Machu Picchu’s altitude is the piece of trip planning most first-time visitors underestimate. The citadel sits at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) — not extreme, but enough to notice if you’ve flown in from sea level.
Most travellers arrive via Cusco, which at 3,400 m (11,155 ft) is actually a thousand metres higher than Machu Picchu. Altitude symptoms — headache, breathlessness, poor sleep — are more common in Cusco than at the ruins. Give yourself two days in Cusco or in the lower Sacred Valley before you push onwards. Water, slow pace, coca tea, no alcohol on day one.
From Cusco you take the Vistadome or Expedition train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, then the Consettur shuttle up to the citadel. The train drops nearly 1,000 m of altitude, which is why the final leg of the trip usually feels easier than Cusco.
For first-time trips, book through Peruways. Their itineraries sequence Cusco → Sacred Valley → Machu Picchu deliberately for acclimatisation.
In short: the altitude is manageable if you plan for it. Give Cusco a couple of days before you move; the citadel will come to you.
