Top Guatemala hotels
Pacaya Volcano Antigua Guatemala
27 Reviews I found a great trip regarding a volcano hike and a thermal waters and spa bath, this was amazing and I truly recommend it for everyone!.. it was excellent. I found it on a website called...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Ruins Antigua Guatemala
40 Reviews A collection of small museums housed in the 5-star hotel Casa Santo Domingo. The hotel, which is very upmarket, is built on and incorporates the ruins of the old Dominican church complex. Of the...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Churches Antigua Guatemala
37 Reviews Yes, I am lazy period end of report. Use your guide book/internet if you want the facts on them. I came here to take some pics....not a very religious person except when I travel as these seem to be...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Parque Central Antigua Guatemala
16 Reviews Central Park is a great place to get a quick feel for Antigua or if you get lost head here as it is a great reference point for to reorient yourself. Come here to relax, buy an ice cream off a local...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Colonial Architecture Antigua Guatemala
22 Reviews This is perhaps the defining symbol of Antigua. It is a remnant of the once-enormous Convent of St. Catherine. This convent was founded in 1613 with only four nuns, but by 1693 its numbers had...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Markets Antigua Guatemala
8 Reviews Antigua might strike you at first, as it did me, as something of a museum piece, but you only have to walk a few blocks from the centre to discover that “real” life happens here too. The market on...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Nuestra Señora de la Merced Antigua Guatemala
10 Reviews The “Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced”, to give it its full name, is one of the loveliest in Antigua, and unlike many has been fully restored. On a sunny day its vibrant yellow paint...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Language Schools Antigua Guatemala
12 Reviews I chose this school on the advice of a friend and it is working out very well. It is relaxed with 1-on-1 tuition and happens at tables under awnings or in the garden. The individual tuition allows one...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Walking through the city Antigua Guatemala
12 Reviews While Parque Central is the undisputed hub of the city, Parque Union, lying a few blocks to the south-east, is also worth a visit. This is much more of a locals’ hang out than tourists’, although...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Chichicastenango Antigua Guatemala
5 Reviews We drove 3 and a half hours from Antigua to "Chichi" on Thursday, although I heard that it is best to visit on Sundays. It seems as if time has stopped here. This village is very different than...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Lago Atitlan Antigua Guatemala
5 Reviews WOW, I had read that Lago ("Lake" in Spanish) Atitlan is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and boy was my research correct. On Friday, our last day in Antigua, we traveled 2 and a half hours...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Tikal Antigua Guatemala
3 Reviews Tikal is a definite must see. From Antigua or elsewhere. We took a weekend trip including flights and hotel, although you can do it by bus. Our hotel, Tikal Inn, was right next to the ruins and the...
See All 263 Things to Do in Antigua Guatemala
Sponsored Links
El Arco de Reloj, otherwise known as El Arco de Santa Catalina, is one of Antigua's most photgraphed landmarks. It is an arch with a clock tower mounted on top (See photos 2,3 & 4). The arch is the only remaining part of the Santa Catalina convent, which was founded in 1609. The original arch was built in 1694 to allow nuns to cross the street without being seen.
Livingston is a Caribbean town at the mouth of the Rio Dulce, with a population of just 17,000. It has a real Caribbean vibe and seems more like Belize than Guatemala. The people here are known as Garifuna or Black Caribs. They are descended from African slaves who fled the Honduran island of Roatan in the late 18th century.It is a pleasant little town with some nice bars and restaurants. The Museum Multicultural de Livingston, near the dock, has displays outlining the history and culture of the area.You can take boat trips up the Rio Dulce from Livingston dock as well as jungle trips and snorkeling trips to the Caribbean.
The Church of El Carmen, completed in 1728, is the third to occupy this site. The main façade of the church is ornate baroque, with triple pairs of columns. Adjoining the church in the space now occupied by a private house was a convent. It was here that the Capuchin nuns first stayed after their arrival in Antigua in 1726. Later they built and moved to Las Capuchinas. El Carmen was destroyed by the 1773 earhquake and today none of the convent buildings remain. Only the ruined church is still standing. The interior of the church nave was nearly 50 m long.El Carmen, with a volcano as its backdrop, is in my opinion the most beautiful of Antigua's ruined churches.
The Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de La Merced is a beautiful colonial church and monastery complex, dating back to1548. After it was badly damaged by earthquakes it was reconstructed in the eighteenth century. Further repairs to the church were required between 1850 and 1855. The ornate baroque façade dates from this period. Pay to enter the monastery ruins at the back of the church and walk around the rooftop there. It's very peaceful and there are some beautiful views. Note the lions sitting around the dome of the church. You can also look down on the flower-shaped Fuente de Pescados (Fountain of Fish) in the middle of the monastery's cloisters, which with a diameter of 27m is said to be the largest in Central America (see photo 5). It takes its name from the fact that the friars used to breed fish in it.La Merced is where the famous Good Friday procession of Antigua starts and...
The Capuchin convent and church was founded by nuns from Madrid in 1736, and was designed by the chief architect of the city, Diego de Porres. It was badly damged by the earthquake of 1773. Now the convent is partially intact and partly in ruins. The intact portions house a museum and offices for the National Council for the Protection of Antigua Guatemala. The ruined sections include baths for the nuns and a circular area containing novices cells. The ruined nave of the chapel is 40 m long and can be viewed from from the second floor level of the ruins, where there is also a good view of the twin volcanoes Fuego and Acatenango. Admission: $4Opening hours: 9am-5pm
Antigua, or La Antigua Guatemala to give it its full name, is the number one travellers' town in Central America. You could say it's the Central American equivalent of Cuzco. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although it only has a permanent population now of less than 35,000, in the eighteenth century, before it was destroyed by devastating earthquakes, it was much bigger.It was founded in 1543, by Spanish conquistadores, on the site of the Mayan city of Iximche and was the capital of Guatemala for more than 200 years. After the big earthquakes of 1773 - you can still see the damage - the Spaniards decided to move their capital to Guatemala City.Antigua is a city of colourful colonial houses and grand stone churches and convents, many of them still in ruins. At the heart of the city is Parque Central, the main square, which you will find yourself returning to again and again. In...
From Flores you can catch a bus (Linea Dorada is the best) and go directly to Guatemala City where nobody advise yuo to stay there. It's a big and quite dangerous city. So better to take a taxy (200 itzqual / about 30 Us ) or much cheaper a minibus and go to Antigua (45 minuts away). To break the journey from Flores to Antigua (8 hrs about) you can stop to Coban or even to Rio dulce, both these are tourist and safe destinations.
If you are about to travel to Guatemala give for grant the stop in the north at the Tikal Maya Ruins. This place is the second biggest maya ruins site in the central america area. I'll suggest to you to get with few people a guide (which should cost 300 belize dollars, no matter how many people you are) because there is so much to know about. Consider the visit here it will take you at least 3 hours to see it all. from there you can catch a minibus and get to Flores where it's a tourist area 28 km far from the ruins with Hotels, Hostal and bar.
Semuc Champey should be one of othe wonders of the world, in my opinion. The natural wells create beautiful cascades and water colors you have to see in person to fully appreciate. Swimming in the beautiful, clean water of the wells is truley an amazing experience. If you're kind of brave and adventurous, there are some great spots to climb up and jump off the rocks into the water. The hike up to a lookout spot is well worth it, as you get a beautiful view of the wells.
The hike up to Volcan de Pacaya is amazing. It is a strenuous walk/hike to the top.It takes about an hour or hour and a half to climb. It is incredible to be on top of an active volcano. A few in the group were very winded by the climb, but most had no problem.There is a snack area at the bottom where the bus drops you off. You can buy hot chocolate and other snacks, chips, drinks, etc.
Palacio de Dona Leonor Antigua Guatemala
6 Reviews and 43 Opinions On a business trip we stayed at the Palace Hotel Dona Leonor. I really liked the decoration of the...
Jungle Lodge Parque Nacional Tikal
4 Reviews and 154 Opinions We stayed two nights here, choosing it because of its nearness to the ruins. The plan was to be able...
Barcelo Premium Guatemala City Guatemala City
1 Review and 202 Opinions Nice hotel in a comfortable safe neighborhood in Zone 9. An easy walk to the Los Procures Mall and...
Reviews and photos of Guatemala attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Guatemala sightseeing.
More Cities in Guatemala
More Regions in Guatemala
Q: My husband and I want to go to Guatemala for 5 weeks starting the last week of March 2012. We had planned to travel all over and...
A: I have two good friends that travel to Guatemala frequently. One supports an orphanage, the other does general social work with kids in the area. Both find the...
Read 6 Replies
Sponsored Links
