Of the three shuttle sellers’ schedules read on October 21, 2026 (Adrenalina Tours, Guatemala Transportation and AtitlanTour), only Adrenalina Tours lists Antigua to Santa Ana: twice a day, plus a pre-dawn return. From Guatemala City there is also a Pullman bus. This page lays out both directions and the Salvadoran entry rules. For the beaches (El Tunco, El Zonte) the shuttles are on Antigua to El Tunco, and for the capital on Antigua to San Salvador.
Quick summary
- From Antigua: Adrenalina Tours, daily at 09:00 (6.30 hours) or 13:00 (5.30 hours), USD 50 per person, to hotels in Santa Ana. Checked October 21, 2026.
- From Guatemala City: a Pullman bus at 06:00, 13:00 or 15:00, USD$47, 4 hours, sold by Guatemala Transportation.
- Back to Antigua: Adrenalina Tours, daily at 03:00 from hotels in central Santa Ana, 6 hours, USD 50.
- Book 48 hours ahead. One big bag and one handbag included; 10 USD per extra bag.
- Entering El Salvador: a $12 USD tourist card, cash, for US, Canadian and Mexican citizens among others, per Tica Bus’s migration page.
Antigua to Santa Ana
Adrenalina Tours shuttle list from Antigua and its product page, read October 21, 2026.
| Item | Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|---|
| Departure | 09:00, daily | 13:00, daily |
| Duration | 6.30 hours | 5.30 hours |
| Price | 50 USD per person | 50 USD per person |
| Pick-up | Hotels in Antigua (shuttle list); one of four departure points (product page) | Hotels in the centre of Antigua |
| Drop-off | Your hotel or address in the centre of Santa Ana | Hotels in Santa Ana |
| Door to door | Yes | Yes |
| Booking | 48 hours in advance | 48 hours in advance |
The four departure points on the 09:00 product page are Cafe La Parada, Cafe Condesa Express #2, Tanque La Unión and Cacique Real. On the published durations, the 09:00 reaches Santa Ana around 15:30 and the 13:00 around 18:30; that is arithmetic, not a timetable. Each extra bag beyond one big bag and one handbag costs 10 USD.
Adrenalina names no border crossing for this route. The Guatemala-El Salvador crossings, their highways and customs hours are compared on El Salvador border crossings.
From Guatemala City: the Pullman
Guatemala Transportation’s schedule, read October 21, 2026, lists a Pullman bus from Guatemala City to Santa Ana:
| Departs | Price | Duration | Notes on the listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00, 13:00, 15:00 | USD$47 | 4 hours | Border crossing; “Entrance Tax, personal tax” with no amount |
The listing does not name the bus company or the departure terminal. Pullmantur’s own Guatemala City to San Salvador buses, and the rule for getting off in Santa Ana, are on Pullmantur Guatemala to El Salvador.
Coming back: Santa Ana to Antigua
Adrenalina Tours product page, read October 21, 2026.
| Item | As published |
|---|---|
| Departure | 03:00, daily |
| Duration | 6 hours |
| Price | 50 USD per person |
| Pick-up | Hotels in the centre of Santa Ana |
| Drop-off | Cafe La Parada, Cafe Condesa Express #2, Tanque La Unión or Cacique Real, in Antigua |
| Booking | 48 hours in advance |
| Stock on the read date | In stock |
At 03:00 plus 6 hours, you reach Antigua around 09:00. Guatemala Transportation’s schedule, read October 21, 2026, lists no Santa Ana departure back to Guatemala City.
Entering El Salvador
From Tica Bus’s migration page, read October 21, 2026. It is a bus operator’s summary of the rules, not a government notice:
- Passport: at least 6 months of validity. CA-4 nationals may enter with a national ID card.
- Tourist card: $12 USD for citizens of a listed group of countries that includes the United States, Canada and Mexico. The page says it is issued at any land border and that you “debe pagar la tarifa de $12.00 USD en efectivo”, since cash is the only form of payment accepted.
- Leaving Guatemala: the same page states “Para ingresar y salir de Guatemala no hay pago de impuestos”.
How days spent in El Salvador count against a Guatemalan stay is on the CA-4 border run guide. Coming from Honduras instead? See Copán to Santa Ana.
What the sellers’ pages leave out
Read October 21, 2026:
- The border crossing Adrenalina’s Santa Ana shuttles use.
- The amounts behind the Pullman listing’s “Entrance Tax, personal tax”.
- A Santa Ana to Guatemala City service on Guatemala Transportation’s schedule.
Sources
- Adrenalina Tours, Shuttle Antigua to Santa Ana, El Salvador, Shuttle Santa Ana, El Salvador to Antigua, Guatemala and Collective shuttle services from Antigua, read October 21, 2026
- Guatemala Transportation, Shuttle Schedules, read October 21, 2026
- Tica Bus, Recomendaciones migratorias, read October 21, 2026
All prices and times were read on the sellers’ own pages on October 21, 2026. Shuttle availability is per date; check yours before you travel.
More international routes are listed in the Guatemala transport hub.
