Hagåtña
Guam’s capital, a village of under a thousand people with a Spanish plaza, a cathedral-basilica and the island’s legislature.
- Arrival
- Guam International · GUM
- To the capital
- About 5 km from the airport
- Private jets
- Swissport Executive Aviation at GUM
- Best time
- January to May
The city
Three centuries of a capital.
Spanish missionaries led by San Vitores landed in 1668, and the chief Kepuha gave them land for the first church on Guam. The Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica stands there now, beside the Plaza de España and what remains of the Spanish governors’ palace.
Around 1940 some ten thousand people lived here. Japan took the island in December 1941 and called the town Akashi, and the American bombardment of 1944 left much of it in ruins. Fewer than a thousand residents remain today, yet Hagåtña is still the capital, home to the legislature and the governor’s office.
- Plaza de España The old administrative square, with the remains of the Spanish Governor’s Palace.
- Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica On the ground Chief Kepuha gave for Guam’s first church.
- Latte Stone Park Stone pillars of the ancient Chamorro, with notes on the island’s early history.
Arriving
From the airport to the plaza.
Antonio B. Won Pat International lies in Tamuning and Barrigada, about five kilometres from the capital.
- Tokyo 3 h 35
- Manila 3 h 40
- Taipei 3 h 55
- Bali 5 h 35
- Sydney 7 h 10 long-range jet
When to go
January to May.
The weather station is in Hagåtña itself. It records 30 to 31 °C all year and a sea between 27 and 29. The tourism bureau puts the dry season from January to May; July to October brings heavy rain, over 270 mm a month.
- 30° J 130 28°
- 30° F 111 27°
- 30° M 89 27°
- 31° A 102 28°
- 31° M 142 28°
- 31° J 162 29°
- 31° J 273 29°
- 31° A 363 29°
- 31° S 343 29°
- 31° O 317 29°
- 31° N 228 29°
- 30° D 150 28°
Where to stay
A short drive up the coast, in Tumon.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
-
Dusit Thani Guam Resort A beachfront tower of 421 rooms, suites and villas on Pale San Vitores Road, opened in 2015.
-
Lotte Hotel Guam Up at the northern end of the bay since 2014, with 222 rooms, each with a balcony.
Where to dine
Where to book in Tumon.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Guam. This is the steak house of the Dusit Thani in Tumon, the only fine-dining table OpenTable lists for the bay.
- Alfredo’s Steak House Rated 4.7 on OpenTable Steak $$$$ Dusit Thani Guam Resort, Tumon, about 6 km
Elsewhere in Guam
More reasons to come.
Flying to Hagåtña?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.