Solo Guatemala Travel- Lake Atitlán, Guatemala City, Antigua

Aug 18, 2026 | Travel

Solo Guatemala Travel: Lake Atitlán, Guatemala City, Antigua!

I had the BEST week solo-exploring Guatemala City, Lake Atitlan, and Antigua!! I felt so safe everywhere I went. Lovely people, delicious (vegetarian!) food, gorgeous country..

From D.C. (IAD airport), it’s only a 4 hour flight (nonstop with United), and 3 hours back. It was super easy to grab an Uber to the Good Hotel Guatemala City upon arrival. The Good Hotel is located in a nice neighborhood (Cuatro Grados Norte, located in Zona 4), and the hotel has a rooftop patio!

I hired a driver through Guatemala Tours and Travel to take me from the city to Lake Atitlan, where I spent a few nights, and then back to the city. I also booked a driver for a day trip to Antigua (where I wish I had spent a night or two!). The ride to the lake took about 3.5 hours (but traffic can be unpredictable). The driver must drop you off at the largest town on the lake, Panajachel, and from there it’s a simple water taxi to the other towns. The ride from Guatemala City to Antigua was only about 1 hour (I left early in the morning).

I decided to stay in the town of San Marcos on Lake Atitlan, and I’m happy with my decision! The hippie town of San Marcos has small streets with very pretty restaurants and cute shops tucked throughout. I didn’t join a drum circle, fire ceremony or yoga, but I did very much enjoy the vegetarian food!! Lush hotel has great food, and I also really enjoyed dining at the Kula Maya Boutique Hotel & Spa, right on the lake. Some of the best swimming is also in San Marcos. Other parts of the lake are more populated and polluted. Swimming in the Reserva Natural Cerro Tzankujil is an absolute must.

I booked Lush Atitlan hotel, which has just the most insanely stunning grounds! I stayed in the Mirador suite, which felt like a treehouse built into the mountain (prepare for lots of steps leading up to the entrance). The views are breathtaking. But I do have to warn you about lots of spiders in the room, and one scorpion sighting! Other guests that I talked to didn’t see anything of the sort in their rooms, so maybe it was just because my suite was up high, built into the mountain– the scorpion that I spotted was downstairs, above the couch, where it had crawled out from the rock wall. And the bathroom in this suite is outdoors! It’s a beautiful outdoor bathroom, but let’s just say I had to drink a lot of wine to get up the courage to use it (and to fall asleep at night).

After two nights of braving huge spiders (hence the request for the mosquito net), I moved to Porta del Lago Hotel (bug and scorpion free!) in the biggest town on the lake, Panajachel. I actually really enjoyed staying in Panajachel– lots of shopping!

It’s very easy to hop on one of the many water taxis to explore the other towns on the lake. And Tuk Tuks are so much fun to take around the town. I highly recommend visiting the colorful town of San Juan. This is the one with the umbrella street!

I took $200 in Guatemalan currency (GTQ), and this was plenty. I mainly used it on tuk tuks and the water taxis/private boat rides on Lake Atitlan.

Next time, I plan on staying at La Casa del Mundo! This hotel is only accessible by boat, and has its own personal swimming area, with ladders into the water. Apparently they allow visitors to swim here as long as they book a meal at the restaurant. Contact them on WhatsApp to reserve.

On my last night in Guatemala, I stayed next to the airport, at In & Out Hotel, which was actually super lovely! I wasn’t expecting it to be so nice, since it’s next to the airport (and called in & out ha). It’s a bed & breakfast, and they even have a beautiful garden area. From In & Out, I took the day trip to Antigua. Next time I visit Guatemala, I’m spending a night or two in Antigua! It’s such a lovely, historic town with colorful Spanish colonial architecture. There are endless picturesque restaurants, hotels, cafes, and churches. And volcano views! Ugh it’s just so magical.

Photos of San Marcos: