Getting around Guatemala

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec

Tourist shuttles, chicken buses you should think twice about, and boats on the lake.

Shared tourist shuttles are how visitors move around Guatemala. Every hostel and agency sells the same seats on the same minibuses, so shop on departure time rather than price.
They are slow. Antigua to Lake Atitlan is about 90 km and takes three hours.

The painted "chicken buses" are converted American school buses and are the country's real transport network - and the FCDO is blunt that gang attacks and extortion on bus drivers have caused serious injury and death, and that armed robberies happen on most tourist routes.
Private intercity coaches - the first-class lines between the big cities - are considerably safer, and are the right choice for a long leg.
Do not travel intercity at night.

Public lanchas connect the Atitlan villages and are cheap, frequent until late afternoon, and stop early. Missing the last boat means a long road journey around.
Agree the fare before boarding on a private boat.

Roads are mountainous, unlit and slow. Landslides close them in the rainy season.
Roadblocks from protests happen and can close a highway for a day or more.

Uber, the declaration portal and one phone number worth more than any app.

Uber works in Guatemala City and Antigua and is the FCDO's recommended alternative to a street taxi.
The SAT portal for the traveller declaration - file it before you fly.
Maps downloaded offline. Signal disappears on the mountain roads, and that is exactly where you want to know where you are.

1500 is the tourist assistance line. It is free, it runs 24 hours a day all year, operators handle English, and it is a direct liaison with embassies, consulates and the security services. It is not a call centre for hotel bookings - it exists to help a foreign visitor in trouble.
Save it before you need it. Almost nothing written for visitors to Guatemala mentions it, and it is the single most useful thing in this guide.

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Getting around Guatemala: transport and apps