Cusco and Machu Picchu: By Train

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By Train

Cusco

There is no rail service between Lima and Cusco.

PeruRail's Andean Explorer departs from Cusco Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 8 AM for Puno, with a stop in Juliaca. The scenic journey takes 10 hours. Service is in restored 1920s Pullman-style cars. The S/390 one-way price includes a three-course lunch. The train arrives and departs from the Wanchaq Station on Pachacutec. The return trip from Puno also leaves at 8 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Friday runs in both directions are added during the June through August high season.

Three classes of daily service to Machu Picchu depart from Cusco's San Pedro station, where tickets can be purchased before morning departures. Your best bet is to purchase tickets in advance -- that's a necessity during the June to August high season -- from the PeruRail sales office at Cusco's Wanchaq Station, open weekdays 7-5 and weekends 7-noon (note that PeruRail does not accept credit cards) -- or from a travel agency.

Tourists are not permitted to ride PeruRail's Tren Local, the less expensive, but slower train intended for local residents only.

Machu Picchu

At least two PeruRail trains depart from Cusco's San Pedro station daily for Aguas Calientes. The Vistadome leaves at 6 AM and arrives in Aguas Calientes at 9:40. It returns from Aguas Calientes at 3:30 PM, arriving in Cusco at 7:25. The round-trip fare is S/330. Snacks and beverages are included in the price, and the cars have sky domes to enhance your view of the scenery. The return trip includes a fashion show and folklore dancing.

The Backpacker train leaves Cusco at 6:15 AM, arriving in Aguas Calientes at 10:10. It leaves Aguas Calientes at 3:55 PM, getting back to Cusco at 8:20. The round-trip fare is S/250. Attendants sell snacks and beverages in Backpacker Class. Conditions are comparable to second-class trains in Western Europe and are quite comfortable.

A second Vistadome or Backpacker train may be added during the June-August high season, depending on demand.

All trains make an exaggerated series of five zigzag switchbacks, climbing elevation as they leave from Cusco before descending into the lower-altitude Sacred Valley. Trains stop at Poroy, Ollantaytambo, Km 88 (the start of the Inca Trail), and Km 104 (the launch point of an abbreviated two-day Inca Trail). Arrival is in Aguas Calientes, where you disembark to catch the buses up to the ruins.

The return trip actually takes longer, but you can make up that time by disembarking in Poroy, about 15 minutes by highway from Cusco, where an Asociación de Agencias de Turismo de Cusco bus meets every Cusco-bound train. The fare is a time-saving S/5, and the bus deposits you on Cusco's Plaza de Armas.

Vistadome and Backpacker trains depart from Cusco's San Pedro station, where tickets can be purchased before morning departures. Your best bet is to purchase tickets in advance -- that's a necessity during the June to August high season -- from the PeruRail sales office at Cusco's Wanchaq Station, daily from 8 to 6 -- note that PeruRail does not accept credit cards -- or from a travel agency. (Most tour packages sold include rail tickets as well as bus transport to and from Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu and admission to the ruins.) There may be fewer trains per day to choose from during the December to March low season.

PeruRail's luxury Hiram Bingham train proffers a class of service unto itself (with prices to match). Trains depart from Poroy station, about 15 minutes outside Cusco, eliminating the tedious switchbacks necessary for the other trains to get out of and into the city. Departure time is a more leisurely 9 AM daily except Sunday, arriving at Aguas Calientes at 12:30 PM. Return service leaves Aguas Calientes at 6:30 PM, returning to Poroy at 10. The timetable permits you to stay at the ruins for a few hours after the day visitors have departed on the mid-afternoon trains back to Cusco. Trains consist of two dining cars, a bar car, and a kitchen car, and evoke the glamour of the old Orient Express rail service, no surprise, since Orient Express is the parent company of PeruRail. The S/1,560 round-trip price tag includes brunch on the trip to Machu Picchu, bus transport from Agua Calientes up to the ruins and back in vehicles exclusively reserved for Hiram Bingham clients, admission to the ruins, guide services while there, and an afternoon buffet tea at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. The trip back entails cocktails, live entertainment, and a four-course dinner.

If you're using the Sacred Valley as your base, PeruRail operates a daily Vistadome train departing from Urubamba at 6 AM, and Ollantaytambo at 7, with arrival in Machu Picchu at 8:20. The return train leaves Machu Picchu at 4:45 PM, with arrival in Ollantaytambo at 6:05 and Urubamba at 7:10. Round-trip fare is S/190. Shuttle buses connect the Urubamba station to a few hotels in the valley. This service gives you a couple extra hours to spend at the ruins than you'd have with a Cusco departure. A daily Backpacker train departs Ollantaytambo at 9:25 AM, arriving at Aguas Calientes at 11. Return from Aguas Calientes is at 5 PM, with arrival in Ollantaytambo at 6:40.

Tourists are not permitted to ride the Tren Local, the less expensive, but slower train intended for local residents only.

Train Information

Asociación de Agencias de Turismo de Cusco (Nueva Baja 424, Cusco. 084/222-580). Peru Rail (San Pedro station, Cascapara near Santa Clara, Cusco. 084/233-551. www.perurail.com. Wanchaq station, Pachacutec near Tullumayo. 084/238-722. www.perurail.com).