The most atmospheric town in the Sacred Valley and one of the best-preserved Inca settlements anywhere in Peru. The town below sits on the original Inca grid — perfectly rectangular streets with stone water channels running down the middle of each — and many of the houses are built on foundations laid in the 15th century.
Above the town, the great Inca complex climbs up the side of a steep mountain in a series of vast terraces that lead to an unfinished ceremonial precinct at the top. The Sun Temple here is built from giant pink-stone blocks brought from a quarry on the opposite side of the valley — one of the most remarkable feats of pre-Hispanic stone transport in the Americas.
The town is also the train terminus for Machu Picchu. Trains for Aguas Calientes leave from a small station ten minutes' walk from the central plaza throughout the day. Many travellers spend a night here — it is far more pleasant than Aguas Calientes and a good base for the rest of the valley.