Machu Picchu Map: Where It Is and How the Circuits Work

Machu Picchu is in Peru, in the Cusco region, the province of Urubamba and the district of Machupicchu. The ruins sit at 13°09′48″ S and 72°32′44″ W, on the eastern slope of the Andes where the mountains drop toward the Amazon.

The Inca city stands on a narrow ridge between two peaks: Machu Picchu Mountain to the south and Huayna Picchu, the peak in every photo, to the north. The Urubamba river loops around three sides of the ridge, hundreds of meters below.

It is not a lone ruin. The city is the heart of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, 32,592 hectares of mountains and cloud forest protected since 1981. UNESCO listed it in 1983 as one of the few sites in the world that are both cultural and natural heritage.

People often place it in Mexico or Bolivia. The mix up comes from Chichén Itzá, its neighbor on the list of New Seven Wonders, and from Lake Titicaca, which Peru shares with Bolivia. Machu Picchu is entirely in Peru.

Every trip starts in Cusco, the old Inca capital. From there the rail line and the river run northwest through the Sacred Valley and into a gorge that ends at Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of the ruins.

In a straight line it is 75 km (47 miles) from Cusco to the ruins. By rail it is about 110 km, and most of a morning: 3.5 to 4.5 hours by train, then 25 to 30 minutes by bus up a road of hairpin bends.

Every option, from the train to the treks, is compared in our guide on how to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco. The height of each stop on the way is in Machu Picchu elevation.

The city has two parts. To the south are the farming terraces, which you cross as you enter. To the north is the urban sector, with the temples, the houses and the plazas. A long wall and a dry moat separate them.

The urban sector splits again in two, on each side of the long Main Plaza. The upper half, Hanan, holds the temples and the Intihuatana. The lower half, Hurin, holds workshops, houses and the Temple of the Condor.

The Ministry of Culture publishes one map for each route on its website. There is no single official map of the whole site, which is why the routes confuse so many visitors.

Since June 2024, visits follow 3 circuits that group 10 routes. Each route is a fixed, one way path: you can't turn back, and you can't switch to another route inside. The route, the date and the entry hour are printed on your ticket.

A ticket for a route without a mountain costs S/ 152 for a foreign adult, about US$44. With Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain it costs S/ 200, about US$58. Tickets are sold only on the official site, tuboleto.cultura.pe, which adds a small card fee.

Rules that apply on every route

• Arrive on time. You have 30 minutes of grace after your entry hour, 45 in high season. The mountain gates allow no delay.
• One way, one entry. Once you leave, the same ticket does not let you in again.
• Toilets are outside. The only ones are next to the entrance, so plan for 2.5 hours without one.
• Travel light. Large backpacks, food, drones, tripods, selfie sticks, umbrellas, trekking poles and high heels are not allowed. A paid luggage storage sits at the entrance.

Circuit 1 stays above the city. It climbs the terraces to the Guardhouse, the viewpoint behind the famous postcard photo, and never goes down into the streets of the city. You look at Machu Picchu rather than walk through it.

Route 1-B is the short version: up to the viewpoint and back, 1.6 km in total. The other three use the terraces as a gateway to a longer walk: Machu Picchu Mountain (1-A), the Sun Gate (1-C) and the Inca Bridge (1-D).

Circuit 2 is the complete visit, and the one we book for most travelers. It crosses the terraces, enters through the City Gate and covers both halves of the city: the temples above the Main Plaza and the houses below it.

Route 2-A starts on the farming terraces, where you take the classic photo of the whole city, and runs about 2.5 km with a lot of stone stairs. It is our clear recommendation for a first visit. Route 2-B climbs a little higher first, to the lower platform below the Guardhouse, for 2.7 km in total.

Both allow 2.5 hours inside. Route 2-A has 1,400 places a day, 1,600 in high season, and still sells out first. Route 2-B, with 500 to 800, is the best alternative when 2-A is gone.

Circuit 2 tickets are the first to sell out. In the dry season, from May to September, book them as soon as you know your dates. Our Machu Picchu day trip includes Circuit 2 whenever the Ministry has space.

Circuit 3 stays in the lower part of the city. It passes beside the Temple of the Sun, the Royal Tomb and the House of the Inca, then the fountains, the Three Doorways and the Temple of the Condor. It is flatter and quieter.

Its weak point: no photo from above. You see the city from lower down, close to the houses, and you skip the Sacred Plaza. Its strength: the mountain routes. Route 3-A crosses the lower city to the Sacred Rock and climbs Huayna Picchu, and 3-C and 3-D branch off the same gate.

Route 3-B is also the most accessible. The Ministry rates it as the circuit with the least physical effort, and one stretch near the entrance is open to wheelchair users and visitors who need assistance.

Most visitors only get one ticket, so the choice matters. This is what we tell our own travelers:

• First visit

  Circuit 2, route 2-A

  The classic photo and the whole city. If 2-A is gone, 2-B.

• Photographers

  Circuit 1 plus Circuit 2

  Route 1-B early for the postcard, then the city on Circuit 2.

• Hikers

  Route 3-A or 1-A

  Huayna Picchu is short and steep. Machu Picchu Mountain is longer and higher.

• Reduced mobility

  Route 3-B

  The flattest route, with an adapted stretch near the entrance.

• Short on time

  Route 2-A or 3-B

  Both fit in 2 hours if you have a train to catch.

• Inca Trail hikers

  Route 3-B

  Booked with the trek. Add a Circuit 2 ticket for the next day if you want more.

The two mountains close the ridge at each end. Huayna Picchu rises at the northern end, right behind the Sacred Rock. Machu Picchu Mountain rises at the southern end, above the terraces and the entrance.

You can't climb both on one ticket, and each mountain comes with only part of the city. After Huayna Picchu you tour the lower sector on Circuit 3. After Machu Picchu Mountain you see the terraces and the Guardhouse on Circuit 1. Tickets, entry times and the climb itself are in our Huayna Picchu guide.

Two easier walks leave from the top of the terraces, both on Circuit 1 and both open only in the high season. They need no mountain ticket and show the city from angles few visitors see.

Sun Gate (Intipunku), route 1-C

The last stretch of the Inca Trail, climbing southeast to a stone gateway at 2,720 m. The route is about 3.4 km in total and takes about 2 hours there and back. Entry is from 7 to 10 a.m., for 130 people a day, with 4 hours on the ticket.

Inca Bridge, route 1-D

A flat path cut into a sheer cliff on the west side of the mountain, about 2.6 km in total and 1 hour there and back, with entry from 8 to 11 a.m. for 80 people a day. It ends at a gap the Incas crossed with removable logs, a back door to the city. You see the bridge from a viewpoint: crossing it is not allowed.

Fly into Cusco, airport code CUZ. Machu Picchu has no airport, and almost every flight to Cusco connects in Lima, where international flights land. The hop from Lima to Cusco takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.

From the United States, nonstop flights reach Lima from cities such as Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, New York and Los Angeles. From Miami the flight takes about 6 hours.

• Leave time in Lima. Lima opened a new terminal in June 2025. Allow at least 3 hours to connect if you collect bags and pass immigration.
• Chinchero is not open yet. The new Cusco airport is expected in late 2027 or early 2028, according to Peru's transport ministry.

US passport holders need no visa for a tourist stay in Peru. Plan your first nights with the altitude in mind: Cusco sits at 3,399 m, so many travelers sleep lower in the Sacred Valley first.