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Major city · Peru

Ollantaytambo

Sleep 1–2 nights here on the Sacred Valley floor to break the climb to Cusco, see the ruins at opening and catch the early tourist train to Machu Picchu.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
PEN
Best months
May–Sep (dry season, clear mornings)
avoid Jan–Mar (heavy rain, wet trails)
Airport
CUZ
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the fir…
  • South America ↗Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the first day light; sleep lower where you can (Sacred Valley before Cusco) and descend if headache comes with vomiting or confusion.
  • South America ↗A yellow fever certificate is required on arrival in French Guiana, and asked for on some routes into Bolivia, Paraguay, Suriname and Guyana, or when arriving from Amazon areas — vaccinate at least 10 days before travel and carry the card.
  • South America ↗Overnight buses are the norm in Argentina, Chile and Peru, but pick top-tier companies and keep valuables on your body; on-board thefts from overhead racks are the common loss.
  • Peru ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Peru's migration authority (Migraciones) or a Peruvian consulate; keep the entry record you receive, as hotels may ask for it.
  • Peru ↗Machu Picchu entry is by timed ticket for a named circuit, with daily caps; in high season tickets sell out weeks or months ahead. Buy tickets only from the official Ministry of Culture seller or a licensed agency.
  • Peru ↗The classic Inca Trail needs a permit booked through a licensed operator, often months ahead; the trail closes every February for maintenance.
  • Peru ↗Altitude sickness is common above 2,500 m: ascend gradually, rest on day one, and ask a doctor before travel if you have heart or lung conditions.

Ollantaytambo is a living Inca town in the Sacred Valley and a stop on the rail line to Machu Picchu. Most travellers use it as a one- or two-night base between Cusco and Aguas Calientes: the fortress ruins are about a 2-minute walk from the main plaza, the old Inca grid surrounds it, and the Pinkuylluna storehouses above town are a steep 1–2 h hike. Two nights is enough; three if you add Patacancha or the Maras salt pans.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Ollantaytambo, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or espressocheckS/ 6–12
  • Beer650 ml bottlecheckS/ 10–18
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekcheckS/ 25–45
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personPEN 25
  • Mid-range bedPrivate double room, a night, per roomPEN 180
  • High-end bedPrivate double room, a night, per roomPEN 350

A day, not counting the bed: Budget PEN 90 · Mid PEN 180 · High PEN 350

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Ollantaytambo ruins (Inca fortress and temple)Pinkuylluna Inca storehousesLiving Inca old town and canalsTrain stop for Machu Picchu
Airports
CUZ Alejandro Velasco Astete, Cusco (About 1.5–2 h by road via Urubamba; no airport at Ollantaytambo.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Ollantaytambo: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

19°C

7°C

20 rd

Feb

19°C

7°C

18 rd

Mar

19°C

6°C

16 rd

Apr

20°C

5°C

9 rd

May

20°C

3°C

3 rd

Jun

20°C

1°C

2 rd

Jul

20°C

1°C

2 rd

Aug

21°C

2°C

3 rd

Sep

21°C

4°C

6 rd

Oct

21°C

6°C

10 rd

Nov

21°C

6°C

14 rd

Dec

20°C

7°C

18 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The town is walkable: train station to plaza about 400 m, plaza to ruins about 2 minutes. Moto-taxis and taxis wait at the station but are rarely needed. Buses run to Urubamba (about 30 min), where you change for Cusco (S/ 3–6); direct minibuses and shared taxis run from Cusco to Ollantaytambo in 1.5–2 h. A 2025 town ordinance keeps large vehicles out of the centre, so you may walk the last stretch to the ruins.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Patacancha

go

Door to door: Half day

Arrange transport or a tour from the plaza; road time and availability check

Weaving communities; go with a local operator and ask before photographing people.

Maras salt pans

go

Door to door: Half day

Taxi or tour via Urubamba, about 1 h

Combine with Moray on the same loop.

Pisac

caution

Door to door: Full day

Bus or taxi via Urubamba and the Cusco road, about 1.5–2 h

Long for a return trip; better as a stop on the way to Cusco.

Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu)

overnight

Door to door: Full day or overnight

Tourist train from Ollantaytambo station, about 1.5–2 h

Book PeruRail or Inca Rail in advance; earliest departures around 05:30.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Around the main plaza

Walk to ruins and restaurants; some noise from tour groups in the morning.

Train station area (Av. Ferrocarril)

Best for early trains to Aguas Calientes; 10–15 min walk to the plaza.

Old Inca town (Calle Lari and Calle del Horno)

Quiet cobbled lanes inside the Inca grid; 5–10 min uphill from the plaza.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
S/ 90–150 excl. bed
Mid
S/ 150–280 excl. bed
High
S/ 280+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Private double room1 × 2 nights × PEN 180PEN 360
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × PEN 180PEN 720
Boleto turístico parcial (2 days, Sacred Valley sites)2 × PEN 70 · checkPEN 140
Boleto turístico general (10 days, Cusco and valley)2 × PEN 130 · checkPEN 260
Local guide at the ruins1 × PEN 80 · S/ 20–100 depending on group size; checkPEN 80
eSIM, about a week of data2 × PEN 30 · checkPEN 60
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgePEN 162
Trip total≈ PEN 446 per person per day, bed includedPEN 1,782

check

2026 estimate in soles; flights and Machu Picchu train excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or espressocheckS/ 6–12
Menu del día (soup, main, drink)checkS/ 15–30
Trout or alpaca maincheckS/ 30–55
Beer, 650 ml bottlecheckS/ 10–18
Bus Ollantaytambo → UrubambaS/ 1.50
Shared taxi Ollantaytambo → CuscoS/ 15
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekcheckS/ 25–45

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Ollantaytambo is a small, low-crime town and safe to walk by day. The real risks are altitude, wet stone steps at the ruins and Pinkuylluna, and unlicensed chicha; keep to marked paths and tell your host where you are hiking.
  • Altitude 2,790 m: arrive from Cusco slowly, hydrate, skip alcohol on night one.
  • A 2025 town ordinance keeps large vehicles out of the centre — you may walk the last stretch to the ruins.
  • Chicha from houses with red bags on posts is sometimes brewed in unhygienic conditions; drink where food is also served.
  • Only the tourist train stops for visitors; riding the locals' train carries heavy fines.
  • Watch bags on buses after dark.

Emergency numbers

Police
105
Fire
116
SAMU ambulance
106

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

OllantaytamboOllantaytambo

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

A esta dirección, por favorTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police105
  • Fire116
  • SAMU ambulance106

Embassy

No embassies in Ollantaytambo; the US, UK and most others have embassies in Lima and a consular agency in Cusco.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Bus Ollantaytambo → Urubamba: S/ 1.50, about 30 min
  • Bus Urubamba → Cusco: S/ 3–6
  • Shared taxi Ollantaytambo → Cusco: S/ 15, 1.5–2 h
  • Tourist train Ollantaytambo → Aguas Calientes: check PeruRail or Inca Rail for current fares

Say or show

  • Disculpe — Excuse me / Sorry (dees-KOOL-peh)
  • Gracias — Thank you (GRAH-syahs)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it? (KWAN-toh KWES-tah)
  • La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please (lah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR)
  • ¿Dónde está la estación de tren? — Where is the train station? (DON-deh es-TAH lah es-tah-SYON deh tren)
  • Necesito ayuda — I need help (neh-seh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah)

Altitude 2,790 m — drink water, eat light on arrival and take the ruins slowly.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Ollantaytambo. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Sep (dry season, clear mornings) · avoid Jan–Mar (heavy rain, wet trails) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for CUZ: taxi and shared-van times field-checked, altitude rung, overnight fallback.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: plaza, ruins, Pinkuylluna, station.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (ruins, Pinkuylluna, Awamaki store) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Train-day fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Peru

Sources