What is the Boleto Turistico?
The Boleto Turistico is a ticket package to a variety of sites in a particular location in Peru. (The main site that it does not include is Machu Picchu.) Rather than paying for just one site, the Peruvian government has bundled the different attractions into a larger ticket. Unfortunately, you cannot visit the sites on the Boleto Turistico without this ticket package. You also can only go to each site one time per ticket.
The main location that has a Boleto Turistico is Cusco, Peru. However, the Colca Canyon also has a ticket bundle that will allow you into the canyon. For this article, we will focus on the Boleto Turistico in Cusco because it is the main ticket that you will purchase during your time in Peru.
The tours will not include the ticket in their price and you will need to purchase it independently (although, you typically can purchase the Boleto Turistico at the first stop of the tour.)
What is included in the Boleto Turistico? How much does it cost?
There are a few different Boleto Turisticos that you can purchase in Cusco and only one for the Colca Canyon. We will go through each of these and talk about the benefits of each ticket bundle.
Boleto Turistico General - Complete Cusco Tourist Ticket Package
The Boleto Turistico General contains 16 different destinations within and around Cusco. These destinations include:
- Museo Historico Regional
- Museo de Arte Contemporaneo
- Museo de Arte Popular
- Museo de Sitio Qorikancha
- Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo
- Monumento al Inca Pachacuteq
- Pikillaqta
- Tipon
- Chinchero
- Moray
- Ollantaytambo
- Pisaq
- Tambomachay
- Puka Pukara
- Q’enqo
- Saqsayhuman
If you are going to do the City Tour and a tour of the Sacred Valley, you will need to purchase the complete Boleto Turistico because of the number of these sites that you will have the chance to visit. In addition, the museums (numbered 13-16) can be visited on your own within Cusco to get more information about the local culture. Our tour guide recommended the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, and the Museo Historico Regional as supplementary locations to explore. Ask your tour guide what they would recommend you visit based on your own interests in the region.
Cost: 130 Soles for foreign
Validity: 10 days from when you purchase
Boleto Turistico Parcial - Partial Cusco Tourist Ticket Package
There are also some Boletos Turisticos in Cusco that provide a package for a limited number of destinations. These are appropriate for people who are going on particular tours to these locations without the intention of visiting all the sites. You will want to talk to your tour agency to make sure that you are getting the appropriate ticket package so you can avoid paying for more than you truly need.
Circuit 1 - Cusco City Tour
This partial Cusco Tourist Ticket package includes 4 entrances to sites right outside of Cusco. These are the sites that are visited on the city tour. If this is the only tour that you are doing when you are visiting Cusco, then you do not need to purchase the complete tourist ticket and can just purchase the Circuit 1 package. The destinations included in this ticket are:
- Tambomachay
- Puka Pukara
- Q’enqo
- Saqsayhuman
Cost: 70 Soles for foreign
Validity: 2 days from when you purchase
Circuit 2 - City & South Sacred Valley
The Circuit 2 destinations are the least visited destinations in all of Cusco, and the least exciting. Look into the different destinations on this circuit before purchasing.
- Museo Historico Regional
- Museo de Arte Contemporaneo
- Museo de Arte Popular
- Museo de Sitio Qorikancha
- Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo
- Monumento al Inca Pachacuteq
- Pikillaqta
- Tipon
Cost: 70 Soles for foreign
Validity: 2 days from when you purchase
Circuit 3 - Sacred Valley
This partial Cusco Tourist Ticket package includes 4 entrances to sites in the Sacred Valley. These are the sites that are visited on the Sacred Valley tour. If this is the only tour that you are doing when you are visiting Cusco, then you do not need to purchase the complete tourist ticket and can just purchase the Circuit 3 package. The destinations included in this ticket are:
- Chinchero
- Moray
- Ollantaytambo
- Pisaq
Cost: 70 Soles for foreign
Validity: 2 days from when you purchase
Colca Canyon's Boleto Turistico
Colca Canyon also has a Boleto Turistico that gives you access to the Colca Canyon and will allow you to hike through the canyon. This ticket gets checked at specific points throughout the main roads of Colca Canyon and throughout the hike that takes you into the canyon itself. While most people purchase the ticket just to visit the Colca Canyon, the ticket includes 4 different destinations including:
- Colca Canyon
- Salinas
- Aguada Blanca
- Andagua Valley of the Volcanoes
Cost: 70 Soles for foreign
Validity: 7 days from when you purchase
Where can I purchase my Boleto Turistico?
In Cusco, you can purchase any of the Boletos Turisticos from the COSITUC office within the historic center of Cusco. You will need your passport to receive the ticket and can only purchase it in cash. If you cannot go to this tourist office in town, you can also purchase your ticket at the first site of your tour which is on the Boleto Turistico. You will need to write your name on the ticket and the date of purchase is the start of the validity of the ticket. Keep this in mind when purchasing your ticket.
For the Colca Canyon Boleto Turistico, you can purchase the ticket from the tourist office in Arequipa. Similar to the experience in Cusco, you can also purchase the ticket while you are on your tour or at the first checkpoint on the hike.