Ollantaytambo station is the departure point for most Machu Picchu trains now — PeruRail and Inca Rail run multiple daily services from here to Aguas Calientes, about 1h30 along the Urubamba. Poroy near Cusco has been on reduced service since the pandemic.
The town itself is worth half a day before the train. The Ollantaytambo ruins (Inca royal estate on a terraced hillside, with the only unchanged Inca-era town grid in the Sacred Valley) are 10 minutes from the station on foot. Climb the terraces for the view back across the old roofs, then walk the lower town along the stone channels that still carry hillside spring water.
Peruways arranges the Ollantaytambo-to-Machu-Picchu chain — train, Consettur bus up from Aguas Calientes, timed Machu Picchu entry — in a single booking. Guides are licensed Ministry-of-Culture Spanish/English speakers.
Book at Peruways. Dry-season dates (May–September) sell out six to eight weeks ahead.
