The passengers board in Cuzco at around 9:00am and then are served brunch as they admire the spectacular Sacred Valley as the Urubamba River valley has been prosaically re-named. Now there are regular trains running this route which can be had for only a few dollars, and you will certainly get to experience a slice of Peruvian life that the Hiram Bingham Train (no chickens on the Orient Express fleet!). However the Hiram Bingham travels slowly through well-cleaned windows and you will definitely see a lot more of the scenery thanks to these innovations, and the lack of standing passengers. The day tour arrives at Aqua Calientes around midday. The train can’t reach the actual Machu Picchu site: which is high above the valley floor, and a transfer is required my mini-bus. With pre-booked tickets you skip the tours and a guided tour of the site is included in the price. The site is worth a whole day at least. You could spend a week in Cuzco and not run out of things to do. Machu Picchu is an amazing collection of well preserved Inca ruins, but in addition it is located in one of the most attractive locations in the world. And at an altitude of 2300 metres so you can watch the weather move in from below. Add a few colourful locals and lamas for photographic opportunities.