Antigua is a small city surrounded by volcanoes in southern Guatemala. It’s renowned for its Spanish colonial buildings, many of them restored following a 1773 earthquake that ended Antigua’s 200-year reign as Guatemala’s colonial capital.
Antigua Guatemala commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. It was the third capital of Guatemala – the previous two were abandoned after some conflicts with the locals. It was originally named Santiago de los Caballeros. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architecture and layout dating from that period. It was the capital of the kingdom of Guatemala, which included the current states of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the modern state of Chiapas in Mexico.
The city of Santiago de los Caballeros sits in a highly seismic region, so is often blighted by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The power of the Catholic Church over the Spanish Empire’s citizens was absolute, and any natural disaster was considered divine punishment.
The San Miguel earthquake of August 1717 did considerable damage to the city, including its palaces and churches. This resulted in the partial abandonment.
On March 4, 1751, the San Casimiro earthquake destroyed the city of Santiago de Guatemala once more. The church roof of the Society of Jesus complex fell to the ground, forcing the Jesuits once again to ask for help from the parishioners to rebuild. Once again, the building was among the most beautiful in the city when the repairs were completed.
Finally, in 1773, the Santa Marta earthquakes destroyed much of the town, which led to the third change in location for the city. The Spanish Crown had had enough and in 1776, ordered the capital to be moved to a safer location, the Valley of the Shrine, where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala, now stands.
Because of its outstanding Spanish Baroque-influenced architecture, layout, churches, and ruins, and the city’s importance during the early colonial period of the country, Antigua Guatemala was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
Antigua is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Guatemala. Its cobblestoned streets are lined with beautiful, single-storey houses, with numerous plazas of all shapes and sizes offering gathering places for locals and tourists alike. Of course, being a tourist hub there are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants
The Churches of Antigua
As with most colonial cities in Central America, there are plenty of churches around. Some of these are ruined, as a result of earthquakes, and have never been rebuilt.
Personally, I find these fascinating and great for taking photographs of.
Some of the more impressive churches we visited were in full working order were La Iglesia Escuela de Cristo, the San Francisco the Great Sanctuary and La Iglesia de la Merced. These churches had beautiful baroque exteriors and interiors. The church altarpieces were highly ornate and some of the side chapels were amazing.
Antigua’s cathedral was begun in 1545, wrecked by the quake of 1773, and only partially rebuilt over the next century. The present sliver of a church – the parish of San José – occupies only the entrance hall of the original edifice. Behind it are the roofless ruins of the main part of the cathedral, which are entered from 5a Calle Oriente.
The main part of the cathedral was built in the 17th century by Joseph de Porres, an architect of African-Maya descent.
Walking the streets of Antigua Guatemala
One of the best things to do in Antigua is simply walk the streets of the city. Along the narrow, cobbled streets are single-story houses that are painted in largely muted colours. Why the single-storey building? This city has seen several devastating earthquakes over the decades, so it is best not to have very tall buildings here!
The streets are arranged in a grid system, making it easy to navigate Antigua.
Antigua’s most famous landmark is the canary-yellow Santa Catalina arch, which dates to 1694. It was built to enable the nuns of the closed order of Santa Catalina to cross from their convent to the school on the other side of the street without being seen in public.
The volcanoes
Four volcanoes comprise this region’s sector of a seismic spine that runs the width of Guatemala from the Mexican to Salvadoran borders, forming a ridge between the highlands and the Pacific lowlands. Three of these are directly visible from Antigua.
These volcanoes nowadays are a major draw for curious tourists. The star attraction is the 3,768m-tall Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire), one of the world’s most active. It has been constantly erupting since 2002, shooting lava bombs and clouds of ash into the air about every 15-30 minutes.
There are several tour companies that offer hikes up Volcan Acatenango, which stands right next to Fuego. We didn’t do this ourselves! Some tours include a sleepover so you can stay up late with a front-row seat to the action on Fuego.
Visiting the markets
Visiting Antigua’s main markets was interesting. There is a large artisan market full of shops selling not very inspiring souvenirs to tourists, which is right next to Antigua’s market which sells everything from second-hand clothes to produce – poultry, vegetables, fruit etc.
Planning your visit Antigua Guatemala
Getting to Antigua
The distance from Guatemala City Airport to Antigua is just under 40 Kilometers. On a good day, it will take you 45 minutes. On a normal day an hour and on a bad day it could take several hours!
From Lake Atitlan it is about 90km which will take between 2.5 to 3.5 hours depending on your mode of transport.
Coming from such as Flores (Tikal) it will take 12 hours of more by road. Alternatively, you can fly from Flores to Guatemala City and get transport from there.
By Shuttle — The most common way to get to and from Antigua is on a minivan shuttle. Several companies operate regular minivan shuttles between Antigua and most major tourist destinations, including the airport, downtown Guatemala City, Lake Atitlán, and Chichicastenango
By Bus — Buses from Guatemala City to Antigua leave from the El Trebol intersection in Zona 8. Buses leave every 15 minutes or so, usually as they fill up, between 5am and 9pm. The main bus terminal in Antigua is at the end of 4a Calle Poniente, next to the Municipal Market. Buses leaving Antigua for Guatemala City follow roughly the same schedule. Safety is a serious concern on these buses so you would be better off looking at other options!
Taxi / Uber — A more expensive option is to use a taxi or Uber to reach Antigua. These are readily available from the airport or hotel in Guatemala City.
Private Transfers — By far the most expensive and probably the safest form of transport is private transfer. We used this option to go from Guatemala City Airport to Lake Atitlan and from there to Antigua. From Guatemala City to Lake Atitlan it was $120 – pricey, but we felt safe travelling along the winding roads through the mountains!
The best time to visit Antigua Guatemala
The best time to visit Antigua
Stationed on favorable climatic conditions, the prime time to visit Antigua Guatemala can be identified as the period of December to March. During this time, the city experiences the least amount of rainfall averaging from only 1mm (0.04″) to 4mm (0.16″) and a moderate temperature range from 22.3°C (72.1°F) to 24.7°C (76.5°F). Plus, daylight hours stretch for more than 11 hours, and the UV index moderates to a value below 12, signifying a more welcoming climate for visitors.
The worst time to visit Antigua
While Antigua Guatemala is a year-round destination, visiting during the period from May to October might present a few challenges. This period marks the city’s rainiest months with rainfall spiking to 231mm (9.09″) in June. These months also experience comparatively higher minimum temperatures, reaching up to 15.3°C (59.5°F). Despite an extended daylight period of approximately 13 hours, the UV index peaks at 12, indicating a need for preventive measures against possible sun exposure.
The eating out Antigua
Of course, being a tourist hub there are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants – including a handful of vegan places. We tried out one place, Wachuma, which was excellent. Eating out here was quite expensive, and being budget-conscious when we travel, we ended up getting fruits and veggies from the local market and bread from a really good sourdough bakery we found in the centre of the historic district.
Our favourite app for finding Vegan / Vegetarian restaurants is Happy Cow. Here is a link to the options listed on the app.
Where to stay in Antigua
1. Luxury – Hotel Museo Spa Casa Santo Domingo
When you enter through a small door, prepare yourself to be transported to another place and time. In this innovative Hotel-Museum-Spa, every traveler will enjoy a comfortable stay. In addition to the modern amenities and special characteristics, its 132 rooms include 26 with the concept of SPA Living. Each room is decorated with works of art from renowned local artists as well as beautiful and detailed artistic weavings. It is necessary to contact the Hotel directly to make special requests such as rooms with one or two beds, for non-smokers, wheel chair-accessible, with a terrace or balcony, panoramic view and others since these are confirmed based on availibility.
2. Mid-Range – Barbara’s Boutique Hostel
Originally, I had planned for us to be at an Airbnb, but in the end decided to book us into Barbara’s Boutique Hostel, which was located right in the heart of the historic city centre. As the name suggests, this was a boutique hostel, and not your usual backpacker’s hangout – no party vibes here! From the street front, you cannot tell too much about what is inside. Behind the walls are a connected set of common areas, some covered others open courtyards. The place had a zen-like, relaxed feel about it. There was a small, but extremely well-equipped kitchen. I had booked us into a private room with a bathroom; it was small but very quaint and comfortable. One nice touch was that the staff would prepare a mid-afternoon snack that was sometimes sweet, sometimes savoury – but always delicious.
3. Budget – Yellow House Hostel B&B
Set in Antigua Guatemala and with Santa Catalina Arch reachable within 500 metres, Yellow House Hostel B&B offers a tour desk, allergy-free rooms, a garden, free WiFi throughout the property and a terrace. The property is around 8.2 km from Hobbitenango, 39 km from Pacaya Volcano and 1.7 km from Cerro de la Cruz.