Antigua – quick travel guide

Cute colonial town in Guatemala, perfect for relaxing with food and nightlife, or more adventurous activities like volcano/nature hikes.

Antigua is definitely a common destination in Guatemala. Only 1-hour from the nearby Guatemala City (GUA) airport, handful of fun unique activities (like the Acatenango volcano hike), and other nearby-ish cities like Lago de Atitlan (3hrs) and Semuc Champey (9hrs).

While most people come here mainly for the volcano hike, I kept discovering more and more hidden gems in this place (with each passing day). Lots of great restaurants and shops, interesting architecture, and spots to sit around town and people watch. Also it’s super safe. Antigua is awesome and more than just a convenient volcano viewpoint. You can definitely live here!

Where to stay:

I only stayed in hostels, which are super beautiful and also have private rooms (like a hotel) and great for meeting people. But if you do want to stay in hotels, there are many with lovely courtyards and fancy restaurants and terraces built in. I randomly walked into some and can recommend them below.

Hotels:

• Posada de Los Leones – I walked into and all around this one. Lovely courtyard with artists sometimes painting right in there. Nice restaurant and hotel grounds. The other hotels nearby seem beautiful as well.

Hostels:

• Adra Hostel – best social vibe, huge colorful fun community spaces. Huge rooftop terrace area with great views. Huge courtyard with lots of seating. More modern decor instead of classic colonial design. Super fast same day laundry service. Best coworking space, fast internet and tons of power outlets everywhere. This place can feel cozy and friendly even with 100 people walking around (like a school cafeteria).
• Ojala Hotel – IMO the most beautiful hostel in classic colonial design. Lovely courtyard and garden with hammocks, lounge chairs, and bistro seating everywhere. Big upstairs terrace with awesome view of the volcano (assuming clear skies). Nice garden for yoga or hanging out. Beautiful everywhere. If you’re an older demographic (like 32 and above) and not looking to socialize, you’ll definitely prefer Ojala or Barbara’s.
• Barbara’s Boutique Hostel – super modern, clean and nice. Highest rating of any hostel and looks amazing. Great beds and setup, although I did feel the hot water was slow. Common areas are more of a collection of isolated cute/private areas. While everyone was friendly and we did see people hanging out in kitchen and living room areas…it still lacked social vibe. Upstairs terrace is super small and not a great view of anything, but does have a small set of weights and training equipment. Overall, it feels more like a cute boutique hotel and best fit for couples IMO.
• Somos Hostel – I randomly walked by it and saw the nice courtyard inside. Checked the reviews and it had great reviews. It’s smaller and more intimate vibe. It’s also a few blocks further out from the main streets (but still walkable).
• Maya Papaya – trendy popular location but reviews say it’s under-delivering.
• Purpose Hostel – also solid but some complaints. People say this one has the nicest terrace and view of the volcano.

My 2 favorites are definitely Adra (more social) and Ojala (prettier). Can’t go wrong with either. Both have a nice mix of travelers and nomads to meet. Antigua hostels are generally really high quality, nice beds and cute decorative spaces, and super friendly staff. While walking the city, I kept discovering more nice ones that I didn’t know about.

Walking areas:

• Parque Central (Plaza Mayor) & Santa Catalina Arco – these 2 are super close together and generally the main area for restaurants, bars, and shops. At night, one corner of Parque Central becomes the loud and rowdy club area.
• Church areas – Iglesia de la Merced and Convento Santa Clara. Walk to them and around them.
• Bar streets – basically the blocks around Parque Central are the bars and nightlife areas. Just follow the noise.
• (Centro Commercial) La Fuente – eat and hangout in this food court.

Antigua is super small and easy to walk everything in a day. The main walking areas are around the Parque Central, 2 churches (Merced & Santa Clara), and up to the Cerro de la Cruz. Within these streets, you’ll find all the main bars and restaurants. You can see all of Antigua in 3 days but I could easily spend 1-2 weeks here to uncover all the little gems around this beautiful city. I had so much fun walking around taking photos, popping in and out of restaurants and boutiques. So fun, easy, and safe.

Activities to do:

• Volcano hike – the #1 reason for most people’s trip to Antigua (and probably for Guatemala). Most people do the Acatenango volcano hiking tour (which climbs the inactive Acatenango volcano while looking at active Fuego and inactive Agua volcanos). The Pacaya volcano tour is less common and depending on which version you do, can be easier or harder than the Acatenango hike. This tour allows you to get up close to the lava flow. Agua volcano is the big one you see in the background of Antigua and probably not recommended as it’s not a popular choice for tour companies and also because people sometimes get robbed when hiking this one.
• Santa Catalina Arco (arch) – this is the photo image of Antigua everyone takes. Conveniently near everything and easy to come across even when you’re not looking for it. It’s only 2 blocks or so from the Parque Central, you can practically stand between and see both. On a clear day, you can see/photograph the big volcano through the arch.
• Churches – Iglesia de la Merced with its big flower fountain and giant terrace of volcano views. Convento Santa Clara with its many architectural arches and beautiful gardens. Both are absolutely worth seeing. Easily done in an hour each and much more photo opportunities than you would expect.
• Cerro de la Cruz – awesome view of the entire central Antigua with the giant volcano in the background. It’s beautiful because everything seems up close (and not like a far-away birdseye view). Get here by walking or tuktuk (much easier to get up the hill).
• Parque Central (Plaza Mayor) – nice park and surrounding buildings and shops. Relax here during the day or night. At late evening, the biggest clubs and bars/parties are around here.
• Tanque La Union – a nice calm park with a church across the street. Great for relaxing away from the noise. Also a common spot for couples to make out by the historic clothes-washing pond. Newly-engaged couples like to take photos here as well. Conveniently across the street from the Convento Santa Clara.
• Altamira & Hobbitenango – a convenient destination via tuktuk if you’re already at Cerro de la Cruz. Simply climbing further uphill. Altamira is the cute area with the giant hand sculptors and other funny artistic pieces. Good place for kids and fun photos overlooking Antigua (from further away). If you go up further past Altamira, you can get to Hobbitenango (which I’ve been told isn’t worth it and nothing special to see). A local told me Hobbitenango is probably only worth it if you’re going to stay in the hillside hobbit-houses (inspired by Lord of the Rings). Some people think it’s cool, hip, and nice eco-friendly mission. Others say it’s overpriced commercialized pseudo-spirituality.
• Discover courtyards – as you walk the streets, peek inside doorways and you’ll often discover beautiful courtyards inside hotels, restaurants, and other commercial establishments. Run around and take pictures. Quite often, it’s a rabbit hole to much more hidden beauty inside.
• Visit fast food places – this will sound amusing but the fast food chains here have beautiful spaces and courtyards. I’ll list them in order of prettiest to less pretty…Starbucks (DEFINITELY), McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Papa Johns, Dominoes, Subway.

I’d say the arch, volcanos and churches are a definite must-see. Everything else is a very nice “extra”. But Antigua is small and easy to get around so it’s possible to see all (except the volcanos) in a day. Obviously, I recommend doing the volcanos and Cerro de la Cruz on a day with clear skies when you see can see the volcano. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

Restaurants & Cafes:

• Antigua Brewing Company (ABC) – probably the best terrace in the city because it’s super high and great 360-degree views of the city skyline and surrounding volcanos. I’d say it’s best in the afternoon and maybe sunset. Nights can get windy/cold/cloudy depending on the season. Great beer and high quality “sports-bar food” like burgers, sandwiches, and hotdogs. I’m pretty sure they have veggie options too.
• (Centro Commercial) La Fuente – nice food court with a courtyard card, multiple little shops and good restaurants/bars inside here. Popular spot for foreigners. Highly recommended as a starting point if you don’t know what you’re doing and your group can’t decide what to eat.
• Rincon Tipico (Rincon Antigueno) – cheap good local food place recommended by everyone. It’s not so “hidden” since many tourists have been advised to eat here too. Go here for cheap lunch. Practically everyone orders the Almorzo Pollo de la Lena plate (chicken, potatos, and salad).
• Casa de las Mixtas – cheap and good food with a nice terrace. Recommended for breakfast or lunch.
• Casa Escobar – good steakhouse and right across from a church (that looks pretty at night). Can go to Charleston bar down the street or Parque Central area after this.
• Las Antorchas – I enjoyed this one as well. Nice vibe and courtyard.

There’s really so many good restaurants, you don’t have to follow my list.

Bars & Clubs:

• Charleston – classy place with music and nice vibe for chatting. Lots of foreigners here.
• Party bars – I’ll add a list either. I don’t remember now.

Miscellaneous tips:

• Finding cheap shuttles – look for the white shirt guys sitting around common areas in town. They can get you the best prices. If you need a contact, here’s mine: Marco (+502 5437-6307). Super sweet old man who speaks perfect English/Spanish and can get you the best prices for any shuttles even ones that aren’t going from or to Antigua. Message him on WhatsApp for rates and he’ll answer right away. He does all shuttles (city to city, or to and from airport).
• Dangerous areas – the dangerous parts of Antigua are the northwest area, and past the treeline on the south. Everywhere else is generally safe. Can always ask a local to verify.

Nearby towns:

• Guatemala City (1 hr) – generally considered dangerous and not worth seeing. Others say it’s just a typical big city, nothing special. Some like that it’s a big city and has typical city comforts. For the backpacker, I’d say it’s not worth going and nothing unique about it.
• Lago de Atitlan (2.5hrs) – a beautiful lake (especially when sun is out) with cute towns surrounded by lots of nature and locals. The shuttle ride there isn’t that long. For many people, this is their favorite place in Guatemala.
• Quetzaltenango/Xela (2.5hrs) – very close to Lago de Atitlan.
• Hobbitenango (15mins) –