A photo of San Juan in front and San Pedro in the background.
Colorful streets, traditional Maya weaving, organic coffee, local crafts, and beautiful lake views. Here's our guide to discovering the best of San Juan La Laguna.
San Juan is one of our favorite places for a half-day trip from San Pedro and a must if you're staying with us for a few days or longer.
Known as Lake Atitlán's artist village, San Juan has become increasingly popular with tourists. And it's easy to see why. Almost the entire town center is decorated with colorful murals, painted buildings, and streets filled with hanging umbrellas and hats.
But beyond the busy tourist streets, you'll also find wonderful local artisans, small family businesses, traditional weaving cooperatives, and some excellent coffee.
Here are our favorite places to explore – and a few tips for finding the good spots among the many tourist traps.
The art of finding balance.
A Walk Through San Juan
The easiest way to experience San Juan is simply to wander through its colorful pedestrian streets.
Your tuk-tuk driver will to drop you off a 5-minute walk from Calle de los Sombreros (Hat Street). This is a good starting point for exploring the town.
Stroll beneath the hanging hats, figures, and colorful decorations, admire the street art, and stop for a fresh coconut, some street food, a chocofruta (chocolate-covered frozen fruit), or a cup of freshly cut fruit from one of the vendors.
Eventually, make your way downhill toward Calle de las Sombrillas (Umbrella Street), which leads all the way to the dock, from where you can take a boat back to San Pedro.
This is a lovely way to experience San Juan in just a couple of hours, without needing much of a plan.
Good to know: San Juan is particularly charming in the evening when the pedestrian streets are illuminated, but many shops close around 6 p.m.
You'll find an ATM, public toilets, and a small vegetable market near the top of Umbrella Street.
Find your way:
Calle de Los Sombreros, San Juan La Laguna
Our Favorite Places in San Juan
Traditional Weaving & Textiles
San Juan is famous for its weaving cooperatives, where local women preserve traditional Maya textile techniques, including natural dyeing and backstrap weaving.
Batz Textiles: One of our absolute favorites. Tucked away on a side street, this small shop belongs to Ana and her sister, whose beautiful, earthy colors and designs stand out from the vast selection of handwoven textiles found throughout Guatemala. They also make textiles for La Cocina Bonita, including our towels. Say hello from us if you stop by!
Casa Flor Ixcaco: A women's weaving cooperative located away from the busiest tourist streets. Visit their workshop and showroom, join a natural dyeing or weaving workshop, or shop for beautiful textiles labeled with the artisan's name, photograph, and information about the plants and materials used.
Herbal Medicine & Maya Bees
San Juan is also a wonderful place to learn about traditional herbal medicine and the local relationship with plants and bees.
Q'omaneel Plantas Medicinales: A women's cooperative dedicated to traditional herbal medicine. Visit their little shop and demonstration garden near the top of Umbrella Street to learn about medicinal plants and their traditional uses. Garden visits to their bigger garden, where they harvest plants for the medicine, can be arranged by appointment.
Book a garden tour with Alva: +502 5138 8026
Find Q'omaneel Plantas Medicinales
Abeja Obrera: A fascinating little shop specializing in products made with honey from the tiny, stingless Maya bee. You'll find honey, propolis, beeswax products, natural cosmetics, and even honey beer and wine.
Coffee – From Farm to Cup
The mountains surrounding San Juan are home to numerous small, family-owned coffee farms, and some of the best places to enjoy their coffee are right here in town.
Mayan Barista Bizarro: A charming little coffee bar near the main square where owner Luka and his son grow, harvest, roast, and brew their own coffee. And it's good!
La Voz Coffee Cooperative: This organic coffee cooperative supplies the coffee we serve at La Cocina Bonita. They have a café near the dock, but we particularly recommend visiting their roastery and processing facility on the outskirts of town. They're happy to show visitors around the roastery and small coffee museum.
It's a special experience to sip a cup of coffee while looking up at the hills where it was grown – and to see how the coffee husks are composted to nourish the next harvest naturally.
Handicrafts & Local Shopping
San Juan has no shortage of souvenir shops, but there are a few places we particularly recommend.
Artesanías Kala: Our favorite place to buy pottery, woven baskets, lamps, sugarcane mats, and handmade ropes. This small but surprisingly well-stocked shop is located away from the main tourist streets. The owner is lovely, the prices are fair, and you won't get overcharged here. Opening hours vary, so check ahead.
Instagram: Artesanías Kala
Phone: +502 5960 1122
Cerámica Mayan-Ke: Several shops in San Juan sell this beautiful hand-painted pottery from San Antonio Palopó, including a large outlet near the dock. We recommend browsing here for inspiration, but if you have time, visit the workshops in San Antonio instead. You'll generally find better prices when buying directly from the makers – and sometimes charming second-quality pieces at a bargain.
Find Cerámica Mayan-Ke in San Antonio Palopó
See our guide to the other towns around the lake here - inducing how to get to San Antonio
Swimming & Family Activities
San Juan is also a great place to visit with children.
Parque Acuático Xe Kaqasiiwan: A small water park in a beautiful lakeside setting, with a large playground nearby. A fun stop for families with younger children.
Find Parque Acuático Xe Kaqasiiwan
Mundo Abu: Spend an afternoon on the lake with Gerson at Hostel Mundo Abu, where you can rent paddleboards and pedal boats. A lovely activity for both children and adults.
Book water activities with Gerson: +502 4216 2222
A Walk with a View
El Mirador Kaqasiiwan: If you feel like stretching your legs, follow the trail uphill behind the water park. After approximately 15–30 minutes, you'll reach a beautiful viewpoint overlooking Lake Atitlán and its surrounding volcanoes. Bring water, your camera, and a little energy for the climb.
Where to Eat
San Juan has plenty of restaurants, although the quality varies. These are a few places we recommend.
Alma de Colores: A lovely little café connected to a project supporting deaf children. The kitchen uses produce from its own organic garden, making this a particularly worthwhile place to stop for lunch.
Comedor Elenita: A local favorite serving tasty, affordable Guatemalan classics without too much waiting. At the end of Hat Street, turn slightly right to find it.
Pizzeria Margharita: Good wood-fired pizzas, with two locations in San Juan – one near Umbrella Street and another on the way up to Kaqasiiwan Mirador.
Near the water park | Near Umbrella Street
El Gato Perdido Deli: A lovely little garden restaurant tucked away from San Juan's busy tourist streets. Come for Italian-inspired food, good pizzas, homemade focaccia, cheese platters, and a relaxed atmosphere.
How to Get to San Juan from La Cocina Bonita
San Juan is our neighboring town and very easy to reach by tuk-tuk.
Option 1 – One tuk-tuk and a short walk: Wave down a tuk-tuk outside our gate and ask for San Juan. You'll be dropped off near the town border and can walk the remaining 5–10 minutes into the center.
Option 2 – Two tuk-tuks: Take a tuk-tuk toward San Pedro and change to another heading directly into the center of San Juan. Ask to go to ‘Calle de Las sombreros’.
Travel time: Approximately 15 minutes.
Price: Around Q10 per person per tuk-tuk ride.
Getting back: Avoid taking a tuk-tuk directly from the bottom of Umbrella Street or the dock unless you're happy to pay a higher fare. Walking a little farther uphill or along the lake before finding a tuk-tuk can save you money.
Alternatively, take a public boat from San Juan back to San Pedro.
Boat fare: Approximately Q15 per person.
Bring small bills and exact change whenever possible.
Our Advice: Look Beyond the Colorful Streets
San Juan's painted streets and hanging umbrellas are fun to experience, but some of our favorite places are tucked away from the main tourist route.
Take a side street, visit a weaving cooperative, talk to the people making the things you buy, or spend an hour learning how coffee is grown and roasted.
That's where you'll discover the San Juan we love.
Staying at La Cocina Bonita? San Juan is just a short tuk-tuk ride away, and we're always happy to help you find our favorite places.
