antigua, gt
Antigua Guatemala. —Translating directly into old, or 'antique Guatemala'. It's a fitting name for this beautiful, quaint and traditional-feeling charm-filled city. I referred to this place as Guatemalan Disneyland. Not necessarily in a negative way, but that's really what it kind of is. It's everything you want to see from Guatemala, in a very pretty package. The cobblestone streets are lined with colorful old buildings with beautiful colonial architecture. A number of the streets have almost fake-looking views of volcanoes at the end of them. The erupting top of a volcano seemingly painted there in the sky, by whoever designed the city. — Indigenous locals walking around in traditional colorful clothing. Multi-colored and vibrant chicken buses, packed to the brim with locals moving about their daily life passing you by in the streets. Cafes and rooftop restaurants around every corner. A very international food scene. Interesting things to see and explore around every corner. I could go on and on... There's a lot to do and see in Antigua, and it's an extremely comfortable place to pass the time. I know tons of people who have spent weeks that turned into months, that turned into years, and eventually 'homes away from homes' here in Antigua. It's that kind of place. A very eclectic and international expat community, travelers and tourists all over the place at any time of year, and a really cool local community of people make for what is one of the best traveling towns in Central America. All that being said, in my opinion Antigua is a little bit unauthentic. A little bit manufactured and tailored directly to the tourist. It's done well. — Very well, even. But that's just the feeling I got. Don't get me wrong, I love the place. I liked it more and more every time that I returned to it. But there is an aspect of that here. Antigua is the most popular place to visit in the country. For good reason. It's beautiful, digestible, and within close proximity to the city are most of the other most amazing things to do in the country. The lake is close. It's the starting out point for Acatenango. The beach is only a few-hour ride away. Additionally, there's an excellent and flourishing hostel scene, great food from all over the world, and really fun nightlife. It kind of has it all. It's a home base in Guatemala for anyone who is spending serious time. If not a home base, it's the place people go to get things done. If you're living in El Paredon, you go to Antigua to relax for a few days. Get your life in order. Sort some things out. Spend some time in one of the million cute cafes. All that. Antigua is a place that if you are coming to Guatemala you will be going to. 100%. You don't come to Guatemala without going to Antigua. It's a lovely place. — With lots to see, explore and experience. Spend as long as you can here. It's relaxing, you can find all the parties you want if you are looking, and the weather is great. I'll get into as much as I knew here from Antigua but the place is always changing. Things opening, closing... so no matter what, just exploring the city you will find your own flavor.
Antigua is very conveniently located about 45-minutes away from Guatemala City. It's also extremely easy to get to. Really no matter where you are in the country, there will be a shuttle company that will take you there. If you're adventurous then you can also take chicken buses from literally anywhere to Antigua. I figure if you are adventurous enough to take a chicken bus here, then you are also competent enough to figure out how to do it so you don't need my advice. Just find the bus stations and go.
Additionally, you can get on shuttles from other countries straight to Antigua. They will be overnight, or all day, but any hostel in a major backpacking town should have information about these shuttles.
Now if you are flying into the country and want to get to Antigua, then you will be coming through the Guatemala City airport.
The drive to Antigua is only 45 minutes. Below are the different ways that you can get there.
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To Antigua -
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Shuttle - It's an easy shuttle. The shuttle will take you directly from the airport to Antigua. They can be booked right here. The ride is going to take an hour-and-a-half, and you will be picked up from the airport. It's easy — not the cheapest, but safe and easy.
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Chicken Bus - If you are feeling more adventurous and want to travel the way the locals do, you can take public transport or a chicken bus. The chicken buses in Guatemala are the best in Central America. The owners take pride in their buses, they are all usually very intricately designed and painted, usually named, and it's a cool experience. But not for the faint of heart or the wary traveler. The bus will cost you a few dollars, and the ride will probably take 2 hours. You can pick up the chicken bus to Antigua here. I wouldn't really recommend this if you don't speak Spanish, and aren't experienced traveling in Latin America. It can be daunting.
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Uber/Taxi - the easiest, fastest and most expensive would just be to get a taxi or an Uber. With no traffic the ride will take you about 45 minutes. It's going to cost about $25-30. So if you are traveling in a group, Uber will actually be cheaper than the shuttle. And faster.
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Once you arrive in Antigua, it's a pretty small place and you can walk almost anywhere. The town square or the parque central, is a good point of interest to know where you are compared to everything. It's right in the middle of town, and all the major hostels are no more than a 5-minute walk away.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
There's an absolutely excellent hostel scene here in Antigua. You can find something for everyone. You have the unhinged party hostels that are going on a nightly basis — until late, full of young backpackers on a booze-cruise through central. You have the quaint family-style hostels that are quiet, homey, and intimate. You have the newer, I guess boutique, comfy and fancy ones, and you have your extreme discount to be kind of honest — shitty hostels.
So there's something here for you no matter what you are looking for and no matter how you are feeling. We all know that sometimes we want the party hostel but sometimes there's nothing we want more than some peace and quiet and a time to chill. There's everything here in Antigua.
There are so many options here in Antigua, the ones I have outlined don't even begin to cover it. But these were the ones I either liked or heard great things about.
The quintessential party hostel here in Antigua. It's also probably the most well-known and popular hostel in the city. — Going to be full of bright-eyed young backpackers. The accommodation is basic, but it's always going to be fun. There's a pool, a rooftop bar and it's a good time. — Can certainly be too much if you're looking to relax. Also, they run Acatenango tours from here, so if you want to make that really convenient this is a good option. $11 for a bed is a great deal too.
Cool little hostel that has a big courtyard in the middle. A little bar, a Jacuzzi, an outdoor Tv. It's going to be pretty chill here. A good middle-ground if you don't want the crazy party that you will find at Tropicana. Price is pretty good, at $16.
Probably the best option if you are looking for something in the middle of a party hostel and a chill hostel. It's got a bar and a nice outdoor area, but it's not going to be the crazy party that you are going to find at Tropicana. Nice dorms — privates available, but expensive at $21 per night.
I stayed here one time when I was in Antigua and really liked it. It's extremely high-quality hostel living. — Like really nice. There's a beautiful courtyard, a great bar and restaurant, and a beautiful rooftop terrace to hang out on as well. All really new and really well-designed. Won't be the most social place in the world, but certainly relaxing and nice. Mid-high range pricing at $18 per night.
Translates to 'almost like home', which I thought was really cute. If the name is any indication, it's pretty much a converted home in Antigua. It's a really quaint little hostel and will feel more homey and intimate than some other options. A really nice option. Kind of expensive at $21 per night. — Slight walk out of town, but it's going to be extremely tranquil.
EATS
A nice and chill spot here with a little courtyard in the middle. Won't be the most social place, but it is going to be one of the cheapest options in the city at only $10 per night.
Antigua has really amazing food — from all over the world. I would say it's easy to say that it has the best food in the country. However, that doesn't mean it has the best Guatemalan food in the country. I actually found it kind of difficult here to track down authentic local food. Not impossible obviously, but the options here are certainly more international.
A lot of the food options are relatively westernized food. Lots of cafes. Italian and pizza spots and all that. But there are tons of places to go eat. If you have been traveling for a while, and maybe traveling in some pretty remote places, Antigua is going to be really nice, given the amount of options you have for types of food. For what you are getting, also, the prices are really good.
The cafe culture here in Antigua is excellent. So I am going to split up the recommendations between cafes and restaurants.
Cafes
This is my favorite cafe in Antigua. Really well-designed, cozy, colorful and interesting. They have great food, and you can spend an entire afternoon here up on the rooftop with beautiful views of the volcano.
A larger cafe for Antigua standards. — Set in a very green courtyard. A good place to come grab some food, and a coffee.
A cool spot to drink coffee and hang out. — Feels like you are in your living room.
Very cozy and cute little spot. With a white and light blue color scheme, it's very aesthetically pleasing inside. One of my favorites here.
Another very nice cafe. They have a lovely rooftop, that is an added draw to this place.
I went here a few times. It's a small little spot, with some of my favorite breakfast food in town. They have big benches with cushions, so you can get real comfortable. — A breakfast burrito too, which is great. I love breakfast burritos.
The best of the best of the best here in Antigua. No trip to Antigua is complete without coming here. It's local and traditional food that is so delicious you will come back and back. Like I said, it's hard to find local food here in Antigua, but this is the spot. A huge plate of delicious roasted chicken, potatoes and salad is the classic way to go. Going to run you 40Q, or $6. — Great atmosphere, too.
A great and cute little vegetarian spot. For those of you who don't eat meat, traveling in these countries can at times be tricky, but in Antigua you have great options like Samsara. Even if you aren't a vegetarian they have great options for all.
Spanish slang for 'full belly' essentially, this awesome and delicious chef-driven spot is amazing. — Small little spot with an open kitchen, so the vibes are on here, and the food great to boot. Specialty here is the fried chicken.
Small quiet place out on the east side of town. It's going to be much quieter than some of the others, so it's a good place to come and have a 'you' day.
A really cool little cafe that certainly feels more local than a lot of the other cafe spots. They'll be serving pretty authentic breakfasts, and good coffee in a really chill courtyard setting.
This place is great if you are looking to do some work. It's a cafe that's totally tailored to the online worker. They even have some meeting rooms, and office chairs with desks and quiet places to work.
Restaurants
and many more...
Go explore. I could never even scratch the surface here. There's lots of stuff all up and down the pricing spectrum here too. I didn't get into any of the really expensive stuff, but it certainly exists. There are restaurants all over the place. Eating your way through a city can be one of the best places to figure it out anyways. Try to avoid the tourist traps, there's places all over the place.
If you are craving some food in the style of the States — burgers, ribs, fries, bbq in general. Then Pappy's is the spot for you. The very Americanized spot has all that, and US tourists missing that vibe will be happy here.
Cool little dinner spot with a nice rooftop. They have pretty good banh mi's that are easy and tasty. Bar on the roof too, that's good for hanging.
X is Spanish abbreviation for 'por'. So this restaurant is called por que no. Or, 'why not?' It's a staple in Antigua, but the food isn't going to be super cheap. It's higher-end food, but the vibes inside are awesome. It's really small, so it could be hard to get a spot though.
Another thing from another part of the world, but this place has really, really good ramen. If you are craving it, love it, or just want something different, this is a great place to come.
Cool rooftop pizza spot right next to the old church that is a tourist attraction, and kind of in ruins. The pizza is alright, but the views and atmosphere make this worth coming.
A brewery that will also have a spot in the nightlife section. But it's a brewery with some nice views from the rooftop. They have brewery types of food, which are generally overpriced. But the place is worth coming to.
The market in Antigua is my favorite — or one of them, in Guate. Take a walk around here and you can find some local street food options, or just do your grocery shopping.
There are always street food vendors around Parque La Merced. Street food isn't that common or popular in Antigua, so this is one of the places to come and get cheap stuff that's also delicious. — Really supports the locals as well, so I highly recommend this.
One of the best places for an Italian dinner in Antigua. The outdoor restaurant is also really nice, and the atmosphere is great and worth coming to.
Amazing place for a romantic or just generally nice dinner. They will have live music in the awesome patio, and great pizza. Probably my favorite pizza in town.
Taco Heart. Awesome tacos and burritos. The best in the city if you ask me. Price is right as well.
Okay so this is fast food. But it is famous in Guatemala. Give it a try, it's pretty fucking good. It's local fast food, but if you want to eat as the locals do, they certainly eat a lot of Pollo Campero.
NIGHTLIFE
As with any popular town, travel town, tourist town — whatever... the nightlife is going to be bustling. Antigua is no exception. There's plenty to do here. There's late night clubs, really cool cocktail bars, local clubs and bars. There's breweries and tons of rooftop places to drink. There's also going to be a good nightlife scene when it comes to the hostels. Party hostels and all that where you can go on pub crawls and just go out straight from your hostel with a group.
Nightlife is great in Antigua, I don't know if I would call it a 7 night a week town like some places, but the weekends and the days leading up to the weekend are surely going to be fun, and realistically if you wanted to find the fun on any given night of the week you would be able to.
Bars and Clubs
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Popular and usually always crowded bar and sports bar. It's going to be filled with travelers, westerners, and locals alike. This is where a lot of people will start their nights, or just stay. It's in a building that has a bunch of bars kind of all under the same roof, so this is a great place to come if you are new to town, or just need something to do.
Another rowdy bar that goes late. It's right next to 'Bullseye', and you can just move in between the two. El Barrio, although right next door, is going to have a different feel and be more local. More reggaeton, etc.
This was my favorite bar in Antigua. It's a cozy little dive bar with graffiti and shit all over the walls. There's room for like 20 people in here, but that's my kind of place. A great place to come to start a night, end it, or to just sit there chatting and drinking the night away with a smaller group.
If you are in the area you will hear likely about the 'speakeasy' cocktail bar. This is it. You walk through a UK-style old phone booth. They have great cocktails, the atmosphere is really good, but boy are the cocktails expensive.
One of the late-night clubs. It's going to be full of locals here, and reggaeton all night long. It's one of the handful of late late-night clubby spots.
Right across the street from Doce. Another very local nightclub spot. This will be a great time if you are up for it. Reggaeton and all that all night long.
Probably the most popular club in Antigua. It's open really late, and always very crowded on the weekends. A proper night club here, and a hotspot with the backpackers too.
One of the breweries here in Antigua. They have a large space with an upstairs roof deck that has great views. Good spot for beers to start the night.
This is the party hostel in town. Even if you aren't staying here it's a great place to come if you want to meet people and party. The bar is nice, and on the roof as well
Reillys
Irish pub. Styled as such. Will be very popular with the tourists and travelers but a good night out nonetheless.
La Taverna
Cool little bar inside of a foodcourt. Mellow and a nice place to grab some beers and drinks with a more low key vibe.
Antigua Cerveza El Bosque
This is a really cool and unique spot that I recommend everyone give a try when they are here. Its one of the breweries in antigua and they have a bar situated on this huge property kind of inside a garden. It doesnt really feel like you are in antigua anymore. A great place to grab some good beer in an outdoor setting.
Irish pub. Styled as such. — Will be very popular with the tourists and travelers, but a good night out nonetheless.
Cool little bar inside of a food court. Mellow, and a nice place to grab some beers and drinks with a more low-key vibe.
This is a really cool and unique spot that I recommend everyone give a try when they are here. It's one of the breweries in Antigua, and they have a bar situated on this huge property — kind of inside a garden. It doesn't really feel like you are in Antigua anymore. — A great place to grab some good beer in an outdoor setting.
SIGHTS
Last but not least in Antigua are the things to do and see. There are plenty of things to do here, but I actually wouldn't say that there's that exhaustive of a list. Antigua is a great walking city and one of the best — maybe the best thing in the city, is to just walk around and explore. — To see the colorful buildings and streets. Walk the cobblestones. Get lost and walk in somewhere new. That's probably one of the better things to do here.
There are also a couple touristy things to do in town and outside of town, but in general I would say that just exploring this beautiful city is the top sight.
Probably the most popular touristic thing to do here in the city of Antigua is go check out and take pictures of and with the Arch of Santa Catalina. It's a beautiful arch that encapsulates the beauty of Antigua, really. Looking down past the arch, you can see the top of the volcano, so in general it's just a really cool and pretty thing to see.
Everyone who comes here will either do or contemplate doing Acatenango. I highly recommend doing it, and even though it's not in Antigua, the departure point is here. So go climb a volcano.
People also frequently do another volcano outside of Antigua that is called Pacaya. I actually didn't do it personally, but I hear it is also spectacular.
The central park or parque central here is absolutely beautiful. One of my favorites in Central America, actually. Come and walk around, eat a churro or get something from a local vendor, and have a seat on a bench under a tree. Take a look at the nearby church. Etc., etc.
WALK INTO THE COURTYARDS
Almost all of the buildings in Antigua have open air courtyards that are hidden from the street. When you are walking around, just poke your head in through the door, and you just might discover your favorite little courtyard.
Outside of Antigua is a frankly very odd little town, or really amusement park, that has aimed to replicate the shire from Lord of the Rings. Hence why it has been called 'Hobbitenango'. It's a really touristy thing to do, but also really fun and weird at the same time. — Not a bad afternoon.
The local market in Antigua is bustling and amazing. Go spend a morning or afternoon here walking around and checking things out. Buy something local, a souvenir, food — whatever. There is also the chicken bus stop here, so all the cool chicken buses will be lined up. So cool to look at this very interesting aspect of Guatemalan culture. The famous Chicken Bus.
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SURFING