Antigua is no doubt the most enchanting city in Guatemala, and one of the reasons for its extreme popularity is the fact that it’s completely surrounded by volcanoes.
The other reason is its architecture. Founded in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors, most of its original architecture remains as ruins, destroyed by an earthquake in the 18th century.
It’s located 25 miles (40 km) west of Guatemala City, so you’ll get to Antigua in merely an hour. Easy peasy if you’re coming by plane and want to go straight to Antigua without spending the night in Guatamala’s capital city.
Boasting everything from colorful local markets to architectonical landmarks, traditional cuisine, and the most astounding backdrop (volcanoes everywhere!) it’s one of the country’s indisputable gems. Aka: a must on your Guatemala itinerary.
I visited Antigua a couple of years ago, and fell in love with it! Besides being very photogenic, it’s been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its incredible cultural value.
In this article, you’ll find the best things to do in Antigua, Guatemala’s prettiest historical city. Ready? Let’s dive in!
Explore Downtown Antigua
Downtown Antigua is the bustling hub of the city, with vibrant shops and eateries, emblematic buildings, and cobblestone streets where I highly recommend getting lost.
As you stroll around Antigua and its picturesque historic center, you’ll pass by some of the city’s most important attractions, including the Cathedral of San Jose, the historic Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, and the Arco de Catalina.
Make a stop at the lovely Plaza Mayor (also known as Parque Central de Antigua), the city’s main square that’s enclosed by incredible buildings, volcanoes in the distance, and lined with lush trees.
Your wandering will also grant you a peek at the remains of old monasteries and the beautiful La Merced Church, and will have you trying (and surely failing) to avoid the temptation to buy everything at the lively street markets. Arts and crafts, local bites, and textiles can be found all around the center.
For an extra dose of history and culture, you can join a guided tour.
▶️ This Classic Cultural Walking City Tour of Antigua Guatemala lasts 3 hours. A local guide will take you past the major landmarks and museums, the Cathedral, and hidden gems. Along the way, you’ll learn about their history, importance, and restoration. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Check Out the Historic Ruins of Antigua
In 1773, the most devastating earthquake of Antigua’s history reduced most of the city to ruins. It was after this episode that the Spanish Crown decided to move the country’s capital city, which was Antigua up to that day, to Guatemala City.
The remains of many of its buildings, including monasteries and churches, were partially restored, and today they’re archeological treasures. Many of them, in fact, retain their facade or part of the walls intact, and they’re absolutely stunning!
These are the major historic ruins you shouldn’t miss in Antigua:
▶️ Convento Santa Clara was a nuns’ home, and its structure is remarkably well preserved. It offers an incredible glimpse into the colonial past of Antigua.
▶️ Convento de San Francisco showcases arches, partially collapsed domes, and a few columns still standing. Its facade is pretty intact as well. It was one of the largest religious complexes in the city during its heyday, and it’s still an imposing monument.
▶️ El Carmen has arguably one of the prettiest facades in Antigua. It’s even better when the bustling street market displays its colorful textiles on the front! Dating from the early 18th century, the church was built in ornate Guatemalan Baroque style, a staple of the city’s buildings at the time.
▶️ Iglesia La Merced is a striking yellow church with a beautiful facade and intricate decorations. The 16th-century building was destroyed twice by earthquakes, but it’s been restored to its former glory.
▶️ Convento de Santo Domingo is a monastery from the mid-16th century, once the richest in the city. Nowadays, it’s an archaeological site with six museums.
Take a Picture with the Santa Catalina Arch
Santa Catalina Arch is the star of most of the Antigua pictures you’ve seen. It’s a magnificent yellow arch on 5th Avenue North, connecting the buildings on both sides of the road.
The arch was built as a hidden passageway for the nuns, who had taken vows of seclusion and couldn’t be seen in public, but needed to reach the opposite building to teach at the school.
It’s an iconic place to visit in Antigua, especially for photos! The structure features a clock on the top, and it frames the Agua Volcano perfectly.
Go on a Worry Doll Tour with the Niños de Guatemala Association
One of the most interesting activities to include on your Antigua trip is a Worry Doll Tour, organized by the Niños de Guatemala Association. This organization, whose name means Guatemala Children, is committed to providing access to quality education to children and young people in an equitable way.
They ensure the kids receive nutritional meals, have access to a holistic education, and that parents can access support and guidance, promoting healthy family dynamics.
The association welcomes sponsors and volunteers, and it offers fascinating city tours to collect funds for the projects. It’s a beautiful way to give back to the community and learn about the real Guatemala.
We went on the Worry Doll Tour, which started with a ride on the chicken bus, and a tour around San Lorenzo El Cubo with a local guide.
We visited a school, getting to learn about the work of Niños de Guatemala, and stopped at Doña Rosa’s home, a woman who makes Worry Dolls. She told us about the legend and history of these dolls, and we got to learn how to make our own!
Spend a Day at Hobbitenango
Hobbitenango is a themed park and lodge that looks like it was taken out of The Shire, the home of the Hobbits. It features beautiful hobbit-like houses with round doors where you can spend the night, like we did. It was a fabulous experience!
The hobbit houses dot the property’s rolling hills, and are super photogenic. There’s also a restaurant and plenty of games such as mini golf, archery, axe-throwing, and a giant tree swing.
Hobbitenango is located almost 8,000 feet above sea level, which means it’s usually surrounded by clouds, making it all the more magical.
It’s a must-visit for fans of the series, but not exclusively. The place is gorgeous on its own!
Getting to Hobbitenango is only possible on 4×4 vehicles, so if you plan to drive there, you’ll need to rent a proper car. You can otherwise take a taxi or Uber, or book a tour.
▶️ This Tour in Hobbitenango on ATV or UTV is a half-day excursion. You’ll hop on an ATV or UTV and head to the theme park, where hobbit houses, fun activities, and beautiful landscapes await. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Stay at Good Hotel Antigua
Good Hotel Antigua offers way more than overnight accommodation, and it’s a phenomenal choice to spend your time in Antigua.
This 4-star eco-hotel is right in the city center, featuring a private patio, a restaurant, and spacious rooms with minimalistic decor, a fully-equipped bathroom, and a seating area.
Delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily, giving guests a chance to taste authentic local cuisine made with fresh ingredients.
What’s most special about Good Hotel Antigua, however, is not its facilities but its commitment to social responsibility. The hotel pays a week of school for one disadvantaged child per every night’s stay.
What’s more, 100% of the profits are invested in the local community. Career opportunities are offered to the unemployed, and besides supporting Antigua’s economy, it contributes to a children’s foundation.
Visit the Caoba Farms
One of the most interesting places in Antigua is Caoba Farms, an all-organic farm with a variety of sectors that attract visitors from the entire region.
Following the farm-to-table concept, Caoba Farms boasts a spectacular restaurant where you can enjoy authentic dishes using the produce that’s grown on-site.
There’s a farmers market on the weekends, with live music, yoga sessions, and fun activities, and a store to get fresh and organic ingredients for your kitchen. They also offer tours around the farm, introducing you to sustainable and regenerative farming methods, and to the animals that live there – from chickens to goats, rabbits, lambs, and pigs.
Seeking to have a positive impact on the environment with eco-friendly practices, and support the community, Caoba Farms has a learning center offering courses in permaculture and volunteering opportunities.
Caoba Farms is a short drive outside of Antigua, and I highly recommend making it here for lunch or dinner there for a scrumptious – and healthy – meal.
Join a Coffee Farm Tour
Guatemala is known for producing some of the world’s finest coffee, and Antigua played a very important role. Back in the 18th century, coffee was introduced to America.
In Antigua, Jesuit missionaries brought coffee plants to decorate the monasteries, but as it turns out, the city’s high altitude and rich volcanic soil offered the perfect conditions for growing coffee beans.
Its very unique microclimate helps provide the coffee with those distinctive flavors Guatemalan coffee is known for around the world, with a rich body and chocolate hints.
Nowadays, Guatemala is one of the major coffee exports in the world, and its culture, traditions, and cultivation process are fascinating.
I highly recommend adding a coffee farm tour to your itinerary, discovering how coffee is grown and the steps that take it from bean to the steaming beverage we all adore.
▶️ The Antigua ATV Coffee Tour takes around three hours. You’ll drive an ATV to a local coffee plantation for a fascinating tour. Discover how coffee is made, from seed to mug, and sip a delicious cup of coffee before riding up to Cerro de la Cruz, taking in spectacular views of the city. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
▶️ The Coffee & Culture Full-Day Tour From Antigua is a very comprehensive excursion. You’ll tour the city’s landmarks and enjoy the views from Cerro de la Cruz before visiting a coffee plantation. You’ll learn about the production of coffee and savor a cup of the steaming drink. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Climb Cerro de la Cruz
Cerro de la Cruz is one of the most iconic viewpoints in Antigua, offering a panoramic look over the city with the imposing Agua Volcano in the background.
The vantage point is named after a large stone cross that stands on top of the hill, facing the volcano and giving the viewpoint a distinguishable identity trait.
Cerro de la Cruz is an easy hike from the center of Antigua, taking no longer than 30 minutes. The scenery over the city’s red-tiled roofs and mountains around it is unmissable.
Check Out These Cafes in Antigua
The coffee culture in this small city, as you now know, is very rich. And you’ll find that Antigua is full of beautiful coffee shops serving the local beverage, which I highly recommend checking out.
These are, in my opinion, the best cafés in town:
▶️ Artista de Cafe is a specialty coffee shop with beautiful aesthetics, and nooks with coffee tables and couches to relax with a book or good company, and a cup of Guatemalan coffee in hand. Cakes and pastries are available at the counter.
▶️ 12 ONZAS is a stylish café with elegant seating areas, a varied coffee menu, and gourmet breakfast and brunch meals. It’s laptop-friendly, so it makes for a beautiful make-shift office if you have work to do.
▶️ Coffeea Cafes Especiales is a cozy local coffee shop that serves artisanal coffee and a great number of special beverages, including lavender and turmeric lattes, seasonal coffee drinks (looking at your, pumpkin spiced latte!) and pastries.
▶️ El Gran Cafe is one of the best places for a strong, steaming cup of delicious coffee. The shop is small and stylish, and it sells beans and ground coffee to take home, as well as latte specialties and fresh pastries.
Hike Volcanoes Outside Antigua
Four volcanoes surround the city of Antigua, that sits on an active tectonic zone. They’re Agua, Fuego, Acatenango, and Pacaya Volcano, all of which can be hiked.
The most popular ones are Acatenango and Pacaya, two active volcanoes that offer phenomenal views and, in the case of Acatenango, the visuals of its crater spewing bright lava into the darkness of the night, the main reason why it’s so sought-after.
Hiking Acatenango is usually an overnight trip, which takes you to the Base Camp, located at 12,300 ft (3,750 m) above sea level to spend the night, and admire the lava from afar. The following day you’ll continue the climb to the top of the mountain.
The hike to Pacaya Volcano only takes one day. The coolest thing about this excursion is that, at the top, you can roast marshmallows with the heat of the magma.
Hiking volcanoes in Guatemala is not allowed without a guide, so I recommend these tours.
▶️ The Acatenango Volcano Tour with Overnight from Antigua is a guided hike that includes transfers and accommodation. You’ll hike to the base camp of Acatenango, from where you’ll see the spectacle of the volcano’s eruption before summiting it the next day. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
▶️ This Pacaya Volcano Trek From Antigua is a full-day excursion that starts with pick-up at your hotel. You’ll hike to the top of the volcano in a couple of hours, hiking through pine forests and being rewarded with astounding views. Once you reach the summit, you’ll roast marshmallows on the crater! ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Take a Cooking Class in Antigua
Guatemalan gastronomy combines traditional Mayan cuisine with Spanish staple ingredients, creating a unique blend of flavors that’s so authentic to the country.
And what better way to learn about the local food, and try the best dishes, than taking a cooking class? You’ll whip up a meal while learning about its history, and savor your own creations.
▶️ The Authentic Guatemalan Cooking Class in Antigua will introduce you to the delicious flavors of the country. Step foot into a cooking class in Jocotenango village, where you’ll spend four hours learning to prepare the most authentic recipes as you take in the views of Agua volcano. Enjoy your meal at the end of the class, and take home the recipes! ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Eat at These Restaurants
Ready to savor Guatemalan cuisine? These restaurants serve fresh, delicious food that spans from local fare to international flavors.
▶️ La Bruja Vegan Foods is a lovely little restaurant in the heart of the city serving vegan cuisine. Everything from tasty snacks to breakfast options, lunch, and dinner is available at La Bruja, including colorful bowls, vegan burgers, cakes, and a variety of drinks.
▶️ El Local is a cozy bistro where you can have really good coffee and scrumptious sandwiches, toasts with a great variety of toppings, both sweet and savory, and smoothie bowls. It’s the perfect spot for brunch.
▶️ Angie Angie Cafearte is a local eatery with a beautiful, lush garden where you can have an al fresco meal. Pizzas, pasta, tacos, empanadas, and cheese boards are some of the staples.
▶️ Y Tu Piña Tambien serves the most delicious breakfasts and meriendas, and it’s a heaven for sweet tooth owners while still catering to savory food lovers. Everything from acai bowls to pancakes, waffles, avo toast, smoothies and cookies are part of the menu.
▶️ Luna de Miel is a laid-back local restaurant that boasts a beautiful terrace with views over a volcano. You’ll be able to savor crepes, waffles and ice cream paired with hot drinks that range from coffee and tea to hot chocolate and specialty lattes, or a glass of lemonade.
▶️ Pappy’s BBQ is an American-style grill house that serves burgers, various grilled meat cuts, sandwiches, and desserts. Fries, wings, and salads are some of the most requested sides, along with a pint of beer.
Explore the Mercado de Artesanias
Mercado de Artesanias stands for crafts market, and it’s one of the best attractions you’ll get to check out on your visit to Antigua. The Guatemalan artisans certainly know how to make a lively, vibrant experience out of a local market.
Located just a short walk from the city center, the market displays a wide array of traditional handicrafts.
Everything from jewelry to pottery, woven textiles, carved wood decorations, and clothing can be found here. Besides being the perfect souvenir-hunting location, the site offers a glimpse into the cultural heritage of the region.
Make sure to check out Nim Pot Centro de Textiles nearby, which celebrates Guatemala’s traditional textiles, hand-woven by local women and showcasing colorful, intricate patterns that reflect their heritage. You’ll find vibrant textiles and bags, as well as souvenirs, ceramic and wood pieces, and local goods.
Tip: Bargaining is expected in Antigua, so be sure to bring cash with you, and get ready to practice your haggling skills!
Make Your Own Chocolate Bar
Did you know chocolate holds a special placein Guatemalan culture? The country is considered one of the birthplaces of chocolate, which originated with the Aztec and Mayan civilizations.
It was considered a gift from the gods and therefore sacred, drank during rituals and often used as currency.
While today chocolate is a popular beverage and sweet consumed worldwide, it remains an important part of the local heritage, and there are plenty of opportunities to discover more about it.
▶️ The most special is this Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Workshop in ChocoMuseo Antigua, because you’ll be introduced to the history of chocolate…as you create it! Discover the bean to bar process, make your own chocolate bar, and taste various chocolate drinks. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Eat Street Food
There’s no culinary adventure as thrilling as going out for street food, eating local delicacies from stalls, street markets, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Bonus points if you learn about the traditions behind each dish along the way!
Some of the local bites you’ll find in Antigua include Elotes Locos, the city’s take on grilled corn on the cob, Rellenitos, which are fried plantain balls filled with black beans, and corn tortillas with various fillings called Papusas.
Chuchitos (small corn tamales), tostadas, and Atol de Elote, a corn-based drink, are also widely available. If you want the company of a local guide when trying these traditional dishes, I can recommend these tours.
▶️ The Street Food Evening Tour in Antigua lasts approximately 3 hours. It takes you around town and stops at local eateries, stalls, and restaurants where you’ll taste several dishes. Savor chalupas, chocolates, and shucos (Guatemalan hot dogs) paired with drinks. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
▶️ This Antigua Guatemala: Street Food Walking Tour with Tastings is a half-day trip. You’ll learn about the roots and traditions of Guatemalan cuisine, and savor various dishes at 7 stops. Food and drinks are included, as well as the insights of a professional guide. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Take a Day Trip to Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is one of the most stunning destinations in the country, and no trip to Guatemala is complete without visiting what’s considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
The pristine lake is (unsurprisingly) surrounded by volcanoes, which offer the most astounding backdrop to your aquatic adventures.
We spent a few days exploring Lake Atitlan, and I think it’s a much better way to discover the area and take in everything it has to offer. If you don’t have the time, however, you can still go on a day trip from Antigua.
The lake is 56 miles (90 km) from the city, and I wrote a whole post on how to get there from Antigua. However, if you have to return on the same day, I highly recommend booking an organized tour to make the most of your time.
▶️ The Lake Atitlan One Day Tour starts early in the morning, and takes you to the famous lake by bus and boat. Take in the stunning scenery from your cruise, and led by an expert visit the towns of Panjachel, San Juan la Laguna, San Pedro, and Santiago Atitlan. They’re each more enchanting than the last! ➥ BOOK IT HERE
▶️ The Lake Atitlan Day Tour From Antigua is a private excursion. You’ll be picked up from your hotel, and enjoy a trip through the highlands before hopping in a shared boat ride across Lake Atitlan. Visit the villages of San Juan, San Pedro, and Santiago, and learn all about them from your personal guide. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
▶️ The Chichicastenango and Lake Atitlan Tour From Antigua is another great option. You’ll visit the enchanting Chichicastenango town, home to a vibrant and very colorful handicraft market. You’ll then head to the lakeshore town of Panajachel for a stroll along the stunning lake. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
Visit Tikal in One Day
Tikal is one of the most special sites in Guatemala when it comes to history and archaeology. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tikal was once a thriving Mayan city, surrounded by rainforest.
The ruins have been well-preserved, and showcase imposing temples and grand plazas, retaining some of its former glory.
Aside from admiring the spectacular pyramids, you’ll probably meet the playful howler monkeys that live in the area, and learn about the Mayan civilization from a savvy guide.
I recommend spending a few days in the area, but if all you have is one day, we’ll make the most of it.
▶️ The Tikal Day Trip Including Round Trip Flights from Antigua with Lunch is a 17-hour excursion, so it has an early start. You’ll be picked up from your hotel in Antigua and fly to Tikal, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour around the ruins. Enjoy a tasty lunch on-site, and transfers back to your hotel at the end of the day. ➥ BOOK IT HERE
