Antigua to Roatán overland is a shuttle to La Ceiba, then Galaxy Wave’s ferry to the island (US$31 one way, sailing at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.). Adrenalina Tours’ product page for the shuttle lists a two-day run, Saturdays at 04:00 with a night in Copán (US$125, hostel included); the operator’s route list shows a different version, so treat the shuttle’s day and price as unconfirmed. On the product page’s schedule, a 10-day trip of Antigua, the Copán ruins and Roatán is workable, and 14 days lets you add Lake Atitlán or Utila. The weak link is the shuttle: on 4 November 2026 it showed as out of stock, and the operator’s product page and its route listing gave different days and prices. Book it first, before anything else.

TL;DR: Antigua (3-4 nights) → shuttle to Copán (Saturdays, on Adrenalina’s product page; afternoon at the ruins) → next day to La Ceiba and the 4:30 p.m. ferry → Roatán (3-5 nights) → ferry back at 7:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. Since 31 October 2026 British travellers need no Honduran visa for up to 90 days; everyone’s Honduran days come off the shared CA-4 90-day allowance.

The transport leg on its own, with TAG’s Roatán route, is on Guatemala to Roatán. This page is the trip built around it.

Quick summary: the legs

Prices as each operator published them on 4 November 2026, in US dollars; Canadian dollar and pound equivalents at Banguat’s cross rates for 3 November 2026.

LegOperatorLeavesStated timePriceIn C$ / £Runs
Antigua → Copán → La Ceiba (two days)Adrenalina Tours04:00; 05:00 from Copán next day7 h + 7 hUS$125 incl. Copán hostel175 / 97Saturdays (product page); out of stock 4 Nov 2026
Antigua → Copán onlyAdrenalina Tours03:307 h55 USD77 / 43Daily
La Ceiba → RoatánGalaxy Wave9:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m.Check in 1 h beforeUS$31 regular / US$35 first43-49 / 24-27Daily
Roatán → La CeibaGalaxy Wave7:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m.Check in 1 h beforeUS$30 regular / US$31 first42-43 / 23-24Daily
Copán → AntiguaAdrenalina Tours06:008 h55 USD77 / 43Daily
Antigua → Panajachel (14-day version)Adrenalina Tours08:00, 12:30, 16:003 h25 USD35 / 19Daily

The listing conflict. Adrenalina’s Antigua to La Ceiba product page gives Saturdays only at 04:00, a night at Hostal Berakah in Copán, 7 hours each day and US$125. The same route’s card on the operator’s list of Antigua shuttles gives Mondays only at 01:30, a 12-hour run, drop-off at the Roatán ferry and 110 USD. Both showed out of stock on 4 November 2026. The day plan below follows the product page, because it is the one you book from; ask the operator (its listed phone is (502) 5308 5106) which version runs on your date.

Not in the shuttle fare: the product page excludes a 5 USD per-person exit fee at the border, without saying which country charges it, and charges 10 USD for each bag beyond one large bag and one handbag. It asks for bookings 48 hours ahead and runs no service on 25 December or 1 January.

10-day itinerary: Antigua, Copán, Roatán

DayPlanLeg and source
1-4 (arrive on Tuesday)AntiguaOur Guatemala itinerary guide covers what to fill these days with
5 (Saturday)04:00 pick-up at your Antigua hotel; arrival in Copán after the stated 7 hours, about 11:00 if it runs to time; afternoon at the ruins; night at the included hostelAdrenalina product page; Copán fees below
6 (Sunday)05:00 departure for La Ceiba; 7 hours stated, so about 12:00; check in by 3:30 p.m. for the 4:30 p.m. ferryAdrenalina; Galaxy Wave
7-9RoatánFCDO safety notes below
107:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. ferry to La Ceiba, then onward (see the way back)Galaxy Wave

The arrival times are arithmetic on the operator’s stated durations, not a timetable it publishes. The 9:30 a.m. sailing is out of reach on day 6.

14-day itinerary: add Lake Atitlán or Utila

  • Lake Atitlán first. Days 1-2 Antigua; day 3 shuttle to Panajachel (25 USD, 3 hours, three departures a day); days 3-5 at the lake; day 6 back to Antigua for the product page’s Saturday 04:00 departure on day 7. Adrenalina’s Antigua list shows the Antigua-Panajachel direction; for the return, the operator also sells Panajachel departures, and other operators are on our transport hub.
  • Utila after Roatán. Galaxy Wave also sells Roatán-Utila and La Ceiba-Utila tickets: US$24.00 regular or US$28.00 first class one way between Roatán and Utila, and US$24.00 or US$29.00 from La Ceiba to Utila. Its schedule page lists sailing times for Roatán and Guanaja but not, in the text read on 4 November 2026, for Utila; check on the operator’s site before planning the hop.

If the Saturday shuttle is not running on your date, Adrenalina’s daily 03:30 shuttle still reaches Copán (55 USD, 7 hours). Its Copán list on 4 November 2026 had no run to La Ceiba, so from Copán onward you would need another operator, and this site covers none on that leg.

Copán on the way

The Copán archaeological park’s official tariff page (contact email at ihah.hn) lists, for foreigners from outside Central America:

TicketPriceIn C$ / £
Archaeological park and Las SepulturasUS$20.0028 / 16
Los Túneles (tunnels)US$15.0021 / 12
Sculpture museumUS$10.0014 / 8
Regional archaeology museumUS$5.007 / 4

Fees are payable in dollars or the lempira equivalent at the exchange rate. Central American visitors pay less: US$10.00 for the park and Las Sepulturas. Macaw Mountain and the town’s other paid stops are on our Copán ruins and Macaw Mountain fees page; if you are deciding whether Copán is worth the detour at all, see Tikal or Copán.

The ferry: Galaxy Wave timetable and fares

Ticket, adultRegularFirst class
One way, La Ceiba → RoatánUS$31.00US$35.00
One way, Roatán → La CeibaUS$30.00US$31.00
Round tripUS$51.00US$69.00
  • Sailings: La Ceiba to Roatán at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; Roatán to La Ceiba at 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
  • Check-in: one hour before departure at the terminal, according to the operator.
  • Terminals: in La Ceiba, beside the Municipal Docks, also called the Cabotage Dock, on the city’s east side; on Roatán, at Dixon Cove, near French Harbour and Coxen Hole.
  • Cash: the operator says the terminal ATM issues lempiras only, and the bank branch at the terminal changes lempiras and dollars.

The way back

None of the operators on this page sells a single service from Roatán back to Antigua. The pieces they do sell:

  • Ferry: Roatán to La Ceiba at 7:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.
  • Copán to Antigua: Adrenalina’s daily 06:00 shuttle, 8 hours, 55 USD; the operator says it guarantees the service only if prepaid 72 hours ahead.
  • San Pedro Sula to Guatemala City: the direct Pullman via the Corinto border and other options are on our Guatemala City to San Pedro Sula page.
  • Flying: TAG Airlines lists Roatán (RTB) among its destinations, with Guatemala City (GUA) as an origin in its search on tagairlines.com. This page quotes no flight days or fares; run a dated search there.

Adrenalina’s Antigua to La Ceiba product sells only that direction, and this site covers no bus between La Ceiba and Copán or San Pedro Sula, so leave a buffer day if you are going back by road.

Entry rules and the CA-4 clock

GuatemalaHonduras
UK passportNo visa for up to 90 days (FCDO)No visa for up to 90 days since 31 October 2026; 30-day entry stamp on arrival, extendable at an immigration office (FCDO)
Canadian passportNo tourist visa for up to 90 days; the officer at your first CA-4 entry point decides how many days you get (Canada)No tourist visa for up to 90 days, at the officer’s discretion (Canada)
Land borderGet your entry stamp; the FCDO warns of a fine and delays otherwiseThe FCDO says immigration may ask for 3 US dollars in cash; hold on to the receipt while you are in Honduras

Guatemala and Honduras sit in the CA-4 zone with El Salvador and Nicaragua, so Copán and Roatán days count against the same 90 days as Antigua. The UK FCDO says moving between them does not reset the count. How extensions and border runs work is on our CA-4 border run guide; the three Guatemala-Honduras crossings are compared on Honduras border crossings. US passport holders should check the State Department’s Honduras page.

Safety and money on the Honduran side

  • US State Department: Honduras and Guatemala are both Level 3, Reconsider Travel (listed 4 November 2026).
  • Bay Islands: the UK FCDO rates them generally safer than the Honduran mainland but notes several criminal attacks on visitors, some of them on the mainland ferries, and advises travelling with a reputable guide on Roatán. It also lists petty theft in tourist areas including Roatán, Utila and Guanaja.
  • La Ceiba: the FCDO names it among the north-coast towns, with Tela, Trujillo and El Progreso, where it warns of criminal attacks and carjackings.
  • Diving: the FCDO says there is a hyperbaric chamber on Roatán and recompression facilities on Utila, but that emergency medical care on the islands is extremely limited.
  • Cash: the FCDO says US dollars are widely accepted in Honduras and British pounds are difficult to exchange.

The Copán-only version of a Honduras side trip, combined with El Salvador’s beaches, is our Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras itinerary.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get from Antigua to Roatán overland?

In two pieces. Adrenalina Tours’ product page for its Antigua to La Ceiba shuttle lists a 04:00 Saturday departure, an overnight stop in Copán at a hostel included in the US$125 fare and a 05:00 start for La Ceiba the next morning, with drop-off at La Ceiba hotels or the ferry terminal. Galaxy Wave then sails La Ceiba to Roatán at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily. On 4 November 2026 the shuttle showed as out of stock and the operator’s own listings disagreed on its day and price, so confirm with Adrenalina before building a trip around it.

How many days do I need for Guatemala and Roatán?

Ten days fits three or four days in Antigua, two travel days to Roatán through Copán, three or four days on the island and a day to leave. Fourteen days adds Lake Atitlán before the crossing, or Utila, which Galaxy Wave also serves from La Ceiba and Roatán. On the shuttle’s product page the overland crossing takes two days in either version, because it stops overnight in Copán.

How much does the Galaxy Wave ferry to Roatán cost?

An adult one-way ticket from La Ceiba to Roatán costs US$31.00 in regular class or US$35.00 in first class; Roatán to La Ceiba costs US$30.00 or US$31.00; a round trip is US$51.00 or US$69.00 (Galaxy Wave, read 4 November 2026). The operator asks passengers to check in one hour before departure.

Do I need a visa for Honduras on this trip?

Not on a British passport since 31 October 2026: the UK FCDO says Britons can visit Honduras for up to 90 days without a visa, and that arrivals get a 30-day entry stamp they can apply to extend at an immigration office. Canada says Canadians need no tourist visa for up to 90 days. At a land border the FCDO says Honduran immigration may ask for 3 US dollars in cash; hold on to the receipt for as long as you are in Honduras.

Does time in Honduras count against my 90 days in Guatemala?

Yes. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua share one 90-day allowance under the CA-4 agreement, and the UK FCDO says the 90 days run from your first entry into any of them and keep running when you move between them. Roatán and Copán days therefore come off the same clock as your Antigua days.

How much does it cost to visit the Copán ruins?

The Copán archaeological park lists foreign visitors from outside Central America at US$20.00 for the park and Las Sepulturas, US$15.00 for the tunnels, US$10.00 for the sculpture museum and US$5.00 for the regional archaeology museum, payable in dollars or lempiras at the exchange rate (official tariff page, read 4 November 2026).