 | Antigua Guatemala Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 230 |  |
Casa Popenoe, Popenoe house, is a restored colonial mansion which we visited on the Elizabeth Bell tour. Here you can get a look into domestic life in the colonial era. The house was built in 1634 by a supreme court judge originally from Spain. Over the years it was abandoned and fell into disrepair, until finally in 1932, it was bought and restored by Doctor Wilson Popenoe, a United Fruit Company scientist.
The house was restored to its former glory and filled with antique furniture and art. Every detail has been restored.
It is occupied by two of Dr. Popenoe's daughters but open for tours. Leave a Comment Address: 1 Avenue SurDirections: open Monday through Saturday 2-4pm admission about US $1.00
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Museo de Arte Colonial houses some impressive sculptures of saints and painting by leading artists of the colonial era.
Just off the parque Central is this museum of the art treasures of Antigua. Sadly, the lovely but poorly equiped building is home to many beautiful examples of Antigua's past. It rained heavily on the day we visited and the humidity was high. There is no climate control here and the artwork is suffering.
To our dismay, a roof leak was falling directly onto a lovely wooden statue! Leave a Comment Address: 5a Calle Oriente 5Phone: 832-0429Directions: half a block east of the Parque Central
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Stop into the lush courtyard of the Posada Don Rodrigo to listen to the marimba band while you have lunch or just a limonada. It's hard to keep from dancing although they probably wouldn't mind if you did. Leave a Comment Address: near the ArchDirections: Just follow the sound of the music!
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THE people watching center of Antigua is the Parque Central....students, vendors, shoeshine boys, tourists, lovers, musicians....everyone can be seen circling the center fountain with its risque mermaid!
The buildings surrounding this central plaza include the Cathedral of San Jose, which is beautifully illuminated at night, the Palace of the Captains General and the Ayuntamiento, the City Hall.
Mayan vendors will approach you in the park to buy their wares. I always get something and always regret not buying more! Look for Francesca. Her weaving is beautiful and she is very entertaining to chat with. Leave a Comment
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Ruins are abundant in Antigua. The town has been the victim of natural disasters. It is impossible to visit Antigua and not find any ruins. Leave a Comment Directions: Take primera avenida north and go up the hill, this will lead to the cerrito and some of the various churches in ruins.
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While the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango are directly visible from Antigua, Pacaya (near Guatemala city) is also a very popular option (you can summit Agua but it will be a 5am-9pm ordeal and I suspect it is quite physically challenging). The tour will arrange your transportion to and from Antigua to the National Park where you will hike to the top with a guide. Armed security is found throughout various points on the trail. Horses accompany the hikers most of the way so if you become very tired you can hop on. The hike is 2-3 hours uphill (not that easy) where you will reach a point with great views over the valley below and the volcanic crater (the most active volcano in Guatemala). There you can spend the next 30-60 minutes on a very difficult hike to the very top. We encountered 70 km/hr winds, lots of dust, dirt, slippery rocks but it was a great accomplishment to hit the top and ever funner to litterally "ski" down the slope, screaming all the way.
Bring lots of water, healthy snacks, a sweater and a good windproof jacket for the windier parts above. A hat and sunglasses (not just for the sun but for the flying volcanic dirt BUT dont bring super good ones as they WILL get scratched). A walking stick would also be useful and/or gloves for the last part when you are summiting practically on your hands and knees. Leave a Comment Directions: I did this tour through Gran Jaguar Tours. All agencies offer this tour but dont pay more than $5-7 US for the tour.
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This first rate visit is a well kept secret. The Casa Popenoe allows you to discover, perfectly preserved, what an Antigua house was like during the town's prime. Notice, on one of the photos, the antique marimba (the national instrument of Guatemala).
Open in the afternoon. Entrance is only $2. Leave a Comment Address: 1a Av Sur 2
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For US$5 you have yourself a half-day climb up Guatemala's most popular volcano. The tourist bus drops you off at the village outside of the entrance to the park, where you buy your entrance ticket (25 quetzales I believe) and some snacks/water/beer if need be. From there it's approximately a 2 hour hike, or so the tour guide told us. Of course, he's been doing this every day for the past 10 years and literally ran up the volcano himself! It got quite strenuous at times, especially near the peak where it was steep and gravely, but definitely worth the climb once we reached the top! Sulpher fumes blocked the view of the crater, but some people claimed they could hear the lava flowing inside. Very cool! The climb down was infinitely easier, more or less skiing on lava rock, fun! I recommend bringing a warm sweater as it gets cold up at the top, lots of water, hat, sunscreen, and some food to replenish your energy. The hike was at a leisurely pace, so when we needed to rest we could sit for a bit, have a snack, etc. Our guide was really friendly too. It was a great experience. Directions: Book a tour with one of the many tour agents in Antigua. Some charge US$7 for the morning trip, but we looked around till we found one asking $5 (forgot the name, but it was on 7a Av Nte north of 3a Calle Pte).
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This building on the Parque Central is to the right when facing the Cathedral. It was once the governmental center of all of Central America. Walk along the stately double arcaded facade for a lovely view of the plaza and the cathedral. Today the building houses the local government agencies. Leave a Comment
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These are the women that you see all over the place. They're selling all kind of arts and crafts like beautiful coloured blankets, wooden bracelets, coconut rings, tiny puppets and all more. And they carry it all around on their heads!
It's kind of difficult to shoot their picture as they all want money for it! I even have one picture where a girl has her hands on her eyes because I didn't pay her any money. Once you buy somehting from them they probably will approve... Leave a Comment
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More Antigua Guatemala Tips |
- Hotel Casa Mia
Yeni Mahalle Jan Zakari Caddesi No:1 Avanos, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala - Posada El Antano
6a Avenida Norte No 36, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
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