Machu Picchu
★ 4.9🇵🇪 CuscoSuggested visit 1-2 daysBest season The dry season from May to September, with the most clear days but also the biggest crowds
New Seven WondersInca civilisationWorld HeritageHighland ruins
The soul of the Inca empire — a mysterious lost city suspended in the clouds, rediscovered after 600 years.
Overview
Machu Picchu is the ruined citadel of the Inca empire, set high in the Andes and known as the lost city of the Incas. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
History
Machu Picchu was built around 1450 by the Inca emperor Pachacuti as a royal estate and religious sanctuary. The complex contains some 200 buildings on a ridge at 2,430 metres, famous for precision dry-stone masonry that holds together without mortar. American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to Western attention in 1911. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
Highlights
- •The silhouette of the Inca city emerging through cloud
- •The astronomically precise stonework of the Temple of the Sun
- •Sweeping views from the summit of Huayna Picchu
- •Arriving as a pilgrim at the end of the Inca Trail
- •Alpacas grazing among the terraces
Practical tips
- •Book tickets and train seats months in advance
- •Allow time to acclimatise to the altitude
Practical information
- Best time
- May to September
- Tickets
- About PEN 152, roughly USD 42, for adults; online booking required and daily visitor numbers are limited
- Opening hours
- 6:00–17:30 with timed entry and a daily visitor cap
- Local food
- Roast guinea pig, quinoa soup and purple corn drink
- Getting around
- Machu Picchu is reached by train to Aguas Calientes; book tickets and entry in advance
- Visa
- A tourist visa is required; holders of a valid US, Schengen or UK visa may enter visa-free, subject to Peruvian immigration announcements.
Traveller reviews
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