You can also try to see if you can find a hotel with child care. I believe InkaTerra does offer child care & you can check others...

you could visit MP as a family the first day & the next morning you can do the hike as a couple?

You still need to buy 3 regular tickets + 2 tickets with the hike

For this you only need 1 night in Aguas calientes, 2nd night would be optional.

Thank you for the response!

I don't see anything on the ticket website that says that my 6 year old won't need a ticket. I see this language which makes me wonder if kids over 3 now need tickets?

- Son menores todos los visitantes entre los 3 y 17 años.

From what you wrote, do you not think it is possible to do a day where the hike is done after the family visits MP? We are planning to stay two nights but were not going to go to MP the first day (arriving later in afternoon),

You are actually correct; they changed the rules and now only children Under 3 years are free.

You could do the following

* Day 1: late afternoon arrival in Aguas Calientes & overnight.

*Day 2: Family of 4 visits the main site with regular tickets (Llaqta de Machu Picchu), entry at 8am and 1 adult have tickets for Huayna Picchu entry between 10~11 am. You can visit most of the longest circuit together, this will take about 2 hours, up until you reach the check point Huyna Picchu for 1 adult to start the hike. The other adult and children can continue for the remaining of the circuit (Lower part) and exit Machu Picchu. You could take the bus down to Aguas calientes and wait for your partner to finish the hike (about 3 hours). There is an outdoor Café if you wish to wait there or the Belmond hotel has a restaurant /lunch buffet ($$$).

Day 3. The other adult does the hike in the morning, Family takes the train back in the afternoon.

For this, you will need 4 Regular Tickets + 2 Huayna Picchu tickets on different days/time

Super helpful. Thank you! Booked our tickets. We decided to have one adult do 8am entry Wednesday and the other on Thursday. Then as a family we will do circuit 1 at 2 pm on Wednesday to be sure we get to experience most of Machu Picchu together.

Only concern now is that we bought the 8 am ticket but it says that we have to arrive at 7 am. We aren't morning people and were not expecting that to be an hour earlier ;-).

You have 1 hour window to start the hike. Your tickets are probably entry between 7~8am or 8~9am.

Plan to take the bus up to Machu Picchu about 1 hr 15 minutes before your planned start time.

Hope you figured it out! For Huayana Picchu, there is only the lower circuit available for the way back. It's called Circuit 4.

https://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Circuitos-Nuevos_covid19-4-2021.pdf

I just did this last week.

As far as I can tell, because I wanted to see the top half of the Machu Picchu site, I had to buy 2 separate tickets. One for Huayana Picchu to do the hike, and then a second one for the Llaqta (city) Machu Picchu. Maybe there is a way to skirt around the guard but I would NOT count on it. The paths are all one-way and there are guards everywhere. I once tried to backtrack about 200 yards to see a stone wall and they would not let me.

I took my sweet time at the top of Huayana Picchu to enjoy the views so my entire route was start at the main entrance at 7:20 am and arrive at control gate 8:10 am. 3.5 hours (going up was probably 45 mins) and then I took my time looking at things on the lower half of circuit 4.

Then I recharged with food and water outside the gate, and then re-entered with my other ticket at 12:30 pm. and I stayed until 3:30 pm.

Please be mindful with young kids to bring sunscreen and prepared layers of clothes. The weather could change in an instant. The circuit again is only one-way.

I hope this helps!