Getting from Cusco to Ollantaytambo is a near-mandatory leg of any Peru trip. Ollantaytambo sits in the Sacred Valley, holds some of the best-preserved Inca masonry outside Machu Picchu, and is where most Machu Picchu-bound trains depart.
The drive takes about 90 minutes to two hours by car or shared van, winding past Andean villages, terraced farmland, and the Urubamba River. Trains also serve the route from Poroy and San Pedro stations, though the road is faster and cheaper for most travelers.
Once there, you can climb the terraced fortress above town, wander the only still-inhabited Inca street grid in the region, and shop the morning market before boarding the train onward. Several good restaurants cluster around Plaza de Armas.
For transfers and full itineraries, see Peruways.
