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Updated October 18, 2026. Published by Florian Rolke.

Cusco Tourist Ticket: Which Sites Need Which Pass

Published by Florian Rolke

If you're planning Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray, Sacsayhuaman or the South Valley museums, you'll run into the Cusco tourist ticket, officially called the boleto turistico. It's easy to assume one ticket covers everything in the region. It doesn't. Here is exactly what each circuit includes, what it leaves out, and how to pick the right version for your actual itinerary.

What is the Cusco tourist ticket, exactly?

The boleto turistico is a combined admission issued by COSITUC covering sixteen sites split across three circuits. The integral version covers all three circuits and is valid for 10 days from the date you buy it. Partial versions cover a single circuit each. It is personal, requires identity documentation to use, and admission does not include a guide or transport, so you still need to arrange those separately for each stop.

Sources: Cusco tourist ticket tariff table; Cusco tourist ticket visitor FAQ.

What does each circuit actually cover?

Circuit I covers four sites close to Cusco city: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay. Circuit II covers a mix of city museums and South Valley archaeological sites: the Regional Historical Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, Popular Art Museum, the Qorikancha site museum, the Qosqo Native Art Center, the Pachacutec Monument, and the sites of Tipon and Pikillaqta. Circuit III is the Sacred Valley circuit: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray.

A few things worth flagging before you assume coverage. The Qorikancha listing is specifically the site museum, not general admission to the full Qorikancha/Santo Domingo complex, so don't treat the ticket as your pass into the whole temple complex. And Moray is covered here under Circuit III, but the nearby Maras salt pans are not on this list at all, because they're administered separately by the community-owned Marasal. If you're planning both stops together, our Maras and Moray guide covers how that split works in practice.

Sources: Circuit III: Sacred Valley.

Sources: Circuit I: Sacsayhuaman.

Sources: Circuit II: City and South Valley.

Sources: Salineras de Maras inventory1813.

Which Sacred Valley stops need this ticket versus their own ticket?

Integral or partial: which should you buy?

If your plan only touches one circuit, such as a Sacred Valley day covering Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Moray, a partial Circuit III ticket covers that without paying for sites you won't visit. If you're also planning time around Cusco city ruins or the South Valley museums, the integral ticket covers all three circuits for one combined price and is valid across a 10-day window, which suits travelers spreading these stops across a longer Cusco stay rather than a single rushed day.

Published ticket prices checked October 18, 2026 (Peruvian soles):

COSITUC lists student eligibility at ages 10 to 17 with identity documentation, and ages 18 to 25 with a current student card or ISIC. It does not list a separate student price for partial Circuit III. Its FAQ also describes promotional eligibility for qualifying residents of Peru; confirm the required residency proof before relying on that category. CAN nationality alone does not receive a separate discount. Confirm your category, documents, final amount and validity at COSITUC's point of purchase before paying; this dated price check does not guarantee future rates or resolve the validity discrepancies discussed below.

Sources: COSITUC tariff table; COSITUC visitor FAQ.

Worksheet: picking your ticket by itinerary

Hypothetical scenario: A traveler spending four nights in Cusco plans a city walking day to Sacsayhuaman, a museum afternoon, and a separate Sacred Valley day with a private driver to Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Moray. Because their itinerary touches all three circuits across different days within that 10-day window, the integral ticket is the more efficient buy rather than purchasing two or three partial tickets separately.

Sources: Cusco tourist ticket tariff table; Cusco tourist ticket visitor FAQ.

Where do you actually buy it?

COSITUC's own visitor FAQ lists the central counter at El Sol 103 in Cusco plus sales windows at the covered sites themselves, with some named exceptions, and states that purchase happens in person. The ticket's website also shows a login or "view tickets" option that suggests some online facility exists, but an actual online purchase was not verified as part of this research, so don't assume online checkout works the way it might on a typical booking site. If buying online matters to your plan, confirm current availability directly with COSITUC before relying on it.

Sources: Cusco tourist ticket visitor FAQ.

When does the ticket's validity start?

According to COSITUC's FAQ, validity begins on the date of purchase, and the issuer recommends buying it on your first visit day rather than in advance. That timing detail matters if you're trying to stretch a 10-day integral ticket across a longer trip. Buy it too early relative to your actual sightseeing days and you lose days off the window before you've used them.

Sources: Cusco tourist ticket visitor FAQ.

Who qualifies for student or child pricing?

COSITUC's published eligibility lists student pricing for ages 10 to 17 with identity documentation, and ages 18 to 25 with a current student card or ISIC. Its FAQ separately states that children through age 9 do not pay, with one named seating exception at the Qosqo Native Art Center starting from age 6. These eligibility rules are specific to this ticket; they do not transfer to Machu Picchu admission, Maras, hot springs or rail tickets, which each set their own age categories. For the Machu Picchu-specific rules, see our guide on student and child tickets.

Sources: Cusco tourist ticket tariff table; Cusco tourist ticket visitor FAQ.

Does this ticket include a guide or transport?

No. COSITUC states explicitly that the ticket is admission only, with no guide or transport included. You arrange a guide separately at each site if you want one, and you'll need your own transport between stops, whether that's a private driver, a tour van, or public transport. If you're weighing whether to arrange the Sacred Valley yourself or book a tour that bundles transport and guiding, our independent or tour guide covers that broader decision.

Sources: Cusco tourist ticket visitor FAQ.

Why do some published day-limits not match?

COSITUC's own tariff table and some of its individual product pages don't fully agree with each other. The national Circuit II and Circuit III product cards show a 2-day validity window in one place while the general tariff table shows 1 day; a related foreign Circuit I product card shows 1 day in one place against 5 days elsewhere. This is a genuine inconsistency across COSITUC's own published pages, not a typo you can safely resolve on your own. If the exact validity window matters to your plans, especially if you're spacing sites across more than a single day, confirm the specific day-limit for your exact ticket type directly with COSITUC or at the point of purchase before you rely on it.

Sources: National partial Circuit II product card.

How does this connect to your broader Sacred Valley plan?

This ticket only governs admission to the sites it lists; it doesn't resolve how many days to spend in the valley, where to sleep, or how to sequence stops. For that broader planning, see our guides on how many days you need for Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, Cusco or Sacred Valley for where to base yourself, and what you can see in one Sacred Valley day if your time is tight.

Sources

Cusco tourist ticket tariff table

Cusco tourist ticket visitor FAQ

Circuit III: Sacred Valley

Circuit I: Sacsayhuaman

Circuit II: City and South Valley

Salineras de Maras inventory1813

National partial Circuit II product card