Chichicastenango Market Day Trip

(10)

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Chichicastenango Market Day Trip

(10)

Add to Wishlist

Show all photos

Summary

Experience Details

What You’ll Experience

Where to Meet

Reviews

Location

Sacatepequez

Duration

6 hours

Number of Guests

4 - 12 guests

Accessibility

Stroller Accessible

Language

English, Spanish

Other

Wheelchair Accessible, Family-friendly, Pet-friendly

Digital Ticket

Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Discover Chichicastenango's vibrant market on a guided tour. Explore artisan factories, visit historical sites, and taste local delicacies like "bread of the dead." Experience cultural wonders!

For each guest that attends this experience, byFood will donate
10 meals

Experience Details

Chichicastenango, popularly called “Chichi” by locals, is an indigenous town in the Guatemalan Highlands where a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, traditions and tastes, takes place. Its market days predates the Spanish arrival and still draws people from far and wide to trade fresh products, handcrafted goods, vibrant textiles and local recipes. This experience walking through lively streets, visiting the cemetery, a traditional mask workshop, and the historic Santo Tomás Church, guided by experts and passioned local friends.

Our visit includes one on one time with a local costume factory called Morería, where generation after generation the family has dedicated their passion and art to the creation of traditional customes worn or dressed at festive dances, step inside of Santo Tomás Church to appreciate how Maya and Catholicism Ideology has blended together.

What You Get

Private transportation

Bottled water

Snacks

if you are staying in Guatemala City there is a extra fee of $30

Lunch

Good To Know

Walking involved in the market, but tour is based on individual pace of traveler, so special accommodations can be made.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

What You’ll Experience

Interamerican Highway

It will take us 3 hours by car from Antigua to Chichicastenango with some stops along the way (bathroom break, quick coffee or simply to straight your legs)

3 hoursAdmission Ticket Free

Chichicastenango Market

it is one of the largest markets in Central America and one of the best places to experience our rich culture and spiritual heritage blended with the New World influence from the Spanish Colony. Our time will be distribute throught the different areas in the local market that has extended on the streets as well, we will enjoy the overview of the vegetable and fruits area where colors captivate your creativity.

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Iglesia de Santo Tomás

Iglesia de Santo Tomas (Church of Saint Thomas). This historic structure, built in 1540, often plays host to Mayan rituals. Just across the plaza is Calvary Church, a slightly more compact version of Iglesia Santo Tomas represent the duality. The most impresive to remember is that this used to be a Mayan Altar and one of the most relevant treasures of our times was found there in 1700, The Popol Vuh manuscript by friar Fray Francisco de Ximénez, he translated it to spanish.

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Cemetery

You probably will get shoked by the way we manage our relationship with afterlife. The Mayan belief of the cycle of life centers on rebirth and renewal, viewing death not as an end but as a transition within a continuous cycle. Cemetery offers a vibrant rainbow of pigments that celebrates our loved ones, colors simbolized different family roles, mausoleums and cruses will be elements in your picture. Generally these market days are the perfect moment to visit the tums to place offerings or Maya Ceremonies to send messages of love, it is extremely important to show respect while we are present.

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Moreria Santo Tomas Fabrica De Mascaras

Masks functioned as ceremonial and symbolic objects in religious, political, and funerary rituals. They allowed rulers to assume the identity of gods or supernatural beings, connecting the earthly world with the divine and securing their power and lineage. They have been also used in dances and performances to teach history, culture.

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Interamerican Highway

The return trip to Antigua Guatemala will take us another 3 hours with some stops along the way, but this time you will return with the heart of Chichicastenango in your memory

3 hoursAdmission Ticket Free

Meeting & Pickup

Pickup Point

Select a pickup point

Pickup Details

We pick up from all hotels or points of interest in and around the Antigua

Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 24 hours before the experience start time to receive a full refund.
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Reviews

4.7

based on 10 reviews

(TripAdvisor)

An Unforgettable Cultural Experience in Chichicastenango

February 24, 2026

Our Chichicastenango Market Tour was truly one of the most memorable experiences of our trip. The scenery on the way to Chichi was absolutely breathtaking. We had a coffee stop at Katok Ingreso, a...read more

(TripAdvisor)

Great Market and Atitlan trip - with service above and beyond.

February 23, 2026

My daughter and I did a two day trip to Chichicastenango market and then onto Lake Atitlan. We were recommended this company by a trusted previous guide. Our driver/guide for the two days was Esteb...read more

(TripAdvisor)

Don't miss Chichi market

September 30, 2025

Great market! A mix of local and touristy merchandise. Extremely colorful. You can find everything from flowers to underwear to jewelry to traditional clothing.

(TripAdvisor)

Not worth the effort to get there

May 05, 2025

Very unimpressed. Just did not compare to markets in Istanbul, Guamote in Ecuador, Omdurman in Khartoum. Everything is relative. The day trip from Panajachel to Chichi was not worth it.

(TripAdvisor)

The best tour company, a fantastic experience from the very first email to our return home. Can’t recommend enough.

January 03, 2025

When we contacted Columbus Guatemala Travel from our home in Massachusetts, we weren’t sure what to expect. This would be our first time returning to Guatemala with our children, now teenagers, who...read more