FAQs about Peru: Is it better to enter Machu Picchu in the morning or in the afternoon?

If you make a single-day trip you may not enjoy your tour to the fullest. You must leave very early and return to Cusco at night.

Although you will be able to climb Huayna Picchu in the morning and do Circuit 1 in the afternoon, you will miss the opportunity to get to know the town of Aguas Calientes a bit, which has to offer, for example, the hot springs.

The best alternative would be to go from Cusco to Machu Picchu Pueblo in the morning, explore the surroundings, go to the hot springs, and sleep there. The next day, get up early to see Machu Picchu and return in the afternoon.

The minimum you need to visit Machu Picchu departing from Cusco is one day. You can take the first train, arrive in Aguas Calientes around 8:30 in the morning, enter the Wonder at 9 or 9:30, enjoy the citadel until closing time and return on the last train to Ollantaytambo, arriving at the Imperial City of Peru almost at 10 PM.

The dry season (May to October) is the best to visit the entire area of the Sacred Valley, including Machu Picchu. The days are warm and the nights are cold or cool. It does not rain for weeks or months. The bad thing is that there are more tourists and it is more difficult to get tickets or hotels.

In a single day, you will be able to visit the basics of Machu Picchu and you will not have time to visit Aguas Calientes, even according to the time of the train you will only be able to be in wonder in the morning.

The direct train from the outskirts of Cusco (Poroy station, service available from May to December) takes approximately 3 hours and a half to Machu Picchu Pueblo.

If you take the train at the Ollantaytambo station (two hours by road from Cusco), it will take you an hour and a half to get to Aguas Calientes.

You cannot enter Machu Picchu with large backpacks or suitcases, only with a handbag or small backpack. If you will only be there for one day, you should take water, a hat, sunglasses, and a jacket for the cold in the morning. Only snacks are allowed and you cannot eat inside the wonder (there is a restaurant at the entrance).