Straightfoward Instructions For Travelers: Machu Picchu

Hey guys, quick disclaimer, the information below is correct to the best of my knowledge as of March 21, 2014. If something changes, it won't be this blog. So check yo sh*t before traveling.

Hellllooooo...some time ago I created a blog post explaining, with certainty, how a traveler can hike the W in the Chilean Patagonia. Continuing in that theme, I wanted to post here directions for getting to Machu Picchu via planes, trains, and automobiles well, buses, and NOT the Inca Trail, which I would highly recommend though I have yet to participate in said endeavor.

Well, without further delay...

• Fly into Cuzco. Depending on where you are flying from you might have to fly through somewhere else, maybe Lima
• Take the train to Aguas Calientes. Make sure to ask for a seat with the river view, it’s worth it
• If you can/get there early enough, go straight to the park, otherwise stay a night
• To actually get to Machu Picchu from Agaus Calientes, you can take a bus OR walk it. 
• If you walk it, you take the stairs. They are not continuous. Of course the road that has been built for automobiles to take you to Machu Picchu is just a series of switchbacks. The walking route takes you straight up and across these switchbacks. So you take a set of steps and you reach the road again where it levels off. You take another set of steps, lather, rinse, repeat. I'd say it probably takes 1.5-2 hours to walk it, but I've never done it. I could be totally wrong. And, dude, it's walking. Up hill and up steps. Yeesh. AND BE CAREFUL. There are buses coming up and down the road all the time. So stay on the sides of the road, you nitwit.
• OR you can take the bus. Not sure how expensive it is, but it's not expensive. If you are coming in one day and going the next, buy tickets at the bus station the day before (I'm pretty sure this is possible). You can take the bus at 6 AM but the office selling the tickets opens at the same time, so if you don't want to waste your time if the buses are full OR you miss the first bus, buy the tickets the night before. Also, you should be able to walk to the bus station. Aguas Calientes is not a big town.
• To enter Machu Picchu, YOU MUST BUY TICKETS BEFOREHAND. You cannot buy them at the entrance. And you can buy them here, at the official site. I am pretty sure you can't buy tickets anywhere else but at this site. So if you find another site, cuidate. And the Peruvian government only sells a certain number of tickets for each day. They don't want the ruins getting, well, ruined. Too much traffic is bad for it, of course.
• There are 3 different tickets you can buy:
• One ticket is solely for Machu Picchu
• One ticket is for Machu Picchu + Huaynapicchu (for the English speakers, it kind of sounds like "Wayne uh Picchu". <-- DO THIS ONE. Huaynapicchu means "young mountain" or "young persons' mountain". It takes maybe 45-60 minutes to hike but, with a clear day, it gives you a spectacular view from above of Machu Picchu. And even without a clear day, the clouds still provide a fantastic view.
• Finally there is a ticket for Machu Picchu + Machu Mountain. I hear this is less traveled than Huaynapicchu but still great. It's your call.
• When you're there, just in regular ole Machu Picchu, walk to the Sun Gate. It takes like, an hour maybe? Maybe 1.5 hours? Who cares, just freaking do it. It's so worth it. It's where the Inca Trail actually ends and brings you into Machu Picchu but you can walk from the other side. The view is spectacular.
• You can do an entire visit in one day, but, of course, stay longer if you want. Then just do the reverse of the above trip to get you back to Cuzco.

And just for a little photo-y goodness...