Pullmantur operates the Guatemala City - San Salvador route as an international cross-border service. Its own price page publishes Turista $36.00, Ejecutiva $39.00 and Primera Clase $62.00 one way, taxes and on-board meals and drinks included, with a journey time of 4 hours 45 minutes. It competes with Tica Bus, whose published fares on the same corridor are $20.00 standard and $35.00 Servicio Diamante, and with King Quality, for which no published fare could be verified in 2026.
Pullmantur quick summary: Guatemala City - San Salvador bus, 4 hrs 45 min per the operator, Turista $36 / Ejecutiva $39 / Primera Clase $62 one way. Pullmantur does not name its border crossing; Tica Bus and Transporte del Sol name Valle Nuevo / Las Chinamas. Pullmantur asks for a passport or a DPI / DUI (CA-4 document). Departures 06:00 and 14:00 daily from the Hotel Holiday Inn, 1a Avenida 13-22, Zona 10.
What is Pullmantur
Pullmantur (Pullmantur, S.A. de C.V., per its site footer) is an international bus operator. Its own booking page, read on 3 October 2026, lists five cities: Guatemala, San Salvador, Santa Ana, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. It does not list Managua or San José. From Guatemala City it sells San Salvador and, via San Salvador, Tegucigalpa; it has no Guatemala to San Pedro Sula ticket.
International pullman service. Pullmantur’s classes page (read 10 October 2026) lists for all three classes an attendant, meals, films, drinks, a restroom and free Wi-Fi. Turista Superior and Clase Ejecutiva Plus ride on the upper deck with reclining leather seats; Primera Clase is a private 12-seat cabin on the lower deck with 110 V outlets. The page does not mention air conditioning.
Fares and Comparison 2026
| Operator | Price USD | Price Quetzales | Duration | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pullmantur Turista | $36.00 | Q275 | 4 hrs 45 min | Operator-published; meals and drinks included |
| Pullmantur Ejecutiva | $39.00 | Q297 | 4 hrs 45 min | Operator-published |
| Pullmantur Primera Clase | $62.00 | Q473 | 4 hrs 45 min | Operator-published |
| Tica Bus (standard) | $20.00 | Q153 | 6 hours scheduled | Operator-published; 06:30 daily and 16:30 Mon-Fri |
| Tica Bus (Servicio Diamante) | $35.00 | Q267 | 6 hours scheduled | The operator’s only published class label on this route |
| King Quality | Not published | — | — | Website down on 12 and 25 Sep 2026; its Facebook page lists an address and phone but no fare or timetable |
Pullmantur fares are from the operator’s own price page and Tica Bus fares from its own routes-and-fares table, both retrieved 12 September 2026. Tica Bus prints that its listed fares are online-purchase prices and that arrival times vary with border queues. Quetzal figures use Banguat’s reference rate of Q7.62817 per USD for 12 September 2026. See current exchange rate.
Best value: Tica Bus publishes the lowest one-way fare on this corridor ($20.00, or $35.00 for Servicio Diamante). Pullmantur wins if you want a Zona 10 departure, a meal included and the fastest published journey (4 hrs 45 min) rather than boarding at Calzada Aguilar Batres in Zona 12.
The Route Step by Step
1. Departure from Guatemala City
- Pullmantur boards at the Hotel Holiday Inn, 1a Avenida 13-22, Zona 10 — the only Guatemala address the operator publishes. Tel (502) 2495-7000, WhatsApp (502) 4085-3187
- Departures (itinerary page, rechecked 23 October 2026): Turista Superior 06:00 and 14:00 daily; Primera Clase adds 07:00 on Monday, Friday and Saturday and 14:30 on Friday and Sunday; Ejecutiva runs 07:00 Mon/Fri/Sat and 14:30 Fri/Sun
- Pullmantur asks passengers to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure with passport or ID
2. Internal Guatemala leg
- Pullmantur publishes no route map or intermediate stops on the Guatemalan side, only the 4 h 45 min total.
3. Border crossing
Option A: Valle Nuevo / Las Chinamas
- The crossing Tica Bus and Transporte del Sol name on their own timetables. Pullmantur does not name its crossing on the pages we read (12 September 2026)
- IGM counted Valle Nuevo as the busiest land post of Semana Santa 2026 (105,641 movements); neither SAT nor IGM publishes crossing times (checked 20 September 2026)
Option B: La Hachadura (coastal) — not used by this service
- A real crossing on the Guatemala-El Salvador border, open 24 hours on the Salvadoran side
- But no operator we read on 12 September 2026 names it for a Guatemala City to San Salvador bus: Tica Bus names Valle Nuevo / Las Chinamas, and Transporte del Sol names Las Chinamas. All four crossings are compared on El Salvador border crossings
At the crossing:
- Guatemalan migration on the Valle Nuevo side; El Salvador’s migration (DGME) and customs (DGA) on the Las Chinamas side
- DGME lists Las Chinamas as 24/7; DGA lists its Las Chinamas customs office as 5:00 a.m. to midnight (both read 1 October 2026)
- Have your passport or DPI / DUI ready: Pullmantur’s requirements page makes passengers responsible for carrying valid documents
4. Internal El Salvador leg
- Pullmantur’s itinerary page says Guatemala to San Salvador passengers may get off in Santa Ana, at the Gasolinera Puma Santa Maria, if they say so at departure in Guatemala both at the office and to the crew when handing over luggage
5. Arrival in San Salvador
- Pullmantur arrives at the Hotel Sheraton Presidente, Local Pullmantur, Final Av. Revolución, Colonia San Benito — tel (503) 2526-9900
Required Documents
Source for this section: Pullmantur’s travel-requirements page (last updated 16 February 2026, read 10 October 2026).
For Guatemalans
- DPI (CA-4 document) or passport
- Minors travelling without both parents, with a third person or alone: a power letter with a legalized signature or a consular letter, presented and left with the migration delegate; the letter stays in the custody of the Instituto Guatemalteco de Migración
For Salvadorans
- DUI or passport. For the return trip, Pullmantur says Salvadoran minors travelling without both parents, with one parent or with a third party, need a notarized permit already pre-checked by Migración
For Other Central Americans (Honduras, Nicaragua)
- Passport or a CA-4 identity document, plus any visa your nationality requires
For Foreigners (USA, Europe, etc.)
- Passport, plus any visa your nationality requires; see our visa guide
For Diaspora (Guatemalans in the US)
- Pullmantur accepts a DPI or a passport on this route. If you need a DPI first, see DPI
Comparison: Pullmantur vs King Quality vs Tica Bus
| Feature | Pullmantur | King Quality | Tica Bus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fare | $36 Turista / $39 Ejecutiva / $62 Primera Clase | Not published | $20 standard / $35 Servicio Diamante |
| Reclining seats | Yes (Turista Superior and Ejecutiva Plus, per its classes page) | Not published | Yes |
| Air conditioning | Not listed on its classes page | Not published | Yes |
| Onboard bathrooms | Yes (listed for all three classes) | Not published | Yes |
| Meals included | Yes — the operator prints “INCLUYE SERVICIO A BORDO DE COMIDAS Y BEBIDAS.” | Not published | Not published; the operator instead budgets ~$20/day of food onto the passenger |
| WiFi | Free Wi-Fi listed for all three classes | Not published | Its home page lists WIFI a bordo (read 9 October 2026) |
| Terminal | Hotel Holiday Inn, 1a Av 13-22, Zona 10 | Address on its Facebook page: 3ra Avenida 1-38, Zona 9 | Calzada Aguilar Batres 18-35, Zona 12 |
| Border crossings | Not named by the operator | Not published | Valle Nuevo y Las Chinamas |
| Journey time | 4 hrs 45 min (operator) | Not published | 6 hours from its own departure/arrival pair |
Travel Tips
Before You Leave
- Book ahead for holiday dates, and confirm the class: the Primera Clase cabin does not take children under 12
- Confirm exact terminal and time when booking
During the Trip
- Pullmantur includes meals and drinks in the fare
- Keep your passport or ID on you for the border
At the Border
- Follow the driver and bus assistant
- Have passport and bus ticket ready
- No operator we read on 12 September 2026 publishes a border-queue estimate; Tica Bus prints that arrival times vary with border crossings and road traffic
Comparison with Other Crossing Options
| Option | Time | Cost | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pullmantur bus | 4 hrs 45 min | $36-62 one way | Meals and drinks included (operator) |
| Tica Bus | 6 hours scheduled | $20-35 one way | Reclining seats, air conditioning, restroom (operator) |
| Flight (TAG) | Monday 9:05 a.m. to 9:55 a.m. on its July 2026 estimated schedule | From $200 round trip (July 2026 launch report) | 4 flights a week |
Pullmantur’s own fare table (3 October 2026) puts this trip at $36-62 one way. The TAG schedule and fare come from guatemala.com’s July 2026 report of the route relaunch, which calls the times estimated, so price a flight for your own dates. All operators side by side: Guatemala City to San Salvador.
Pullmantur Alternatives
If Pullmantur has no available schedule:
- King Quality — no reachable website on 12 or 25 September 2026. Its Facebook page (Transportes KING Quality, S.A.) lists the address 3ra Avenida 1-38, zona 9, and the phone 4508 3187, but the newest post we could load there dates from 2018 and it publishes no fare or schedule (read 25 September 2026)
- Tica Bus — $20 standard or $35 Servicio Diamante, but it boards at Calzada Aguilar Batres 18-35, Zona 12, not in the centre
For Diaspora from USA
If you are planning a multi-country trip (Guatemala + El Salvador):
- Fly to La Aurora (GUA) from the US
- Visit Guatemala (Antigua, Atitlan, Tikal)
- Take Pullmantur to San Salvador
- Return to the US via SAL (San Salvador) or return to GUA
See also transport safety.
Reservations and Contact
- Pullmantur Guatemala: Hotel Holiday Inn, 1a Avenida 13-22, Zona 10. Tel (502) 2495-7000, WhatsApp (502) 4085-3187
- By email: Pullmantur’s travel-requirements page lists informacion@pullmantur.com and says you can enquire and buy that way: once you have your route, dates and times, it sends a link to pay by credit card (read 10 October 2026)
- Tip: Confirm seats and fare before your travel date
Other routes and transport:
- Litegua Capital - Puerto Barrios — bus to the east
- Bus to Mexico (Tapachula) — northern cross-border
- Lake Atitlan lancha routes — boats around the lake
- Antigua to El Tunco & the El Salvador beaches — direct shuttle to the surf coast
- Uber Guatemala pricing — fares in the city
- Driving in Guatemala — alternative with own vehicle
- Safety — transport safety guide
Pullmantur and Tica Bus figures verified against the operators’ own sites on 12 September 2026; Pullmantur itineraries re-read 3 October 2026 and its classes and requirements pages 10 October 2026. Tica Bus prints that arrival times vary with border queues. Verify before traveling.
