Antigua Guatemala Travel Guide & Itinerary (+ Map)

We think that Antigua, Guatemala, is amazing – so much so that we had to come back here. The colonial city centre is super cute and surrounded by three volcanoes (two of which you can climb).

Additionally, Antigua is a foodie paradise. Looking back at our pictures, it seems like all we did was eat 😅

So without further ado, here’s our Antigua Guatemala travel guide & itinerary including a map and loads of food and drink options.

• Antigua Guatemala Travel Guide
  • Antigua Guatemala Map
  • Is Antigua Worth Visiting?
  • How to Get to Antigua Guatemala
  • How to Get Around Antigua
  • Where We Stayed in Antigua
  • Best Things to Do in Antigua
  • How Many Days Do You Need in Antigua
  • Antigua Guatemala Itinerary
  • Where to Eat in Antigua
  • Infrastructure in Antigua
  • Is Antigua Safe
  • Antigua Budget

Antigua Guatemala Travel Guide

Antigua Guatemala Map

Is Antigua Worth Visiting?

Absolutely! We loved the colonial architecture and our trek to Acatenango Volcano was the highlight of the entire trip. What really stood out for us though was the food.

This might be controversial but we think that we had the nicest food in between Belize and Panama right here in Antigua. And we’re not only talking about local dishes like chicken pepian. We also had delicious international cuisine. And don’t get us started about the coffee. We have not seen this density of extremely high-quality coffee shops anywhere else in the world so far. Additionally, there’s amazing craft beer. I almost start to salivate just writing about the food and drinks in Antigua…

How to Get to Antigua Guatemala

Flying to Antigua

The closest airport to Antigua is La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. The easiest way to get from the airport to Antigua is by taking

• an Uber, ~1h, ~40$
• a shared shuttle, ~1.5h, ~15$

Shuttles to Antigua

Antigua is very well connected to other Guatemalan destinations by shuttles:

• Shuttle Flores to Antigua, ~12h, ~37$
• Shuttle Lake Atitlan to Antigua, ~3h, ~12$
• Shuttle Lanquin to Antigua, ~8h, ~30$

Antigua is also connected to its neighbouring countries by international shuttles.

Shuttles from Nicaragua:

• Shuttle from Antigua to Leon, ~17h, ~55$

Shuttles from Honduras:

• Shuttle from Antigua to Copan, ~6h, ~50$

Shuttles from El Salvador

• Shuttle from Antigua to Santa Ana, ~9h, ~62$
• We took a shuttle from Antigua to El Tunco and say don’t skip El Salvador!, ~5h, ~44$

Here’s our complete El Tunco El Salvador travel guide as well as our 1 week El Salvador itinerary:

How to Get Around Antigua

The centre of Antigua is super walkable.

If you want to go further, Uber is available and convenient.

Where We Stayed in Antigua

We liked Antigua so much that we returned. Hence we stayed in two beautiful accommodations.

1. Hotel Casa Rustica

Hotel Casa Rustica is located extremely centrally. The view from the rooftop terrace is amazing. The staff is lovely. They stored our luggage for the Acatenango hike and offered free water, coffee, and tea.

2. Ojala

The location of Ojala is again extremely central. What we loved most here was the vibe and the lovely garden. From the rooftop terraces, you’ll have a lovely view of Antigua and its surrounding volcanoes. The staff is extremely nice and you’ll get a free breakfast included in your booking.

Best Things to Do in Antigua

1. Walking Around Antigua

The city centre of Antigua is lovely. Start your stay here by walking around the cute cobblestone streets with their colourful houses.

Two places that you shouldn’t miss are

• Arco de Santa Catalina – the Instagram hotspot in town
• Central Park

2. Churches and Ruins

While walking around, you will encounter many churches and convents. A lot of them were ruined by the earthquake of 1773 but you can still visit a lot of them – some for free and some for a small fee.

Here are some of our favourite ruins in Antigua:

• Ruins of La Recoleccion
• Ruins of El Carmen Church
• Ruins of Candelaria Church
• Ruins of Convento de la Compania de Jesus
• Ruins of Convento de Santa Clara
• Ruins of Convento de las Capuchinas

The nicest churches in Antigua are

• La Merced
• Iglesia San Pedro Apóstol
• Catedral San José

3. Museums

Antigua is home to many nice museums. These are the most noteworthy:

• Museo de Arte Colonial (50Q)
• Museo Casa Santo Domingo (six permanent museums and two art galleries)
• MUNAG - Museo Nacional de Arte de Guatemala (free)

4. Go on a Free Walking Tour

We love going on free walking tours. Of course, we had to do one in Antigua as well. We chose this Free walking tour of the city of Antigua. Pablo was lovely and spoke great English. He showed us the major sights as well as many hidden gems. We can absolutely recommend this tour!

5. Markets

We love exploring markets when we travel. Our favourite market in Antigua was Mercado de Antigua – probably because they serve delicious food.

If you’re looking for souvenirs, these are great options:

• Mercado de Artesanias right next to Mercado de Antigua
• Nim Po’t Market
• Mercado de Artesanias El Carmen

6. Hike El Mirador de La Cruz

Cerro de la Cruz is the most popular viewpoint in town. You can reach it by a 30-minute hike. The trail starts at the northern end of 1a Avenida Nte and is clearly signposted.

If you don’t feel like hiking, you can also take a taxi to the top.

7. Hike Acatenango Volcano

The hike to Acatenango Volcano is slightly more strenuous (don’t let yourself be fooled by us, it’s a lot harder). With most tours, it’s a two-day hike. On the first day, you ascend 1,525 m (5,000 ft). The base camp where you’ll spend the night is at 3,750 m (12,300 ft). You have the option to hike even closer to the active Fuego Volcano to get closer to the lava but only do this if you’re fit. On the second day, you can ascend to the top of Acatenango for sunrise before you descend back down.

Honestly, this was one of the most physically challenging things we have ever done – but also one of the most rewarding.

We have written a blogpost comparing your best Acatenango tour options:

8. Hike Pacaya Volcano

If you’re looking for a less strenuous volcano trek, we recommend Pacaya Volcano. The hike to the lava fields takes around 1-2 hours. You ascend 450 m (1,500 ft) to an altitude of 2,500 m (8,375 ft). The most fun part might be roasting marshmallows over the hot pots. This is a half-day activity that takes around 6 hours in total so this is also a great option if you don’t have the time to do the 2-day Acatenango trek.

9. Magical Towns near Antigua

Antigua is surrounded by many cute villages (called magical towns by smart marketing people). Some of the nicest are

• San Juan del Obispo
• San Pedro las Huertas
• Ciudad Vieja
• San Antonio Aguas Calientes

You can explore them on your own by Uber or chicken bus.

If you want to make the most of your visit, Pablo with whom we did our free walking tour offers the original free local craft tour in the villages around Antigua. It includes a joint chicken bus ride, a tour of San Juan del Obispo and San Pedro las Huertas, and a visit to a wine, chocolate, and jade workshop.

10. Hobbitenango

We didn’t do this activity ourselves because we only really got into Lord of the Rings shortly after our visit. Hobbitenango is an eco-village that features several hobbit-style homes and restaurants.

You can reach it by either taking an Uber or going on a guided tour.

11. Choco Museo

Choco Museo is a small free museum right next to Central Park which is dedicated to Guatemalan chocolate.

There’s also a chocolate shop and a cafe.

You can book the highly rated Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Workshop. We did one of those in Panama and loved it!

12. Casa del Jade

Casa del Jade is a small free museum dedicated to Guatemalan jade. We really enjoyed watching the jewellers prepare the gemstones. Of course, there’s also a shop where you can buy souvenirs.

Casa del Jade offers carving your own jade piece which we think is a super unique experience.

13. Coffee in Antigua

Antigua lives and breathes coffee. We have included some of our favourite cafes in town in this blogpost. At some of them like Fat Cat, you can not only try different coffees but also learn about and taste different cool preparation methods.

If you want to learn even more about coffee, you can visit a coffee farm. Finca La Azotea comes highly recommended. Here, you can tour the coffee farm and of course, taste some coffee.

14. Eat and Drink

By now you know that we loved the food in Antigua. We have included many amazing restaurants further down and on our map.

If you want to dive even deeper, you can also go on a street food evening tour that will bring you to places most tourists don’t normally go.

Or how about an authentic Guatemalan cooking class in case you like to prepare the food yourself?

How Many Days Do You Need in Antigua

The minimum amount of days you need in Antigua is

• 2 days if you don’t want to hike Acatengango
• 3 days if you want to hike Acatenango

We spent almost a week in Antigua and didn’t get bored!

In our Guatemala itinerary, we have allocated 3 to 4 days for Antigua. You can check out our complete Guatemala itinerary here:

Antigua Guatemala Itinerary

Here’s our Antigua sample itinerary for 3 to 5 days. You can cut it off anywhere you want after day 3!

Day 1 – Explore Antigua’s Centre

Start your day by exploring Antigua’s city centre with its ruins, churches, colourful colonial houses, and museums. You can either explore on your own or with a free walking tour.

In the afternoon, head up to Cerro de la Cruz for some views.

Day 2 – Hike Acatenango or Pacaya

Use your second day in Antigua to hike one of the two volcanoes: Acatenango or Pacaya – you choose based on your fitness level.

Day 3 – Take it Slow

Whether you just came back from the tough Acatenango hike or not, take this day to rest, relax, and treat yourself.

Try some of the amazing coffee that Antigua has to offer, maybe head for lunch at Caoba Farm, and shop for souvenirs in the many markets.

In the evening, head to a bar with a view like Antigua Brewing Company.

Day 4 – Day Trip

If you’re still in town, head out on a day trip! These are our top suggestions:

• Hobbitenango
• Magical towns
• Finca La Azotea coffee farm

Day 5 – Unique Experiences

How about a unique experience today? In Antigua, you can

• Make your own chocolate
• Carve your own jade piece
• Take a Guatemalan cooking class

Where to Eat in Antigua

Our Favourite Restaurants in Antigua

Our three favourite restaurants in Antigua are:

• Rincón Antigüeño – no hidden gem but great local cuisine.
• Amanecer Juice Bar & Coffee – the smoothie bowls ❤️
• Caoba Farms Restaurant – farm-to-table food.
• Pappy's BBQ – international food.

There are more restaurants on our map!

Our Favourite Cafes in Antigua

Our three favourite spots to taste coffee in Antigua are:

• Fat Cat – the coffee demonstration was out of this world.
• Artista de Café – some of the best coffee we’ve ever had.
• La Rosona Coffee Shop – amazing cafe and shop.

Our Favourite Bars in Antigua

Our three favourite spots to grab a beer in Antigua are:

• Antigua Brewing Company – amazing craft beers with volcano views from the rooftop.
• Antigua Cerveza :: El Bosque – great beer in a lovely green oasis.
• El Ilegal – a cute bar with a happy hour.

In case you’re really into beer, you can even book a Craft Beer Tasting Experience where you’ll visit different local breweries and taste a wide variety of craft beers.

Infrastructure in Antigua

Antigua is a medium-sized city super close to the capital Guatemala City as well as the biggest international airport in the country.

You will have no problems finding

• Supermarkets (the biggest supermarkets are La Bodegona and Dispensa Familiar).
• ATMs
• Internet

Is Antigua Safe

Antigua is pretty touristy. We always felt safe because we were rarely/never alone on the street – also not in the centre in the evening.

Pickpocketing is common and theft does occur so don’t walk around carelessly – especially with your valuables.

Antigua Budget

We spent an average of 40$ per person and day in Antigua Guatemala:

• Accommodation 20$
• Food 10$
• Activities 10$

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