A Guide to Cusco’s Boleto Turistico (Tourist Ticket)

If you’re just planning the Cusco and Sacred Valley section of your Peru itinerary, then you need to know about the Boleto Turistico, which is essentially Cusco’s tourist ticket.

Many tourists only come to Cusco to visit Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. However, Cusco and the Sacred Valley are much more than just Machu Picchu. Therefore, if your itinerary allows for an extra few days, we highly recommend taking a few day trips from Cusco and seeing more of this stunning part of the country.

Even if you only have time to explore Cusco itself, you’ll likely have to buy the Boleto Turistico at one of the popular sites anyway. Therefore, we’ve put together this short guide that answers all the frequently asked questions regarding the Boleto Turistico. It’s always good to arrive prepared and know which variation of the tourist ticket is worth spending your money on.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in Cusco, then make sure to watch our video on YouTube. For more Peru videos, check out the Peru Playlist on our YouTube channel.

What is the Boleto Turistico in Cusco

Nowadays, buying a tourist pass that allows you to enter certain attractions isn’t a completely new concept and you may have already purchased something similar previously.

Well, Cusco’s Boleto Turistico is a single ticket that essentially allows you to enter some of the best archaeological sites and museums scattered around Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

Probably the only main difference between Cusco’s Tourist ticket and a traditional tourist pass is that the only way to enter the sites included in the Boleto Turistico is to buy the ticket itself. There’s basically no other admission options for any of those sites. In other places you would normally have the option to buy a single entry ticket to an attraction without having to purchase a tourist pass.

It’s worth noting that there are two types of Boleto Turistico you can purchase. One is called Integral Tourist Ticket and the other one is called Partial Tourist Ticket. We’ll discuss what’s included in each below.

What is Included in the Boleto Turistico

Before you purchase either the Integral or the Partial Tourist Ticket, make sure to see what’s included with each of them.

Note. It’s worth highlighting that whilst many impressive and popular Incan Ruins are included in the Boleto Turistico, unfortunately Machu Picchu is NOT included.

Integral Tourist Ticket

With the Integral Tourist Ticket you can visit all 16 sites that you would need to purchase a Boleto Turistico to gain entry to. Below is a list of sites that are all included in the Boleto Turistico organised by areas:

Archaeological Sites and Museums in Cusco

• Sacsayhuaman Ruins – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Q’enco Archaeological Complex – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Tambomachay Ruins – Just outside of Cusco
• Puka Pukara Archaeological Complex – Just outside of Cusco
• Regional Historical Museum of Cusco (Museo Histórico Regional) – Cusco Historic Centre
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo) – Cusco Historic Centre
• Museo de Arte Popular – Cusco Historic Centre
• Museo de Sitio de Qorikancha – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Monumento al Inca Pachacutec – Outside Cusco Historic Centre

Note. Your ticket to Qorikancha will only allow access to the outdoor gardens. You’ll be required to buy an additional entry for the museum and Inca temple inside.

Archaeological Sites and Museums Outside of Cusco

• Archaeological Park Tipón (Parque Arqueológico de Tipón) – Outside of Tipon
• Archaeological Park Pikillacta (Parque Arqueológico de Pikillacta) – Outside of Huarcapay
• Ollantaytambo Sanctuary (Sitio Arqueológico De Ollantaytambo) – Ollantaytambo
• Archaeological Park Pisac (Parque Arqueológico Pisac) – Pisac
• Ruins of Chinchero (Centro Arqueológico de Chinchero) – Chinchero
• Moray Archaeological Site – Outside of Maras

Partial Tourist Ticket

In case you’re short on time in Cusco and won’t be able to visit most of the sites listed above, then you can just purchase the Partial Tourist Ticket.

This offers 3 circuits you can choose from and each circuit will include different sites. So, it’s probably best to look through which sites you want to visit or have time for before committing to one as you won’t be able to mix and match.

Circuit I: Archaeological Sites in Cusco

With a Circuit I ticket, you’ll be able to visit some of the most popular Incan ruins located in Cusco.

• Sacsayhuaman Ruins – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Q’enco Archaeological Complex – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Tambomachay Ruins – Just outside of Cusco
• Puka Pukara Archaeological Complex – Just outside of Cusco

Circuit II: Museums and Archaeological Sites in Cusco and the Southern Valley

The Circuit II ticket allows you to visit a few museums scattered around Cusco and two archaeological sites located just outside of the city.

• Regional Historical Museum of Cusco (Museo Histórico Regional) – Cusco Historic Centre
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte contemporáneo) – Cusco Historic Centre
• Museo de Arte Popular – Cusco Historic Centre
• Museo de Sitio de Qorikancha – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo – Just outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Monumento al Inca Pachacutec – Outside Cusco Historic Centre
• Archaeological Park Tipón (Parque arqueológico de Tipón) – Outside of Tipon
• Archaeological Park Pikillacta (Parque arqueológico de Pikillacta) – Outside of Huarcapay

Note. Your ticket to Qorikancha will only allow access to the outdoor gardens. You’ll be required to buy an additional entry for the museum and Inca temple inside.

Circuit III: Archaeological sites in the Sacred Valley of the Incas

The Circuit III ticket will only be valid for four amazing Incan ruins located in the Sacred Valley. This variation of the Partial ticket is only worth buying if you don’t want to visit any other sites in Cusco. Otherwise, it’s better to buy the Integral Tourist Ticket.

• Ollantaytambo Sanctuary (Sitio Arqueológico De Ollantaytambo) – Ollantaytambo
• Archaeological Park Pisac (Parque Arqueológico Pisac) – Pisac
• Ruins of Chinchero (Centro Arqueológico de Chinchero) – Chinchero
• Moray Archaeological Site – Outside of Maras

How Much is the Cusco Boleto Turistico

The Integral Tourist Ticket which includes all 16 sites costs S/.130 (35.40 USD) for foreign tourists. If you have a valid student card, then you can purchase the same ticket for S/.70 (19 USD).

You can buy one of the Circuits of the Partial Tourist Ticket for only S/.70 (19 USD). If you’re a student, the cost of the ticket is S/. 40 (11 USD).

You cannot enter any of the above sites without buying the Boleto Turistico. This tourist ticket is basically your entry fee whether you only plan on visiting one or all of them.

You can buy the Boleto Turistico at any of the sites listed above or from the Tourist office located at Av. El Sol 103 in Cusco. They will give you your ticket, put your name on it and punch a hole every time you visit a new site.

Note. You may have to present your national identity card or passport and/or student card when entering a site with your Boleto Turistico. Since the ticket will have your name on it, it’s worth having identification on you.

How Long is the Boleto Turistico Valid for?

The Integral Tourist Ticket is valid for 10 calendar days. Circuit I of the Partial Tourist Ticket is only valid for one day, whereas Circuits II and III are valid for 2 days.

Since most tourists wouldn’t generally spend longer than 10 days in the area, it’s enough time to see the majority of the 16 sites included in the Integral Tourist Ticket.

We spent an entire month in Cusco, so we had to make sure that we planned our time there well without having to re-purchase the ticket. Therefore, if you’re planning on basing yourself in Cusco for a longer period of time, just make sure to fit all the sites you want to see in during the 10-day time frame.

Do You Need to Buy the Boleto Turistico if you’re Visiting with a Tour?

In short, yes.

Even if you’re visiting these sites as part of a tour, you’ll have to purchase the Boleto Turistico in addition to your guided tour cost.

Therefore, we recommend bearing the additional cost of the tourist ticket in mind when booking any organised tour, so you won’t end up paying a lot more than you initially thought.

Is the Boleto Turistico Worth it?

We believe that Cusco’s Boleto Turistico is worth purchasing regardless of whether you’re in Cusco for only a few days or will be spending longer in the area. You also have no other entry options for these sites, so you can either visit as many as you can or not visit them at all. The main question is really whether you should buy the Integral or the Partial Tourist Ticket.

If you’re visiting for longer, then it’s definitely worth buying the Integral Ticket that includes all the sites.

In case you only have a day or so in Cusco, then consider buying either Circuit I or Circuit II of the Partial Ticket. We personally think that Circuit I is much better, since it includes some of the best Incan sites you can visit without leaving Cusco. However, if you prefer visiting museums, then you can also consider Circuit II.

Final Thoughts on Buying the Boleto Turistico

Apart from the fact that we had to plan our Cusco itinerary carefully to make sure we fit everything in within the 10 consecutive day period, we didn’t have any trouble purchasing or using our Boleto Turistico.

Our main tip for anyone visiting Cusco and the Sacred Valley is to really have a good idea what places you want to or have time to visit during your stay. You really don’t want to buy the full ticket if you won’t visit half of the sites listed on it.

Have you ever been to Cusco and bought the Boleto Turistico? If so, then which sites did you manage to visit? If not, which ticket do you think you would purchase when you’re in the city? Let us know in the comments below.