I ran out of time and only spent one hour in Antigua, Guatemala…but it was still worthwhile. Give yourself more time, though.
24 Hours In Antigua, Guatemala: Historic Beauty
First, a confession. Remember that phone malfunction I mentioned? It ended up wiping out almost all my pictures from Antigua. The selfie above was saved, as were the coffee pictures, but the others are gone…which is a truly a tragedy because I captured some great shots of the city. Nevertheless, I offer this written summary of my time here. Hopefully, it will still be worthwhile to some of you, if for nothing else than as a testimony to Antigua’s beauty.
While I add this post to my “24 hours” series, I do admit I only spent an hour here…plus an hour in each direction driving from Guatemala City.
The plan was to spend a half day in Antigua, but after my mobile phone began acting up, I just returned to the hotel and decided not to go due to the horrific traffic leaving Guatemala City in the late afternoon.
That left me with a choice: sleep in and try to visit Antigua next time, or at least check it out? I made the decision to check it out and set my alarm for 5AM.
It was tough to drag myself out of bed, especially considering my body clock was still on LA time (4AM) but I pulled myself up and got some work done before leaving around 6:15AM. The Uber ride was about 20USD each way.
Even at that early hour and moving against traffic, traffic was still jammed. Like really bad. Just like any major city, many workers live outside the city and commute in during the day and depart in the afternoon or evening. I was quite thankful I was not traveling the opposite direction or else I really would have been stuck in traffic.
Guatemala, for better or for worse, has all sorts of U.S. fast food chains operating, which I passed on the way out of town. And guns shops…
Traffic really did not let up until we got close to Antigua. After going down a hill with a thick grove of trees on both sides, it felt like we entered another world. Antigua has cobblestone streets and historic architecture. There are no skyscrapers.
I hopped out of the car at in Parque Central, a tree-lined park in the middle of the city also known as Plaza Mayor. Nearby was the Cathedral do San José as well as the municipal building.
I began walking, making my way to Iglesia de La Merced and then to the iconic Santa Catalina Arch.
The city is full of cute little hotels that reminded me of being in Havana, Cuba and perhaps a bit of Cusco, Peru.
All this time I was waiting for coffee shops to open, most of which open at 8:00am.
There’s much I did not get to see. I would have enjoyed climbing to Cerro de la Cruz, which offers sweeping views of Antigua and the Agua volcano. I would have enjoyed trying Pepián, a hearty meat and vegetable stew. Visiting a coffee planation like Filadelfia or De La Gente would have been right up my alley. And of course, trying more coffee shops in town.
After just an hour, I can say with certainty that I intend to return to Antigua and spend a night or two…I think two days and one night may be ideal. But I’m still glad I went..it was a lot of fun, the people are kind, and the city is beautiful.
The drive back to Guatemala City was not as bad as I feared. The driver was very friendly and a pro: rather than stick to Highway 1, he took all sorts of side roads and we made it back to Guatemala City in an hour, despite heavy traffic.
CONCLUSION
Driving two hours (round-trip) for a one-hour visit was worthwhile for me, but it was truly a shame my stay was not for longer. Guatemala City and Antigua are quite different and if you start your trip in GUA, do make time to visit historic Antigua.
> Read More: Great Coffee In Antigua, Guatemala
The two hour Uber ride was just $20? wow
$20 each way.
So where did you go next and what’s ur plan there for?
N I’m so curious about the coffees there ❤️❤️
I’d like to know more
Hi Jessica,
Here is my coffee story:
https://liveandletsfly.com/best-coffee-antigua-guatemala/
I went back to Guatemala City after and flew home to Los Angeles – but I cannot wait to return.
I totally agree Antigua is great place to relax and take in the culture. I stayed several days and visited the volcanoes on day trips. I felt very safe at all times and don’t miss one of the best MacDonalds settings you will ever see if you like that type of food but you can just go in and sit in the cloisters with a coffee. I would highly recommend a visit of at least two days with trips to the volcanoes and an evening at a good restaurant that by western standards are good value for money.
My favorite city. Been there over a dozen times very safe, not crowded most of the time, friendly people great food and beautiful. You need to go back a second time and spend at least 3 days there.
Thanks for the article. I planned to go to Guatemala in January. I googled and few articles talked about taking a shared shuttle bus with other tourists (not the “chicken bus”) to Antigua. I wonder if anyone has experienced the shared shuttle bus to give some advice. Also could I visit both Antigua and lake Atilan in one day trip?
We went to Guatemala in August. Don’t do Antigua and Lake Atitlan in one day. 1. Traffic is a nightmare. It will take close about two hours to take an Uber. 2. Part of the appeal of Lake Atitlan is taking the boat to the different villages. Not to mention the shopping in Panajachel. We spent three days in Antigua it was charming. We went and hiked Pacayo and roasted marshmallows at the top. Antigua has an amazing market that you can spend hours looking at the produce and other items for sale. The cobblestone streets and stores are quaint and varied. You can find cruise ship trinkets in one, jade jewelry in the next, gourmet coffee, pastries and ice cream, next door, every food imaginable and high end clothing and textiles. In Antigua we ate Mexican food, Chinese, Japanese, Chicago deep dish pizza and of course all the fresh corn tortillas and Guatemalan food we could see. You could do a shared bus but we used Uber and then private shuttles for time. The citizens are frustrated with the government so roads get shut down in protest. Buses are not in a hurry to get to their destinations
Love the city as well. With many choices for great coffee, our favorite is a little coffee shop called The River Coffee House , it is run by a couple whose mission is to empower local indigenous Guatemalan giving them work and life skills.
I never sleep in Guatemala City. Its unsafe to walk at night and not much to see. If I arrive in Guat city and its not night( I make sure of that) I take a cab and say..bus to Antigua! Much cheaper almost as fast and interesting.
There are tourist shuttles from Antigua to lago atitlan. Cheap and fast. The public buses are an experience but not comfortable. I love Antigua. Beautiful and civilized. Lago atitlan is a 2 to 3 day trip at least. Hint..Cerro de la Cruz can be unsafe for individuals at times. Ask your hostel or hotel clerk for safety tips.
How was the coffee?
https://liveandletsfly.com/best-coffee-antigua-guatemala/