Three circuits, ten routes, one entry hour per ticket: what each covers and which circuit the tours from Cusco book.
The short answer
Machu Picchu is visited on one of three circuits: Circuit 1 for the upper terraces and the classic view, Circuit 2 for the main route through the citadel, Circuit 3 for the lower part and the climb to Huayna Picchu. Each ticket fixes a route and an entry hour, is issued in your name and cannot be moved.
Tours from Cusco book what is left when they issue the ticket, usually Circuit 2 first; only a few let you choose the circuit as an option.
If a particular route matters to you, the circuit decides more than the tour does. The tables below give the official scheme and what each listing on this site says about it.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, 2 of 3 tours on this page still have places.
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Days: 2 days
Since 1 June 2024 the Ministry of Culture sells Machu Picchu by circuit and route: three circuits with ten routes in all. Each ticket names one route and an entry hour. Tickets bought before that date were converted to the new circuits by an official equivalence table.
| Circuit | Routes | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1, Panoramic | 1-A Machu Picchu Mountain; 1-B Upper Terrace; 1-C Intipunku (Sun Gate) and 1-D Inca Bridge, high season only | The upper terraces with the classic view over the site. VIPAC's listing notes that Circuit 1 does not enter the lower part of the citadel. |
| 2, Classic | 2-A Designed route; 2-B Lower Terrace | The main route through the citadel. This is the circuit most tours on this site try to book first. |
| 3, Royalty | 3-A Huayna Picchu; 3-B Designed route; 3-C Great Cavern and 3-D Huchuy Picchu, high season only | The lower part of the site, as VIPAC's listing puts it, plus the climbs to Huayna Picchu and Huchuy Picchu. |
Sources: Ministry of Culture (machupicchu.gob.pe) for circuit and route names; Andina, Peru's state news agency, for what the circuits cover and the high-season dates; VIPAC's listing for Circuit 1.
The mountain routes, Machu Picchu Mountain (1-A), Huayna Picchu (3-A) and the Great Cavern, are sold at a higher rate. On the tours compared here they are extras you request or pay separately, and several listings ask you to book them months ahead.
Entry tickets for all circuits are sold only through the Ministry's official site, tuboleto.cultura.pe. A tour operator buys yours in your name, which is why every listing asks for your full name, passport number, date of birth and nationality, and why the date cannot be changed once the ticket is issued. You show the same passport at the gate.
In 2026 the site admits up to 4,500 visitors a day, and up to 5,600 on high-season dates: 1 January, 2 to 5 April, 19 June to 2 November and 30 to 31 December, according to Andina. VIPAC and FLY CUSCO give the entry slots as hourly, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Ministry's rules leave a lot at the hotel: bags larger than 40 by 35 by 20 cm, food, walking sticks, umbrellas, tripods, selfie sticks and drones are not allowed inside. Peru Andes Top adds that you cannot re-enter once you are out.
None of the tours sells you a ticket to choose from freely. They book what is left at the time of issue, usually Circuit 2 first. Where the listing names a circuit, it is shown here; "not named" means the listing does not say.
| Tour | Type | Circuit in the listing |
|---|---|---|
| VIPAC Travel | Day trip | 1, 2 or 3, chosen as an option with the train |
| Machupicchu Inka Trek | Day trip | 2, or 1B or 3 as a separate option |
| Peru Andes Top | Day trip | 2 or 3; options named "Circuit 5" with a route from the top |
| LimaTours | Day trip | 2 or 3, by availability |
| Machu Picchu Peru Tours | Day trip | 1 or 2; 2 by availability |
| Happy Gringo Tours | Day trip | By availability, not named |
| VIPAC Travel | Hiram Bingham | 2 first, otherwise 3B or 1B |
| FLY CUSCO Perú Travel Agency | 2 days | 2 first, otherwise 1 or 3; entry 6 to 10 a.m. |
| Machupicchu Latin America | 2 days | 2 first, subject to availability |
| Alpaca Expeditions | 2 days | Not named |
| Rap Travel Peru | 5 days | Not named |
| exploor | 4 days | Not named |
Day trips, Overnight tours and packages and the Hiram Bingham train each have their own page with the full comparison.
Two listings use numbers outside the current scheme: Peru Andes Top sells options called "Circuit 5", and a VIPAC note mentions "trails 1-2-4". The official scheme has only circuits 1 to 3, so ask the operator which route of today's scheme the option means. Happy Gringo notes that Circuit 2 is often booked out five months ahead, and FLY CUSCO recommends two to three months for its tours.
The treks reach Machu Picchu by a different route, and what is included at the site differs from one tour to the next. The pages on the Inca Trail, the short Inca Trail, Salkantay and the other treks name the entry ticket and the circuit only where a listing includes them; see the treks compared and, if permits are gone, Inca Trail sold out. For the choice between rail tours, see day trip or overnight.
Circuit 2 covers the main route through the citadel and is the one most tours try to book first. Circuit 1 gives the view from the upper terraces but, according to VIPAC, does not enter the lower part. Circuit 3 covers the lower part and the Huayna Picchu climb.
Only where an option names it. VIPAC sells each circuit as an option with the train, Machupicchu Inka Trek separates Circuit 2 from 1B or 3. The other tours assign what is available.
Only through the Ministry of Culture's official site, tuboleto.cultura.pe, according to Andina. Tours buy the ticket for you with your passport details.
None of the train tours on this site lists it as included. It is route 3-A, sold at a higher rate, and the listings treat it as an extra to book well ahead.
Bags larger than 40 by 35 by 20 cm, food, walking sticks, umbrellas, tripods, selfie sticks and drones, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Train class, circuit and pickup on each day tour.
Earlier entry slots after a night in Aguas Calientes.
Entry time, luggage and the Sacred Valley compared.
Four days on foot; what each trek includes at Machu Picchu.
Other ways to walk in when the permits are gone.
Inca Trail, Salkantay, Lares, Inca Jungle and Choquequirao.
Two questions, and the finder suggests a tour from Cusco with two alternatives.
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