Antigua to Lake Atitlan (and Back!) Using Public Transportation (2024)

Note: This route and these prices are as of December 2023

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How to Get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan

If you’re traveling through Guatemala, you’ll likely be visiting two of its most popular tourist attractions: Antigua and Lake Atitlan. These spots are both absolutely beautiful – it’s quite obvious why they’re so traveled to! They’re also relatively close together, which would lead one to believe that there would be nonstop public transportation connecting the two, right? Unfortunately, wrong! There used to be, but the bus route was discontinued after Covid (we checked with the company mentioned in other blogs to confirm this information).

Umbrella-Street-San-Juan-Atitlan — Antigua

Therefore, we’re left with three options: chicken bus, shared shuttle, or taxi. A taxi is obviously the most expensive, but it is the most comfortable and quickest option. Shared shuttles are relatively cheap and are a good option if you’re on vacation; you can expect to pay about 15 USD per person to get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan. However, if you’re backpacking Guatemala or on a budget, you’re going to want to take the chicken buses! This article will run through all the logistics of the multiple buses you’ll need to travel between Antigua and Lake Atitlan.

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Where to Go on Lake Atitlan

There are many beautiful towns surrounding Lake Atitlan, so you may be wondering if the route from Antigua differs based on where you’ve decided to stay on the lake. The answer is no! No matter where you’re headed on Lake Atitlan, you’ll want to take a bus/shuttle/taxi to Panajachel, the main town on the lake, and a boat from there. There are ways to avoid going to Panajachel if you’re going to the other towns, but the roads are pretty bad, so ground transportation leading straight to those probably takes longer due to that. Once you get to Panajachel, you’ll be able to take a boat to wherever you want to go on the lake, and it shouldn’t take more than 45-60 minutes.

Everything You Need to Know about Visiting Lake Atitlan

Chicken Bus Route from Antigua to Lake Atitlan

When you’re traveling between Antigua and Lake Atitlan, you’ll need to take a total of four buses. I know you’re probably thinking that that sounds terrible, but don’t let the multiple buses scare you – this route is actually quite easy and super cheap compared to other methods of transportation. It also doesn’t take much longer than taking a shuttle or taxi; the whole process takes about 3-4 hours depending on traffic. So, let’s get into it!

Antigua to Chimaltenango (Chimal)

Time: 45-60 Minutes
Cost: 10 Quetzales / 1.28 USD

You’ll catch your first bus of the day from Antigua’s bus terminal, which is right near the central market on the west side of the city. You can pretty much head over there whenever, though we always recommend getting an early start in case of any unforeseen setbacks. When we walked over there, there were tons of people asking where we were going, and when you say Chimaltenango, or Chimal for short, they’ll point you in the right direction or actually bring you over to the buses themselves. We had no problem finding a bus and were on it within two minutes of arriving to the bus station.

Chimaltenango to Los Encuentros

Time: 75-90 Minutes
Cost: 20 Quetzales / 2.55 USD

When you get off the bus, there will be people waiting asking where you’re heading to. This is a theme throughout the trip, and it makes it super easy to get where you need to be fast. All you have to do is say the name of the next town and you’ll be pointed in the right direction. This bus ride is the longest you’ll take and full of turns, so if you get car sick, you may want some dramamine.

Los Encuentros to Sololá

Time: 30-60 Minutes
Cost: 5 Quetzales / 0.64 USD

This bus ride can be very short, but it can also be pretty long if the traffic is bad. When we traveled to Lake Atitlan from Antigua, the traffic was quite bad for a while. However, on our way back, the bus ride was about half the length because there was no traffic.

Sololá to Panajachel

Time: 20-30 Minutes
Cost: 5 Quetzales / 0.64 USD

This is the shortest of all of the bus rides; it will last about 20 minutes. This bus will drop you close to the ferry terminal, where you will continue on if you’re going to any of the lake towns besides Panajachel.

Recommendations when Traveling by Chicken Bus

Chicken buses are an experience to be had in Guatemala, but you will definitely want to be careful when traveling this way to avoid being ripped off or pickpocketed. Here are our tips for traveling by chicken bus in Central America:

Keep an Eye on Your Stuff: Chicken buses are a hot spot for pickpocketing (trust us, it happened to us on this route!), but this is completely avoidable if you keep an eye on your stuff and hold onto your things with zippers. We were pickpocketed as we walked off of a super crowded bus because the thief was able to get one of our cross body bags unzipped without us noticing. Just be aware and always have an eye on your stuff and you’ll be fine!
Start Early: You never know what can happen along the way when you have to take multiple buses, so we recommend starting as early as you can.
Try to Pay with Exact Change: If you pay with large bills, change may not be readily available for you, and that can also make you a target for theft.
Watch What Locals are Paying: Try to figure out what the cost is for locals as the collector comes around and have that amount ready when they get to you. Sometimes they’ll try to up-charge you if you’re a foreigner, but having the exact amount ready will deter them from doing so.

Keep Exploring Guatemala…

Our Favorite Travel Resources

Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.

Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.

Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.

Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.

International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.

eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.

Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!