Antigua is a small city surrounded by volcanoes in southern Guatemala and well known for its colonial buildings.
You can hike up to the cross “Cerro de la Cruz” and enjoy an incredible view of the city, make a tour of one of the volcanoes surrounding Antigua, go shopping on the Artisans Market or walk the famous street “Calle del Arco de Santa Catalina” and take a photo with the Arch.
Read here: How to get from Guatemala City to Antigua.
1. Hike up to the cross “Cerro de la Cruz” and enjoy an incredible view of the city.
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2. Get in touch with the locals on “plaza central.”
3. Taste the delicious Guatemalan food in one of the local restaurants.
4. Make a tour of one of the volcanoes surrounding Antigua.
5. Listen to the performance of local musicians.
6. Learn how to dance salsa in one of the salsa schools.
7. Go shopping on the Artisans Market.
8. Visit the church San Francisco and take photos of the ruins.
9. Did you know that Antigua has nightlife? Start at Lava Bar, the perfect place for a drink at sunset, and go on to the other bars that are all close to “plaza central.”
10. Walk the famous street “Calle del Arco de Santa Catalina” and take a photo with the Arch.
11. Enjoy a carriage ride through Antigua.
12. Participate in a coffee tour and learn about the process of making coffee.
13. Visit the Convento de las Capuchinas (Capuchinas Convent).
14. Visit “La Merced” Church.
15. Walk along the streets, take photos and buy some souvenirs.
16. Visit some of Antigua’s small museums, including a chocolate museum, a military museum, and an old printing press and book museum.
17. Bargain on one of the Handicrafts Markets.
My Hotel recommendation for Antigua, Guatemala
I highly recommend you to stay at Posada del Angel Hotel. It is a unique accommodation in an old colonial building. The whole design and furniture fits perfectly to Antigua and integrates Antigua’s Maya and Spanish heritages. The hotel is located just a few blocks from the main square of Antigua on a quiet cobblestone street. The area around the hotel is very safe, and you can reach everything by walking.
Disclaimer: I was a guest at Posada del Angel, Antigua. My opinions, as always, are solely my own.
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I would love to go on a coffee tour and hit the markets. Looks like my kind of place.
@thetravelfool:disqus I can definitely recommend going to the markets. They have really cool stuff and people are super friendly :)
I love the colors of this place (and for sure your pictures). Where did you fly there from and how long did it take?
Thanks @sabrinabarbante:disqus :) I took a flight from Costa Rica to Honduras and travelled by bus to San Salvador, Guatemala and Belize. If you want to fly directly to Guatemala I recommend a flight to Guatemala City. From there it takes less than one hour by bus to Antigua.
Good tips about a city we have yet to visit. We’ve got friends who can’t get enough of Guatemala, so it will be nice to experience what they’ve been raving about all these years. Love the photo of the pool at the hotel.
Thank you @@betsywuebker:disqus! I love it too! It is together with Costa Rica my favourite country of central america :)
Can you hike on the volcanoes nearby? While I love exploring new cities, sometimes I just like to get out of town for a bit and into nature
@EconomicalExcursionists:disqus Yes, you can book one day or more day tours to different volcanoes at every travel agency in Antigua. When you are lucky you can even see lava. Pretty cool!
Sounds like a great place to be! I would love to get there to taste tradition Guatemalan food in a local restaurant. What kind of food should we not miss?
@disqus_qygFX0VXUZ:disqus Most dishes in Guatemala are based on Maya cuisine and contain corn, beans and chilies as main ingredients. Tamales, Tacos with corn tortilla and ceviche are just a few examples. I recommend going to the food stands on the streets, it is cheap, you get in contact with locals and you can try different kind of local foods during your stay. A great experience :)
Some great tips! I’d love to take a stroll through the markets – there is always something to discover
Thank you @TheAmbitiousBee:disqus. I agree with you and the vendors are very friendly and don’t push you to buy something.
I would love to visit one of the volcanoes and check out the views from the cross. The city looks gorgeous and the ruins and markets look great too. Thanks for the fun suggestions!
You are very welcome @wanderthemap:disqus :)
Food culture and volcanoes are good enough reasons in themselves to visit. antigua always had me at the colorful cultural immersion
There are so many reasons to visit this city :)
Love the look of the handicrafts markets- a lot of the designs and colors of the handicrafts made in Central America remind me of those I’d seen being made in Sapa, Vietnam.
That sounds interesting @natashaamar:disqus :) I love the colors of the handicrafts here.
I love Antigua. My ultimate dream is to live there some day. I love the fact that you can walk everywhere and its safe. Of course I would not recommend walking at night away from the main plaza just in case. Antigua is unique….and they make awesome Mojitos????
To taste the most authentic Guatemalan typical food you must visit “La Cueva de los Urquizu”. Its a little restaurant that has been there as long as I can remember and daily they make all the traditional foods. You must visit “Finca Filadelfia” coffee plantation ( the have a zip line) and at the markets the big thing is to “bargain” you never pay what they ask for … They are used to this…they start high and you offer less..” Also, if you have a hang over.. You “must” try a Picosita. Its beer with a concoction of lime juice, salt, and other things, hot sauce…delicious. People drive from the city just to drink them!
They have a food truck serving them… Can you tell I have been there?
Another place to go to is Los Dulces de “Dona Maria.” Artesanal candy which i guarantee you have never tried anything like it before! Homemade daily. Delish….
I am hoping to take a group to Antigua for a Yoga retreat in 2017!
I agree with Silvia! La Cuevíta de los Urquizú Restaurante in Antigua, Guatemala. Beautiful old colonial building and fantastic food! It’s where the locals eat.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts
and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.