Calle Santander
Textiles and crafts.
Toby Argüelles — CC BY-SA 2.0 · chensiyuan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LarissaGomez — CC BY-SA 4.0
The main gateway to Lake Atitlán, a town on its northern shore at the mouth of a small river, reached by most visitors on shuttles from Antigua and Guatemala City, with boats leaving its dock for the lake's other villages. Its best-known street, Calle Santander, runs from the town centre down to the lake, lined with stalls of colourful textiles, bags, scarves and crafts, cafés and restaurants. Little tuk-tuks buzz along it carrying people around town. On the lakeshore a promenade and pier look straight across to the three volcanoes, loveliest at sunrise and sunset. Near town are a small nature reserve with hanging bridges between the trees and a butterfly garden, and the hill town of Sololá with its big market on Tuesdays and Fridays. The town is more touristy than the other lake villages but makes a comfortable base with its lodges and restaurants. Public boats link the lake villages all day, and the water gets choppy in the afternoon wind, so travel in the morning if you can.
Textiles and crafts.
Three volcanoes.
Tuesday and Friday.
Northern shore of Lake Atitlán
Panajachel is the easiest base for transport and services; other villages are quieter and closer to local life.