From Guatemala City, the cheapest day trips with a published price are IRTRA’s lakeside park at Amatitlán (Q30 per adult non-member, open Thursday to Sunday, 09:00 to 16:00) and Auto Safari Chapín (Q75 per person from age 2). The earliest start is Tikal by air: Clark Tours picks up at 04:00, labels the trip a full day and charges $420 per person, flights and site entry included (all read 10 November 2026).

In short: Two of the seven trips below are park admissions you reach on your own: Amatitlán and Auto Safari. The other five are tours that print their own clock: Sertursa’s Antigua villages (09:00 to 14:00), Pacaya (sold as 7 hours), Lake Atitlán (about 8 hours) and Chichicastenango (about 10 hours, Thursdays or Sundays only), and Clark Tours’ Tikal day (04:00 pickup). Each row links to the page that covers that place in full.

The seven trips side by side

Every figure is the operator’s or the park’s own, read on 10 November 2026. Sertursa prints its prices by group size (1-5 passengers, 6 or more, maximum 10) and says a vehicle carries at most 5 passengers, but it does not say whether the figure is per person or per group, so ask for the total before paying.

TripPublished time or opening daysPublished priceWho publishes itOur full page
Amatitlán, IRTRA lakeside parkThursday to Sunday, 09:00-16:00Non-members: adults Q30 (over 1.20 m); children up to 1.20 m Q15; age 60+ Q15; under 1.00 m freeIRTRALake Amatitlán day trip
Auto Safari ChapínNot on the price pageQ75, adults and children from age 2Auto Safari ChapínAuto Safari Chapín
Antigua villages tour09:00-14:00, Monday to SundayUS$100 (1-5 passengers), US$130 (6 or more)SertursaAntigua Guatemala
Pacaya volcanoSold as a 7-hour tour, 5:00-12:00 or 13:00-19:00 (the afternoon slot is 6 hours)US$160 (1-5 passengers), US$230 (6 or more); park entry includedSertursaPacaya volcano
Lake AtitlánAbout 8 hours from Guatemala City or AntiguaUS$355 (1-5 passengers), US$405 (6 or more)SertursaAirport to Lake Atitlán
Chichicastenango and PanajachelAbout 10 hours; Thursdays or Sundays onlyUS$380 (1-5 passengers), US$430 (6 or more)SertursaChichicastenango market
Tikal by air04:00 hotel pickup, daily, full day$420 per person (regular); private $502-$886 per person (4 down to 1 passenger); groups $448 per person for 5-9 passengers, down to $392 for 26 or moreClark ToursTikal day trip from Guatemala City

The two parks: admission only

Amatitlán. IRTRA prints opening days of Sunday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 09:00 to 16:00, so a Monday-to-Wednesday visit finds it closed. The park sits on the shore of Lake Amatitlán and IRTRA lists rowing boats and motorboats on the lake among its activities, plus pools and gardens. IRTRA members enter with up to five people of their immediate family on one card; everyone else pays the height-based tariff in the table. IRTRA gives no last-entry time.

Auto Safari Chapín. The single Q75 ticket covers the drive-through safari, the giraffe dock, the walking zoo, a boat ride and the pools. The park gives its address as km 87.5 on the road to Taxisco, in Guanagazapa, Escuintla. Its price page does not print opening hours or transport from the city; the Auto Safari Chapín page carries the opening days and the organised trips from the capital.

The tours: what the clock and the price include

Antigua villages (Sertursa). The tour runs 09:00 to 14:00, door to door from a hotel in Antigua or Guatemala City, with a bilingual Spanish-English guide. Sertursa names the stops as craft villages around Antigua: the looms of San Antonio Aguas Calientes, jade worked in San Pedro las Huertas, and the níspero wine and handmade chocolate of San Juan del Obispo.

Pacaya (Sertursa). Sertursa places the volcano 50 kilometres from the city. Its itinerary is a drive to San Vicente Pacaya, a climb of about two and a half hours (a horse costs extra), the crater platform of Cerro Chino, then the walk or ride back. The morning slot is 5:00 to 12:00 and the afternoon slot 13:00 to 19:00, which is six hours against the seven Sertursa prints, so ask which return time applies. Transport, guide, water and park entry are included.

Lake Atitlán (Sertursa). About 8 hours for the whole trip from Guatemala City or Antigua. A private boat visits San Marcos, San Juan and San Pedro, and the transport home leaves from Panajachel. Sertursa gives the lake’s altitude as 1,562 metres.

Chichicastenango and Panajachel (Sertursa). Available on Thursdays or Sundays only. The visit takes in the church of Santo Tomás, the craft market and the Pascual Abaj hill, then continues to the lake for the same boat loop as the Atitlán tour; Sertursa puts the whole trip at about 10 hours. Its inclusions list also says Tour de 2 horas (a 2-hour tour) without saying which part of the day those two hours cover, so ask how long you get in the market.

Sertursa lists free cancellation up to 48 hours before the booked date, with an asterisk the page does not explain.

Tikal by air (Clark Tours, tour BH18). Pickup is at 04:00 from the Westin Camino Real, Hilton Guatemala City, Barceló Guatemala City and nearby hotels, and the tour runs daily. The price covers ground transfers, the return domestic flights, transport between Flores and Tikal, entrance fees and a picnic lunch, and Clark says the transportation rate includes 12% VAT. The regular price is $420 per person; private departures run from $886 per person for one passenger to $502 each for four, and group rates run from $448 each for 5 to 9 passengers down to $392 each for 26 or more. Tips and other meals are extra. Clark Tours gives no time for the return to the hotel.

If you go to Tikal on your own instead, the Ministry of Culture’s ticket site sells the foreign-visitor park entry at Q150, with children under 10 free and a 2.30% surcharge on international cards. It warns that foreign visitors cannot enter with tickets for nationals.

Staying in the city instead

For museums, markets and zones inside the capital, see things to do in Guatemala City.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the day trips from Guatemala City, how long does each take and what does entry cost?

Seven with published prices on 10 November 2026: IRTRA’s Amatitlan lakeside park (Q30 adult non-member, open Thursday to Sunday 09:00-16:00), Auto Safari Chapin (Q75 from age 2), Sertursa’s Antigua villages tour (09:00-14:00), its Pacaya tour (sold as 7 hours, though the afternoon slot runs 13:00-19:00; park entry included), its Lake Atitlan tour (about 8 hours) and its Chichicastenango-and-lake tour (about 10 hours, Thursdays or Sundays), and Clark Tours’ Tikal day by air (04:00 pickup, $420 per person).

Can I see Tikal and get back to Guatemala City the same day?

Clark Tours sells it as a daily full-day tour: hotel pickup at 04:00, return flights to Flores, transport to Tikal, site entrance fees and a picnic lunch, at $420 per person on the regular departure (read 10 November 2026). Clark Tours gives no time for the return to the hotel.

Which day trips from Guatemala City are cheapest?

On the prices published on 10 November 2026, the two parks: IRTRA’s Amatitlan park charges non-members Q30 per adult and Q15 per child up to 1.20 m, and Auto Safari Chapin Q75 per person from age 2. Both prices are admission only; transport from the city is not included.

On which days can I do Chichicastenango from Guatemala City?

Sertursa’s Chichicastenango and Panajachel tour runs on Thursdays or Sundays only, takes about 10 hours from Guatemala City or Antigua, and adds a boat trip to San Marcos, San Juan and San Pedro on Lake Atitlan (read 10 November 2026).

Does the Pacaya tour from Guatemala City include the park fee?

Sertursa lists park entrance among the inclusions of its Pacaya tour, along with transport, a bilingual guide and water. It prints US$160 for 1-5 passengers and US$230 for 6 or more (read 10 November 2026).