Getting to Machu Picchu by train

Travel Guide to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is one of the most iconic archeological site in the World, and most visited tourist destination in Peru. This isolated and remote citadel is located in on 2430 m (8,000 ft) in Andes Mountain range, approx 80km (50 miles) from Cuzco, a former Inca Capitol.

Due to it’s remote location, there are only 2 ways to get to Machu Picchu, by train or by foot via Inca Trail. We decided the take most common way, by rail. The train to Agua Calientes (small town just below Machu Picchu) is very popular way for visitors, so purchasing all the tickets (train, bus and entrance) in advance is highly recommended. We stayed in Cuzco, so the closest train station is Poroy, some 25 min car ride ($10-15) from downtown, but train also stops in Ollantaytambo before arriving to Machu Picchu.

The train pickets can be purchased online at www.perurail.com (purchasing in advance is highly recommended). Once purchased, you will need to pick up your tickets (with seat assignment) at the Lima or Cuzco airports (look for Official Peru Rail ticket booth) or at the train stations. This step is mandatory to board the train. Make sure you have you passport with you. The train prices very but the most common one and least expensive is Expedition train with return price of $94 (arriving to Aguascalientes at 10am and departing at 3:00pm). These prices are as of December 2019, and may very during the busy season.

The citadel entrance ticket ($45) can be purchased online at www.machupicchu.gob.pe You can choose the time of the entrance, so make sure you have the train tickets first. The entrance is limited to number of visitors entering per hour. Make sure you bring your passport. The passport is needed to board the train, bus and citadel. For those adventurous types, there is an option of hiking Huayna Picchu but for that staying overnight in Aguas Calientes is needed. You can also visit the Machu Picchu museum if you have time before returning the Cuzco.

Once in Agua Calientes, you will take the bus to citadel at the time assigned for your Machu Picchu entrance. The bus tickets ($24) can be purchased at the ticket office located in Av. Hermanos Ayar S/N, or in Cuzco. We bought our bus tickets in Cuzco’s Interbank (Av El Sol) for $24. This is a bank, so the process is bit timely but doable. If you have a time to hike you can get to the entrance by foot for a approx an hour climbing some 400m meters.

Rain is very common at the mountain top, so bring waterproof gear or buy a rain poncho at local vendor in Aguas Calientes. The citadel offers few cool hikes, like Temple of the Sun, Inca Brigde and climb to Huayna Picchu. Make sure you have enough time to explore as this amazing site offers great photo ops.

After hours of exploring, we highly recommend Toto’s House restaurant in Aguas Calientes. It’s located right across the Machu Picchu bus drop off station. The food is amazing and restaurant has some amazing views of Urubamba River. The train station is just few minutes away, via Mercado Artesanal where you can buys some last minute souvenirs.

For any hotel info, check the booking.com listings below

Booking.com

How to get to XiTang from Shanghai

XiTang, an ancient water town in Zhejiang Province, is a charming canal town that is perfect to spent a day strolling down narrow streets and crossing thousand year old bridges. XiTang is located in Jiaxing City, 2 hours away from Shanghai and there are many tours operators that offer 1/2 and whole day tours to visit this amazing place. Ranging from $110-$150 per person these private tours will take you to a journey back in time to explore canals, bridges and ancient architecture of "Venice of the East". 

However, for more adventurous and budget travelers there is a way to explore this amazing place all on your own. Xitang is located in Zhejiang Province and the best and most interesting way to get there is by high-speed train and bus. 

The main train station is Shanghai Hongqiao Railroad Station located on Subway lines 2 (green) and 10 (purple). The subway ticket to Hongqiao Station is usually 4CNY from Shanghai downtown, and ticket can be purchased from many automated ticket dispensers.

As soon as you exit the subway, go to the ticket booth on the same level and purchase the high-speed train ticket for Jiashannan Station 嘉善南站 (G trains). The cost is 29.5CNY one way, and the trains are very frequent. Make sure you have your passport with you as they will not issue the ticket without and photo ID. Also, they will not accept major Credit Cards so have enough cash to buy the ticket. TIP: it's highly advisable to have the final destination written in Chinese characters. (Jiashan South Station - 嘉善南站) It helps!!!

Once you buy the train ticket, it will take you 15min to get to the actual platform from where the trains are departing. This is a giant train station with 30 train platforms with A and B entrances. A entrance is for cars 1-8 and B entrance is for cars 9-15. Display above will announce the current train boarding so no need to wait in line till your train is on top of the list. There are few Tourist Info booths located at the terminal, where you can some info regarding the trains. 

The train ride is about 25 min and the first stop is Jiashannan (Jiashannan South Station) from where you will take the shuttle bus to XiTang Water Town. Once you exit the train terminal, walk right, al the way to the bus station from where you will take 30 min shuttle ride (with XiTnag pics on it). For 8CNY per person this shuttle will take you directly to the XiTang Entrance. 

The Entrance to XiTang is 100CNY cash. Make sure you have cash as no VISA/MasterCard/AMEX cards are accepted at the ticket booth. It's very difficult to exchange foreign currency at local banks due to a local laws.