The Gringo Trail
7 days
Days 1 and 2: Antigua
If you're a typical visitor, you'll fly into Guatemala City. Make a beeline out the airport door for one of the numerous minivan shuttles that meet each flight to take you to the old colonial capital of Antigua, less than an hour west. The city is compact and doable on your own, but if you like your sightseeing done efficiently, you can sign on to a walking tour. (Antigua is chock-full of churches, convents, monasteries, and palaces.) Any non-sightseeing time can be filled with shopping for handicrafts and jade, Antigua's signature souvenir, and dining at the best selection of restaurants outside the capital.
Days 3 and 4: Lake Atitlán
A couple of hours west of Antigua takes you to Lake Atitlán, one of Guatemala's and the hemisphere's natural wonders. Look up "tourist friendly" in the dictionary, and you just might see a picture of the gleaming lake and its trademark trifecta of volcanoes. The area presents you with a choice of towns to see and in which to stay. Traditionally, visitors have opted for sociable Panajachel, Guatemala's consummate expat hangout, but nothing says you can't base yourself in any of the dozen towns ringing Atitlán. A system of ferries and water taxis makes it a breeze to get around.
Day 5: Chichicastenango
Guatemala's most famous market takes place each Thursday and Sunday in the highland town whose name everyone shortens to "Chichi." Things get underway by mid-morning, and by 3 pm the market starts to wind down and the vendors pack up, anxious to get back home before dark. Though the Thursday market will not disappoint, come on Sunday if your schedule permits. This allows you to also take in mass in Chichi's Santo Tomás church and observe the ultimate blending of Maya and Catholic rituals.
Day 6 and 7: Tikal
It's back to Guatemala City for an early-morning flight to the country's most famous Mayan ruins. (The journey overland to the remote Petén region takes about 10 hours, so flying is vastly more efficient.) The hour-long flight deposits you outside the small town of Santa Elena, where you'll find lodging as well as in Flores, Santa Elena's pleasant twin "city." The ruins themselves lie about 64 km (40 mi) north, and if you go on an organized tour, that transportation is taken care of. There are one-day tours to Tikal for those short on time, but an overnight trip gives you extra time to explore.
Tips and Transportation
This itinerary may require some juggling to schedule your market trip to Chichicastenango on a Thursday or Sunday. Flights to Tikal leave early in the morning, so getting to La Aurora International Airport from Antigua is a far easier task. You may wish to insert your two days there between Antigua and Lake Atitlán. Unless you insist on absolute flexibility, your own vehicle is not necessary and is actually a bother for this itinerary. As two of the country's most popular travel destinations, Antigua and Panajachel have no shortage of shuttle services to take you anywhere in greater comfort than on a public bus, and at Lake Atitlán itself, water travel is the norm.
