Copan Ruinas
Copan Ruinas
4.5
About
Copan Ruinas valley of Kings, Sacred Valley of the Red Scarlet Macaw. Copan Ruinas is an ancient city in the Mayan Empire. Located in western Honduras at just under 10 minutes from the border with Guatemala el Florido. More than 138,000 visitors came here in 2017, the lowest in years but with a slight increase in traffic in comparison to 2015. Many agree the bad condition of the road plays an important role to this lack of traffic. Hopefully in 2018 will be better.
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2-3 hours
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- Sandra ArtistLondon, United Kingdom251 contributionsMagical Mayan ruins like nowhere elseIf you love the Mayan culture, Copán is on your list! It's easily reached from Guatemala with a private car and accomodation is very reasonable in this safe, lovely little town. Get to the archeological site early ,it opens at 8 am and gets quite hot after 10 am. You can stroll on foot, for about one kilometre, see birds and lovely trees on the way,or take a tuktuk. Take water and wear sun protection. The site is huge, take your time to hire a local, knowledgeable guide: today we had the pleasure to have Gladys! Her English was perfect for my husband who doesn't speak Spanish, she has deep professional knowledge of the stelas and pyramids, digging in progress and symbols of this wonderful ancient culture. Take time to savour the views,climb pyramids and understand the Mayan culture. This is a gem! In the middle of a beautiful National park. You will see macaws close, agouti and beautiful wild birds too.Visited January 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 25 January 2023
- PhaseIII27 contributionsGreat churros!This is our 3rd visit to Copan Ruinas. Si many good places to eat. We discovered Don Churros. Great churros and iced coffee. Give it a try. Located not far from the square.Visited February 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 4 February 2023
- Robbert LAmsterdam, The Netherlands1,647 contributionsA marrvellous dayWe ve been in Tikal and various Mayan sites in Mexico. Great Mayan site in Copan. We were there at 800 when the doors opened so we had the first half hour the whole site for ourselves. After that some groups came in but still a low amount of visitors which adds to the peaceful experience. Beautiful ruins. Marvellous day. With rhe same ticket we also visited Las Sepulturas (less beautiful, approximately a 10 to 15 minute walk). The birds (woodpeckers, aracari s, etc) and the many gorgeous red blue yellow ara s added to the experience. A great day. We went in 8.00, we left around 14.30.Visited August 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 14 August 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Traveller162014
Leeds, UK973 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
These ruins have lots of detail. It is really interesting looking at the sort of art they used to produce. There were also lots of animals here, including lots of macaws!
Written 23 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robbert L
Amsterdam, The Netherlands1,647 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
We ve been in Tikal and various Mayan sites in Mexico. Great Mayan site in Copan. We were there at 800 when the doors opened so we had the first half hour the whole site for ourselves. After that some groups came in but still a low amount of visitors which adds to the peaceful experience. Beautiful ruins. Marvellous day. With rhe same ticket we also visited Las Sepulturas (less beautiful, approximately a 10 to 15 minute walk). The birds (woodpeckers, aracari s, etc) and the many gorgeous red blue yellow ara s added to the experience. A great day. We went in 8.00, we left around 14.30.
Written 14 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WHWhite
Portsmouth, UK74 contributions
Apr 2023
Visited Copan from San Salvador on a day tour. Used Salvadorean Tours. This involved a total of 9hrs round trip driving. 4.30am start. Spent 9.15-12 noon at Copan ruins looking around the archaeological site and the associated museum. The monumental architecture is less spectacular than at some other Mayan sites (such as Tikal) but still pretty impressive, but the sculpture and stone carving is more elaborate. Having a guide at the archaeological site is definitely worthwhile to explain the symbolism and meaning of the animals and human figures represented, and to help fully understand the nature of the site. Full marks to 'Gladys' here! The town of Copan Ruinas is also worth a quick look around too. I ate my lunch sitting in the town square, closely eyed by some of the local dogs.
Doing this site as a day trip from San Salvador makes for a long day with a lot of driving and multiple border crossings. But for me it was well worth it in order to visit one of the world's great archaeological sites. Salvadorean Tours were excellent in all respects.
Doing this site as a day trip from San Salvador makes for a long day with a lot of driving and multiple border crossings. But for me it was well worth it in order to visit one of the world's great archaeological sites. Salvadorean Tours were excellent in all respects.
Written 29 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jackie M
3 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Loved our 4 days in copan. The Mayan ruins , macaw mountain reserve, canopy zip line ( amazing .. a must do even though I could find few reviews about the copan ruinas one on tripadviser) , hot springs , friendly people. Amazing coffee and cake cafes.
Written 2 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sylk1111
Chicago, IL131 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
We drove across the country of Honduras to get to Copan. It was so worth it. Virgilio, our tour guide was so extensively knowledgeable on the Mayan history. He explained every little detail. It was a wonderful experience.
Written 19 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PhaseIII
Pacific Nw27 contributions
Feb 2023 • Friends
This is our 3rd visit to Copan Ruinas. Si many good places to eat. We discovered Don Churros. Great churros and iced coffee. Give it a try. Located not far from the square.
Written 4 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandra Artist
London, UK251 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
If you love the Mayan culture, Copán is on your list! It's easily reached from Guatemala with a private car and accomodation is very reasonable in this safe, lovely little town.
Get to the archeological site early ,it opens at 8 am and gets quite hot after 10 am.
You can stroll on foot, for about one kilometre, see birds and lovely trees on the way,or take a tuktuk. Take water and wear sun protection.
The site is huge, take your time to hire a local, knowledgeable guide: today we had the pleasure to have Gladys! Her English was perfect for my husband who doesn't speak Spanish, she has deep professional knowledge of the stelas and pyramids, digging in progress and symbols of this wonderful ancient culture.
Take time to savour the views,climb pyramids and understand the Mayan culture.
This is a gem! In the middle of a beautiful National park. You will see macaws close, agouti and beautiful wild birds too.
Get to the archeological site early ,it opens at 8 am and gets quite hot after 10 am.
You can stroll on foot, for about one kilometre, see birds and lovely trees on the way,or take a tuktuk. Take water and wear sun protection.
The site is huge, take your time to hire a local, knowledgeable guide: today we had the pleasure to have Gladys! Her English was perfect for my husband who doesn't speak Spanish, she has deep professional knowledge of the stelas and pyramids, digging in progress and symbols of this wonderful ancient culture.
Take time to savour the views,climb pyramids and understand the Mayan culture.
This is a gem! In the middle of a beautiful National park. You will see macaws close, agouti and beautiful wild birds too.
Written 25 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff K
Pittsburgh, PA1,897 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
We toured the Copan ruins and museum with Yobani Peraza. We had a great time a learned a lot. Yobani is an excellent tour guide and is also a great birder. He pointed out a number of bird species as we toured. It was like getting two tours in one.
I highly recommend touring the ruins and museum with Yobani.
I highly recommend touring the ruins and museum with Yobani.
Written 21 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chan Roberts
Copan Ruinas, Honduras716 contributions
Dec 2022
It was great to be able to take this stroll through ancient Mayan history. Seeing the steles (there are many of them here, as well as one on a trail a short walk down and across the highway from the site), Mayan "pyramids", the Mayan ball court (which seems narrower than I imagined), the stairway of hieroglyphs, various temples and altars, and a residential area, was a remarkable experience. While I was there, I got to see some guys doing restoration work on some of the structures. There's a building a short distance from the entrance where there is an ancient Mayan temple and various statuary inside. There's also a larger souvenir shop and a restaurant on the other side of the site from the entrance.
Outside the site near the entrance, there are people selling small souvenirs such as stone carvings (or less expensive replicas made of cement); and a short distance down and across the highway there's a stone carver I enjoyed meeting (he is not connected with the ruins site). I personally recommend giving them your business.
Too bad TripAdvisor won't let me add photos (they say the photos are too large; this is the freaking 21st century: that issue should have been resolved long ago).
Outside the site near the entrance, there are people selling small souvenirs such as stone carvings (or less expensive replicas made of cement); and a short distance down and across the highway there's a stone carver I enjoyed meeting (he is not connected with the ruins site). I personally recommend giving them your business.
Too bad TripAdvisor won't let me add photos (they say the photos are too large; this is the freaking 21st century: that issue should have been resolved long ago).
Written 17 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael W
Redding, CT1,112 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
I didn’t know about this site prior to our tour of Central America but it was pretty impressive. It would be very interesting to se it when much more excavation and restoration has been carried out as approx 75% of the ruins are still buried. The carved staircase is a real highlight and we were told is the biggest stone carving in the world.
Written 16 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hola me gustaria saber cual era la alimentacion de los moradores de la acropolis de copan y cual era la bebida tipica de los habitantes de la acropolis de copan? me ayudan por favor
Francis P
Copan Ruinas, Honduras1 contribution
Realmente una pregunta para los antropologos, no soy antropologo pero lo poco que se sabe de sus dietas y costumbres alimenticias es que su dieta era basada en gran parte en el maiz y sus derivados, asi como se han encontrado zonas donde hay muchos huesos de animales pequeños se sabe que tambien cazaban en su entorno. No se sabe si domesticaban animales para luego comerlos porque no existe evidencia que asi lo demuestre. Con el pasar del tiempo se cree que lo que comprende la zona maya chorti son descendientes de los mayas y solo ha logrado sobrevivir el pasar de los años alguna que otra receta de sus bebidas, el tiste, el pinol, el atol chuco o atol agrio, el chilate, u se ha encontrado mucha evidencia relacionado al fruto del cacao, no se sabe hasta que punto era para consumo o si era usado como moneda o si era algo mas sagrado o de uso exclusivo para las elites o estratos sociales. Solo se sabe que el maiz y el cacao formaron parte de sus dietas.
Hello
My group are staying nr Copan Ruins and would like to take a helicopter to Tegucigalpa. Can anyone help with this as I'm not having much luck with a helicopter charter.
I would be happy to take a helicopter tour over Copan but then drop off in Tegucigalpa - can anyone recommend a good company please?
Thank you
Stef
The Wonderer
83 contributions
I’m going to be honest, I don’t think that you are going to get one. If you look at the geography of Honduras there are a lot of mountains, and there aren’t many helicopters around. You might have better luck with a local airline to fly you.
Sosa Airlines is a big local one and I have flown in them and their planes can be a bit scary.
K. Jonathan Davis
New Orleans, LA45 contributions
We will be visiting in May of this year and I am wondering what is the cost to enter the ruins?
Chris M
Bree, Belgium690 contributions
We were in a group. The entrance was included. As far as I remember there were 2 prices. One for local residents one for foreigners. I believe it was like 12 or 15 $
Ryan H
Cumming, GA64 contributions
Ok one more question - I'm having difficulty finding out how easy it would be to try and get to Copan Ruinas directly from the El Salvador Int'l aiport. Anyone out there travel this route who can help shed any light?
The Wonderer
83 contributions
I drove from Tegucigalpa and that was about an 7hr drive. There is an airport closer to the ruins and that is San Pedro International Airport (SAP) and thats fairly close to the Ruins (about 4 hours) than taking a bus from El Salvador. If i were you i would start looking into that now (cost of the flight + Transportation vs the bus from El Salvador).
I don't know how long you are going to stay there, but if you have time take a trip to Tela, which is north and about 2 hours from Copan and i've been told is beautiful, that's my next stop there. Good luck and post pictures and share your experience.
Ryan H
Cumming, GA64 contributions
Is Copan open on Mondays? According to Google maps it is. Thanks in advance!
Abrumar
Shrewsbury, UK311 contributions
I visited the site on a Wednesday so I cannot be certain about Mondays. However, the guide book for the area states that Copan Ruinas is open daily between 8am and 4pm. I hope this helps.
Cuántos abitantes tiene Copán ruinas
Francis P
Copan Ruinas, Honduras1 contribution
El casco urbano de Copan Ruinas tiene alrededor de 8,000
Barbara K
122 contributions
I am curious why you think that it is unfair to charge a lower price to local residents of one of the poorest countries in the world is, when most of the foreign visitors can easily afford $15? It is common in Europe to offer local discounts on special days for EU residents. I would gladly pay the $15 and another $15 for the tunnels plus $8 for the museum. Those funds help to preserve an important archaeological site. Charging the locals a fee more in accordance with their income makes it possible for them to visit and appreciate the ruins and their significance to their own history and to world history. If I were to visit France it would cost me 20 euros to visit Versailles, yet an EU citizen under the age of 26 may enter for free. The principal seems to be the same to me. I mean no disrespect, but feel that your critique was unfair.
bertrand b
Bayeux, France48 contributions
If you visit Angkor in Cambodia, it is free for the local people and you have to pay if you are a tourist.
I consider it is fait if there is a big difference of income between the local people and the tourists
Cesarzetina
Naucalpan, Mexico
Cual es la mejor y mas económica forma de ir a las ruinas de copan desde tegucigalpa
miguel r godoy
Madrid, Spain159 contributions
Hola, la más económica es en autobús hay una compañÃa muy correcta y seria que se llama " hedman y alas" te cuesta 20 dólares aproximadamente, el recorrido son unas 7 horas hay unos 450 kilómetros se distancia, el problema es que los últimos 80 están en construcción y ese pedazo es muy lento con retenciones cada 10 kms, estará lista en unos 6 meses. Pero cuando llegas ahà y ves lo espectacular que es olvidas ese trayecto tan largo. Suerte.
Mario
Province of Barcelona, Spain
Hola! Cuál es la duración aproximada de la visita a las ruinas de Copán? Muchas gracias!
Marion M
31 contributions
Hola! Las ruinas de Copán, están cerca del pueblo, por lo que es de fácil acceso a ellas.
Recorrerlas es en media mañana o media tarde. Está todo cerca, no requieres ir en tour y puedes contratar un guÃa para que sea más productiva tu visita, hay que pagarle aparte al guÃa.
Un abrazo y disfruta tu viaje.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Copan Ruinas
- Hotels near Copan Ruinas:
- (0.30 km) La Casa de Cafe
- (0.30 km) Iguana Azul
- (0.20 km) Mayan Hills Hotel
- (0.26 km) Casa Jaguar
- (0.54 km) Terramaya Boutique Hotel
- Restaurants near Copan Ruinas:
- (0.29 km) The Cafe at La Casa de Cafe
- (0.43 km) Sol de Copan
- (0.39 km) ViaVia Cafe
- (0.59 km) Cafe San Rafael
- (0.38 km) La Llama del Bosque
- Attractions near Copan Ruinas:
- (0.11 km) Hieroglyphic Stairway
- (0.44 km) The Tea & Chocolate Place
- (0.52 km) Luna Jaguar Hot Spring
- (0.33 km) Mayan Ruins of El Puente
- (0.60 km) Finca el Cisne