Macchu Piccu 1 or 2 days to explore?
 

My husband and I are planning a 9 day trip to Peru in May. We are more city people than outdoorsmen or hikers. How much time should we plan to spend at Macchu Picchu. We will be spending one night at the Sanctuary Lodge, so we will definitely have a full day our second day. Should we also plan to spend a full day the day we arrive as well?

Thank you, Inor

Staying at the Lodge puts you at the doorstep, so one full day would satisfy most people. Being at the Lodge definitely puts you ahead of the crowds and by all means get out early not only for the sunrise but before the tours come and the trains pull in. Take it easy as the altitude and all the stairs and climbing can be much for some. We did two days to soak it all in. Enjoy.

Found one day to be sufficient, I too am a city person. Before you decide on whether you will spend one night or two check the train schedules/prices. You may find you really get two half days if you plan on staying in MP for one night.

Thank you all for your reply. I am also trying to figure out if we should purchase tickets to climb MP Mountain. I think it will probably be more than we can handle, but I'm wondering if we should still buy tickets just incase it looks like something we want to do when we get there.
Thank you, Inor

We did two days in Machu Picchu. If you go first thing in the morning and stay until close, you should have plenty of time to explore the entire area. It took us around 2 hours to climb up and down MP Mountain. If you want to climb it, you must buy tickets in advance.

One thing to consider: It might rain. We had two very rainy mornings. The clouds didn't break until around 1:00PM both days. Then the weather was great, but you might have rain for half the day.

"One thing to consider: It might rain...You might have rain for half the day."

That's why I spent a second day, ending up back in Cuzco by eve. Look at the time and $ you are investing to see MP and consider hedging your bet with one more day. You might still want to arrange just one night in Sanctuary Lodge for budget reasons.