Right after leaving the airport, we took a taxi to our hotel for the night, which was the very nice Hilton Garden Inn Cuzco located uphill. I would recommend this property, especially if holding status with Hilton (we were nicely treated as Diamond member). After a refreshing shower we decided to head downtown to have lunch and see where was the meeting point for the Inca rail shuttle for the next day.


The Inca Pachacutec monument, on the road to the Hilton Garden Inn Cuzco


Santo Domingo covent


View from the Hilton Garden Inn Cuzco


The patio of the HGI Cuzco

Cuzco is located quite high in altitude (3500 meters if I remember correctly) and add this to the fatigue of the trip and we could clearly feel quickly short of breath when walking up the stairs. Headache was also one of the symptoms of the altitude, and I have to say that the traditional remedy of chewing coca-leaves helped a bit.








Palacio del Cabildo




Basilica Menor de la Merced


Mercado San Pedro


Inside San Pedro market

We had lunch at a vegan restaurant recommended by our French guide book and it was ok. We then walked downtown, but unfortunately started to be tired by the end of the afternoon and went back to the hotel right after sunset.


Don't ask me what I ate that day :-) Just recall it was fully vegan...


... including the dessert !


Cuzco main square at sunset






Inca Pachacutec fountain on Plaza de armas in Cuzco

Cuzco was a nice little town, too bad we did not visit much but our legs simply could not bring us anywhere else by the late afternoon. Cuzco is considered by many as a mandatory stop for anybody wanting to visit the Machu Picchu. Talking about Machu Picchu, getting there is not as convenient as you may think as there are no roads to get there from the rest of the country. For non-Peruvian tourists, you first need to take a shuttle bus in Cuzco to Ollantayambo and then a train from there to Aguas Calientes (also called “Machu Picchu village”), I remember the overall journey to take about a 3 to 4 hours. Unfortunately, if you are not a Peruvian citizen, you cannot take the regular, and much cheaper train to Aguas Calientes, but must take a tourist train using one of the two companies, Inca rail or Peru rail. We opted for the first one, but both companies offer shuttle service between Cuzco and Ollantaytambo. Once in Aguas Calientes, you need to take another bus to go to the Machu Picchu site which takes about 20 minutes or so. The overall journey on this “gringo train” was quite pricey : we paid 164 USD round trip.

So as you would have guessed, visiting the Machu Picchu from Cuzco in just one day is almost impossible, so we booked one night in a small hotel in Aguas Clientes between two nights at the Garden Inn Cuzco.

Finally, there is another way to get to Aguas Calientes and the Machu Picchu, hiking the Inca trail, but that option takes between a few to several days depending from where you start – we obviously did not choose this alternative, although I am sure this would have been the hike of a lifetime.


How to get to the Machu Picchu from Cuzco

After a heavy night at the Garden Inn, we went downtown to the Inca rail shuttle station to take the minibus to Ollantaytambo. The ride was nice, although I would advise anyone motion sick to take some pills (well, those are mountain roads and our Peruvian driver had a “sportive” way of driving. Once in Ollantaytambo, we waited about 30 min at the Inca rail “lounge” where you could sit down, get some refreshments and use a bathroom.


On the road to Ollantaytambo


Peruvian mountain lanscapes


Inca rail "lounge" in Ollantaytambo






Ollantaytambo




The Inca rail train was a small 4 carriage diesel train with one section being used as a panoramic view car (hence the name 360 Machu Picchu train). It was almost full the day of our trip and we met a couple of nice Canadian ladies, living in Ecuador, and visiting the Machu Picchu for the first time. To my surprise, a small meal was served on board together with some drinks. Don’t ask me though what we ate that day, I simply cannot recall J !




The 360 Inca Rail train to Aguas Calientes





The train ride to Aguas Calientes is pretty scenic, and you could see that the last days were very rainy, judging by the color of the rivers.


Onboard meal


"360 panorama" carriage


The train ride to Aguas Calientes





We arrived in Aguas Calientes around 14:00, after having left Cuzco shortly after 10:00. Right off the station in Aguas Calientes is a pretty big and colorful covered market which we crossed to get to our hotel for the night.


Inca Rail train in Aguas Calientes station

Aguas Calientes market, right next to the station



Crossing the river to get to our hotel for the night

We spent the afternoon walking around town (there are almost no cars in the village, which is pleasant), looking where to buy the bus tickets to the Machu Picchu and explore the village which felt like being in a Peruvian Disneyland. The day was pleasant nonetheless given how nice the weather was that day. We took this opportunity to buy some small souvenirs at the local market next to the station.


Lots of carved stones in the streets honoring the Incas


Pachamama


"The prohibited love of gods"






Atahualpa




Myriam in the streets of Aguas Calientes

Aguas calientes ("tentacular") market

Hello you !

Myriam playing football with some kids

I can promise you that the dog was well alive and just having a nap :-)

Pachacutec statue in Aguas Calientes

Downtown Aguas Calientes

Inca emperor Pachacuti statue


Aguas Calientes football stadium

We later enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local restaurant (which I think was also a hostel) recommended by our guide book, the Super Tramp and head back to the hotel for several hours of sleep.


Super tramp in Aguas calientes, recommended for the food and atmosphere !


We deserved a drink !




Chocolate cake dessert

Aguas Calientes is a mandatory stopover for anybody wanting to visit the Machu Picchu and while the town is quite small, it was pleasant to spend a few hours there. The fact it is also 1000 meters lower in altitude compared to Cuzco made the visit more enjoyable and less tiring. Tip for future visitors : Although the name of the village is Aguas Calientes, make sure that the hotel you choose has good reviews, especially about hot water, as the agua is not always caliente in the rooms ! The evenings can be cold, so you want to make sure to take a hot shower before going to bed ! There are lots of small “budget” hotels of less than 10 rooms and from what I recalled, not many big hotels and for sure none belonging to any chain (besides the Belmond Lodge at the entrance of the Machu Picchu site which is a luxury hotel). The situation may have changed since 2019 though…