By rail
Machu Picchu station (Aguas Calientes), trains from Ollantaytambo and Cusco
South America · Peru
Aguas Calientes, Peru
The town in the gorge at the foot of Machu Picchu
Getting there
By air
Cusco (CUZ), then the train from Ollantaytambo or Poroy; no road reaches the town
Best time to visit
May to September — the dry season; the citadel's tickets sell out well ahead in July and August
Don't miss
Machu Picchu
The hot springs
Mandor gardens
The Machu Picchu site museum
Plaza Manco Cápac
Things to do
Taking the bus up to Machu Picchu at first light
The Sun Gate walk
Soaking in the hot springs after the climb
Where to eat
What to pack
Passport (checked at the citadel's gate), a printed or saved entry ticket, rain layer, insect repellent, small cash for the bus
A quieter corner
The Mandor gardens and waterfall, an easy walk along the railway line away from the crowds
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Aguas Calientes?
May to September — the dry season; the citadel's tickets sell out well ahead in July and August. What to pack: Passport (checked at the citadel's gate), a printed or saved entry ticket, rain layer, insect repellent, small cash for the bus.
How do I get to Aguas Calientes?
Fly into Cusco (CUZ), then the train from Ollantaytambo or Poroy; no road reaches the town.
What is there to do in Aguas Calientes?
Taking the bus up to Machu Picchu at first light, the Sun Gate walk, soaking in the hot springs after the climb. A quieter find: The Mandor gardens and waterfall, an easy walk along the railway line away from the crowds.
What should I eat in Aguas Calientes?
Andean trout, quinoa soup, lomo saltado in the plaza's restaurants.
About Aguas Calientes
- Mountains
- Riverside
Where it is
Aguas Calientes, officially Machupicchu Pueblo, is a small town in the Cusco region of Peru, in the narrow gorge of the Urubamba River directly below the citadel of Machu Picchu, reached only by train or on foot.
History
The town grew in the 20th century around the railway halt built after Hiram Bingham brought Machu Picchu to the world's attention in 1911, and around the hot springs that gave it its name. It is now the base from which almost every visitor reaches the citadel, by the switchback road up the mountainside or the footpath that climbs beside it.
People
The town lives on the citadel's visitors: its streets are hotels, restaurants and the craft market beside the station, and its residents are mostly families who moved up from the Sacred Valley for that work. Spanish and Quechua are spoken, and the buses up the mountain start before dawn.
Known for
- The gateway to Machu Picchu
- The railway from Ollantaytambo
- The hot springs
- The Urubamba gorge
Did you know?
No road connects Aguas Calientes to the rest of Peru: everything the town uses, from food to building materials, arrives by train along the Urubamba.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.