We arrived in Guatemala City a few days ago, and came straight to La Antigua Guatemala – also known simply as Antigua. It sounded like the perfect place to relax & explore whilst the jetlag subsided, having flown directly in from Madrid.
Another reason we chose to immediately travel the two hours straight from the airport was that Guatemala City is not such a friendly place. It seems tourists are advised not to go out after dark due to the risk of robbery (and worse) and too many travel warnings about the one place led us to devise our swift exit strategy.
Antigua is a stunningly beautiful town. It was founded in 1543 by the Spanish conquistadors and is famed for its Spanish Mudéjar-influenced Baroque architecture and spectacular ruins. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Three huge volcanoes dominate the horizon around Antigua, although at the time of writing in early October, the peaks are unfortunately almost constantly covered with cloud.
Although we’ve been more than content to wonder the cobbled streets soaking in the atmosphere and visiting the plethora of art galleries and restaurants, there are plenty of day trips that can be undertaken from here. From horse riding, to climbing the volcanoes (one of which is still active), Antigua Guatemala has been a fabulous beginning to our trip. We’ll be publishing an additional video and a podcast we made in Antigua shortly.
Further info
Price-wise we were a little surprised by the expense of accommodation and food in Antigua – simply furnished double rooms, with a shared bathroom cost between US$20 and US$30 a night. We’re under the impression though that with it being the ‘cultural centre’ of Guatemala, things should be considerably cheaper when we reach Lake Atitlan.
You can view our Antigua photos by clicking here.
You can read more about Antigua at the Wikipedia website.
The guest house we stayed in is called Posada Asjemenou on Calle Del Arco #31. Their email is asjemenou1@yahoo.com, and you can telephone them at 7832-2670.
Amazing how like Seville/Andalusian streets this looks… but then I guess there is an obvious reason for that!
Yes Benjamin, those imperialist invaders!
I love Antigua, Guatemala. Thanks for the post, makes one want to travel there and spend time in the Timeless city, as it was called in the colonial days. I like it so much I’m writing a book that takes place in Antigua.