Luxury Travel to Machu Picchu: Hotels and Transportation

By Henry Arnault

A vacation should be just that: a relaxing time for you to recuperate from the stresses of daily life and escape into the bliss of a new environment. If Peru is your destination and visiting Machu Picchu is on your itinerary, then enjoying yourself should be of no effort. A trip to Cusco can be one of extraordinary comfort because it is the top most visited site in Peru, so the tourism facilities there are well established to international standards. Here are a few aspects in which you can enjoy your Machu Picchu vacation.

Hotels: You want somewhere nice to stay and you want it for an appropriate price. If you are going to Machu Picchu, you have 3 main locations to base yourself out of: Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Aguas Calientes. In Cusco, you will delight in staying in the oldest city in the Americas whose heritage of Spanish colonialism and Inca history are perfectly clashed in the most delightful and beautiful of ways. The iconic orange tile roofs of Cusco and the locations of most hotels close to the central Plaza de Armas makes the city a great place to find fun, history, and convenience. The Sacred Valley has a higher focus on the natural landscapes and Inca terracing around it, and the surroundings are quieter since it lies between Cusco and the Inca citadel. Aguas Calientes, however, has the closest Machu Picchu hotels to the archeological site at the top of the mountain.

Transportation: Getting around Cusco, Sacred Valley, and the archaeological area is very easy. Book your Machu Picchu vacation packages which should have arranged and chartered vehicles shuttling you between your hotel and the various sites of attraction. To get from Cusco to the archeological site, take a train trip with Peru Rail which has varying levels of class such as the Vistadome for the best views out the window, or the Backpacker option for the more economic choice. The ultimate train class, however, is the Hiram Bingham named after the American explorer who first discovered the site in 1911 for the outside world. This class is the epitome of luxury and is perfect to add for special occasions such as a honeymoon, birthday, or anniversary. The train will take you directly to Aguas Calientes, from which you can then take a short 20-minute bus ride to the Inca ruins. Machu Picchu is best seen at sunrise, so for the best memories and photos, get a head start on the day that you plan to make your visit.

This article about luxury travel to Machu Picchu was written by a travel expert at Peru For Less who specializes in helping you organize best value Machu Picchu hotels and fully customizable Machu Picchu trips.