San Pedro La Laguna: A Slow Traveler's Guide 2025

San Pedro is infamously recognized as a party town for backpackers. It's a perfect as a home base to day trip to the other towns around the lake.

Having spent a month slow traveling here, I have a lot to say about this town. For starters, I love that it has some very budget friendly accommodations and street food is delicious and fairly priced.

In a rush? Skip to the good stuff 👇:

San Pedro In A Nutshell

At first, I didn't understand why it's called a party town. I barely saw clubs or bars around the place. But when the weekend hit, I could hear the Mr. Mullet's Hostel at my home base which was close to be fair. Actually, parties are even on Tuesdays. There are no rest days here.

The manager of my lodging actually told me that the recent elected town board made new rules for all bars to quiet down before midnight. I think he said it was 11PM. Why? Because the locals complained and couldn't get sleep to wake up for work. I'm glad this is a new rule to be honest.

Who Is San Pedro For?

This town is for you if:

How To Get To San Pedro

Take a boat from Panajachel from the main public dock. This goes all the way to San Pedro.

Check out the Lake Atitlán Boat Schedule post for more information.

Things To Do

Visit the Most Popular Towns

• $2.00 USD

Three of the biggest highlights of Lake Atitlán are the towns of San Pedro, San Juan and San Marcos. Each of them have their own personality and highlights. The towns are easily accessible by boat ranging from Q10 to Q25.

Take Spanish Classes

• $8.00

While In San Pedro, I was traveling with my travel partner and she was taking Spanish classes. Honestly, I didn't understand the hype until I saw so many of the travelers and the dozens of Spanish School signs around the town.

I even attended a class with her and was very impressed with the teacher and teaching style. Guatemalans don't have a heavy accent like other countries so it should be easier to learn here.

On average, an hour of Spanish classes range between Q55 to Q65. If you take classes for 15 hours a week, it would equate to Q900.

Attend A Temazcál

• $6.50
• 10:00AM–12:00PM

If you walk around San Pedro long enough, you'll see flyers for spanish classes, dance classes and even Temazcál which is a ceremonial sauna in a nutshell.

A local friend found an authentic Temazcál on a local Whatsapp group for San Pedro. It's donation-based but Q50 is appreciated which we paid for to continue the service. Before, it was done weekly but now it's done monthly.

Here are a few details about this event called Temazcalli:

• Location: Luna y Sol
• Date: Sunday
• Time: 10AM—12PM
• Ages: Any
• Price: Donation or Volunteer (7:30AM)
• Contact: +502 3908 7531

Try a Cooking Class

• $60.00 USD
• 9:00AM—12:00PM

One of the most popular tours in San Pedro is taking a cooking class. Guatemalan cuisine is surprisingly rich and also veggie-friendly. While there are specialized cooking classes, many Spanish schools bundle cooking classes with their class packages.

If you'd like to try a cooking class only, group classes are $60.00 USD or Q450. Private classes start at $90.00 USD.

Explore the Streets

• Free

So far we've been staying in San Pedro for half a month which will likely extend to a month. One of our favorite things to do is getting lost in the streets looking for cafes, street food and looking at the locals living their daily lives.

We actually have a normal route we take from our accommodation that is perfectly situated near the boat terminal and walk towards one of our favorite cafes called Orbe Café. It's a long walk but pass just about every popular cafe on the way.

Besides walking close to the lake side, we also enjoy going to the town center to see the local market, comedores and find some of the better grocery shops to stock up for our weekly cooking. Prices are very competitive and you can find just about any ingredient.

While exploring, just be careful with tuk tuks and motorcycles and always look behind you while walking or crossing the streets especially in very narrow alleys. Dog poop is also scattered all over the streets. Safety-wise, it feels super safe to travel as a male and female even alone at night. This has genuinely been a pleasant surprise.

Kayak around the Lake

• $3.50

I haven't rented a kayak yet but I'm schedule to do it this month and I'll report back by experience as soon as I've toured the lake.

The hourly rate for kayak rental is Q25 in most places.

Visit Las Cristalinas

• Free
• Always Open

While at the lake, I was recommended to get to Las Cristalinas by kayak but I ended up visiting this nice beach on a party boat with Mr. Mullets hostel. This tiny beach is located between San Juan and San Pablo. You can get here by boat, tuk tuk, by walking and by kayak.

We didn't spend much time at the beach but it looked decently good to have a swim and relax in. It's hyped up as the nicest beach in the lake but it's just ok for those that have likely visited other beaches in Central America. But what I did like a lot was the picturesque dock at the beach. I had recognized the nice pictures of it online.

The site has a local restaurant that has a daily menu starting at Q60. We managed to negotiate the high touristy price down to Q40 for a vegetarian dish. There are drinks and snacks sold here as well.

Take Salsa classes

• $4.00 USD

While walking the streets of San Pedro I found out you can take dance classes every Friday at 7:30 pm at San Pedro Spanish School.

The Spanish school offers a lot more than Spanish and dance classes. It offer cooking classes, day trips, kayaking and invitations to local events. It's almost like a complete homestay.

Other lodging spaces like Casa Lobo also offer dance classes on Friday.

Dance classes include salsa and Bachata lessons. Group classes range from Q20-Q30.

Visit Central Market

• $2.00 USD

On weekends, there's market day at San Pedro. I woke up early on a Sunday and was so excited to see the market come alive on the main street. There were fruit, veggie and street food vendors everywhere.

Just walk towards Escuela Central from the touristy main street. You can't miss it. The location is linked below. While on my trip, I got some sourdough from Due Mondi and picked up two avocados as well. I also snacked on some snacks a kid was selling that was plantains with beans inside.

Oh, and as a bonus, a local vendor told me there's an even bigger market at Bella Vista. Check it out if you're a big fan of local markets like me.

Where To Eat

Dinner Comedor

• $2.00 USD
• 5:30AM–10:30PM

While walking around the center of town we found this gem of a place to eat dinner like a local. Comedores are tiny family-run whole in the wall food places that are very welcoming which is akin to eating at a local family dining room. It seems like this small comedor started off as a tortilla shop and expanded to being a comedor.

The menu is a la carte with each costing Q5 so if you get rice, beans, greens and egg, your bill would be Q20. This is a super healthy and filling meal at an unbeatable price.

Lunch Comedor

• $4.75 USD
• 12:00PM–3:00PM

During our long stay at San Pedro, we constantly walk in front of the main street by the dock and always saw a bunch of people waiting for lunch. A long line is always a good sign so we stopped and asked about the food and were absolutely blown away with the options and value for the money.

There are options for meat eaters like fried fish, grilled meat and of course chicken. And for vegetarians, there's this really nice option with fried egg combined with cauliflower which is absolutely delicious. The tomato sauce they offer is incredible.

A lunch plate costs Q35. It's best to eat there to get a larger portion.

Tamales Lady

• $1.50 USD
• 4:00PM–8:00PM

On our walk to the central part of the town, we found a lady that sells a local dish called tamales at a surprisingly unbeatable price of Q5. The menu option is fairly simple with options like tamales made of potato, rice and corn. The rice tamale was Q8.

We walked to a nearby bench area and just had the cheapest most delicious meal in town.

Korean Veggie Guy

• $3.50 USD
• 12:00PM–11:00PM

If you're in San Pedro town between Thursday & Sunday, there's this Korean guy that sells veggie friendly food and vegan food on the street. When I arrived the lake, some local friends suggested this spot and it was a healthy portion that fed two of us.

His dishes start at Q25 and range from veggie lentil curry to veggie burgers. If you're lucky enough you can grab one of his tasty food while you're on your daily walk along the streets.

Taquería Mishel

• $2.50 USD
• 6:00PM–11:00PM

If you're looking for the cheapest food in town at night, this tacos joint is exactly your spot. They have a wide menu with tortas, tacos, gringas and quesadillas. The tacos are even available in vegetarian options.

Almost all of the items in the menu start at Q20 which makes dinner a breeze to eat while being on a tight budget.

Favorite Cafés

Shanti Shanti

• $4.50 USD
• 7:00AM–11:00PM

This was the first cafe I visited. Having coffee with a beautiful lake view is a privilege I'll keep coming back to. The prices are some of the best in town and the service is top-notch with local employees. There's everything from coffee to lunch options to beers available. Besides the best lake-view seating, the café has a various levels giving all the guests a bit of separation for small or large groups.

Shanti Shanti was one of our default choices for cafés since the location is perfect and the prices are not elevated like the surrounding cafes in the touristy streets. The only minor downside is that the restaurant can get very chilly at night since it's by the lake side where winds flow in.

Americanos start at Q10 and a basic dish starts at Q35.

Idea Connection Café

• $3.50 USD
• 7:30AM–9:30PM

This cute & cozy café is a distance away from the center of town. It's an Italian chain that also exists in San Marcos if you visit. The menu is extensive with freshly baked pastries and solid breakfast and lunch options. The staff is very friendly and many even speak English.

The prices are above average but you can get a coffee for Q10 and a croissant for Q18.

Coffee Victoria

• $3.00 USD
• 8:00AM–9:00PM

If you love crepes, this will be the spot to chill and have a nice snack. The café is quiet and cozy is a little walk away from the town center (Around 5 mins from town). The prices here are very affordable which is a huge difference from the main touristy strip.

While there, we saw a few local families enjoy nice crepes. I tried the basic lemon crepe while my travel partner ate the peanut butter option.

Prices start at Q14 while a basic Americano is Q10.

Orbe Cafe

• $5.50 USD
• 8:00AM–8:00PM

After visiting almost all the "local cafes" in the main touristy area of San Pedro, we decided to give Orbe Cafe a try. While it's a 30 minutes walk from the main town center, this place is absolutely worth the short trek.

Cafe Orbe has a small area downstairs along with a large upper deck at the top. Seating is very comfortable with power ports available for some laptop work. But, the main selling point of this place is the coffee, pastries and food. Oh my God, the coffee is so good with various interesting notes. We tried the cheese cake which was out of this world.

The cheese cake was priced at Q25 while the Americano was Q12. For the quality, this was 100% worth the walk and cost. Did I mention the view of the lake is pretty nice as well?

Wait, there's more, the internet is really good. There's only two small complains and that's the open air tables upstairs that get wet when it rains. And there's also way too many flies. But now I'm just bickering.

Salud Para Vida

• $4.00 USD
• 9:00AM–4:00PM

While walking down the street we found a health food store called Salud Para Vida which is also a restaurant upstairs. It's been operating since 2009.

If you're in the mood for some kombucha, you can purchase it at the store downstairs and choose to drink it on the second floor or the third floor. Both have very spacious and relaxing vibe to get some work done or just chill.

The menu is also very extensive with lots of vegan options starting at Q45.

Due Mondi

• $5.00 USD
• 8:00AM–10:00PM

Due Mondi is an Italian café branch with the same owners running "Idea Connection" found in the touristy region of San Pedro. The menu is almost exactly the same but much more budget friendly.

I was happy to see the staff all being locals and while the music is much more latino than the usual "bossa nova" style, it's very comfortable and has air conditioning which is a big difference than the open air cafés. I spent a few hours working here and while the staff was a bit loud, earphones helped a lot.

This café has a few things that make it unique. It is air conditioned and also pet-friendly! Note that the café is closed on Thursdays.

The menu is very well priced with coffee Americanos at Q10 and a croissant priced at Q10.

Cafe Solar

• $3.00 USD
• 8:00AM–9:00PM

This tiny cafe found in the narrow streets might be a bit easy to miss but the coffee isn't. Cafe Solar has very good coffee and well-priced pastries to accompany it.

Compared to other cafes, it's slightly tucked away into a small garden. While the chairs are not the most comfortable to do work with a computer, it's workable. Its quiet and relaxing nature might be its best quality. You can literally hear the birds chirping. You might even have a few of the owner's dogs & cats lounging in the area.

A simple Americano is Q17 while pastries like banana cake and carrot cake start at Q5.

Night Life In San Pedro

1. Sublime - biggest club in town
2. OLA Bar - good price and LGBT friendly
3. M.r Mullet's Hostel - party scene at hostel
4. Luna Y Sol - salsa dancing lessons

Mr. Mullet's Boat Party (Honest Review)

Besides the infamous nightlife in San Pedro La Laguna, you can also party during the day. There's a boat party every Thursday hosted by Mr. Mullet's Hostel located in on the main touristy street in San Pedro.

The boat party kicks off from the dock at Sababa Resort dock and sails slowly for four hours with two stops: one in the middle of the lake for swimming and water sports fun and the other at Las Cristalinas (small beach beside San Juan).

Here are the highlights of Mr. Mullet's Boat Party:

This boat party is catered for young travelers that want to have loads of fun with alcohol and smoking. While I'm not the target audience, this was an extremely unique experience for me. While it's a hell of a party, it's important to note that it might be difficult to actually meet new people because of the loud music and party vibe. But it's an experience regardless.

The main downside of the boat party is the "gringo vibe" it gives off. I could tell the locals felt slightly uncomfortable about dozens of drunk backpackers stacking up on a boat and walking drunk down the streets of San Pedro. The garbage generated from the boat party and left on the beach is also not cool.

Personally, I prefer to be sensitive to the local culture and respect the environment. So while it is a fun experience in Central America, I would advise travelers to decide on going based on what aligns with them.

About Author

Everything written on this blog is based on first-hand experience or knowledge as a local living in Belize. No fluff, just honest information.