Guatemala 1 Week Itinerary

Updated: Nov 1

Planning your 1 week holiday in Guatemala? I will share with you the perfect Guatemala 1 week itinerary!

A great 1 week itinerary in Guatemala would look like this:

Day 1 - Arriving in Guatemala City
Day 2 - Antigua
Day 3 & 4 - Acatenango Volcano Hike
Day 5 & 6 Lake Atitlan
Day 7 - Guatemala City (to take the flight home)

Let's dive deeper into the specific schedule!

Guatemala 1 week itinerary schedule

DAY 1

On day one you will arrive in Guatemala. 90% of the time you will fly into Guatemala City as that is the biggest international airport. The only exception really will be if you are taking a bus from Mexico or Nicaragua.

Depending on what time you arrive you will then either spend a night in Guatemala City and leave early on Day 2 to Antigua. OR if you arrive in the morning then you can take a shuttle from the airport directly to Antigua.

If you decide to stay in Guatemala City, I highly recommend Zone 10. Close to the airport so you will save money and time. Also, it is one of the safest and most fun zones in Guatemala City. I really enjoyed all the amazing restaurants there!

DAY 2

Day 2 is for exploring Antigua. It might seem like one day is not enough but if you plan everything very well then one day is more than enough. Everything is within walking distance so if you have mapped it properly the day before you will have time to see all the most important things worth visiting in Antigua. At the end of the day, I think just wandering around the Antigua streets and taking in the local vibe is the best thing to do there.

DAY 3

Day 3 will start early for you as you are going to make your way up to the Acatenango Volcano camp. The hike is quite hard, around 22km up to the top of the volcano but I promise you it will be so worth it! This hike was one of the most incredible things I have ever done - you will see an active volcano, and during the night you will even see lava coming out of the volcano. This is truly a unique and incredible experience you have to add to your list. The camps will be basic and the hike will be challenging but what you will experience is indescribable! This will take you all day of course and the night you will spend at the camp at the top of the Acatenango volcano.

Do not worry, I have you covered. Before going, check out my guide where I explain everything you need to know before hiking Acatenango Volcano!

DAY 4

Day 4 will start with a sunrise hike (a little 1h hike) to the crater of the Acatenango Volcano. From there you'll have a surreal view of the landscape with an active volcano in the background, as you watch the sunrise.

Then you will make your way down and at around 12pm latest you should already be back in Antigua.

Here I highly recommend not wasting time and getting an afternoon transfer to Atitlan Lake because trust me, you will be so exhausted after the hike you will not want to do much in Antigua anyway, so better get the 3h journey out of the way whilst you are tired.

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DAY 5 & 6

After you have been sightseeing and hiking, time to relax! Lake Atitlan is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, in my top 3 for sure! No words can describe the beauty and magic of this place. I would definitely allocate at least 2 days for this place due to the commute, as it is a minimum of a 3h ride from Antigua and a minimum 5h ride from Guatemala City due to traffic. But it will be definitely worth it. You can stay in one of the towns around the lake or rent a lovely Airbnb in a private area that will give you complete peace.

Also, 2 days minimum because there is so much to do! All the best things to do by Lake Atitlan and where to stay I have summarized in my Lake Atitlan Travel Guide!

DAY 7

Then depending on when your flight is, you will either go back on the Day 6 evening already to Guatemala City and stay a night there or you will make your way back to the city in the morning of Day 7.

For your peace of mind, consider getting travel insurance!