The Cusco–Ollantaytambo run is a near-mandatory leg for anyone heading deep into the Sacred Valley. It’s about 60 kilometers (37 miles) through classic Andean terrain, and the scenery alone earns the trip.
Count on 1.5 to 2 hours door to door. Buses and shared vans leave Cusco throughout the day and are the cheapest option. The road climbs past terraced hillsides and small farming villages — a decent primer on highland life before you reach the valley floor.
Ollantaytambo itself is worth time, not just a transfer stop. The town’s Inca fortress above the plaza was one of the last places Manco Inca held off the Spanish, and the grid of narrow stone streets below it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited in the Americas. The market is a good quick stop for textiles and a plate of local food.
If Machu Picchu is next, Ollantaytambo is where you’ll catch the train — most PeruRail and Inca Rail services leave from here rather than Cusco, which shortens the trip considerably. For current times, fares, and the pros and cons of each transport option between Cusco and Ollantaytambo, see Peruways.
Think of this stretch less as a transfer and more as the start of the Sacred Valley proper.
