You will be picked up at your hotel in Guatemala City and transfer to Chichicastenango, sometimes your transfer will be via Antigua Guatemala below a brief summary of what to expect on your way.
Upon our arrival at the market we will start our walking tour inside the market. It is the center of the city and at the heart of commercial life of "maxeos" (name given to the indigenous people of Chichicastenango, derived from Max which means Toms in the Quich language). The merchants descend every Thursday and Sunday to the central square to sell their products in this impressive indigenous market that has changed very little over the centuries.We will observe the colorful handicrafts and handmade by local inhabitants of the regin also you can see various merchandise, such as clay crafts, typical textiles, fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood, flowers and the regional costumes of the place.We are also going to visit Santo Toms Church, built in 1540 on the basis of a pre-Hispanic archaeological temple. This church is a splendid example of colonial architecture, as the Mayan and Latin influence mixes both inside and outside of the church over time. After exploring the market you can enjoy a delicious lunch (not included, but you can add it on optionals for additional cost)
At the end of the walk, you will be transfer to Panajachel and continue visiting this town which is located on Lake Atitlan. We will visit Calle Santander and enjoy a spectacular view of the lake which is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Three spectacular volcanoes, Tolimn, Atitln and San Pedro form the natural framework of the lake itself. Time to take pictures.*On holy week we do not visit Atitln.
At the end of our tour we return to Guatemala City via Antigua Guatemala.
Full Day Tour: Chichicastenango Maya Market And Lake Atitlan From Guatemala City
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Tour Information
Key Details
- Mobile Voucher Accepted
- Hotel pickup Available
- Duration: 12 Hrs
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Language:
English
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Departure Time :
6:30 AM Hotel pickups commence prior to this time, you must contact the local service provider to verify your exact pickup time.
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Return Details :
Please, email us at reserve@graylineguatemala.com or call (502) 54586888 at least 48 hours prior to the departure date of the tour to reconfirm date of travel, hotel, pickup time, and location for you.. read more
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Cancellation Policy : This activity is non-refundable Tours booked using discount coupon codes will be non refundable.
Overview
At Chichicastenango Maya Market you will witness ancient Indian rituals at the Santo Tomas Church,also enjoy the picturesque outdoor market where locals from the region gather to buy and sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains, animals, textiles and handicrafts.Know More about this tour
Itinerary:
You will be picked up at your hotel in Guatemala City and transfer to Chichicastenango, sometimes your transfer will be via Antigua Guatemala below a brief summary of what to expect on your way.
Upon our arrival at the market we will start our walking tour inside the market. It is the center of the city and at the heart of commercial life of "maxeños" (name given to the indigenous people of Chichicastenango, derived from Max which means Tomás in the Quiché language). The merchants descend every Thursday and Sunday to the central square to sell their products in this impressive indigenous market that has changed very little over the centuries. We will observe the colorful handicrafts and handmade by local inhabitants of the región also you can see various merchandise, such as clay crafts, typical textiles, fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood, flowers and the regional costumes of the place. We are also going to visit Santo Tomás Church, built in 1540 on the basis of a pre-Hispanic archaeological temple. This church is a splendid example of colonial architecture, as the Mayan and Latin influence mixes both inside and outside of the church over time. After exploring the market you can enjoy a delicious lunch (not included, but you can add it on optionals for additional cost)
At the end of the walk, you will be transfer to Panajachel and continue visiting this town which is located on Lake Atitlan. We will visit Calle Santander and enjoy a spectacular view of the lake which is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Three spectacular volcanoes, Tolimán, Atitlán and San Pedro form the natural framework of the lake itself. Time to take pictures. *On holy week we do not visit Atitlán.
At the end of our tour we return to Guatemala City via Antigua Guatemala.
Inclusions
- Lunch (if option selected)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Driver/guide
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Professional bilingual guide
Exclusions
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Food and drinks
- Optional gratuities
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adults lap
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Minimum of 2 passengers (adults) is required for the tour to run. If the minimum size is not reached, the tour is subject to cancellation and all tickets are refunded or rescheduled.
Tours include bilingual guide (English and Spanish).
It is recommended that you bring walking shoes, hat, sunglasses, and a camera.
Please contact us if you need a guide in any other language. French, German and Italian in private services, subject to additional costs and guide availability.
For groups of 10 persons or more, please contact the local provider to arrange.
Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required (if you select option with lunch included)
To find pictures of our experiences, search us on Instagram as @graylinetoursgt
On Holy week April 8th, we only visit the chichicastenango Market, we do not visit Atitlan lake due to traffic reasons.
If you are lodging in Zone 1, our only pick-up point is at the Hotel Panamerican.
If you are lodging in an airbnb please move to the nearest hotel lobby and please let us know of its name.
Traveler Reviews
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I based my ratings on three things: Customer Service, Experience with the Activity, and Cost. Customer Service: Stellar communication (5 stars) Experience with the Activity: I was the only English speaker and the guide did his best to provide me with information on the trip, but seemed to provide more to the Spanish speakers. I shared the same experience as some of the reviews here (the time at the lake was very short). Also, we had to make a stop in Antigua which ate up about 2 hours (to and from Guatemala City), so it was unnecessarily added time. Time at the market was nice and we got to stop at the church. (2.5 stars) Cost: For two people, I paid $160 USD, which is a little steep for Guatemala. (2 stars) Overall: If I could do this again, I would reconsider and take an Uber or taxi to the market and then Uber again to the lake. I recommend anyone who is more interested in the lake to avoid this tour as it spent approximately 1 -1.5 hours here with about 20-30 minutes of alone time. In sum, the tour accomplishes everything it says but at a steep cost and added stops in Antigua.
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Urbano picked us up at the hotel and brought us back home. We picked up Celestino our tour guide at Antigua. They were both friendly and knowledgeable. You do spend apt of time in the car as it is far away, however it was worth the drive.
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Chichicastenago is a very interesting town full of Mayan History, it kind of has a feeling of a mystery town from the market to the churches and the cemetery its full of history. Atitlan is just breathtaking the view, the people and of course the food....just spectacular!
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Guide (Tino) and driver (Mynor) very nice and professional. I learned a lot about Guatemala 🇬🇹 just be aware that you will spend 6-8 hours on the road.
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I took this tour on August 1, 2021 with Adolfo as my tour guide. He was a wonderful tour guide who helped us all understand the area and kept us entertained with information and stories during the drive. Chichicastenango was a little overwhelming - very busy with tons of vendors approaching us to sell small items. I enjoyed visiting the churches and the cemetery was really interesting. It looked a little like the cemeteries in New Orleans, except all of the tombs were painted different colors. Other reviews mention that they ate in Chichi - Adolfo gave us the choice and we decided to eat in Panajachel instead. After a little bit of shopping, we got back into the van and drove to Pana. The views were really beautiful. He took us to a restaurant where we sat right next to the lake and enjoyed the beautiful sights while eating seafood and drinking Gallo beers. I was traveling alone and one of my favorite parts of this tour was meeting the other people on it. There were six of us total, from Spain, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, and the US. I was a little hesitant to book such a long day trip and if possible, it would probably be nice to spend a couple of nights in Panajachel. Three of the people in our group took this tour and brought their luggage with them. We left them there at a hotel in Pana and the rest of us went back to Antigua, so keep in mind that you have that option. Definitely recommend this tour if you are on a tight time schedule like I was!
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Antes de comprar pacotes de viagem faço algumas pesquisas por internet e com empresas locais. Neste caso optei por comprar pelo site cuja reserva foi logo confirmada. Porém, ocorreu um fato importante para um viajante e que não me deixou muito satisfeita: No bilhete da reserva constava um pacote de excursão de hum dia inteiro com VISITA ao Mercado de Chichicastenango Maya e Lago Atitlán, além da indicação das atrações, constavam também outros detalhes como horário de partida e um almoço. O pacote incluía também o traslado e a confirmação pedira que eu fizesse contacto com a operadora local "Gray Line Guatemala" para reconfirmar. Assim o fiz e fui rapidamente atendida. No dia confirmado, pontualmente as 6:30hs., o guia da empresa estava na portaria do Hotel para me buscar. A minha insatisfação foi pelo motivo de não ficar muito claro que não seria VISITA e sim uma VISTA panorâmica do Lago e isto me deixou muito frustrada pois fiz planos para descer até às margens do lago e conhecer de perto toda a beleza do lugar. Assim tive que contratar outro pacote para visitar o local. Como a avaliação é apenas para o pacote, deixo para avaliar o local posteriormente. Mas devo ressaltar que o gentil e atencioso tratamento dispensados pelos guia e motorista, pontualidade e boas condições de transporte, por estes motivos indicarei a outras pessoas e voltando a Guatemala utilizarei os serviços da Grau Line.
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Overall tour was good. We went to the market, went to a church, had lunch, then went to the lake then back home I wish we spent more time at the lake, lunch would've been better there. Our tour guide and driver was amazingly sweet.
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Great tour. Such a long drive from Antigua that we had 10-12 at the market and could meet for lunch at the church. There’s a tour of the church that took almost 30 min so that left us with 2.5 hours to eat and shop. We didn’t have time to find the street food vendors. We found a couple of spots to eat really fast and get back to the meeting spot. The drive to Lake Atitlán wasn’t that long but it is literally just a stop to take a picture. Really cool for me bc I make panoramic la but I think others like my wife would rather have liked to spent the extra time at the market. Either way you’re talking about at least 5 hours in the car round trip. Better off spending a night in Pana so you can enjoy the lake and then go to the market. They have local shuttles there for that. Or if you’re set on Antigua as your starting point like us, just book a 50Q shuttle from Antigua to Chichicastenango and spend the day at your own pace then return. You don’t need a guide for this one.
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ENGLISH and Spanish below: - - - We toured with Gray Line Tours. - - -If you want to purchase beautiful handwoven, hand-embroidered and crewel Guatemalan textiles, leather goods, paintings at a great price - don't miss the Chichicastenango Market which is open Thursday and Sunday only. And try a tropical fruit called sapodilla or mamey. The visit to Lake Atitlan was panoramic, great scenery on the way; just gorgeous. - - - El Tour de Gray Lines - - - - No te pierdes el mercado de Chichicastenango, abierto los dias jueves y domingo. En oferta hay una variedad enorme de lindisimas tejidos hechos a mano; articulos bordados como centro de mesa, camineras, individuales etc, suéteres, mantas, fundas de almohadas decorativas; artículos de cuero labrados a mano; incluyendo pinturas y recuerdos. Y pruebe una fruta tropical llamada zapote o mamey. La visita al lago de Atitlán fue panorámica, un gran paisaje en el camino; simplemente hermoso.
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Jennifer (our guide) shared her knowledge of the sites we explored starting with the 2 churches, the market & cemetery. We were fortunate to hit the area on the day the fruit & vegetable market was open. The place was packed with locals in traditional garb & tone of tourists. The colours were marvellous & the small number of people we talked to were very friendly. The locale is full of history and now that we know some basic history we will do some research now that we are home.
