Every Machu Picchu ticket names one circuit and one route, and you walk only that route. Since 1 June 2024, there have been three Machu Picchu circuits, set by Peru’s Ministry of Culture, with ten routes between them. Circuit 1 covers the high terraces and the trails beyond them, Circuit 2 is the classic walk through the city, and Circuit 3 covers the lower royal sector and the climb up Huayna Picchu.
If the ticket site’s codes like 1-B and 3-C mean nothing to you yet, start here. This guide explains what each route passes, how long it lets you stay and which one suits your trip. It also covers the rule that has given Inca Trail hikers their own Route 3-B quota since the 2026 season.
Quick answer: There are three Machu Picchu circuits and ten routes. Circuit 1 (Panoramic) covers the upper terraces where the postcard photo is taken, plus Machu Picchu Mountain, the Sun Gate and the Inca Bridge. Circuit 2 (Classic) is the fullest walk through the city. Circuit 3 (Royalty) covers the lower city and is the only way onto Huayna Picchu. Most routes allow 2 hours 30 minutes inside; the mountain and trail routes allow 3 to 7 hours. For a single first visit, book Circuit 2. Current costs are in our guide to Machu Picchu tickets.
The 3 Circuits and 10 Routes at a Glance
The Ministry set the current layout in Ministerial Resolution 528-2023-MC and brought it into force on 1 June 2024, replacing the five circuits used since 2021. Four of the ten routes open only in high season. The time limits below are the maximum stay printed on the Ministry’s own route maps, counted from the moment you pass the entrance.
| Route | What you walk | Max. stay | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-A Machu Picchu Mountain | Upper and lower terraces, then the mountain trail | 7 h | All year |
| 1-B Upper Terrace | Upper and lower terraces by the Guardian’s House | 2 h 30 min | All year |
| 1-C Inti Punku (Sun Gate) | The terraces, then the Inca Trail up to the Sun Gate and back | 4 h | High season only |
| 1-D Inca Bridge | The terraces, then the cliff path to the Inca Bridge | 3 h | High season only |
| 2-A Designed route | The city: quarries, Temple of the Sun viewpoint, Sacred Plaza, Sacred Rock | 2 h 30 min | All year |
| 2-B Lower Terrace | The same city loop, starting from the lower terrace viewpoint | 2 h 30 min | All year |
| 3-A Huayna Picchu | The lower city, then the Huayna Picchu climb | 6 h | All year |
| 3-B Designed route | The lower city: Temple of the Condor, Doce Vanos, storehouses | 2 h 30 min | All year |
| 3-C Great Cavern | Huayna Picchu, then the trail round to the Great Cavern | 7 h | High season only |
| 3-D Huchuy Picchu | The lower city, then the short Huchuy Picchu trail | 3 h 30 min | High season only |
Two things the table doesn’t show. No current route climbs to the Intiwatana, the carved stone on the hilltop above the Sacred Plaza. And each ticket covers one route only, so seeing more of the site means buying a second ticket on a different circuit.
Circuit 1 (Panoramic): The Postcard Terraces
Circuit 1 stays on the high farming terraces around the Guardian’s House, the thatched hut above the city. From its upper and lower platforms you get the classic view: the whole city laid out below, with Huayna Picchu rising behind it. The catch is that Circuit 1 never enters the city. You look down on the temples and plazas, but you don’t walk among them.
- 1-A, Machu Picchu Mountain: the terraces, then the trail to the summit of Machu Picchu Mountain, the big peak on the opposite side of the city from Huayna Picchu. It has the longest limit of any Circuit 1 route, 7 hours.
- 1-B, Upper Terrace: the terraces and nothing else. Book it when the photograph is the point; 2 hours 30 minutes is more than enough.
- 1-C, Inti Punku: the terraces plus the last stretch of the Inca Trail up to the Sun Gate. The regulation puts the walk at about 2 hours there and back, inside a 4-hour limit. High season only.
- 1-D, Inca Bridge: the terraces plus the narrow path along the cliff face to the Inca Bridge, about an hour there and back, with a 3-hour limit. High season only.
Circuit 2 (Classic): The Fullest Walk Through the City
Circuit 2 is the one most guides recommend for a first visit. It goes in through the old city gate and covers most of the urban sector: the quarries, the viewpoint over the Temple of the Sun, the Sacred Plaza with the Main Temple and the Temple of the Three Windows, the Sacred Rock, the storehouses (qolqas) and the stone water mirrors.
- 2-A, Designed route: the full city loop in 2 hours 30 minutes. It skirts below the terraces without climbing to either platform.
- 2-B, Lower Terrace: the same loop, starting from the lower platform below the Guardian’s House, which gives you a lower version of the postcard view before you go into the city. Same 2-hour-30-minute limit. If 2-B is available on your date, take it over 2-A.
Neither route reaches the upper platform, so the very highest angle on the city needs a Circuit 1 ticket.
Circuit 3 (Royalty): The Lower City and Huayna Picchu
Circuit 3 covers the lower, eastern side of the city, where the Inca nobility lived. The regulation lists the Temple of the Sun, the House of the Inca, the Three Doorways compound, the Doce Vanos (a building with twelve openings), the storehouses, the ceremonial fountains and the Temple of the Condor. It doesn’t go up to the terraces or into the Sacred Plaza.
- 3-A, Huayna Picchu: the lower city plus the Huayna Picchu climb, with a 6-hour limit. This is the only all-year route onto Huayna Picchu.
- 3-B, Designed route: the lower city on its own. It is the flattest route, and the Ministry’s map marks part of it for visitors with reduced mobility. 2 hours 30 minutes.
- 3-C, Great Cavern: Huayna Picchu, then the trail round the back of the mountain to the Great Cavern, often called the Temple of the Moon. 7 hours, high season only.
- 3-D, Huchuy Picchu: the lower city plus Huchuy Picchu, the much smaller hill beside Huayna Picchu. 3 hours 30 minutes, high season only.
Inca Trail Hikers Enter on Route 3-B
This is the rule that matters most to our own travelers. In November 2025 the Ministry of Culture added article 15-B to the Machu Picchu visitor regulation (Ministerial Resolution 000306-2025-MC). It sets aside a limited number of Route 3-B tickets each day for hikers arriving on the Inca Trail. Licensed agencies reserve and pay for them, within the citadel’s daily capacity.
So the Machu Picchu visit booked with your Inca Trail permit uses Route 3-B: the lower city, without the terraces, the Sacred Plaza or Huayna Picchu. If you also want the classic city walk, the postcard terraces or a summit, you need a second ticket on another circuit. Ask us to add it when you book the trek, because the morning slots on popular dates go weeks ahead in high season.
Our Inca Trail itinerary guide covers day 4, when you reach Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, and the 4-day classic Inca Trail page lists what our trek includes.
Which Machu Picchu Circuit Should You Book?
- A first visit on one ticket: Circuit 2. Pick Route 2-B if it is open on your date, since it adds the lower terrace view to the full city loop.
- The postcard photograph: Circuit 1, Route 1-B, ideally on an early slot. Pair it with a Circuit 2 ticket if you want the temples too. Our Machu Picchu photography guide covers light and timing.
- Limited mobility or a tight train connection: Route 3-B, the flattest route. Strollers and walking sticks are on the Ministry’s banned list, so check the current rules if you rely on either.
- A summit: Huayna Picchu (3-A) or Machu Picchu Mountain (1-A). They sit on different circuits; the next section compares them.
- Inca Trail hikers: your permit comes with Route 3-B. Add a 2-B or 1-B ticket if you want the classic city walk or the view from the terraces.
- A day trip from Cusco: Circuit 2, on a slot that fits the train times. Our Machu Picchu full day tour handles that timing, and a night in Aguas Calientes puts the 6:00 am slots within reach.
Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain?
Huayna Picchu is Route 3-A on Circuit 3; Machu Picchu Mountain is Route 1-A on Circuit 1. One ticket can’t include both, and each pairs the climb with only part of the city.
| Huayna Picchu | Machu Picchu Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket | Circuit 3, Route 3-A | Circuit 1, Route 1-A |
| Time the Ministry plans on the trail | About 3 hours | About 4 hours |
| Maximum stay | 6 hours | 7 hours |
| The climb | Short and steep: stone stairs, exposed sections, fixed cables | Longer and higher, on a steadier grade |
| The view | Close over the city | A wide panorama of the site and the Urubamba valley |
| Also on the ticket | The lower city (Circuit 3) | The terraces (Circuit 1), not the city |
Huayna Picchu sells out first, often weeks to months ahead from June to September. Both mountains have their own checkpoint with a timed entry and no grace period, so arriving late for your slot means you don’t climb. The regulation also sets 1:00 pm as the latest time to start down from either summit. In high season, Huchuy Picchu (3-D) is a gentler third option. Our Huayna Picchu vs Machu Picchu Mountain guide has 2026 prices, entry hours and how to add a climb to an Inca Trail booking.
Booking Rules That Catch People Out
- The ticket fixes everything. Date, entry time, circuit, route and name are set when you buy. The date and name can’t be changed, only a mistyped passport number, and there are no refunds except for force majeure.
- Entry slots run hourly from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm. You may arrive up to 30 minutes after your slot, or 45 minutes from 1 June to 15 October and on 30 and 31 December. The mountain checkpoints allow no lateness at all.
- The clock starts at the gate. Standard routes allow 2 hours 30 minutes. There is no re-entry on the same ticket, and visitors who overstay are escorted out.
- Bring the passport you booked with. Staff can ask for your ticket and ID inside the site as well as at the gate.
- Stay on your route. Paths are signposted and run in one direction. Walking onto a route your ticket doesn’t cover can get you removed from the site.
- Pack small. Bags over 40 × 35 × 20 cm, food, tripods, selfie sticks, umbrellas, walking sticks and drones are all banned.
- A guide is recommended, not required. The 2023 regulation recommends a licensed guide. On our treks and tours, your guide walks the route with you.
Tickets are sold on the Ministry’s official site, tuboleto.cultura.pe. When you book a trek or day tour with us, we pick the circuit, route and entry slot with you and buy the ticket as part of the itinerary. For the wider planning picture (getting there, when to go and what else to see), start with our Machu Picchu travel guide.
Related Articles
- Machu Picchu Travel Guide
- Machu Picchu Tickets 2026: Prices, Circuits & How to Buy
- Machu Picchu Photography Guide: Light, Viewpoints & Rules
- Aguas Calientes Hotels: Where to Stay Near Machu Picchu
- Sacred Valley Guide: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray & Maras
- Machu Picchu Full Day Tour from Cusco
About this guide: Checked on 3 October 2026 against the Ministry of Culture’s circuits page and official route maps, Ministerial Resolution 528-2023-MC (circuits, time limits and entry rules) and Ministerial Resolution 000306-2025-MC (Route 3-B for Inca Trail hikers). Time limits are the ones printed on the route maps.
Disclaimer: The Ministry of Culture can change circuits, routes, time limits and capacity by resolution, sometimes mid-season. Confirm the route and limit printed on your own ticket before you travel.