Antigua Guatemala
A colonial capital stopped in its tracks by the earthquake of 1773, its ruined churches and courtyard houses watched over by three volcanoes.
- Arrival
- La Aurora, Guatemala City · GUA
- To the city
- About 45 minutes by car
- Private jets
- FBOs with customs at GUA
- Best time
- November to April
The city
Cloisters under the volcanoes.
For centuries this was a regional capital, until an earthquake in 1773 brought its building to a halt. What remains is a quarter of low colonial streets, now protected by UNESCO, where cloisters and broken church vaults stand beside houses turned into small hotels. Fuego, Agua and Acatenango rise over the rooftops.
At this altitude the days are mild, rarely above 25 degrees. From November to April almost no rain falls; between June and September the afternoons turn wet.
- The historic centre The UNESCO-protected streets of the old capital, low houses round courtyards with the volcanoes at the end of the view.
- Santo Domingo A former sixteenth-century monastery, partly felled by the 1773 earthquake, its ruins and colonial collections now kept inside a hotel.
- Lake Atitlán The deepest lake in Central America, beyond the hills to the west, reached by helicopter from the capital's airport.
Arriving
Guatemala City, then the hills.
La Aurora lies on the south side of Guatemala City, some 56 kilometres from Antigua, about three quarters of an hour by road. Its runway of 9,800 feet lies at almost 5,000 feet above the sea.
- Mexico City 1 h 40
- Panama City 2 h 10
- Chicago 4 h 15
- Rome 13 h 10 long-range jet
- Lagos 13 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
November to April.
A highland climate, spring-like all year, with afternoons between 21 and 25 degrees. The dry months run from November to April, under 30 millimetres in each; June and September are the wettest.
- 22° J 3
- 23° F 5
- 24° M 6
- 25° A 28
- 24° M 120
- 23° J 263
- 22° J 194
- 22° A 155
- 22° S 237
- 21° O 141
- 21° N 26
- 21° D 9
Where to stay
Courtyard hotels, and one by the lake.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Villa Bokeh Fifteen rooms in a hacienda-style house on six acres of parkland, with a pool, a spa and two restaurants.
- Posada del Ángel Seven suites for adults on 4a Avenida Sur, with a lap pool in the courtyard and a terrace on the roof.
- Good Hotel Antigua Pale, spare rooms whose floor tiles were woven on a wooden loom by a local craftsman.
- Casa Palopó A private house on the shore of the lake, a hotel since 2000, with lakeview soaking tubs in its newer villa.
Where to dine
The best tables in town.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Guatemala. These are tables picked by the 50 Best guide to Antigua and by Fodor’s, with two of the town’s best rated high-end restaurants on Tripadvisor.
- Quiltro 50 Best, Antigua guide 2025 Tasting menu $$$$ Antigua
- Nanik 50 Best, Antigua guide 2025 Contemporary Guatemalan Antigua
- Mesón Panza Verde Fodor’s Choice European $$$$ Mesón Panza Verde hotel, Antigua
- El Refectorio Rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor Guatemalan and Latin $$$$ Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua
- Casa Escobar Rated 4.6 on Tripadvisor Steakhouse $$$$ Antigua
Elsewhere in Guatemala
More reasons to come.
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