Air connections
Cusco's airport is five minutes from the centre of town by taxi, and has flights to Lima, Arequipa and Puerto Maldonado.
Bus connections
There are good bus connections to towns and places near Cusco, and to the major cities in the south of the country. There are also direct bus connections to Lima. The bus station is in the south of the city, passing the Pachacuteq monument. Most companies have offices in the bus station, although for some routes buses leave from elsewhere.
The Sacred Valley
There are direct buses from Cusco to Pisac and Urubamba. Buses to Pisac leave from Puputi 208, near the Garcilaso de la Vega school, and take 45 minutes. Buses to Urubamba leave from Av. Grau. The journey takes about 1½ hours.
Paucartambo
Buses to Paucartambo, and on to Pilcopata (for Tres Cruces) leave from near the Coliseo. There are several buses daily in the mornings.
Quillabamba
There are several companies operating buses to Quillabamba. Most leave from the Terminal Terrestre de Santiago, not the main bus station. Take a taxi from the centre. All companies are quite basic. The journey is quite spectacular and there are some hair-raising bends on the side of the mountain, so it is better to travel by day. This route is particularly dangerous in the rainy season. The journey takes about 8 hours. Morning buses leave around 8am and evening buses around 7pm. There are a number of companies, including Transportes Alto Urubamba, Turismo Mendivil, Ben Hur, Kamisea, Transportes Ampay and Carhuamayo.
Lima
There are a few companies that have direct buses to Lima, generally going via Abancay and Nazca. The road to Abancay is largely paved, although hair-raising; the road from Abancay to Nazca is unpaved and in rather poor condition. The journey to Lima takes approximately 24 hours. Many buses now take the route via Arequipa, which takes about the same length of time, but is on paved roads all the way.
Nazca
There are direct buses from Cusco to Nazca, which take around 18 hours. See the Lima section above for details.
Arequipa
Arequipa is approximately 10 hours from Cusco on a good paved road via Juliaca. There is also an unpaved road via Sicuani and Espinar. Check that your bus has heating, as it can get VERY cold at night as the route reaches almost 5,000m. Taking a day bus, which leaves around 6am, is a good idea as the route is safer and warmer during the day, and the views are interesting.
Puno
Puno is only about seven hours from Cusco on a good paved road. There are buses throughout the day, although many leave around 8pm, getting to Puno around 3am, which is not very pleasant. Taking a day bus is far preferable, as the journey is beautiful and you arrive at a far better time of day.
La Paz, Bolivia
To get to La Paz, it is generally necessary to take a bus to Puno and change from there. However, with some companies it is possible to buy a ticket to La Paz in Cusco, although you will still need to change buses in Puno.
Abancay
A couple of companies have direct buses to Abancay, 5 hours from Cusco. To get to Cachora for Choquequirau, get off at Sahuite from where it about a 30-minute walk.
Ayacucho
Despite being only 400km from Abancay, the journey from Cusco takes 20 hours; i.e. the journey from Abancay to Ayacucho takes 15 hours on a very bad road.
Train connections
There are two train stations in Cusco. The San Pedro station serves Machu Picchu, and the Wanchaq station is for Puno. The Wanchaq station is the main station and ticketing office from where tickets for all trains in the south of the country can be bought.
Machu Picchu
The only way to get to Machu Picchu is by train (unless you walk, but even then you must catch the train back to Cusco ). The train service is now run by Peru Rail, owned by the Orient Express Group, having been privatised in 1999. Services have improved, although prices have also risen sharply. The train station for Machu Picchu is the San Pedro station, although tickets are easier to buy at the Wanchaq Station. Tickets should be bought at least one day in advance, and much further for busy periods.
Ensure that you arrive early, as passengers are not let on to the train with less than five minutes to go. If you should miss the train, it is possible to take a taxi to Poroy where the train stops. A taxi is far quicker than the train, so you have time.
There is also a social train service, although this is only for locals. Tourists are not allowed on the train, and employees are very strict about this.
The train to Machu Picchu used to go on to Quillabamba. However, landslides and floods in 1998 washed away much of the line, and it appears unlikely that this route will ever be reopened, which is a shame as it was very beautiful.
Puno
There are trains to Puno on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays leaving at 8am, arriving in Puno at 6pm. There are 2 classes. Tourist class is a basic service, with simple carriages. First class is a fairly luxurious service, with a dining compartment, a bar compartment and a glass walled observation car.www.peru-guide.com - the most comprehensive travel guide to Peru available on the Internet.
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