If you’ve read any of our tour pages, you’ve seen us mention this ticket without fully explaining it — because doing it justice takes more than a sentence. Here’s the confusion in one line: some of our tours require it, some don’t, and the ones that do only need it for part of the visit. Getting this wrong is one of the most common ways travelers end up standing at a gate with the wrong ticket in hand.
Table of Contents
What It Actually Is
The Boleto Turístico del Cusco (BTC), officially administered by COSITUC (Comité de Servicios Integrados Turístico Culturales Cusco), is a personal, non-transferable pass that covers entry to 16 archaeological sites, museums, and cultural venues across the Cusco region. It’s not sold online through any official channel — you buy it in person, either at COSITUC’s main office on Av. El Sol 103 in Cusco, or at the entrance of several included sites themselves, including Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero.
It comes in two forms, and picking the wrong one is the single most common mistake travelers make.
Integral (General) vs. Parcial: The Difference That Matters
The Integral (General) ticket covers all 16 attractions and is valid for 10 consecutive days. It currently runs around S/130 for foreign adults (roughly $35 USD, though exchange rates shift). This is the better deal if you’re visiting more than one circuit during your trip.
The Parcial (partial) tickets cover a single circuit only, with shorter validity — typically 1 to 2 days — and currently run around S/70 per circuit. There are three circuits:
- Circuit I: Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay — the classic “City Tour” sites, 1-day validity
- Circuit II: City museums plus Tipón and Pikillacta in the South Valley — 2-day validity
- Circuit III: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Moray — 2-day validity
That last one is the circuit that matters most for our guests, since Moray is the site on our Maras, Moray & Salt Mines tour.
A practical rule of thumb: if Moray is the only BTC-covered site on your itinerary, the Circuit III partial ticket is enough — buying the full Integral just for one site is rarely worth it. If you’re also planning to see Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, or Ollantaytambo separately, the Integral usually works out cheaper than stacking multiple partial tickets.
Prices and validity windows are set by COSITUC and can change — check the official COSITUC tariff page for the current published rate before your trip, rather than relying on any single blog (including this one) for the exact number on the day you travel.
What’s Included on Our Tours — Site by Site
This is the part most guides skip, and it’s the part that actually matters for planning your day:
Maras, Moray & Salt Mines tour: Moray requires the Boleto Turístico (Circuit III or the Integral). The Maras Salt Mines do not — they charge their own separate local entrance fee, roughly S/15–20, paid in cash on site. This is the exact confusion we flag on that tour page: two stops on the same half-day route, only one of which needs the BTC.
Huaypo Lagoon tour: The lagoon itself is not part of the Boleto Turístico system. It has its own small entrance fee (roughly S/3–5). If you extend this tour to the Salt Mines, that’s the same separate local fee mentioned above, not the BTC.
Morada de los Dioses tour: Not part of the Boleto Turístico at all — it’s a contemporary art site, not one of COSITUC’s 16 official attractions. Its entrance fee is included in our tour price.
Rainbow Mountain tour: Also not part of the Boleto Turístico. Rainbow Mountain’s entrance fee is collected independently by the local community, roughly 25 PEN (~$7 USD), paid in cash at the site — a completely separate system from COSITUC.
Bottom line: across our four tours, only one site — Moray — actually requires the BTC. Everything else uses its own separate, smaller entrance fee.
What the BTC Does NOT Cover, Anywhere
Worth stating clearly, since it trips up a lot of travelers planning their broader Cusco itinerary: Machu Picchu, the Cusco Cathedral (which requires its own Circuito Religioso ticket), the Qorikancha/Temple of Santo Domingo (roughly S/15 separately), Rainbow Mountain, Humantay Lake, and Choquequirao are all outside the Boleto Turístico system entirely, regardless of which version you buy.
Age Discounts and Practical Details
Children up to age 9 enter free at all BTC-covered sites. Travelers aged 10–17 qualify for a student rate with valid ID. University students up to 25 with a valid ISIC or university card may also qualify for a discount at some sites — bring the physical card, not a photo of it.
The ticket is personal and non-transferable — it’s issued with your name and you’ll be asked for ID (passport or, for residents, DNI) at each site’s entrance. Each included attraction can only be visited once per ticket. Prices are set in Peruvian soles and paid in cash; foreign currency generally isn’t accepted at the ticket office or site entrances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need the Boleto Turístico for the Maras Salt Mines?
No. The Salt Mines charge their own separate local entrance fee, unrelated to the BTC system. Moray, on the same tour route, does require the BTC.
Do I need the Boleto Turístico for Rainbow Mountain?
No. Rainbow Mountain’s entrance fee is collected independently by the local community and has nothing to do with COSITUC or the BTC.
Can I buy the Boleto Turístico online in advance?
No — there’s no official online sales channel. It’s purchased in person, either at the COSITUC office in Cusco or at the entrance of several included sites.
Is the Integral ticket worth it if I’m only visiting Moray?
Usually not. If Moray is the only BTC site on your itinerary, the Circuit III partial ticket covers it at a lower cost than the full Integral.
Does the Boleto Turístico include Machu Picchu?
No. Machu Picchu requires its own separate entrance ticket through Peru’s Ministry of Culture, booked independently of the BTC.