The train from Cusco to Machu Picchu is as much part of the trip as the ruins themselves. The track runs through the Urubamba gorge, with the river on one side and near-vertical cloud forest on the other, and the drop in altitude from Cusco (3,400 m) to Aguas Calientes (2,040 m) is dramatic enough that you’ll feel it in your lungs.
Most travellers board at Ollantaytambo to skip the slow stretch of switchbacks out of Cusco. The ride takes about an hour and a half from there, three and a half hours from Cusco itself.
Aguas Calientes is the drop-off point. From the station, a 25-minute bus climbs the switchbacks to the citadel gate — or you can walk the Hiram Bingham Highway up in about 90 minutes.
Peruways sells across both operators (PeruRail and Inca Rail), so you can compare times and class without flipping between sites. Book at Peruways.
