I spent 6 days in Guatemala in November 2025, visiting Antigua, Lake Atitlán, and hiking Volcán Pacaya and Acatenango & Fuego.
This is my review of what I enjoyed, what I didn’t, and what I would recommend when traveling to Guatemala.
My Overall Impressions of Guatemala
I’d rate my trip 5/10 overall, but hiking Acatenango and Fuego was a 10/10 highlight. My middling overall rating comes down to:
- Food was inconsistent and much of it didn’t match my personal taste preferences
- Long, slow travel times between destinations
- Dusty conditions and poor air quality
- Not being blown away by most attractions except Acatenango & Fuego
I’m glad I visited, but personally I wouldn’t return.
Food in Guatemala
Food is very affordable – Most full meals (entree, drink, shared dessert) ran about $15 total. I personally didn’t love most dishes I tried (desayuno typical, chicken pepián, local coffee, etc.).
- Some meals were decent.
- Some were very disappointing / straight up terrible.
- None of the meals were particularly memorable for me.
In some places, the quality was actually in bad, but in others, it was a matter of personal taste.
Safety in Guatemala
I felt safe throughout the trip. I used common sense, stuck to areas that weren’t deserted, and was usually in bed by 9-10pm.
Transportation & Getting Around Guatemala
Getting around Guatemala takes a lot of time due to heavy traffic and mountainous roads.
- Antigua → Lake Atitlán (Panajachel): 31km, 3-3.5 hours.
- Guatemala City → Antigua: 35 km, anywhere between 1-3 hours depending on traffic.
Prices are reasonable given the time it takes to drive (e.g. $45 for a 2 hour Uber between Guatemala City and Antigua, $23 for a 3 hour shuttle from Antigua to Panajachel).
The drives themselves are often unpleasant – Shuttles are packed full, there’s lots of traffic, extremely high speed bumps, often no AC, and lots of dust and air pollution from the open windows.
Buses and shuttles are the main mode of transportation between popular destinations in Guatemala, and there are even some shuttles that offer transportation to neighboring countries (El Salvador, Nicaragua, etc.)
People in Guatemala
The people we met in Guatemala were very, very kind, helpful, and friendly. My Spanish is extremely basic, but people were patient and always willing to help.
We experienced one incident of overt racism from a group of children at Lake Atitlán.
Walkability
Walkability was okay.
- Antigua and Atitlán both have uneven cobblestone streets.
- Antigua and the main tourist areas of the towns around Atitlán were compact enough to get around on foot. It is generally recommended not to walk between the towns around Atitlán due to risk of armed robbery.
- Many areas lack sidewalks or have inconsistent, sloping, or broken sidewalks.
- The streets are not very accessible for people with mobility issues.
- In Antigua and Atitlán, cars generally yield to pedestrians crossing the street, and in areas without sidewalks, cars will generally go around pedestrians.
Cash & ATMs
We needed cash for a few things:
- Hiking tours (for our tours, deposit was paid in card, but the remainder was required to be paid in cash)
- Tips for tour guides
- Public boats to travel between towns on Lake Atitlán
- Small convenience stores (for purchases under a certain amount)
- Some souvenir stores
Most restaurants and cafes accepted card.
Reviews by Destination
Antigua
Antigua is a popular base for tours and volcano hikes. The city is safe, walkable, full of cafes, and has some great volcano views, but there isn’t a ton to do beyond exploring cafes, shops, and walking compact historic streets.
Cafe & Restaurant Recommendations:
- Artista: Beautiful, modern interior, expensive, but great cold brew and a decent French toast.
- Alegria: Great decor and local art, and a pretty good brownie.
- Masil: Delicious Korean food.
- 27 Adentro: Rooftop views of surrounding volcanoes and a great place to try chicken pepian.
- Restaurante Fridas: Fantastic Mexican food (and daily discounts).
Cafes & Restaurants I’d Skip:
- ITZAM: Beautiful restaurant, but food is flavorless and relatively expensive.
- Coffea Cafe: Listed as #27 on the “World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops” list, but the brownie was terrible (dry, artificial, too sweet) and the coffee was mid.
- Kaldi & Kapra: Desayuno typical was disappointing. Great rooftop view of the volcanos though.
- Rincóncito Antigüeño: A local recommended this place to me, but the chicken was ridiculously dry and everything was too salty. The pineapple juice was terrible.
Where to Stay:
Fancier option: Hotel Aurora ($140/night for 3 people)
- Beautiful courtyard, huge rooms, AC, helpful and accommodating staff
- Included breakfast with delicious fresh fruit
More budget option: Hotel Posada San Pedro ($70/night for 3 people)
- Extremely kind staff
- Small rooms, no AC, a bit stuffy
- Great value and convenient early breakfast boxes for the Acatenango hike
Lake Atitlán
Lake Atitlán is often called the “Lake Como of Central America.” It’s extremely beautiful, as the lake is surrounded by volcanoes and historic small towns.
My favorite activity here was kayaking, which you can do from pretty much any of the towns around the lake. I kayaked starting from Panajachel (40Q per hour).
Panajachel
Common shuttle pick-up & drop-off point. There’s not much to do here compared to some of the other towns around the lake (San Pedro and San Juan are closer to popular hikes like Rostro Maya).
Cafe & Restaurant Recommendations:
- 7 Caldos: “2 for 1” breakfast deal, great guac (huge portions). My friends loved the desayuno typical here. The pancakes weren’t just okay.
- Hidden Coffee: Great coffee!
Cafes & Restaurants I’d Skip:
- 80s Coffee: Sandwich was not very good (barely any meat, too much mayo), and iced cappuccino tasted watered down.
San Juan & San Pedro
Nice views, some shops, but I didn’t find a lot to do beyond walking around the main tourist centers. Streets were crowded and hilly. Food was okay.
Transport between towns
- Public boats are cheap, fast, and convenient. Boats arrived very frequently and we were never waiting more than 10 minutes before the boat left. They are small and can get crowded.
- We prepaid for a multi-stop boat ride.
- Morning rides are less bumpy than afternoons.
Where to Stay:
I stayed in Hotel Posada de los Volcanes in Panajachel. I have slightly mixed feelings, but overall it was a nice place to stay on a relative budget.
- View of volcanoes from the top floor.
- Room was kind of small, can get very stuffy in the heat. Fan instead of AC, nice breeze if windows are opened.
- Centrally located (few minutes walk from the lake). Can get quite loud at night (fireworks, loud music from the nearby restaurant, etc.), but this is only a problem if sleeping before 10:30pm.
- Super nice and helpful front desk staff.
Pacaya
I did the Pacaya tour mainly for the “volcano pizza” (pizza cooked in a volcanic stove) experience, but it can also be a good way to acclimate to elevation and terrain before hiking Acatenango and Fuego.
- We went with Lava Trails tours – Great guide, on-time pickup, comfortable ride to the trailhead, and they provided us with lots of snacks for the hike.
- This tour does not lead to the top of the volcano – The hike to the top is far longer and more grueling.
- From Antigua to the trailhead, the drive was about 1.5 hours.
- At the bottom of the hike, people will come up to you and tell you that you need to rent a hiking stick for the hike – This is absolutely not true.
- Views were nice (see Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego from the trail), but not spectacular. Pacaya was partly covered in clouds when we hiked.
- Above the treeline, it gets very windy.
- Trail was moderate. Short, decently steep, extremely dusty, and covered in a ton of horse poop, which made the experience less pleasant. Hike was about 4 miles round trip.
- The volcano pizza was a fun novelty – It tasted pretty good, but was expensive – $55 for a “large” (we ate one between three people and needed another lunch afterwards). The pizza must be booked in advance! Lava Trails booked it on our behalf.
Acatenango and Fuego
Without a doubt, the absolute highlight of my time in Guatemala.
- Seeing the eruptions up close on Fuego is unreal.
- The hike to base camp felt moderate, hiking to Acatenango summit was tough but short, and hiking to Fuego was an absolute slog.
- If picking between Acatenango sunrise summit and Fuego sunset hike, I would recommend Fuego to see the eruptions.
I went on a tour with Lava Trails and would highly recommend them. I wrote a full review of Lava Trails and my experience hiking Acatenango and Fuego in another post – Check it out here!
Cost Breakdown
- Flights: $450 (Grand Junction CO to Guatemala City, Guatemala City to San Salvador)
- Other transportation: $110 (Shuttles, public boat, Uber)
- Hotels: $173 (Mid-range, well-rated hotels, split between 3-4 people)
- Food: $164 (Ate out every meal, lots of coffee shops and casual sit-down restaurants with a few nicer restaurants)
- Tours: $160 (Pacaya & Acatenango)
- Souvenirs & other miscellaneous: $17
Total: $1,074.
My 6-Day Guatemala Itinerary
- Day 0: Arrive in Guatemala and transfer to Antigua
- Day 1: Pacaya tour and transfer to Atitlán
- Day 2: Atitlán full day (Kayaking, town hopping)
- Day 3: Morning in Atitlán, return to Antigua
- Day 4: Acatenango & Fuego hike
- Day 5: Acatenango & Fuego hike, return to Antigua
- Day 6: Morning in Antigua, flight out
If I Could Do It Again
I would:
- Skip Lake Atitlán and spend less time overall in Guatemala, or explore the Guatemala coastline instead
- 1000% hike Acatenango & Fuego, it’s a must-do!
ADJENTURING 