Machu Picchu By Train

It’s not hard to imagine why Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, went undiscovered for more than 400 years. Even today, the difficult-to-access hilltop ruins can only be reached via a four-day Inca Trail hike or by train from Cusco, South America’s oldest continuously inhabited city.

When it comes to getting to Machu Picchu in style, the clear choice is the Orient-Express Hiram Bingham train. Harking back to the heyday of rail travel, the train has plush, wood-accented seating, an observation car with bartenders in suits mixing pisco sours accompanied by live Peruvian music, and two dining cars where multicourse meals are prepared by an onboard chef and served on white-linen-dressed tables set with crystal and porcelain.

The shiny, retro-blue Hiram Bingham departs from 11,200 feet in Cusco, winding three-and-a-half hours through the mountainous landscapes of the Sacred Valley, and stopping at the still-populated Inca city of Ollantaytambo, where you can spend a night or two before continuing on your journey.