Antigua is a small city one hour away from Guatemala City. It is one of the first colonial cities in Central America, and you can see the Spanish elements everywhere. In this travel guide, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Antigua.
Travel guide Antigua: the start of your trip through Guatemala!
We start our journey through Guatemala in the lovely city of Antigua, something I can recommend to everyone! Guatemala City, where you probably will land, is not a pleasant city. We skip this and drive directly to Antigua. Because we travel in the low season, it is super peaceful and quiet. The city is not large and very well-organized, perfect for two or three days. The atmosphere is very nice here, so if you have more time, it’s not bad to spend them in Antigua. It’s a good base for trips to the beautiful nature in the area. Antigua is surrounded by several large and smaller volcanoes, some of which are active. Early in the morning, the chance of clear weather is highest, which will make all the volcanoes visible.
Click here to read our diary blog on Antigua, Guatemala!
Antigua does not have many tourist highlights, but just strolling through the city along all the beautiful buildings is already nice. The city looks Spanish and has several beautiful squares and churches. Almost all houses are built around courtyards. These courtyards are beautiful to see, and we find it very nice to wander around and discover these secret places. Next to that, you will find ruins everywhere in the city. These are mostly churches that were destroyed during a major earthquake in the 17th century.
Travel guide: The best restaurants in Antigua, Guatemala
There are hundreds of nice restaurants in Antigua. Often, these are hidden behind doors leading to the cute courtyards. A little research in advance can certainly not harm. Below are several restaurants that we can recommend.
Where to go for breakfast, brunch, or lunch in Antigua?
Bakery San Martin
This restaurant, which is just behind the central square, is reasonably well known in Antigua because of the delicious bread. There’s a large courtyard where you can have lunch in the sun. The food is good, but a tad pricey (a lunch costs about 90Q, 10 euros). We often go to the bakery that belongs to the restaurant. There we take their delicious sandwiches which we eat in the sun on the central square. In the three days that we were in Antigua, we went there at least three times. Click here for the location of this restaurant in Antigua.
Y … Tu Pina Tambien
We had breakfast here on our first morning in Antigua, and this has set the bar very high for the rest of the city. If I can only recommend one place, it would be this place! The coffee is delicious, the portions are very big and tasty and the atmosphere is really fun! We ate avocado toast, American pancakes, and the granola bowl. Including coffee, the bill was 110Q (€ 12.50). Click here for the location of this restaurant in Antigua.
The best coffee places in Antigua!
Cafe Estudio
This is a nice coffee shop with good wifi. The coffee is good, but I found the Chai Tea Latte a bit too sweet. You can sit inside as well as in the courtyard. Click here for the location of this restaurant in Antigua.
Fat Cat Coffee House
Wow, the coffee is great here! Fat Cat Coffee House is a little bit of a hipster hotspot, think a lot of MacBooks, tattoos, and beards, but secretly we didn’t mind. We spent a few hours writing and reading here and ordering coffee after coffee. The prices are relatively high for Guatemala, 20Q (€ 2.20) per cup, but really, the coffee is worth 200%! Click here for the location of this restaurant in Antigua.
Cool hotspots for dinner in Antigua:
Samsara
This vegetarian restaurant is super hippie. Think dream catchers and TVs on the toilet that broadcast information about the School of Life. Pretty weird but funny. We ate here a quinoa falafel wrap and tomato soup, which was tasty and well-priced. Click here for the location of this restaurant in Antigua.
Toko Baru
We have not eaten here ourselves, but from other travellers, we only hear very good stories about it. You seem to be able to eat delicious Indian food, but also great falafel and hummus. In addition, the portions are very large and relatively cheap. Click here for the location of this restaurant in Antigua.
Drinks, cafes, and lots of wine in Antigua
Sky Cafe
We also had some drinks at Sky Cafe, a bar on the rooftop terrace of a hostel. Nice to see the sunset against the background of the many volcanoes. Furthermore, it was not very special. Click here for the location of this restaurant in Antigua.
Click here for the ultimate Guatemala itinerary for a three-week trip!
Five awesome activities to do in Antigua, Guatemala!
1. Stroll through the city of Antigua
Antigua is a beautiful city. It’s wonderful to walk around and enjoy the Spanish architecture with the volcanoes in the background. Be sure to enter some of the courtyards; here, you will often find all kinds of restaurants, shops, or just a beautiful fountain. In addition, you must, of course, visit the Santa Catalina Arch, from where you can see the volcano, Aqua. Furthermore, the central square, Plaza Mayor, is beautiful to see. And of course, the yellow church, Iglesia de la Merced.
2. Visit one of the ruins with a tomb in Antigua
In the past, there seems to have been an underground tunnel system underneath Antigua. These corridors connected the different churches and cathedrals. Unfortunately, almost all of these corridors collapsed during the big earthquake of 1680. Several large cathedrals collapsed during this earthquake, and which has never been rebuilt. We have been looking for the remains of these corridors, but unfortunately, these are nowhere more accessible. However, there are tombs accessible under some ruins of cathedrals, which were previously also the entrance to these corridors. We visited the ruins of the San José cathedral, with a small tomb underneath. The ruin is beautiful to see, half overgrown with plants and trees. Going inside the tomb is a bit scary but funny to see. The entrance to the San José cathedral is 15Q (€ 1.65).
3. Hike to Cerro de La Cruz from Antigua
To the north of the city, there is a hill with a viewpoint: Cerro de la Cruz. You come here after a small hike of about 20 minutes and recognize it on the big cross that lies at the top. From here you have a beautiful view over Antigua and the different volcanoes. We visited this around noon when it was quite busy. The best time to be here is just after sunrise when it is very quiet (even though the sun is coming from behind you) or just before sunset. Pay attention to your stuff, there have been many pickpockets here in the past.
4. Make a hike to Hobbit village: Hobbitenango
Yes, you read it correctly: Hobitenango, named after the Hobbit village from Lord of The Rings. Just outside Antigua, one has built Hobbiton on a hill! It is a fun place full of huts (where you can sleep), a restaurant, several viewpoints and a large bungee jump swing. You will find mainly tourists from Guatemala, but we didn’t see any tourists from outside of Guatemala. There are many children, but also for adults it is nice to spend a few hours here.
To get here, we took an Uber with a destination Hobbitenango (50Q). You will be dropped off in a small parking lot, from where normal cars can’t go up any further. We choose to hike up in 30 minutes, but you can also take a 4X4 shuttle. There is no admission fee from Monday to Saturday, but on Sundays or public holidays, you pay Q35 per person.
5. Climb a volcano
There are many volcanoes around Antigua, three of which are active (Fuego, Pacaya, and Santiaguito). You can climb several volcanoes as a day trip or overnight from Antigua. On a day trip, you can climb the Pacaya, which constantly spits lava, or the Acatenango, where you have a beautiful view of the Fuego volcano, which erupts every few minutes.
We climbed the Acatenango volcano, and Ries also climbed a piece of the Fuego. We booked with the organization Wicho and Charlie a two-day tour where we camped on the Acatenango volcano. Prices start at $129 per person. Really a huge recommendation! Soon, there will be a blog online with our experiences and tips.
Travel guide: Our favorite hotels and guesthouses in Antigua, Guatemala!
There are countless hostels and hotels in Antigua, and in every price range, there is more than enough supply. Below, I describe two accommodations that we visited ourselves. And if you want to see more hotels, click here for an overview of all hotels in Antigua.
Lemon Tree hostel €
This hostel is located right in the centre of the city. The rooms overlook a courtyard where a small airplane is parked, funny to see! There are dormitories or private rooms with shared bathroom facilities. From € 28 per night for 2 pers.
Adra Hostel €€
This hostel is so beautiful that it feels like a design hotel. The location is very central and it has a cosy courtyard where you can relax for a few hours. The private rooms are very large and have room for 5 people. From €36 per night for 2 people (breakfast included).
Click here [/red_one_third]
Hotel guide: Here you will find a Guatemala hotel guide with hotels and accommodations we can recommend!
Additional tips for a visit to Antigua in Guatemala!
To complete this Antigua travel guide, below we answer five questions for when traveling to Antigua in Guatemala!
How to pay in Antigua?
In Antigua (and in the whole of Guatemala), cash is king. There are a few cash machines and banks, which you will find mainly around the central square. Please note that you pay a surcharge of around 30- 40Q (€ 3 to € 4). This amount is lower at official banks than at stores where an ATM is in the store.
How expensive is Antigua in Guatemala?
Antigua is known as relatively pricey. We found it not bad at all, but you do pay more than in small villages. On average, we spent about €90 per day (2 people). This amount includes hotel, transport and activities.
At what time do people eat in Guatemala?
The time people eat is about the same as in the Netherlands, breakfast is between seven and nine in the morning, lunch around noon, and dinner between 7 and 9 p.m.
What is the weather like in Antigua, Guatemala?
Antigua is relatively high (1470 meters above sea level). This makes it pleasantly warm during the day, but it can be pretty cool at night. So be sure to bring a sweater and long trousers with you. High heels are not recommended; the whole city is covered with cobblestones.
How do I travel to Antigua from Guatemala City?
Antigua is an hour away from Guatemala City. A taxi from the airport to Antigua costs about 250 Q (€ 27). From Antigua, several shuttle buses go to other cities and locations. Our next destination is Lake Atitlan, where we take a shuttle bus for 80Q (€ 9) per person. Booking a shuttle bus is often possible at your hotel or at one of the dozens of tour operators that you will find in the city.
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