Quick Summary: Machu Picchu sells entry by the hour, from 06:00 to 15:00 at the main gate, and the visit regulation closes the citadel at 17:30. You may arrive up to 30 minutes after your hour, or 45 minutes in high season (in 2026, 19 June to 2 November plus 1 January, 2 to 5 April and 30 to 31 December), but mountain controls allow no lateness. Standard routes allow 2 hours 30 minutes inside, other routes up to 7 hours, and the 15:00 slot ends at 17:30 however late you got in. This is the hours reference for matching a ticket to a train; for what happens at the gate, see our step-by-step entry process.
Machu Picchu Hours at a Glance
| What | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Main gate entry slots | Hourly, 06:00 to 15:00 | Ministry entry table; Art. 16 |
| Late-entry grace | 30 minutes; 45 in high season | RM 207-2024-MC |
| Mountain controls | No late entry | Ministry entry table |
| Stay, standard routes | 2 hours 30 minutes | Art. 16; route maps |
| Site closes | 17:30 | Art. 16, RM 528-2023-MC |
| Buses up | About 05:30 to 15:30 | PeruRail guide |
| Last bus down | About 17:30 (some say 18:00) | PeruRail FAQ |
| Ticket office, Machu Picchu Pueblo | Listed as 15:00 to 22:00 | Gestión; PeruRail guide |
| Last direct train to Cusco (not counting the Hiram Bingham) | 17:23 | PeruRail timetable |
| Last train to Ollantaytambo | 21:50 | PeruRail timetable |
| Inca Trail | Closed every February | El Peruano |
Entry Slots: Ten Hours, Fixed to Your Ticket
The Ministry of Culture sells ten entry hours, 06:00 to 15:00. There is no 16:00 slot. Article 16 of the visit regulation lists the same hours and sets tickets per hour by the site's carrying capacity.
- No early entry: gate staff must check that the ID number and hour on your ticket match you and the time (Article 15-A.2, RM 508-2023-MC).
- No changes: a ticket is valid only for its date, hour, circuit and holder. An unused ticket is void, with no new date or refund unless force majeure is proven (Articles 15.4 and 15.5, RM 334-2026-MC, September 2026).
- What a missed slot costs: about S/163 (roughly US$47) for a foreign adult on a standard route, the S/152 fee plus the S/11 conservation charge added on 1 May 2026 (El Tiempo).
- Buying in town: the Ministry's office in Machu Picchu Pueblo sells up to 1,000 tickets a day in person, listed as open 15:00 to 22:00, for the next day or, under an exceptional measure announced in May 2026, up to three days ahead (Andina). Confirm the hours locally.
How Late You Can Be: 30 or 45 Minutes
Article 15-A.1, as amended by RM 207-2024-MC in May 2024, gives 30 minutes' tolerance in low season and 45 minutes in high season. After that you cannot enter, except for force majeure "duly proven". In 2026 high season means 1 January, 2 to 5 April, 19 June to 2 November and 30 to 31 December (Andina).
One wrinkle: the Ministry's entry table, created in May 2024 and still linked from its visiting-hours page, prints the 45-minute window as 1 June to 15 October plus 30 and 31 December. The regulation says high season, but from 1 to 18 June and 16 October to 2 November the two documents disagree, so plan on 30 minutes in those weeks. From 3 November to 29 December 2026 it is 30 minutes either way.
The table is blunt about the mountains: the Machupicchu, Waynapicchu and Huchuypicchu controls have no tolerance. The clock runs at the main gate, not the bus stop, so a long bus queue eats your margin. Our bus guide gives queue times for each slot.
How Long You Can Stay on Each Route
Article 16 caps a standard visit at 2 hours 30 minutes, bans re-entry except for force majeure, and says overstaying means immediate removal. Each of the Ministry's route maps, linked from its circuits page, prints its own maximum stay:
| Route | Maximum stay | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 1-A Machu Picchu Mountain | 7 h | All year |
| 1-B Upper Terrace | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 1-C Intipunku (Sun Gate) | 4 h | High season |
| 1-D Inca Bridge | 3 h | High season |
| 2-A Designed (classic) route | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 2-B Lower Terrace | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 3-A Huayna Picchu | 6 h | All year |
| 3-B Designed route | 2 h 30 | All year |
| 3-C Great Cavern | 7 h | High season |
| 3-D Huchuypicchu | 3 h 30 | High season |
Article 16 counts the time from your entry, so walking in 20 minutes late on a morning slot does not shorten your visit. The 15:00 slot is the exception: those visitors may stay "until 17:30 at most", so a 15:40 entry gets 1 hour 50 minutes. For what each circuit covers, see Machu Picchu tickets explained.
Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain Start Times
A mountain ticket has two clocks: your main-gate hour and a start time at the mountain control, with no grace.
- Huayna Picchu (3-A): at its reopening on 28 April 2025, climbers went up in two shifts, 07:00 and 09:00 (Andina). The regulation (Article 12, RM 528-2023-MC) lists 07:00 to 07:30 and 10:00 to 10:30, leaving the summit by 13:00. Go by your ticket.
- Machu Picchu Mountain (1-A): the regulation lists 07:00 to 07:30 and 09:00 to 09:30, leaving the summit by 13:00 and the mountain by 14:00. We found no newer official timetable.
- Totals disagree: the regulation allows 5 h 30 with Huayna Picchu and 6 h 30 with Machu Picchu Mountain, against 6 h and 7 h on the newer maps. Plan on the shorter figure.
For a 07:00 mountain start, sleep in Aguas Calientes: the earliest train from Ollantaytambo arrives at 06:37.
When the Site Closes, and the Last Buses
Article 16 says the citadel "closes at 17:30". One agency guide says 18:00; we go with the regulation. Our advice on the bus stands: ride up and down.
- First bus up: about 05:30, then every 5 to 15 minutes, a 25 to 30-minute ride (PeruRail guide, August 2026).
- Morning queue: longest from about 05:30 to 08:00, with 30 to 45-minute waits common (Uros Expeditions).
- Last bus up: about 15:30, reaching the gate around 16:00, too late even for a 15:00 slot in high season. For 15:00 we would queue by about 14:00.
- Last bus down: PeruRail's FAQ (September 2026) says 17:30, its guide says 18:00. Treat 17:30 as the safe answer.
Closed Days and Closures in 2026
The citadel has no weekly closing day, and we found no holiday closure: the 2026 capacity rule sets a cap for every date, 5,600 visitors in high season and 4,500 otherwise (Andina), so 25 December is an ordinary day. Whole-site closures have been emergency measures, such as 21 January to 15 February 2023, when protests cut the railway (Forbes Perú). In 2026 closures hit single routes:
- Inca Trail, February: closed for annual maintenance, reopened Sunday 1 March (El Peruano).
- Huayna Picchu, 1 to 30 June: closed for conservation work (Correo), reopened 1 July (Ministry of Culture).
- Inca Trail routes 1 to 3, August to September: entries stopped in August and restarted on 6 September after repairs (El Peruano).
- Inca Bridge, 20 to 25 September: emergency work; ticket holders moved to Route 1-C (Gestión).
- Seasonal routes, 3 November to 29 December: Routes 1-C, 1-D, 3-C and 3-D are off sale outside high season; see our Sun Gate and Inca Bridge guide.
As of 21 October 2026 we found no announced closure of the citadel itself for the rest of the year.
How the Hours Fit the Trains
The tightest part of most plans is the train, not the gate. PeruRail's May to December 2026 timetable sets the limits below; we could not read Inca Rail's timetable on its website. Our rule of thumb: about an hour from the station to the gate, and about an hour from the exit to your train.
| PeruRail service | Time | What it means for your slot |
|---|---|---|
| First train from Ollantaytambo (05:05) | Arrives 06:37 | Earliest realistic slot 08:00 |
| Bus and train from Wanchaq, Cusco (03:20) | Arrives 07:40 | Earliest realistic slot 09:00 |
| First train from Poroy, Cusco (06:40) | Arrives 09:54 | Earliest realistic slot 11:00 |
| Last Vistadome or Expedition train to Poroy and San Pedro | Leaves 17:23 | Enter by 13:00 |
| Train to Pachar, bus to Wanchaq | Leaves 18:20, Cusco 22:30 | Enter by 14:00 |
| Last train to Ollantaytambo | Leaves 21:50, arrives 23:37 | Any slot |
Trains do stop. On 5 October 2026 passengers between Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu were held for up to three hours after a breakdown at kilometre 88 (Andina). If a delay costs you your slot, keep the rail company's written notice: proven force majeure is the only exception.
Which Entry Hour to Book
- First visit, sleeping in Aguas Calientes: book 07:00. The 06:00 slot is overhyped: you need to be in the bus queue by about 05:00, and 07:00 still beats the day-trippers. Take 06:00 only if early light is the point, after reading our sunrise guide.
- Day trip from Ollantaytambo: 09:00 off the 05:05 train. 08:00 works on paper but leaves no slack.
- Day trip from Cusco: 11:00 or 12:00, with the 06:40 train from Poroy and the 17:23 back. Nothing after 13:00 unless you return via Ollantaytambo or Pachar.
- Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain: sleep in town and treat the mountain start, not the gate hour, as your deadline.
- Arriving on an afternoon train: 14:00 is the last slot with a full 2 hours 30 minutes. A morning slot the next day is better, as our same-day guide explains.
- 3 November to 29 December 2026: the grace is 30 minutes, so build in more margin.
FAQ
What time does Machu Picchu open?
The first entry slot is 06:00, and the first bus from Aguas Calientes leaves at about 05:30. The regulation sets entries between 06:00 and 15:00 and closes the citadel at 17:30.
What is the last entry time at Machu Picchu?
15:00. You can still enter until 15:30, or 15:45 in high season, but everyone on that slot must leave by 17:30.
How late can you arrive for your Machu Picchu entry time?
Up to 30 minutes after your hour in low season and 45 in high season. The Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu Mountain and Huchuypicchu controls allow no lateness.
Can I enter Machu Picchu before the time on my ticket?
No. Staff must check that the hour on your ticket matches your entry time, so arriving early means waiting outside.
How long can you stay inside Machu Picchu?
Two hours 30 minutes on Routes 1-B, 2-A, 2-B and 3-B. The other routes allow 3 to 7 hours on the Ministry's maps, and re-entry is banned except for force majeure.
Is Machu Picchu open every day, including holidays?
Yes, as far as the 2026 rules show: the capacity rule sets a cap for every date, including 25 December and 1 January. Single routes do close, such as Huayna Picchu in June 2026, and the Inca Trail closes every February.
What time is the last bus down from Machu Picchu?
About 17:30, when the site closes. Some sources say 18:00, but we would not count on it.
What happens if my train is late and I miss my slot?
Past the grace period you cannot enter, and the ticket is void unless the Ministry's Cusco office accepts force majeure. Keep the rail company's written notice and ask at the gate.
What time do Huayna Picchu climbs start?
At its April 2025 reopening the shifts were 07:00 and 09:00, while the regulation lists 07:00 and 10:00. The time on your ticket counts, with no grace at the control.
Limitations
Entry hours, grace periods, route stays, bus times and timetables can change, and route closures are often announced only a few days ahead. This guide reflects sources read as of October 2026. The Ministry's entry table dates from May 2024 and disagrees with the regulation on some weeks, mountain start times rest on a 2025 report and 2023 regulation text, bus times come from PeruRail and an agency, and we could not read Inca Rail's timetable. Work-around: before booking, check your slot and route on tuboleto.cultura.pe, both rail companies' timetables for your date, and the Ministry of Culture's Cusco notices in the week you travel.