Macchu Picchu
Oct 3rd, 2007, 01:23 PM
#1
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Macchu Picchu
Our hotel has arranged to buy our train tix to MP from Urubamba. Where do we buy the entrance tix?
Is a guide necessary or just nice for MP?
Recommendations for restaurants in Ollaytaytambo and Urubamba? Also Pisac?
Where is the best shopping area for typical Peruvian "things"....Sacred Valley cities, Pisac or Chinchero market or Cusco?
We are organizing our own trip. For those that did what arrangements beside hotel and train tix to MP did you do in advance? What is the tourist ticket? Is Cusco the only place you can buy it? Same day use it???
Is a guide necessary or just nice for MP?
Recommendations for restaurants in Ollaytaytambo and Urubamba? Also Pisac?
Where is the best shopping area for typical Peruvian "things"....Sacred Valley cities, Pisac or Chinchero market or Cusco?
We are organizing our own trip. For those that did what arrangements beside hotel and train tix to MP did you do in advance? What is the tourist ticket? Is Cusco the only place you can buy it? Same day use it???
Oct 3rd, 2007, 01:36 PM
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You take the bus up from AC ($6 each way I think) to the ruins. There's a guard gate where you pay to enter ($20 but may have gone up).
You can here the guides telling other people about the ruins. The guides seemed to contradict each other and aren't worth it. I would buy a good guidebook.
Ollantaytambo is tiny. There is a nice pizza place along the river to eat at.
Shopping at the Pisac market was the best in my opinion. However, the San Blas neighborhood of Cusco had many good shops for high quality art and souvenirs. Pisac has mostly mass produced things.
You can here the guides telling other people about the ruins. The guides seemed to contradict each other and aren't worth it. I would buy a good guidebook.
Ollantaytambo is tiny. There is a nice pizza place along the river to eat at.
Shopping at the Pisac market was the best in my opinion. However, the San Blas neighborhood of Cusco had many good shops for high quality art and souvenirs. Pisac has mostly mass produced things.
Oct 3rd, 2007, 02:12 PM
#3
If you get a guide book for Macchu Picchu then get one that is simple with lots of pictures and very little printing.
You want a book that just points out highlites.
Some of these guide books are like textbooks...just what you do not need.
After visiting Macchu Picch, there is a market square right where you will be waiting for the train back.
You will be walking around in here and having a look...I mean you have to wait for the train anyway.
Actually if you do your homework well before you go to Macchu Picchu, you will not need a guide nor a guide book...but you better know what you are looking at.
Percy
You want a book that just points out highlites.
Some of these guide books are like textbooks...just what you do not need.
After visiting Macchu Picch, there is a market square right where you will be waiting for the train back.
You will be walking around in here and having a look...I mean you have to wait for the train anyway.
Actually if you do your homework well before you go to Macchu Picchu, you will not need a guide nor a guide book...but you better know what you are looking at.
Percy
Oct 3rd, 2007, 03:12 PM
#4
In Pisac we ate at Ulrike's cafe on the square. Agree that the pizza place along the river in Ollantaytambo is good.
I don't think that there is one place for the best shopping. We weren't impressed with the market at Pisac, but there were a few things there as was the case in each village and in Cusco. I think you have to shop around.
There is a tourist tix that gets you into many of the sites, but not all of them. If you plan on seeing them all or the majority, then its worth buying. I think there is a tix that costs less that covers fewer sites. U can buy it in Cusco.
We had a guide at MP, but agree that you don't need one. Just read up on it and get a good book to take with you.
I don't think that there is one place for the best shopping. We weren't impressed with the market at Pisac, but there were a few things there as was the case in each village and in Cusco. I think you have to shop around.
There is a tourist tix that gets you into many of the sites, but not all of them. If you plan on seeing them all or the majority, then its worth buying. I think there is a tix that costs less that covers fewer sites. U can buy it in Cusco.
We had a guide at MP, but agree that you don't need one. Just read up on it and get a good book to take with you.
Oct 3rd, 2007, 04:04 PM
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We did not buy anything in the Picac markets. We spent a few days having a good look around in Cusco and we bought a lot of things there.I think it depends on whether you are looking for souvenirs or something that you would purchase even if you saw it at home. We purchased jewellery that was not cheap but is very well made.
We had a guide for 1/2 a day at MP and spent the rest of the time exploring on our own. He was interesting but that was definately enough.I was very impressed with the standard of guides overall in Peru. We usually travel independently but for that trip it was arranged for us by Jimena at 1st class Argentina. She got prices better that we could have gotten ourselves and is happy to organise a little or a lot.We traveled independently and just hooked up with a group here and there.
I can't remember the name but the hotel that we stayed in in Oooaytaytambo was fantastic. If you are interested I would still have all the details filed away. We were there in Sept 06.
We had a guide for 1/2 a day at MP and spent the rest of the time exploring on our own. He was interesting but that was definately enough.I was very impressed with the standard of guides overall in Peru. We usually travel independently but for that trip it was arranged for us by Jimena at 1st class Argentina. She got prices better that we could have gotten ourselves and is happy to organise a little or a lot.We traveled independently and just hooked up with a group here and there.
I can't remember the name but the hotel that we stayed in in Oooaytaytambo was fantastic. If you are interested I would still have all the details filed away. We were there in Sept 06.
Oct 3rd, 2007, 06:13 PM
#6
Anavert when are you going?
Percy
Percy
Oct 3rd, 2007, 06:45 PM
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Restaurant in Ollantaytambo is called KB. Food wad good . Leave enough time to admire the ruins. And the ruins in Pisac also.For tickets to MP, if you stay in AC the night before get your bus tickets by 6pm and your admission tickets before like 9pm or so. You buy them in town, just ask. That way you are set for an early start the next day. All cash, so note that. The tourist ticket can be purchased in Cusco, or I believe at most all of the sites themselves. We saw most of the ruins on the ticket so I am glad we bought it. You have quite a bit of time to use it. You don't have to do hotels in advance, get there and do some bargaining. We organized our own trip and it worked well, especially at this time of the year (we just returned).
