Taking the train to Cusco means riding through the high Andes on one of the few scheduled rail routes in Peru. Cusco was the Inca capital at 3,400 meters, and the approach — valleys, peaks, Quechua villages — is a lot of the point.
Several rail services connect into Cusco, from PeruRail’s premium runs down to budget options. Most routes start in Ollantaytambo or Poroy, where you board trains built around the view — oversized windows, often panoramic roof panels, and open-air observation decks on the premium services.
The Ollantaytambo-to-Cusco (Poroy) line is the most-booked, cutting through the Sacred Valley past Inca terracing and the Urubamba river. Onboard service typically includes a meal and running commentary from the train staff on what you’re passing — this is the stretch where the scenery most reliably stops conversation on the car.
For bookings, Peruways covers both rail operators and handles the Cusco-side transfers in one reservation.
Cusco is worth days on its own — Inca-built foundations under Spanish-colonial walls, the San Pedro market, the Qorikancha, and the Sacsayhuamán fortress above town — and the train in sets the right pace for the arrival.
