Getting there

How to get to the Sacred Valley from Cusco

Q: How do you get to the Sacred Valley from Cusco?

You can go on an organised tour (with pickup, guide and lunch), by public transport (colectivos or buses to Pisac or Urubamba), by taxi or private transfer, or by train as far as Ollantaytambo.

Q: Can you visit the Sacred Valley without a tour?

Yes. You can do it without a tour by colectivo or taxi and buy the tourist ticket yourself. It works well for one or two sites with a whole day to spare; to see four or five in a day, the drives between towns and the waiting usually eat up the saving.

Tour, public transport, taxi or train: what each option gives you and which suits you depending on how many sites you want to see.

Four ways

Ways to get there

Organised tour

Hotel pickup, transport between every site, bilingual guide and buffet lunch. From US$30.

The simplest way to see several sites in one day.

Public transport

Colectivos and buses leave Cusco for Pisac, Urubamba and other valley towns.

Cheap for one site; slow if you want several.

Taxi or private transfer

Flexible and direct; hired by leg or by the day.

Comfortable, but pricey if you travel alone or as a couple.

Train

Train services run to Ollantaytambo, mostly for travellers heading to Machu Picchu.

Useful as a connection, not for touring the valley.

An honest comparison

On a tour or on your own

Aspect	Organised tour	On your own
Transport between sites	Included	You arrange it
Guide	Bilingual, included	None (or hired separately)
Lunch	Buffet included	On your own
Hotel pickup	Yes, downtown Cusco	No
Sites in one day	Up to 5 (VIP)	Depends on connections
Tickets	Extra	Extra
Price	From US$30	Variable

When going on your own makes sense

If you only want one town, such as Pisac, or you plan to sleep in the valley, public transport or a taxi may be enough. It is slower, but you keep your own timetable.

When the tour makes sense

If you want several sites in one day, the tour saves you arranging drives between places that sit far apart, especially Moray and Maras, which are usually off the regular public transport routes. You also get a guide explaining each place and lunch sorted.

Compare the two tour routes on Classic or VIP or see how much it costs.

Transporte turístico de Cusco al Valle Sagrado de los Incas

From Cusco to the Sacred Valley

Getting there

Questions about getting there

You can go on an organised tour (with pickup, guide and lunch), by public transport (colectivos or buses to Pisac or Urubamba), by taxi or private transfer, or by train as far as Ollantaytambo.

About an hour to Pisac or Chinchero by road; longer to Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. It varies with the route and the traffic.

Yes. You can do it without a tour by colectivo or taxi and buy the tourist ticket yourself. It works well for one or two sites with a whole day to spare; to see four or five in a day, the drives between towns and the waiting usually eat up the saving.

It depends how many sites you visit: you add colectivos or taxis between towns, the tourist ticket, the Maras fee if you go to the salt ponds, and lunch. Our tour starts at US$30 with transport, guide and buffet lunch included; tickets are extra either way.

It can be, for one or two sites. To see several in a day, adding transport between sites, a guide and lunch usually comes close to or above the tour price, which starts at US$30.

Yes. The tickets are the same whether you go on a tour or independently: the tourist ticket for the archaeological sites and the community fee at Maras.