, pick Trek the Inca Trail, the four-day trek on its own.
- If you want the Inca Trail in a week with time to acclimatise, pick the Inca Trail Express.
- If you want Peru’s classics by train in a short trip, pick Classic Peru.
- If you want a second visit to the citadel, pick Sacred Peru or a luxury tour.
- If you want flights and nearly all meals included, pick Panoramic Peru.
Every Machu Picchu tour compared
| Tour | Days | Price from | Physical rating | Group size | Flights included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On foot: the Inca Trail | ||||||
| Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu – 4 Days | 4 | £668 pp | High | Max 16 | No | The trek on its own |
| Inca Trail Express: Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu – 7 Days | 7 | £705 pp | High | Max 16 | No | The trek in a week |
| Real Peru for 18–35s: Amazon, Inca Trail & Titicaca – 15 Days | 15 | £1,985 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, with the Amazon |
| Real Peru to Bolivia for 18–35s: Amazon to La Paz – 15 Days | 15 | £1,835 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, on to La Paz |
| Sacred Land of the Incas: Amazon, Inca Trail & Lake Titicaca – 15 Days | 15 | £2,168 pp | High | Max 16 | No | Amazon, trek and Titicaca |
| Peru & Bolivia Encounter: Inca Trail, Uyuni & Atacama – 21 Days | 21 | £5,730 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Trek, Uyuni and the Atacama |
| Peru & Bolivia: Amazon, Inca Trail & Uyuni Salt Flats – 25 Days | 25 | £3,192 pp | High | Max 16 | No | Trek and Bolivia in depth |
| Peru, Bolivia & Argentina for 18–35s: Inca Trail & Uyuni – 26 Days | 26 | £3,115 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, to Buenos Aires |
| Galapagos & Inca Trail Adventure: Quito to Cusco – 17 Days | 17 | £4,210 pp | High | Max 16 | No | Trek and the Galapagos |
| Galápagos & Peru Adventure: Islands, Amazon & Inca Trail – 24 Days | 24 | £5,341 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Galapagos, Amazon and trek |
| Ecuador, Galápagos & Peru Explorer: Amazon to Inca Trail – 25 Days | 25 | £5,341 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Ecuador, Galapagos and trek |
| Peru & Galápagos: Inca Trail, Amazon & Islands – 30 Days | 30 | £6,370 pp | Not stated | Max 16 | No | A month with the Galapagos |
| Galápagos Cruise & Peru’s Land of the Incas: Inca Trail – 21 Days | 21 | £7,534 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Galapagos cruise and trek |
| By train, with a second visit or a night below | ||||||
| Sacred Peru: Arequipa, Lake Titicaca & Machu Picchu – 14 Days | 14 | £2,270 pp | Not stated | Not stated | No | Arequipa, Colca and Titicaca |
| Panoramic Peru with Flights – 14 Days | 14 | £5,840 pp incl. flights | Medium | Max 28 | Yes | Flights and nearly all meals |
| Luxury Peru in Depth with the Ica Valley – 18 Days | 18 | £5,341 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Luxury, with the Ica Valley |
| Peru Women-Only Tour: Machu Picchu, Cusco & the Nazca Lines – 13 Days | 13 | £4,920 pp | Medium | Not stated | No | Women only, fine hotels |
| Luxury Peru, Chile & Argentina: Machu Picchu to Mendoza – 18 Days | 18 | £7,560 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Luxury, on to Chile and Argentina |
| Peru, Ecuador & Galápagos with Flights: Machu Picchu & Quito – 17 Days | 17 | £6,538 pp incl. flights | Medium | Max 45 | Yes | Flights, then Ecuador |
| Galapagos Cruise & Peru in Depth: Quito to Lima – 24 Days | 24 | £9,605 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Galapagos cruise, then Peru |
| By train, single visit | ||||||
| Classic Peru: Cusco, Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca – 9 Days | 9 | £1,743 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Peru’s classics in nine days |
| Peru Family Holiday: Amazon, Cusco & Machu Picchu – 9 Days | 9 | £1,990 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Families with children aged 5+ |
| Grand Tour of Peru & the Amazon with Flights – 16 Days | 16 | £4,729 pp incl. flights | Medium | Not stated | Yes | Flights and the Amazon |
| Machu Picchu & Galapagos Island-Hopping: Cusco to Quito – 15 Days | 15 | £5,026 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Optional short Inca Trail walk |
| Best of Peru & Galapagos: Machu Picchu & Titicaca – 18 Days | 18 | £4,550 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Titicaca and the Galapagos |
| Machu Picchu & the Galapagos on Land: Cusco to Quito – 15 Days | 15 | £3,995 pp | Medium | Not stated | No | The Galapagos on land |
| Majestic Peru & Southern Galapagos Cruise: Lima to Quito – 20 Days | 20 | £6,547 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Nazca and a Galapagos cruise |
| Best of Peru, Argentina & Brazil: Lima to Rio – 21 Days | 21 | £5,746 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Iguazu and Rio |
| Andes to Atacama with Flights: Machu Picchu, Uyuni & Chile – 18 Days | 18 | £9,190 pp incl. flights | Medium | Max 28 | Yes | Flights, Uyuni and Chile |
| Footsteps of the Incas & Galápagos Cruise with Flights – 22 Days | 22 | £10,295 pp incl. flights | Medium | Not stated | Yes | Flights, Galapagos cruise |
| Galapagos Expedition Cruise & Machu Picchu with Flights – 19 Days | 19 | £13,490 pp incl. flights | Medium | Max 28 | Yes | Flights, expedition cruise |
Prices are per person, twin share, live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). The lowest price can apply to a later departure, so check the dates you want on each tour page.
Ask us which Machu Picchu tour fits →
On foot: the classic Inca Trail (bring knees you trust)
Every Inca Trail tour here follows the classic four-day route with porters, crossing Dead Woman’s Pass at around 4,200 metres and entering Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, with three nights camping in twin-share tents. Several pages offer the quieter Quarry Trail as an alternative, for instance if Inca Trail permits have gone, and some offer a train option for anyone who would rather not hike.
The trek on its own
Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu – 4 Days
- 4 days
- From £668 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in Cusco, Peru
- Physical rating: high
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Four days for travellers who are already in Cusco and acclimatised to the altitude, with a local leader, guides and porters for up to 16 trekkers aged 15 and over. On the last morning you rise at 4am to reach the Sun Gate as the sun lights Machu Picchu below, followed by a guided tour of the citadel and the journey back to Cusco.
Suits: fit hikers adding the Inca Trail to an independent trip. The honest drawback: all three nights are camping, accommodation in Cusco is not included, and the page advises arriving in Cusco a few days early.
The trek in a week
Inca Trail Express: Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu – 7 Days
- 7 days
- From £705 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in Cusco, Peru
- Physical rating: high
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Seven days with a day to acclimatise in the Sacred Valley before the trek, a trip leader throughout and up to 16 travellers aged 15 and over, with three hotel nights in Cusco and Ollantaytambo. You can choose the quieter Quarry Trail instead. For travellers aged 18 to 35, Real Peru (15 days) adds the Amazon and Lake Titicaca, and Real Peru to Bolivia continues to La Paz.
Suits: fit hikers with limited time. The honest drawback: the trek is long, steep and high, and days start early.
Many longer tours include the same trek. Sacred Land of the Incas (15 days) combines the Amazon, the trek and a Lake Titicaca homestay; Peru & Bolivia Encounter, Peru & Bolivia and Peru, Bolivia & Argentina for 18–35s carry on to the salt flats of Uyuni. Five tours pair the trek with the Galapagos, which we cover in our guide to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos.
By train, with a second visit
Sacred Peru
Sacred Peru: Arequipa, Lake Titicaca & Machu Picchu – 14 Days
- 14 days
- From £2,270 per person
- Lima, Peru to Cusco, Peru
- Flights not included
- Departures in May, June, July, August, September, October
Fourteen days from Lima through Arequipa, the Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca to the Sacred Valley, then a morning train along the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes for a guided visit. The next morning you can return to the site, or climb Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain with a pre-booked permit. Panoramic Peru with Flights (14 days) includes flights, two scenic train journeys and breakfast, lunch and dinner almost every day, with a free morning for Huayna Picchu, a second visit or the hot springs.
Suits: first-timers who want the classic sights without the trek. The honest drawback: the Sacred Peru route reaches 4,910 metres and few meals are included; Panoramic Peru is a larger group.
Three comfort tours also spend a night below the citadel for a second look. Luxury Peru in Depth (18 days) adds a visit at dawn the next morning, Luxury Peru, Chile & Argentina (18 days) returns before sunrise, and the Women-Only Tour (13 days) spends two nights in Aguas Calientes in some of Peru’s finest hotels. Peru, Ecuador & Galápagos with Flights offers an optional second visit.
By train, single visit
Classic Peru
Classic Peru: Cusco, Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca – 9 Days
- 9 days
- From £1,743 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Lima, Peru
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Nine days with up to 12: Cusco, the Sacred Valley with a community lunch and the AMA Restaurant in Urubamba, a social enterprise that trains single mothers, the train to Aguas Calientes and an early bus up to Machu Picchu, then Lake Titicaca with a homestay. Domestic flights are included. The Peru Family Holiday (9 days) adds the Amazon for children aged five and over, and Grand Tour of Peru & the Amazon (16 days) includes flights from the UK.
Suits: travellers short on time. The honest drawback: no Inca Trail and a single visit to the citadel.
The rest combine a single train visit with somewhere else: the Galapagos on Best of Peru & Galapagos, the Galapagos on Land, Island-Hopping (with an optional short walk on part of the Inca Trail past Wiñay Wayna), Majestic Peru, Footsteps of the Incas and the Galapagos Expedition Cruise; Iguazu and Rio on Best of Peru, Argentina & Brazil; and Uyuni and Chile on Andes to Atacama.
How to choose
By fitness. The Inca Trail tours are rated medium to high, with long, steep days at altitude and three nights camping. The train tours are gentler, though every tour involves time at altitude around Cusco.
By time available. Four days: the trek on its own. A week: the Inca Trail Express. Nine days: Classic Peru or the family holiday. Two weeks or more: everything else.
By budget. The four-day trek, the Inca Trail Express and the 18–35s trips are the cheapest; the luxury and flight-inclusive tours cost the most. Live prices are in the table above.
By travel style. Small groups of up to 12 or 16 on most tours; tour-director groups on the flight-inclusive tours. Choose a night in Aguas Calientes if a second visit or Huayna Picchu matters to you.
When to go
The Inca Trail tours and many train tours depart all year, and several pages offer the Quarry Trail as an alternative in case Inca Trail permits have gone. The months for each tour are in its fact panel above.
Before you travel, check the FCDO travel advice for Peru, including entry requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Should I hike the Inca Trail or take the train?
Hike if you are fit and happy to camp three nights; you arrive through the Sun Gate. Take the train if you prefer hotels every night or have less time.
How hard is the Inca Trail?
Our tour pages describe the trek as long, steep and high, crossing Dead Woman’s Pass at around 4,200 metres, and say it is not for anyone who is not used to hiking.
What if Inca Trail permits are sold out?
Several tours, including the Inca Trail Express and Real Peru to Bolivia, offer the quieter Quarry Trail as an alternative.
Can I visit Machu Picchu twice?
Yes, on tours that spend a night in Aguas Calientes, such as Sacred Peru, Panoramic Peru, Luxury Peru in Depth and the Women-Only Tour.
Can I climb Huayna Picchu?
Sacred Peru and Panoramic Peru leave a morning free for it; Sacred Peru notes that a pre-booked permit is needed.
Is there a Machu Picchu tour for families?
Yes, the Peru Family Holiday, for children aged five and over, reaches Machu Picchu by train.
Trail or train?
Tell us how active you want to be and how long you have, and a Travelisto specialist will compare the Machu Picchu tours with you.
Keep planning
- All escorted tours in Peru
- Machu Picchu and the Galapagos in one trip
- Multi-country South America tours
- Escorted tours in Bolivia
- Peru holidays
Prices are live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). Tour details and dates can change; your specialist will confirm everything before you book.
