How to get to Pisac from Cusco & Visit Pisac Ruins in 2025

Nestled within the mountains of the Sacred Valley, is the picturesque town of Pisac. This hippy town, with its cobblestone streets and beautiful colonial architecture makes for a perfect day trip from Cusco, or a great base to explore the rest of the Sacred Valley. 

Though the town itself is charming, home to an array of unique handicraft shops and cosy cafes, Pisacs main draw is the Pisac Ruins. 

Parque Arqueológico Pisac sits up on the mountain side, high above the town, offering panoramic views of the dramatic landscape. If you ask us, these are the most impressive ruins outside Machu Picchu. 

While living in Cusco for two months, we explored every inch of the Sacred Valley, and Pisac still remains one of our favourite spots. 

To help you discover all that Pisac has to offer, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide that includes how to get to Pisac from Cusco, things to do in Pisac, and the best way to visit the Pisac Ruins. 

How to get to Pisac from Cusco

Getting to Pisac from Cusco is very simple. As it’s well connected by public transport, with vans running frequently throughout the day, visiting Pisac independently is straight-forward and affordable. 

However, if you’re looking for a little more comfort, or you’re short on time and need a quick tour that’ll whisk you through the main sites of the Sacred Valley, then a private taxi or group tour may be for you. 

To help you decide, we’ll cover how to get to Pisac from Cusco in every way possible.   

Cusco to Pisac with Public Transport

The easiest and cheapest way to reach Pisac from Cusco is to take a local colectivo (shared van) from ‘Paradero a Pisac‘ on Puputi Street. 

To get here from the historic centre of Cusco, it takes around 20-30 minutes by foot. Alternatively you can take a local taxi which shouldn’t cost you more than S/5 ($1.50). Make sure to confirm the destination and agree to a price before you accept the ride. 

If you’re visiting just for the day, we recommend setting off early to enjoy it to the fullest. The vans leave when full from 7am in the morning, running frequently throughout the day, and cost S/5 ($1.50) per person each way.

The journey takes approximately 45 minutes and the driver will stop just before the bridge that leads into Pisac. Once you disembark, simply cross the bridge and you’ll be in Pisac town. 

To return to Cusco after your day in Pisac, head back to where the van dropped you off and wait at the opposite side of the road. You’ll find a small bus shelter where you can wait. 

As the colectivos run frequently, it shouldn’t be long until a van comes. However, depending on the season and time of day, it can be hard to find one with a free seat, so be prepared to squish in and stand up for some or all of the journey back. Be ready to flag the van down as it passes as it won’t stop if the driver doesn’t see anyone waiting. 

If you’re coming from elsewhere in the Sacred Valley, or want to travel onwards to a different town, check out our ultimate guide to the Sacred Valley for instructions on getting between towns. 

Cusco to Pisac by Private Taxi 

If you prefer a little more comfort and convenience, or are visiting in a larger group, you may opt to take a private taxi instead. This can often be arranged through your accommodation, or you can flag one down on the street. If you flag one down, it’s best practice to agree to the price before heading off.

A taxi can cost anywhere between S/60 ($16) and S/90 ($24) each way. If you book the taxi yourself rather than through your accommodation, it’s likely that you’ll be able to haggle it down. 

It’s possible to arrange for the same taxi to wait for you and take you back to Cusco. However, if you plan to hike to or from the ruins and take your time exploring Pisac, it’ll be more cost effective to grab a different taxi back to Cusco from Pisac once you’re ready to return. As it’s a popular tourist destination, there’s never a shortage of taxis waiting to take you back.   

Cusco to Pisac with a Tour 

If you’re only planning to visit Pisac, taking a tour is unnecessary and it won’t allow you the freedom to explore Pisac and its ruins at a leisurely pace.

However, if you’re short on time and want to take a tour that visits the main sites of the Sacred Valley in just one day, then this is a great option. Below is a tour that we recommend: 

From Cusco: Sacred Valley & Maras Salt Mines Tour with Lunch – This top rated tour includes a local guide, transport from Cusco and around the Sacred Valley, and a buffet lunch. It includes stops at all of the main sites across the Sacred Valley, including Pisac and its ruins. A benefit of taking this tour is that your guide will be able to teach you about the history as you explore each of the towns and archeological sites. This costs between $27 and $44 depending on which season you visit.

How to visit the Pisac Ruins 

Once you’ve arrived in Pisac, we highly recommend heading as early as possible to the Pisac Ruins as they get very crowded with tour groups, especially during the high season between June and September. 

There are a few alternative ways to reach the ruins. The quickest is via taxi, but it’s also possible to hike up to the archeological site and/or back down. 

To see as much of the ruins as possible and escape the crowds, we recommend taking a taxi up and hiking back down to the town. This will take you through the lower section of the ruins that are missed by most tourists.  

If you’re visiting on a tour, transport to the Pisac Ruins will be included in the package. 

By Return Taxi 

The easiest and quickest way to get to the Pisac Ruins from Pisac town independently is by taxi. 

The taxis wait on the Pisac side of the ‘Puente Pisac’ bridge and cost S/35 ($9.50) per car each way. If you have the time to wait for more people to fill the taxi (4 in total), it will take the cost down to S/10 ($2.70) per person. 

The taxi will take you to the upper entrance of the archaeological site. If you don’t have your entrance ticket yet, ask the driver to stop at the ticket office on the way up.

The upper entrance to Pisac Ruins leads to the top of the archaeological site which offers the best views over the valley. If you want to take the taxi back to the town, you’ll likely only see half of the ruins on the ‘short route’ which should take around 1 hour to explore. 

Though it’s not impossible to see all of the ruins when opting for a return taxi, it doesn’t make much sense. To get to the lower section of the ruins you’ll need to begin walking down towards Pisac town. 

Heading down and back up again means that you’ll need to ask your driver to wait longer which will cost you an extra fee. Not only this, but the altitude and steep steps make walking back up difficult, especially if you’re not acclimated. Due to this it makes more sense to continue walking down, eventually arriving back to the town by foot. 

Take a taxi to Pisac Ruins and hike back down

As we wanted to explore all of the Pisac Ruins, we opted to take a taxi to the upper entrance and hike back into town and we couldn’t recommend it more. 

The hike down from the upper ruins takes you through all of the ruins and away from the crowds. At points you may even have it all to yourself. It also gives you more time to take in the incredible views of the mountains, looking down on to Pisac town as you curve round the valley. 

The hike takes around 3 hours, taking into account time to explore the ruins and plenty of stops to take photos. As you’re beginning from the highest point, the hike is mostly downhill, with just a few short uphill sections. This is a great hike to do if you’ve just arrived into the region and want to get acclimated before moving on to more difficult hikes.  

Hike to Pisac Ruins and back

The cheapest, but also the most difficult and strenuous option, is to hike up to the ruins and back down. 

To get to the lower entrance of the ruins where the hike begins, head to the northwest corner of Pisac’s main plaza, past ‘Nuevo Mercado Artesanal de Pisac’ until you reach a wooden arch that says ‘Ministerio de Cultura, Pisaq’. 

Heading through the entrance, you’ll begin walking up cobbled stone steps and eventually reach the ticket gate where you’ll need to show or purchase your entrance ticket. The ticket booth opens at 8am so passing before this time means that you might be able to enter for free. However, be prepared to pay on your way back down instead. 

After this point the hike is mainly uphill. Though it’s not at all technical, the hike can be very difficult if you’re not used to hiking at altitude as the hike begins at 2,972 metres and reaches 3,300 metres. We don’t recommend this if you’re not yet acclimated. 

Hiking up and back down can take between 6-7 hours depending on your speed and how long you take to explore once you reach the ruins. However, once you reach the top, it’s likely that crowds will have started to form as tour groups roll in. 

Due to this we highly recommend taking a taxi up while it’s still quiet and enjoying a leisurely stroll down. However, if you’re on a tight budget or just really love a hike, this is a great option. 

Visit Pisac Ruins on a Tour

If you opt to take a tour around the Sacred Valley from Cusco, it’s likely that the Pisac Ruins will be included. This means that you’ll be transported to the upper entrance and given some time to explore the ruins.

Depending on your tour, you might have enough time to hike down, however you’ll probably only have time to explore the upper ruins before heading back to the van to continue to the next destination. 

Pisac Ruins Entrance Fees

To visit Pisac Ruins, you need a Cusco tourist ticket named ‘Boleto Turistico’ to enter. This ticket includes a few different ruins. Even if you only plan to visit Pisac Ruins, you’ll still have to purchase this ticket as stand alone tickets are not available. 

There are a few options when it comes to purchasing your Boleto Turistico:

• Sacred Valley Ruins ticket: For S/70 ($19) per person you can purchase a ticket that can be used over two consecutive days from the day of purchase. This ticket includes entrance into Pisac, Moray, Chinchero and Ollantaytambo.

• Cusco Ruins ticket: Also S/70 ($19) per person, is a second two day ticket that allows entrance into Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara and Tambomacha ruins.

• The full ticket: If you plan to visit all of these sites or need more than two days, the best thing to do is to purchase the full Boleto Turistico that will allow you access to 16 different sites and museums within Cusco and the Sacred Valley. This is valid for 10 consecutive days from the day of purchase and costs S/130 ($35).

Things to do in Pisac Town

This photogenic hippy town is set in a stunning part of the valley, where incredible mountain views can be enjoyed from traditional Incan streets. Just wandering the cobblestone alleyways in the old town, enjoying a coffee with a view or shopping for handicrafts can make for a perfect day.

Pisac used to be known for its artisanal markets, particularly on a Sunday. However, the markets now run all week and are not something we’d recommend going out of your way for. 

The majority of the stalls here sell the same generic things that you can buy all over Cusco, or in any part of Peru if we’re being completely honest.

However, if you wander further from the main square and around the town, you can still find little shops selling authentic handicrafts that are made with traditional techniques.

Pisac also has some must-try restaurants and cafes, especially if you are looking for delicious vegan and vegetarian food. SolSeed is one that we recommend. It serves tasty organic food with amazing vegan and vegetarian options. Others we recommend are Apu Organic Nativo and El Cafe Feliz.

FAQ’s

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