Hostels in Lake Atitlán 
Looking for the best hostels in Lake Atitlán? You are in the right place!
On this page, we have listed every city in Lake Atitlán with backpacker hostels and budget-friendly stays. Hostelz.com makes it easy to find your ideal Lake Atitlán hostel by comparing prices across major booking platforms. Save money while backpacking Lake Atitlán and sleep comfortably on a budget.
All Backpacker Hostels in Lake Atitlán
We have got you covered with a complete list of every hostel in Lake Atitlán, across 7 cities! Not all cities have hostels, but many offer alternative budget options like guesthouses and affordable hotels. Use our filters to quickly find cities with hostels or other budget accommodations to simplify your trip planning.
All Lake Atitlán hostels on a map
Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.
Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in Lake Atitlán. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.
All Top Hostels in San Pedro La Laguna
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All Top Hostels in San Juan La Laguna
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All Top Hostels in Lake Atitlan
We help you pick your hostel like no one else. Check our detailed guides to:
Our handwritten guide on Backpacking Lake Atitlán
Lake Atitlan covers a huge area and there are many regions around the lake that have hostels that you can stay in, including San Pedro La Laguna, San Marco La Laguna, Panajachel, Solola and Santa Cruz La Laguna.
Panajachel is the largest of the towns on the lake. It is not overly aesthetically pleasing, however you will find many of the transport hubs here and you can take either buses to other destinations or boats across the lake to the other towns on the waterfront.
San Pedro La Laguna is the second most popular town here and you will find hostels scattered throughout the town. It is known as a party town but also has a large number of Spanish schools where you can settle in and learn to speak some of the language.
San Marco La Laguna has a reputation of being more zen and chilled out and if you are interested in taking a yoga or meditation retreat, then here is the place to do it. The hostels here are also very relaxed and chilled out. Some nights of the week you will find that they have big parties over here and you can take boats to get here from any other regions around the lake.
Santa Cruz La Laguna has limited hostel options, but it's again known for being super chilled but has a massive BBQ and party night on Saturday night that travelers seem to flock to.
All of these places you can get in and around using boats for transport. It is not recommended to try walking between the towns around the lake as there have been many assaults and robberies that have occurred on the roads. The towns themselves however, are more safe.
There are many things that you can do including hiking, markets, school, relaxing on the water, kayaking, horseback riding and so much more, it just depends on the town that you are in and what you like doing. Take a week, hop around the different towns and get among it. There is plenty to do here and it is set to a backdrop of some of the most amazing scenery of volcanoes and water.
Handwritten by local expert for Lake Atitlán hostels Globetrotter
Travel Tips for Lake Atitlán - from the Community
Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking Lake Atitlán. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of Lake Atitlán. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!
FAQ on Hostels in Lake Atitlán
There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:
Finding Hostels and Prices
What hostel booking sites are best to use?
There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.
This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.
For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.
How much are hostels in Lake Atitlán?
Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.
You can search for exacty hostel prices in Lake Atitlán here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.
When to book hostels?
If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.
We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.
Safety and Packing
Are hostels in Lake Atitlán safe?
Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.
What to pack when staying in hostels?
There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.
There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.