Most people plan their entire Machu Picchu trip around a single moment: stepping through the entrance gate and seeing the citadel for the first time. That moment is everything it’s built up to be – but if your trip planning stops there, you’re missing a genuinely rich town at the base of the mountain. Machu Picchu Pueblo, better known as Aguas Calientes, has its own rhythm, its own food scene, and its own list of things worth doing before or after your ticketed circuit. Here are 10 worth building into your itinerary.
1. Soak in the Aguas Calientes Hot Springs
The town’s name literally means “hot waters,” a nod to the natural thermal baths a short walk from the center. After a long circuit or a demanding mountain hike, this is one of the best ways to unwind – warm, mineral-rich pools set against a backdrop of steep, forested cliffs. It’s a favorite for guests staying an extra night in town rather than rushing straight back to Cusco.
2. Visit the Museo de Sitio Manuel Chávez Ballón
Located near the Puente Ruinas bridge, close to the base of the trail up to the citadel, this small site museum offers valuable context before you enter the ruins – artifacts recovered from the site, historical background on the Inca engineering that built Machu Picchu, and information on the region’s ecology. It pairs naturally with a walk along the river and takes less than an hour.
3. Browse the Mercado Artesanal
Aguas Calientes’ craft market is one of the better places in the region to find handmade alpaca textiles, woven goods, and local artwork – often at more reasonable prices and with more direct contact with artisans than the larger markets in Cusco. It’s worth a slow browse rather than a rushed pass-through.
4. Walk the Urubamba Riverfront
The Urubamba River, which carved this dramatic valley over millions of years, runs directly through town. A quiet walk along its banks – especially near sunset, when the light hits the surrounding cliffs – is an easy, free way to appreciate the landscape without a ticket or a schedule attached.
5. Hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain
If you want more than the standard circuit, the mountain add-ons remain the top upgrade experience. Huayna Picchu is steep and narrow, with genuine exposure and an unbeatable view down over the citadel; Machu Picchu Mountain is longer but less technical, rewarding hikers with sweeping views across the whole valley. Both require a separate ticket with limited daily capacity, so book these as early as possible – especially during the June–October high season, when demand is highest.
6. Try a Peruvian Cooking Class
Aguas Calientes sits at the meeting point of Andean and Amazonian food traditions, and a growing number of restaurants and hotels now offer short cooking classes or tastings built around native potatoes, quinoa, river trout, and Amazonian fruits. It’s a hands-on way to understand Peruvian cuisine that goes well beyond a standard restaurant meal.
7. Ride – or Walk Alongside – the Train Route
Even if you’re not boarding a train right now, the rail line through town is part of the town’s identity, hugging the Urubamba as it winds toward Ollantaytambo. Watching the trains pass, or timing a walk along the tracks in the early evening, gives you a real sense of how isolated and dramatic this valley setting actually is.
8. Explore the Municipal Square (Plaza de Armas)
Aguas Calientes’ compact main square is a good spot to slow down, people-watch, and get a feel for daily life in a town that exists almost entirely around Machu Picchu tourism. It’s also where you’ll find some of the better casual restaurants for a relaxed lunch.
9. Take a Short Cloud-Forest Nature Walk
Several short, well-marked trails around town lead into the surrounding cloud forest, home to orchids, hummingbirds, and – with some luck – the occasional spectacled bear sighting. These walks are far less crowded than the citadel itself and offer a good way to experience the region’s biodiversity on a lower-key day.
10. Enjoy a Proper Peruvian Dinner Without Rushing
After a demanding day inside the citadel, one of the most underrated things to do in town is simply sit down for an unhurried dinner. Regional dishes like trucha (river trout), causa, and quinoa soup are widely available, and pairing a good meal with a pisco sour is a fitting way to close out the day.
Planning It All Around the 2026 Ticket Rules
Because Machu Picchu entrance tickets are now sold separately from Inca Trail permits, tied to a specific circuit and time slot, and non-transferable, it makes sense to treat your citadel visit as one part of a longer stay in town rather than a single rushed day trip. A two-night stay in Aguas Calientes gives you enough time to fit in a circuit, a mountain hike if you’ve booked one, and several of the activities above – without the stress of trying to squeeze everything into a few hours between train connections.
Where to Base Yourself
Having a comfortable, well-located hotel makes it much easier to enjoy everything Aguas Calientes has to offer, rather than just passing through. At Jaya Machupicchu Boutique Hotel, guests are within easy walking distance of the bus terminal, the hot springs, the craft market, and the town’s best restaurants – making it simple to build a fuller itinerary around the citadel visit itself. The hotel’s signature Jaya Suite also offers a quiet, comfortable place to recover between activities, with views over the surrounding cloud forest that extend the sense of place well beyond the ruins.
Final Thoughts
The citadel earns its reputation, but Aguas Calientes deserves more than a passing glance on your way to and from the bus terminal. Between the hot springs, the market, the food, and the short nature walks, there’s enough here to fill an extra day – and doing so tends to make the whole trip feel less like a single checked box and more like a genuine journey through this part of Peru.
Plan your stay and explore everything the town has to offer at Jaya Machupicchu Boutique Hotel.
References
- Peru Ministry of Culture official ticket platform: tuboleto.cultura.pe
- Peru’s official tourism board: peru.travel
- Jaya Machupicchu Boutique Hotel: https://jayamachupicchu.com/
