From Cusco · Andahuaylillas · Raqchi · La Raya · Pucara · Puno
Cusco to Puno: Bus, Sightseeing Bus or Train
The Route of the Sun by sightseeing bus: the painted church of Andahuaylillas, the Inca temple of Raqchi, a buffet lunch near Sicuani, the La Raya pass and the Pucara museum, from Cusco at 6:10 to Puno at about 5:30 pm.
- 4.7 / 5 677+ Reviews
- 4 Stops With a Guide
- Buffet Lunch Near Sicuani
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Route of the Sun Covers
Four stops between Cusco and the lake, with a guide and lunch, on the road you would drive anyway.
Highlights
- See the painted 16th-century church of Andahuaylillas
- Walk the Inca temple of Wiracocha at Raqchi, with walls about 15 m high
- Buffet lunch near Sicuani
- Stop at the La Raya pass, the highest point of the journey
- Visit the Pucara museum before the last stretch to Puno
What's Included
- Private, luxury bus transport to Puno
- Stay connected with Starlink High-speed Wi-Fi (Only with Inka Express for this route)
- Professional bilingual guides
- Guided visit to Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, La Raya, and the Lithic Museum of Pucará
- Buffet Lunch in Marangani – Sicuani
- Complimentary Onboard Refreshments: Welcome snack box with bottled water, juice, crackers and a cereal bar, plus tea & coffee served during the journey
- Clean bathroom onboard
- Heating & A/C
- Oxygen tank for altitude comfort
Not Included: Entrance tickets for Andahuaylillas, Raqchi Complex, and Pucara Museum (must be paid in person on arrival as this goes directly to the communities) – 53 soles total ($13 approx.)
How the Cusco to Puno Sightseeing Bus Works
One long day on the road: an early start in Cusco, four stops with a guide, and Puno by early evening.
Depart Cusco at 6:10
The bus leaves from the operator's terminal on Avenida Alameda Pachacuteq in Cusco. Bring soles in cash for the entrance fees at the stops: S/53 in all on the listing.
Andahuaylillas and Raqchi
About 7:40 at the painted church of Andahuaylillas, then about 10:15 at Raqchi and the temple of Wiracocha.
Lunch and La Raya
Buffet lunch around 11:35 near Sicuani, then the climb to the La Raya pass, the border between the Cusco and Puno regions, at about 2:15 pm.
Pucara and Puno
About 3:20 pm at the Pucara museum, then the last stretch across the altiplano to Puno's bus terminal, at about 5:30 pm.
Photo Gallery
The Route of the Sun
Photos from the listing: Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, the high pass and the altiplano.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Cusco to Puno: Three Ways to Go
The sightseeing bus, the night coach with the islands on arrival, or the train. Prices and ratings from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026; train times from PeruRail.
| Feature | BEST VALUE Route of the Sun Sightseeing Bus | Night Coach + Uros and Taquile Day | PeruRail Titicaca Train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $46/per person in current promotion (usually $50) | From $80/per person | See PeruRail |
| Times | 6:10 to about 5:30 pm | About 10 pm to 5 am, then the islands | 07:50 to 18:20, Wed, Fri, Sun |
| Stops | Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, lunch, La Raya, Pucara | None on the road; the Uros and Taquile on arrival | La Raya |
| Included | Guide, buffet lunch | Coach, rest and breakfast in Puno, island day with lunch | Lunch, music, observation car |
| Paid on the Day | S/53 site fees, cash | Reed boat at the Uros, optional | Check what your fare includes |
| Best For | Seeing the road you travel | Saving a day | Comfort and the journey itself |
| Check Availability | See the Night Coach | Read the Train Guide |
Other Ways from Cusco
More Ways from Cusco to the Lake
The same bus in the other direction, a night coach with the islands on arrival, and an overnight trip with the lake included.
PUNO TO CUSCOPuno: Full-Day Route of the Sun Tour to Cusco with Lunch
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NIGHT COACHCusco: Sleeper coach to Puno + Speedboat excursion to Uros and Taquile
Travel in comfort from Cusco to Puno on a modern overnight sleeper coach that departs at approximately 10:00 PM. On the way, you can rest as you travel through the …
THERE AND BACK BY NIGHTFrom Cusco: Titicaca Lake - Full day tour with sleeper bus
Begin with pickup from your accommodation in the historical center of Cusco at 9:00 PM. Rest for the night on a sleeper bus with 160 degree reclining seats. Arrive …
PUNO TO CUSCO, LUNCHBus from Puno to Cusco with all-you-can-eat lunch
The service is provided on buses fully equipped for tourism, offering the best way to travel between Puno and Cusco, where passengers can enjoy various places of …
The Guide
Cusco to Puno: Which Way to Travel
Three ways to cover the road and rail line across the altiplano, from about US$46 by bus to the full day on the train.
Cusco to Puno is a long day across the altiplano, 387 km by road, and there are three good ways to do it: the Route of the Sun sightseeing bus that stops at four sights on the way, the PeruRail Titicaca train, or a night coach that has you in Puno before the island boats leave. For most people the sightseeing bus is the best value: it turns the journey into a day of sights for less than twice the price of a direct bus. The tour at the top of this page leaves Cusco at 6:10 and reaches Puno about 5:30 pm, from $46 in current promotion (usually $50), rated 4.7 from 677 reviews (checked October 2026).
Check dates for the Route of the Sun
Three ways, compared
| Sightseeing bus | PeruRail Titicaca train | Night coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves Cusco | 6:10 | 07:50 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday | About 10 pm |
| Reaches Puno | About 5:30 pm | 18:20 | About 5 am |
| Stops | Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, lunch, La Raya, Pucara | La Raya (4,335 m) | None |
| On board | Guide, buffet lunch | Lunch, live music, observation car | Reclining seats |
| From (October 2026) | $46 in current promotion (usually $50) | See PeruRail | $80 with the islands on arrival |
Bus times, prices and inclusions from the GetYourGuide listings, checked October 2026. Train days and times from PeruRail’s May to December 2026 timetable and its notice of 24 August 2026 (perurail.com), read 27 October 2026; Puno to Cusco runs on Monday, Thursday and Saturday at the same times. The train runs a few days a week only, so check your date first.
The Route of the Sun stops
- Andahuaylillas has the 16th-century church of San Pedro, its walls and ceiling covered in paintings and gold leaf, often called the Sistine Chapel of the Americas.
- Raqchi is the Inca temple of Wiracocha, with a central wall about 15 m high, and the round storehouses around it.
- La Raya is the pass on the border between the Cusco and Puno regions, the highest point of the journey; PeruRail puts it at 4,335 m.
- Pucara has a museum of the Pucara culture, one of the first great settlements of the Titicaca basin, between about 500 BC and AD 200.
The entrance fees are not in the tour price: on the listing they come to S/53 in all, paid in cash at the sites (S/18 at Andahuaylillas, S/20 at Raqchi and S/15 at Pucara on a second operator’s listing).
The PeruRail Titicaca train
The train is the slow, comfortable way: about ten and a half hours in a restaurant car and an open observation car, with lunch, live music and a stop at La Raya. PeruRail’s May to December 2026 timetable has it leaving Cusco’s Wanchaq station at 07:50 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and reaching Puno at 18:20; from Puno it runs back on Monday, Thursday and Saturday at the same times. In August 2026 landslides near kilometre 284 of the line forced PeruRail to run the Titicaca as a bus-and-train service; it announced regular operation again from 25 August 2026. The Titicaca train guide has the timetable and what the fare buys.
The night coach
If you are short of time, an overnight coach from Cusco leaves at about 10 pm and arrives in Puno at about 5 am. The night coach with the Uros and Taquile day on arrival picks you up off the bus, gives you somewhere to rest and have breakfast, and puts you on the 7:45 boat; you save a night in a hotel, at the cost of a short night’s sleep before a day at 3,800 m.
Before you leave Cusco
The day before the bus, a free walking tour of Cusco’s historic centre is a good way to see the city you are leaving: booking is free and you pay the guide what you think the tour was worth. See the free walking tours in Cusco.
If you have a spare day, the Rainbow Mountain trip also leaves Cusco on this same highway south: cusco-rainbow-mountain-tour.com covers the early start, the altitude and the tours to Vinicunca.
Going back from Puno
The same sightseeing bus runs in the other direction: the Route of the Sun from Puno to Cusco leaves Puno’s bus terminal at 6:10, from $46 in current promotion (usually $50), and stops at Pucara, La Raya, lunch, Raqchi and Andahuaylillas.
How these facts were checked
Train days, times and the La Raya altitude are from PeruRail’s timetable and Titicaca service pages (perurail.com), and the August 2026 suspension and its end from PeruRail’s notices of 8 and 24 August 2026, read 27 October 2026. The road and railway distances (387 km and 386 km) were measured along the road and the track for the map. Bus times, stops, entrance fees and prices are from the GetYourGuide listings, checked October 2026.
Cusco to Puno with Four Stops
Inka Express's sightseeing bus leaves Cusco at 6:10 and stops at Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, a buffet lunch, the La Raya pass and the Pucara museum, with a bilingual guide, arriving in Puno about 5:30 pm. Rated 4.7 by more than 670 guests on GetYourGuide (checked October 2026). The entrance fees at the stops, S/53 in all, are paid on the day. Starting from $46 per person in current promotion (usually $50).
Check Dates for the Route of the SunOther Days from Puno
More Tours on and around the Lake
Sillustani, kayaks, the Aymara shore and the road to Cusco or Arequipa: what else runs on your dates.
Cusco to Puno FAQ
Bus, sightseeing bus or train: times, stops and what each one costs.
For most people, the Route of the Sun sightseeing bus: about 11 hours with a guide, lunch and four stops, for less than twice the price of a direct bus. The PeruRail Titicaca train is the comfortable, slower choice on the days it runs, and a night coach saves a day if you are short of time.
The sightseeing bus takes about 11 hours with its stops, from 6:10 to about 5:30 pm. A night coach leaves about 10 pm and arrives about 5 am. The road is 387 km, measured along it.
Yes, if you want the journey itself to be the treat: about ten and a half hours of lunch, music and the observation car across the altiplano. It costs many times the bus and runs only three days a week each way, so pick it for comfort, not for speed or sightseeing stops. The Titicaca train guide has the details.
Cusco to Puno on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; Puno to Cusco on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, leaving at 07:50 and arriving at 18:20. That is PeruRail's May to December 2026 timetable, confirmed in its notice of 24 August 2026. Check the 2027 timetable before booking a later date.
Andahuaylillas, with its painted church; Raqchi and the Inca temple of Wiracocha; lunch near Sicuani; the La Raya pass; and the Pucara museum. The entrance fees come to S/53 in all, paid in cash at the sites.
Yes: overnight trips leave Cusco on a night coach, do the Uros and Taquile day on arrival and either stay in Puno or return on the next night coach. They save time but cost you two short nights; most people are better off travelling by day and spending a night or two in Puno.
Far: Machu Picchu is reached from Cusco by train down the Urubamba valley, in the opposite direction from Puno. Plan Cusco and Machu Picchu first, then a full day's journey to Puno.
Yes: the road and the railway climb to the La Raya pass at 4,335 m and Puno sits at 3,827 m. Spending a few days in Cusco first helps. Drink water, eat lightly and rest on your first afternoon in Puno.
Still have questions? Email us at info@lake-titicaca-tour.com