Walking through the city, Antigua Guatemala

The architecture of Antigua is simply incredible. It is heavily influenced by the Spanish colonial era, when Spain controlled the area. The cathedrals and churches are prime examples of the flourishes of this time period. The city is vibrant in its variety and color, even garage doors are painted a variety of colors. Walking around is a feast for the eyes even in an empty street.

Truly, the most pleasurable activity in Antigua is walking and admiring the way the dramatic light plays on the pastel colored facades. You can find some very quiet streets with no boutiques and no tourists.

I'm adding only one photo to this tip, and putting the rest in a travelogue below.

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ANTIGUA IS A VERY PLEASANT LITTLE TOWN FULL OF COLONIAL BUILDINGS AND COBBLESTONE STREETS. THOUGH THE BUILDINGS LOOK OLD FROM THE OUTSIDE MANY OF THEM ARE MODERN ON THE INSIDE.

THERE ARE VIEWS OF THE AGUA, ACATENANGO, AND FUEGO VOLCANOES IN THE AREA. ALSO BE SURE TO GO TO CERRO DE LA CRUZ, A HILLSIDE WITH A BIG CROSS ON IT. FOR A SPECTACULAR VIEW OF THE TOWN AND LANDSCAPE.

During Holy week the devoted Catholics of Guatemala celebrate with a series of processions....a must see!!!! The town fills up with people from all over. There are processsions throughout the day and into the night on Thursday and Friday of holy week. Different church groups march through the streets carrying images of Jesus and Mary. The last procession on Friday is the most spectacular.

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.

When you arrive to Antigua it is a beautiful cobblestone city near a hurge volcano.. The views are just beautiful..All I recommend is just to walk around and just enjoy.. That is all I did.. Had great food, great beer, great coffee.. everything great..

If you go to Antigua, don't pass up the chance to take a stroll through the city and take in the lovely architecture. They say it's one of the most well-planned colonial cities in the Americas (in fact, I think I read somewhere that it was the first planned city in the Americas). I can see how that is true. The city is overwhelminly linear and consists completely of streets running north-south and east-west. They have a huge volcano directly to the south, and a high hill with a cross overlooking the city to the north. It's impossible to get lost!

Its nice and safe to walk around Antigua by night, sometimes during the week-ends the city is crowded, full of people from Guatemala city, its better to explore the city during the week days.