Machu Picchu is globally known for being one of the modern Seven World Wonders. Indeed, it is the best preserved known Inca city in the world and surrounded by a stunning mountain panorama. Visitor numbers are tightly controlled: in 2026, the official capacity is generally 4,500 visitors per day, rising to a maximum of 5,600 on specified high-season dates. In order to accommodate all these tourists, a whole city, called Aguas Calientes, was built from scratch. Restaurants, bars, hotels and souvenir shops are supposed to be everything the modern tourist’s heart could wish for and, all in all, it feels a little like spending the night at Disney Land. So is this historic Inca site really worth a visit or is it just too crowded to enjoy?
Agua Calientes
When we visited, the Disney Land experience continued in the morning, as people waited in long lines in the middle of Aguas Calientes for the buses taking them up to Machu Picchu. Organizers held boards with entry times showing people which line to join. For our 7 am entrance, it was recommended to start queuing at around 5:50 am. Despite the theme park déjà vu, the boarding procedure was well organized and, after waiting for about 40 minutes, we were on our way to the site, around a 30-minute bus ride away. Some more adventurous travellers skip the bus and hike up from Aguas Calientes instead. Today, the exact timing depends on the entry time and route printed on your Machu Picchu ticket, so check the current instructions before your visit rather than relying on our old queue time.
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For current tickets, we recommend starting with the official TuBoleto platform. Since September 2026, the online system uses direct purchase with confirmed payment rather than the previous reservation process. If you prefer to visit with a guide, you can also check guided Machu Picchu options on GetYourGuide.
Machu Picchu tickets and circuits
The current ticket system is very different from the one we used. Since June 2024, Machu Picchu has been divided into 3 circuits with 10 routes. Your route determines which viewpoints, archaeological areas and optional hikes you can access, so it is important to choose the route that matches what you most want to see rather than simply buying any available ticket. Popular routes can sell out, especially in high season, so booking in advance is strongly recommended.
We had a ticket for 7 am, knowing that the first people had already entered the site between 6 and 7 am. Once again, entering the site is organized with boards and well formed lines so that we passed the entrance at ten past 7. We then quickly climbed up our way to the view point in order to get some nice pictures before the crowd would arrive.
At 7 am this is still possible and watching down the majestic inca site feels just amazing. You immediately forget about the long way you took in order to get here and just savour the moment, feeling humble in presence of this unique place on earth.
Machu Picchu Mountain
After this very special moment, it was time to go on as we had tickets for climbing Machu Picchu Mountain. Under the current system, this hike is Circuit 1 – Route 1-A, Machu Picchu Mountain. It is one of the options for leaving the main crowds behind and enjoying a very different perspective over the site. The climb is demanding, with a long succession of steep steps leading up to the mountain above Machu Picchu, but the views make the effort worthwhile.
Anyway, given the extreme conditions you climb up one step after the other on the original inca stairs that just don’t want to end, it is good to have some allies that can cheer you up. Count one hour and a half to two hours to arrive on the top and don’t get demotivated when you see more and more steps appearing behind every corner. You will get there!
And always remember, once you arrive at the summit, you will quickly forget about the pain in your legs and enjoy the incredible view on Machu Picchu and its surroundings.
When we came back to the site, at around 10:30, the atmosphere had changed quite a bit and big groups of tourists tried to get their way through the small paths creating huge traffic jams. It was not that easy to arrive back at the entrance where we had a meeting with our guide.
Guide or no guide?
This is a question we always ask ourselves and it is true that it depends a lot on the quality of the services whether it is worth to pay for a guide. This time, the agency had booked us a guide already in advance so we can’t say anything about the guides you can book at the entrance. It probably depends whether you are lucky or not.
But one thing we can say is that our guide was amazing! Once we entered the site again he made us forget about the other tourists and took us to a journey in the land of the incas. He managed to find places with almost nobody around and explained us the life, culture, and architecture of the Incas. We were completely fascinated by all this new information and got answers to all our questions.
So, yes, we would definitely recommend you taking a guide in order learn more about the life of the incas and their history. You can book your guide under Get your guide here.
Short history lesson
Machu Picchu is the best preserved inca city in the world because the Spanish, when arriving in Peru, never get that deep in this mountainous region, and, thus, never found the site. However, its population was warned about the arrival of the Spanish and abandoned the site around 1450, only one century after building it. When you look carefully, you can still see unfinished parts of the city.
In order to be able to cultivate food in the mountains, the Incas built huge terrasses. You can still see those at several places of the Sacred Valley. They also built an elaborated watering system which is still working today.
Many things of the Inca’s culture and history is still unclear, not only because the Spanish colonists, when arriving in Peru during the 15th century, destroyed everything they found while looking for gold, but also because researchers did not yet manage to understand the scripts. Indeed, the Incas were communicating with so called Quipus, or talking knots, which are knotted strings that were used as writings. With the help of sprinters and elaborated remote systems, those messages were delivered hundred of miles away in only some hours.
Worth a visit?
There are of course many other things to learn and to discover when visiting the Mach Picchu site. And although getting there takes a while, is quite expensive and the site is crowded, it is still definitely worth the detour. It’s a unique place of South American civilization and we loved the whole experience. It was one of the highlights of our Peru trip.
We would still choose an early entry if the route you want offers one. We loved the quiet morning atmosphere when standing at the viewpoint and looking down over this majestic site before the crowds grew. Just keep in mind that access is now organized by circuit, route and entry time, so the experience and viewpoints available to you depend on the ticket you book.
If you want to leave the other tourists behind, there are several hikes you can chose from. And of course there is also the possibility of hiking the whole inca trail for more adventurous visitors.
Thanks for sharing this insight with us! Keep up the great content.
Thanks a lot for this positive feedback! 🙂