Best way to visit Machu Picchu
 

Way too many tour operators....Would love some helpful hints on how to plan for this trip. We have about 6 days,are in fair condition and love to hike. Is anyone allowed to do the trails by themselves or do we need to go with a guide? Does the Inca Trail require that we go with a group?.
Any alternative hikes that anyone recommends? Thank-You in advance. We are planning this trip for June 2018.

You are required to use a guide for the Inca Trail and spaces and the number of trekkers is strictly controlled so you should definitely start looking and booking ASAP. There are plenty of operators in Cusco. http://andeantravelweb.com/peru/dest...her-treks.html Is a good place to start looking.

There are group and private treks available and you d9 tend to get what you pay for.

Some shorter trails you can do by yourself but it really depends on what you are looking for, your experience of high altitude hiking etc. A few years ago we did the Lares to Ollantaytambo trek over three days wit( a private guide we met at South America Explorers Club and loved it. Barely saw another soul, stunning scenery.

While there are several tour companies if you spend 3-4 hours reading reviews and trip reports I think you’ll be able to narrow down the list pretty quickly. We went with Llama Path and they were excellent, though our guide has now formed his own company.

Six days is cutting it close. You want to acclimatize for a couple of days before starting the hike.

Love to hike is good. Fair condition could mean anything from “best time of our life” to “whose idea was this?”

Hi Nana, about the hike, you need to go with a guide and authorized agency. If you are interested in the 4Days Inca Trail, you can take the first day to relax and acclimatize and the second to tour the Sacred Valley. If you are looking for a hike of less days, you can also make the express version of the Inca Trail with 2Days. With that hike, you will have time to tour the city and ruins around Cusco and also visit Moray and the salt mines of Maras. Hope this information helps.
Magical Cuzco Tours Team

Classic Inca trail highly protect and regulated by the Peruvian goberment, and it needs to be booked in advance with a tour operator. You can do the 4 day trek, it is highly recommended for people who love adventure, nature, camping, history, archeology and the Peruvian cuisine. You said that you have 6 days, so you have 2 days to aclimate to the altitude, and while you aclimate to the altitude you can explore by your own Cusco and nearby inca ruins + the Sacred valle.
Hope this information help you to plan your trip in Peru. you can have a look the Inca trail availability for 2018 clicking here!

http://inkatrailexplorer.com/inca-trail-availability/

Are you saying you only have 6 days for the time in and around MP?

If so, forget any formal version of the Machu Picchu Inca trail.

Take the train. From some comments on Tripadvisor, it seems better to get a morning ticket...they may not enforce the exit times. You should be able to walk up to the Sun Gate (where the IT trekkers enter) and wait for the cloud to lift.
You can also get separate tickets that include entry to hike Huayna or Machu Picchu mountains.

If you want to hike a part of the IT, you can taxi up to Pisac and walk back DOWN into town...you will go thru terraces and it can be little vertigo-inducing. There are also other paths that you can take around Cusco and Ollantaytambo.