Antigua: The Heart of Guatemala’s Colonial Heritage
Antigua de Guatemala (commonly referred to as Antigua) is a charming city located in the central highlands of Guatemala. It is one of the most, if not most, popular tourist destinations in the country. It is situated approximately 45 km (28 miles) west of Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. It is nestled in a valley surrounded by three majestic volcanoes: Volcán de Agua, Acatenango, and Volcán de Fuego.
As in most parts of Central America, there is a dry and a rainy season, running from November to April and May to October, respectively. Dry season is considered peak tourist season, with daily temperatures around 25°C (77°F), clear skies and minimal rainfall. During rain season the temperatures remain the same, but it may feel a bit colder, due to some clouds and the occasional rainfall.
In 1979 Antigua was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city's well-preserved colonial architecture, religious structures, and urban layout are prime examples of the Spanish colonial period in Latin America.
The city showcases a unique blend of Mayan, Spanish, and European influences. This fusion can be seen in the local cuisine, traditional crafts, and vibrant festivals celebrated throughout the year.
Many visitors are drawn to Antigua for its breathtaking natural surroundings, and for one of the most renowned hikes in Central America, which is the Acatenango volcano trek. As you ascend to the base camp, an amazing sight awaits. Neighboring volcano El Fuego, is still active and erupts every 20 minutes, putting on a fiery display.
In addition to this, Antigua is a hub for language learners, thanks to its abundance of Spanish language schools. These institutions offer programs that not only help students enhance their Spanish skills, but also immerse them in the local culture. A great way to connect with the city and its friendly residents while learning a new language.
Where Spanish is the main and official language of Guatemala, many Mayan languages are still spoken until this day. On the streets and in many other towns and villages, you will be able to hear locals speaking their indigenous languages.
Discovering Antigua: Top Experiences for Every Traveler
The beauty of this well-preserved colonial city itself is reason enough to visit. The colorful houses, detailed churches, and grand colonial buildings are beautiful. However, the area has so much more to offer. As mentioned, Antigua is surrounded by volcanoes. When you visit one of the rooftop cafes or bars, you will be able to see three of them: Volcán de Agua, Volcán de Fuego (active), and Acatenango, with the latter being the most popular for hiking. Additionally, there is Volcán Pacaya, not visible from Antigua, but only an one-hour drive away.
Like many other places, people visit Antigua for its cuisine. The city offers a diverse culinary scene, showcasing both traditional Guatemalan dishes and international flavors. Visitors have the opportunity to indulge in local specialties, explore vibrant food markets, and savor delicious street food or dine in restaurants.
The local culture in Antigua is a blend of Mayan, Spanish, and European influences, which is visible in various aspects of daily life. This fusion can be experienced in the traditional crafts, the vibrant festivals celebrated throughout the year, the architecture, and the diverse cuisine, as mentioned above.
Antigua's traditions are a mix of indigenous Mayan rituals and the Catholic religion, brought together uniquely. An example of this cultural fusion can be witnessed during Semana Santa (Holy Week), an event in the city. Here, you'll observe the Catholic processions infused with indigenous Mayan influences. The streets come alive with colorful carpets crafted from flowers, a sight that shows the cultural richness and creativity of the local community.
Antigua is also known for its friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The locals take pride in sharing their culture and traditions with visitors, providing a warm and authentic experience that adds to the charm of the city, and your experience while visiting.
A Room in an Colonial House
During our stay in Antigua, that lasted a little over two weeks, we initially booked a private room in a larger house for three nights. At the time, we didn't have any concrete plans yet. Upon arrival, we were feeling a bit under the weather, and the place we had booked didn't quite live up to our expectations. It turned out to be very basic, lacking adequate space for us to comfortably sit and work during the day. As a result, we decided to cut our initial booking short and sought alternative accommodation on the third day. Since we were able to walk around town and familiarize ourselves with the area, finding the right accommodation was much easier.
The second accommodation we found, was set in an old colonial house, and it was a significant improvement from the previous one. The rooms and shared spaces were much cleaner, brighter, and more spacious. The house featured a shared kitchen and a rooftop with breathtaking views. While the kitchen lacked an oven, it had everything else we needed for cooking.
From the rooftop, we were treated to amazing vistas, including views on the three volcanoes. On clear days, we were lucky enough to witness the eruptions of Fuego. The homey atmosphere and fantastic scenery made us feel right at home, prompting us to extend our stay to two weeks.
The location was superb. It was only a minute away from the Iglesia de La Merced and thus only a few minutes from the main square, yet it was located in a relatively quiet street. The stable WiFi connection was a welcome perk, and the host was exceptionally kind and helpful throughout our stay.
Our stay in Antigua took place in June, during the rainy season. As expected, we did encounter some rain, but it almost only rained in the afternoons. Whenever the sun was out, it was warm, sometimes even hot. Fortunately, the rainy season also means fewer crowds, which we didn't mind at all. The only concern we had was the visibility at the Acatenango summit, due to the clouds, as we were planning to embark on the hike and desperately wanted to see the eruptions of El Fuego. More on that later!
Days in Antigua: Markets, Neighborhoods, and More
The primary language spoken in Antigua, Guatemala, is Spanish. Spanish is widely spoken by the locals. While some individuals in tourist areas may have basic English language skills, it is beneficial to learn a few common Spanish phrases or carry a phrasebook or translation app to aid in communication. Making an effort to communicate in Spanish is often appreciated by the locals and can enhance your overall experience in Antigua. Additionally there are many other Mayan languages spoken by the locals.
The official currency of Guatemala is the Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ). In Antigua, you will find banks, currency exchange services, and ATMs where you can withdraw cash using major credit or debit cards. During our stay, all the banks would only allow us to get 2000Q per withdrawal and will charge us at least a 30Q fee each time. Generally, prices were much higher than we expected. We thought the prices in Guatemala would be fairly cheap, but here they weren't really. Due to several circumstances, prices have gone up a lot the last few years.
Our accommodation was conveniently surrounded by small tiendas, allowing us to find basic supplies and snacks in every street direction. Additionally, there were two larger supermarkets in town, both situated to the west of the Plaza Mayor: La Bodega and Despensa Familiar. While La Bodega offered a wider variety of options, Despensa Familiar tended to be slightly more budget-friendly. For the best deals on fresh produce, we turned to the local market, which, as expected, offered much cheaper prices for fruits and vegetables.
Antigua is a compact city, and many of its attractions are within walking distance of one another. Exploring the city on foot is a popular option due to its charming cobblestone streets and pedestrian-friendly layout. Additionally, taxis and tuk-tuks are readily available for shorter trips within and around the city. It's good practice to negotiate the fare before getting into a taxi or tuk-tuk. For day trips, excursions or nearby attractions, you can also arrange a shuttle service with one of the many shuttle companies.
WiFi is widely offered in hotels, bars, and restaurants around town. We had good WiFi at our place, but we also bought a sim card just to be sure. We bought a SIM card from Claro. You will find a store right on the corner of the main square. It was quick and easy to get it, and it has been working properly in Antigua, and the rest of Guatemala.
There are several laundry places in the city. We did our laundry in two different places. Both were very quick (done the same day), and had a good price. The names are Lavanderia "Landívar" and Spring Laundry, respectively located in the north and east side of the city.
During our time in Antigua, we did two tours, the one to Acatenango volcano and one to Pacaya volcano. The last one was mainly for the transfer, because the 2 hours hike/walk itself would have been fairly easy to figure out ourselves. We booked the Pacaya tour only a day in advance- online via Viator. It included pickup and drop off at a for us convenient location.
We did the Acatenango tour with Wicho & Charlie's. Not the cheapest option available, but we wanted to make sure to have proper sleeping huts and be sure that we would be warm enough during the hike and during the night. We can truly recommend this company, everything was very well arranged.
For us the temperatures were very comfortable, but it might get hot during the summer months. We found public spring-water pools just outside the city center. There are three different pools inside the park at Finca El Pilar. There is a nice hiking trail too (Antigua mountain trail) and it is a great place for people to go birdwatching. They even have a special set up for hummingbirds. If the weather is good, you should have great views on the surroundings when you are higher on the trail. The pools are filled with fresh mountain spring water and are great to cool down on a hot day or after a hike on the trail.
Local bars & restaurants for food and drinks;
Antigua Brewing Company - for drinks and food
Toto's Burger - for the post-hike burger (good for takeout too)
Rooftop Antigua - for coffee, drinks and food
Rincón antigüeño - for a local lunch
Don't forget about the streetfood next to Iglesia de La Merced
Our Antigua Experiences
During our 2-week stay, we spent a lot of time walking around the city while just enjoying the views and the atmosphere. Antigua offers plenty of charming cafés to take a break, each offering nice (and mostly locally sourced) coffee. Most of these cafés have either a garden or a rooftop area, providing the perfect spots to relax and soak in the atmosphere.
One of the first activities we did during our stay, was the Pacaya hike. They offered a morning and an afternoon hike. We usually prefer the morning, however due to work, we had to do the hike in the afternoon. The upside to this; we would be able to see the sun set from Pacaya.
The one-hour drive to Pacaya showed us the huge contrast between the rich city center and the much, much poorer neighborhoods and villages around the center.
The two-hour hike to the summit was fairly easy. Along the way, if you're lucky, you'll catch sight of the three neighboring volcanoes - Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego. Unfortunately, during our way up in the afternoon, it was cloudy, so there wasn't much to see. However, on top, we did experience the warmth of the molten rocks beneath our feet, as this volcano remains active. We witnessed some smoke emanating from the crater but no lava, as the volcano was relatively sleepy at that time. On our descent, the clouds cleared partially, offering a spectacular view of the volcanoes after all.
Our Acatenango overnight hike was honestly one of our favorite activities we did in years. The hike can be literally breathtaking at times, but it was very well doable. At the time of our visit, the volcano had experienced a significant eruption a few weeks prior to our visit, resulting in a comparatively calmer volcano now. And given that we were in the low season, we knew there might be more clouds and rain. So we lowered our expectations and hoped to see at least a single splash of ashes.
As we reached the base camp in the afternoon, we were greeted by an eruption right away. It was an unreal sight to witness such a spectacle from such a close distance. Luck seemed to be on our side, as the entire afternoon remained clear and El Fuego kept erupting every 30 minutes. However, once nightfall arrived, clouds obscured our view of the volcano. The lava itself is only visible when it is dark, so unfortunately, we hadn't seen any spewing lava.
When we got up at 3.30 am, clouds had vanished, and we were also fortunate enough to see the spewing lava. We continued to walk for 1,5 more hours to get to the summit, to enjoy the sunrise from up there. Despite the freezing conditions, the sights were amazing. The whole morning Fuego persisted in its volcanic activity, spewing ashes every 20-30 minutes. We cannot recommend this experience enough; it was definitely worth every Quetzal.
As mentioned, we found out about Finca El Pilar, the park with pools located just outside the city center. Getting there was easy; you could either take a walk or hop on a tuk-tuk for convenience. The hike through the park was a nice nature escape, with lush forests and a diversity of birdlife. Unfortunately, we picked a cloudy day, but on a sunny day, the views of the surroundings must be really good. The best part were the pools filled with natural spring water. We cooled off from the hike with a refreshing swim in one of the pools.
A short and nice-to-do activity to partake in while in Antigua is to go to the Hill of the Cross viewpoint. A short walk from the center. A short walk from the center, the journey involved easy stairs through the forest. The forest keeps the trail somewhat cool, which is nice. Once at the top, there are many benches and spots to sit, all providing the perfect opportunity to bask in the panoramic view before us. It was a serene and picturesque spot to appreciate the beauty of Antigua and the Agua volcano. If you are unable to walk, you can also ask one of the tuk-tuks to bring you up.
We read somewhere online that Antigua had a huge second-hand clothing market. It was a bit difficult to find at first, as it's not directly visible. When coming form the city center, it's behind the Mercado Central Antigua Guatemala, in between that market and the Outdoors farmers market. The big market, with its rows of stalls, offered indeed a vast selection of pre-loved items at low prices. We enjoyed spending some time in between the (packed) racks of clothes and hunting for unique finds. The market had a lot to offer, as long as you did your best searching for them. The friendly vendors just let you stroll through the piles of clothing and are not actively trying to sell stuff. It's a nice atmosphere and a perfect place to find some cheap clothes. If you are looking for warmer clothers for any of the hikes; this is your spot.
Overall, Antigua proved to be a destination full of fun actives, stunning views, and exciting finds, making our 2-week stay a great one.
