Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala, commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala.
Antigua Guatemala, commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architecture and layout dating from that period. Antigua Guatemala serves as the capital of the homonymous municipality and the Sacatepéquez Department.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Antigua Guatemala
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Antigua Guatemala Cathedral
Parish of San José, located in the city of Antigua Guatemala, is part of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala and is located in a section of the old Primate Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala, which was destroyed by the 1773 Guatemala earthquakes. The first construction of the cathedral began in 1545 with the rubble brought from the destroyed settlement in the Almolonga Valley, which had been a second attempt to found a town in the region.
100 m · Roman Catholic church in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala · Wikipedia - 02Santa Catalina Arch
The Santa Catalina Arch is one of the distinguishable landmarks in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, located on 5th Avenue North. Built in the 17th century, it originally connected the Santa Catalina convent to a school, allowing the cloistered nuns to pass from one building to the other without going out on the street.
300 m · bridge in Guatemala · Wikipedia - 03La Merced Church
The Church and Convent of La Merced is a Catholic church located in the city of Antigua Guatemala in Guatemala. The architect Juan de Dios Estrada was in charge of its construction from 1749.
500 m · church in Antigua Guatemala · Wikipedia - 04San Francisco Church
San Francisco el Grande is a church in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala and one of the sanctuaries most frequented by the local population because of the shrine of Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur.
600 m · church building in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala · Wikipedia - 05Estadio Pensativo
Pensativo Stadium is a football stadium in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala. The venue is home to Liga Nacional club Antigua, and has a maximum capacity of 10,000 spectators.
1.2 km · football stadium in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala. · Wikipedia - 06Church and Convent of Capuchins
The Iglesia y Convento de las Capuchinas is a notable convent and church in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala. It is one of the finest examples of an 18th-century convent in Guatemala.
300 m · building in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala · Wikipedia - 07National Museum of Guatemalan Art
The National Museum of Guatemalan Art is an art museum located in Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez Department.
200 m · Art museum in Antigua Guatemala · Wikipedia - 08Church and Convent of Society of Jesus
The Church and convent of the Society of Jesus in Antigua Guatemala is a religious complex that was built between 1690 and 1698. It was built on a block that is only 325 yards away from the Cathedral of Saint James on a lot that once belonged to the family of famous chronicler Bernal Díaz del Castillo and had three monastery wings and a church.
200 m · building in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala · Wikipedia - 09Palace of the Captain Generals
The Captain General Palace, or Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, is a large building localed in the Central Square of Antigua Guatemala. It serves as the headquarters of the Guatemala Institute of Tourism, the Antigua Tourism Association, National Police and the Sacatepquez Department government.
200 m · building in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala · Wikipedia - 10Hermano Pedro's Hospital
San Pedro is a hospital and adjacent church in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala. It is dedicated to Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur.
900 m · building in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
The preserved ruins of the old colonial government buildings and churches are not only Antigua's main tourist draw, but they're also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, these buildings were damaged in a series of seismic events culminating with the devastating earthquake of 1773.
- 01Catedral de Antigua Guatemala
- 02Colegio de San Jerónimo
- 03Convento de las Capuchinas
- 04Convento de Santa Clara
- 05Iglesia de San Francisco el Grande
- 06La Recolección
Calle de Recoletos, corner of 1ª Calle Poniente.
From Wikivoyage: Antigua Guatemala, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Artisanal workshops (Ex As Green as It Gets). Spend an afternoon with a local artisan specializing in jade, metal work, or textiles. Enjoy a unique cultural experience and come home with a handmade gift.
- 01Coffee Farm Tour
Learn how to pick, process and roast your own coffee.
From Wikivoyage: Antigua Guatemala, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Antigua has cafes and restaurants for all tastes and budgets. The town is the most touristy place in Guatemala so you will find anything you are looking for including international fast food shops. Be careful with where you eat. Facilities lacking in bathroom or bathroom cleanliness suggest a higher probability of food poisoning. Avoid cold salad, fresh vegetables, and undercooked meat.
- 01Market
Various comedores all serving homemade Guatemaltecan food.
- 02La Canche
- 03Doña Luisa Xicotencatl
Has the feel of a well-run corporate restaurant set in a gorgeous leafy courtyard of a historic building.
- 04Luna de Miel
Luna de Miel opened its doors in July 2006, and Antigua immediately succumbed to the charms of crepes à la française.
- 05Rainbow Café
Tourist-friendly and wholesome breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
From Wikivoyage: Antigua Guatemala, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Antigua Guatemala
- Airports
- La Aurora (GUA), 22 km · El Salvador Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (SAL), 219 km
- San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) → Antigua Guatemala214 km · quickest by road, 5h 47m · $24–32
- San Pedro Sula → Antigua Guatemala309 km · quickest by air, 5h 55m · $240–360
- Palmerola → Antigua GuatemalaTrain, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Antigua Guatemala
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Antigua Guatemala. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inYou can also pre-arrange a charter tourist van to pick you up at the airport, which for first-time visitors might be the safest and most convenient option.
- Get inThe shuttle options are offered either as one way transportation or they can be as part of an independent day trip or guided tour with return on the same day.
- Get inThere are day trips to Tikal which are offered with an early shuttle to the airport and a flight to Flores and back the same day/evening.
- Get aroundTuk-tuks and taxis can take you to destinations within the city center for Q15 or more.
- Get aroundTuk-tuks usually do not go to Guatemala City, and they stop working at 22:00, so one will need a shuttle or taxi instead.
From Wikivoyage: Antigua Guatemala, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01279 km
- 02457 km
- 03522 km
- 04649 km
- 051,599 km
If you know how people move in Antigua Guatemala – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala is 16 km from Mixco, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Ciudad Viejamunicipality of Sacatepéquez Department, Guatemala; it was the second location of the capital of Guatemala between 1527 and 15415.2 km
- Sumpangomunicipality of Sacatepéquez Department, Guatemala9.9 km
- Jocotenangomunicipality of Sacatepéquez Department, Guatemala3.5 km
- Pastoresmunicipality of Sacatepéquez Department, Guatemala4 km
- San Miguel Dueñasmunicipality of Sacatepequez Department, Guatemala8.5 km
- San Antonio Aguas Calientesmunicipality of Sacatepéquez Department, Guatemala4.5 km