 | Antigua Guatemala General Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 56 |  |
My first impression of Antigua was that it was a bit more worn for the wear, more gritty and real than the tourist-run resort type town that I was expecting. But still much more neat and new looking that Chichi or Panajachel or San Pedro. Antigua is still very ritzy by central-American standards, but when I first arrived, I guess I was comparing it to American cities.
Antigua is strange the way it was built as well - if you stand on any street and look in any direction, you'll notice that most of the buildings appear to be connected to eachother. So you see these incredibly long stretches of wall, broken only by the brightly painted colors that mark what I presume is the end of one building and the beginning of the next. At first I thought it was strange to see these long solid thick walls; later I learned that the walls were built very strongly to protect in the case of an earthquake - which is a very real threat here. The city has been devastated a few times by earthquake and volcano eruption over the last 300 years. Leave a Comment
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This building at one time was the capital building of the government that rules all of Central America. It was called El Palacio de Los Capitanes Generales. Now The National Civil Police have offices there. To see more of Guatemala click on this Link
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There is an abundance of little agencies in Antigua who can help you with any aspect of traveling throughout Guatemala. I booked a Pacaya volcano ascent and an airport shuttle from Adventure Travel Center, and the prices were quite reasonable.
www.adventravelguatemala.com (between the famous Arco and the Nim Po't shopping outlet) Leave a Comment
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We're of the opinion that it's worth the money to take a walking tour of a city we've never been before in order to get a local insight that goes beyond what you might usually read in a guidebook. Written up in our Lonely Planet guidebook, we decided to meet up for one of Elizabeth Bell's tours. An author of many books on Antigua, Ms. Bell runs Antigua Tours which offers serveral different tours including a 3-4 hour walking cultural tour. No need to necessarily sign up in advance, we met the group at the appointed hour in the Parque Central. Included in the tour were visits to the Palacio del Ayuntamiento, Catedral de Santiago including the ruins section, the interior of what used to be typical Antigueno homes (now used by organizations or hotels), and a visit to a jade factory. The jade factory visit, while interesting smacked a bit too much of commercialism for my blood. Next time I might seek out a different a different tour outfit.
Seeing the everyday life of Antiquenos amongst the colonial architecture and cobblestone streets Leave a Comment
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Antigua has a nice quaint feel to it. The homes have a lively color and the decor adds a pleasantness which makes one feel at home in Antigua. Leave a Comment
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Even if you do not spend a night at the Casa Santo Domingo it would be advisable to visit the hotel and enjoy a stroll and maybe a dinner at the hotel. Leave a Comment
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For those of you who depend on your bank cards for withdrawing money but work on a plus sign system, check out Banco Industrial just south of the park on Calle de los Arcos. Leave a Comment
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It was fun to walk down the streets and look in the doors to the walled blocks. You might see the lobby of a five star hotel or you might fined a woman scrubbing clothes! Each block was completely surrounded by walls.
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One day we were walking by this church and noticed the all the wheelchairs. A local told us that the church supported a hospital next door which tended to people with special needs.
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I loved even the walls that were somewhat in disrepair. One of my favorite street corners. Note the cobblestone streets.
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More Antigua Guatemala Tips |
- Posada El Antano
6a Avenida Norte No 36, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala - Hotel Casa Mia
Yeni Mahalle Jan Zakari Caddesi No:1 Avanos, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
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on July 7, 2003
on August 26, 2003
on December 28, 2006
on November 25, 2007
on August 12, 2004
on January 16, 2004
