The Cusco tourist ticket is an essential buy when visiting the city as you will need this to enter most of the more famous archeological sites and attractions. The ticket can be bought as one off that covers all the attractions or it can be split into three separate tickets that cover three different regions of the area.
As far as we could tell in our research, before we bought one, you cannot gain entry to the sites without it on a one off basis. If you want to visit one you have to have the ticket that covers that sector. I know it sounds complicated and if we had known before we got here we may have organised our time differently.
The Boleto Turistico or Cusco tourist ticket is an all in one ticket for the major archeological sites, museums and Galleries in and around the city of Cusco. More importantly, not included, is entry to Machu Picchu. This ticket has to be bought separately and usually in advance.
It’s not all inclusive. There are major tourist attractions that are not included in the ticket as well as the above mentioned Machu Picchu. You will find all the details of what’s included in each form of the ticket below. It seems complicated but as long as you do your research you should be ok. In all our posts relating to Cusco and the surrounding area we tell you the cost of entry and if its included on the tourist ticket.
You cannot buy the ticket online you have to go to one of the two offices in Cusco in person to purchase it. COSITUC main office at the Tourist Galleries, Av. Sol N ° 103 (Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm). Or you can get them at the OFEC branch offices at Street Garcilaso s/n (Monday to Saturday 8.00 am to 5.00 pm and Sunday 8.00 am to 8.00 pm).
You can also buy them at any of the sites featured on the ticket. If you turn up at the site entrance you cannot just buy a ticket to the one site you will be charged the cost of the tourist ticket that includes the site your entering, so basically either the cost of the full ticket or the cost of the individual circuit.
If you have plenty of time and want to visit everything the tickets covers then you can buy the full ticket that lasts for ten days. If you’re short of time or you just want to visit a particular area then the ticket can be split as detailed below.
This ticket covers the four main archeological sites close to the city of Cusco, Saqsaywamam, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay and Q’enco. All the sites are close to Cusco and close together but the ticket is only valid for one day, the day of purchase, and you can only visit each site once. Don’t enter a site and then expect to get back in if you leave for any reason. We have made this mistake at other places in the past and it’s really annoying when you discover you can’t get back in. Make sure you take plenty water with you and have everything you need for your visit.
This ticket covers the main museums in Cusco; The Regional Historical Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Popular Art Museum, The Qoricancha Site Museum and The Qosqo Center for Native Art. It also gets you into the Monument to the Inca Pachacuteq and the South Valley archeological sites of Pikillaqta and Tipón. The South valley is much less touristed than other areas but is still worth a visit. You even get a local folk dancing show included which we really enjoyed. For more information on the museums of Cusco we enjoyed check out our Cusco Museum guide.
This tickets gains access to these four sites in the Sacred Valley; Ollantaytambo, Moray, Pisac and Chinchero. These are four major sites and two days is not a long time to visit but it can be done with an arranged tour. For more information on these sites check out our guide to The Sacred Valley for more information.
If you want to visit all of the above and have enough time we recommend you plan buy the full ten day ticket then arrange your stay around this so you only have to buy the one ticket. So if you’re in Cusco for one of the multi-day treks you could plan to take your ten day ticket before and use it as you acclimatise or after and enjoy a more relaxed time after the big trek. We choose to buy the ticket after our Inca Trail Trek and spend a few days visiting some of the villages in the Sacred Valley before moving on to Puno on the train.
The Cusco Tourist Ticket may appear a complicated system but it is quite simple once you get your head around it. Having the choices of circuits and a complete ticket means you can plan your time in Cusco and see all that you need to see at your pace. We think the Ten day ticket is fantastic value as it enabled us to see everything we wanted to see at a great price. The sites are well managed and there is a super map on the back of the ticket so you can navigate between sites easily. We hope you enjoy your time in Cusco as much as we did.
We have always tended to use Booking.com having said that if your on a tight budget another good site to try as a comparison is Hostelworld, If your looking to compare different sites you can do that on Hotellook, we tend to look on here first to make sure we are getting the best deal.
You can book your visits as you go at the entrance to your chosen attraction or site. Or you could use the following links to book in advance or just to find out what your choices are in the area. GetYourGuide and Tiqets are our go to choices you could try Viator to see how they compare.
For a full list check out our resources page. Don’t forget always shop around to find the best deal for you. What works for us should be good for you but it’s always reassuring to check.
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Cusco has a wide variety of Churches and Monasteries ranging from small local churches to the main Cusco Cathedral which dominates the Plaza de Armas in the centre of town.
The Sacred Valley sits in Peru’s Andean highlands, with Cusco and the ancient city of Machu Picchu, it formed the heart of the Inca Empire. Stretching roughly 60 kilometers, it’s an area of fertile farmland and Spanish colonial villages like Pisac and Ollantaytambo
Tipon & Pikillaqta are two archeological sites that are located in Cusco’s less visited southern valley. Tipon is a large Incan site believed to be from the early fifteenth century, while Pikillaqta was built by the Wari culture that predates the Incans.
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