La Antigua Guatemala
From World travel guide
La Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua or La Antigua) is a city in Guatemala. It was the colonial Spanish capital of Central America, it is a World Heritage site, and is perhaps the most popular tourist destination in Guatemala.
Contents |
Understand
The Inguat Tourist Office is on the south-east side of the Parque Central. Open until 5 pm Monday to Friday. Open Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
Get in
Located just 30 miles (45km) West of Guatemala City, you can get here in 45min from La Aurora Airport.
A charter tourist van costs about USD $30. The driver will meet you at the airport with your name on a sign. For first-time visitors, the convenience and security of arranging a van like this might be worth the cost.
Almost all travel agencies in Antigua offer scheduled tourist shuttles from the airport to Antigua. Fares range from USD $5-10.
Transportation by bus is cheap compared to taxis or shuttles, but would be less convenient and take a longer time.
There is no commercial air or train service for this town.
Get around
Antigua is very small and you can walk anywhere you want to go to, but it can be dangerous to walk at night or on the outskirts of the city.
See
The whole city is full of historic buildings, monuments, fountains and ruins. This city was founded by the Spanish in the XVII Century, and it follows the traditional design of a Main Plaza surrounded by Government and Catholic Church buildings. You'll find worthy to visit La Catedral, el Palacio de los Gobernadores, Convento de Capuchinas, Convento de Santa Clara, el Arco de Santa Catarina, Iglesia La Merced and the Handcrafts Market.
The Parque Central is, strangely enough, a park in the center of town. The park is a city block in size, with concentric circular walkways threading among trees and a fountain in the center. The trees are decorated with lights, and there are plenty of benches for sitting and people-watching. The Inguat tourist agency, the city hall and police office, the cathedral, and several banks and tourist businesses line the four sides of the park. Many Antiguans hang out in the park, and it has a pleasant, bustling, friendly feel day and night.
A large cross is prominent on a hill to the north of the city (Cerro de la cruz). It is a pleasant, moderately strenuous 30 minute walk to the cross from the Parque Central. On a clear day there is a fine vista over most of Antigua and the Volcán de Agua rising high to the south. Note: there are persistent reports of robberies on this trail. The Tourist Police lead walks up to the park several times a day, and it's safer to walk with them. Check with the Tourist Police office just north of Parque Central for details.
The Experimental Station Valhalla is a nursery of macadamia trees with an interesting environmental and economic agenda. Macadamia nuts are a cash crop, with the potential to provide a better livelihood for Guatemalan peasants than does coffee. The farmer can use the trimmed branches of the trees for firewood. Additionally, macadamia trees take carbon dioxide out of the air and form it into wood, nuts and shells. The shells can be used a street paving, sequestering carbon dioxide. And Valhalla have found a way to provide the trees as genetically diverse complete plants, instead of as grafts. This allows natural selection to adapt the trees to changing environmental conditions. The station turns macadamia nuts into snacks, chocolates, a fine skin cream, a pure oil, and a flour which can be made into pancakes.
Experimental station Valhalla is a few km out of Antigua in the direction of San Miguel Dueñas. Chicken busses run every 30 minutes on this route, and the fare was Q2.75 one way as of December 2005. The station offers tours in Spanish, English, and sometimes other languages as well. At the end of a tour they offer samples of their various macadamia products. tel +502-7888-6308, fax +502-7831-5799, web http://www.exvalhalla.net, email mailto:exvalhalla@yahoo.com. Open 8am - 5pm, Monday through Sunday.
Do
Antigua is the most popular - though not the cheapest - place to learn Spanish in Guatamela. There are more than 100 Spanish schools to choose from. You can choose from group or one-on-one instruction. As of December 2005, one teacher charged Q25.00 per hour for one-on-one instruction. A typical schedule is to take classes Monday-Friday, 8am-noon, leaving the afternoon for sightseeing.
For those who like hiking, two trips near Antigua are highly recommended: Hiking up the active volcano Volcán Pacaya and/or the dormant Volcán Acatenango.
- Going up the active Volcán Pacaya is quite easy and you will find dozens of travel agents who will be very happy to sell you tickets for a Pacaya-trip that normally costs between USD $7-9, depending on your bartering skills. This includes a bus-shuttle to and from Pacaya. Pacaya is an active volcano, and you get to go right to the craters edge. And yes, people do fall in occasionally! The hike is not too hard except for the last 100 meters or so that go over very loose rocks. Generally though, even unfit people of all ages can do this hike. It takes approx. 1.5 hours up and 45 minutes down the mountain.
- Going up Volcán Acatenango is an entirely different cup of tea: This hike takes you from Antigua (1.500 meters) all the way to 3.976 meters (13,044 feet) in one day. I.e.: You need to be fit, carry gear and have to take precautions against Altitude Sickness. Most people who do this trip spend the night on the mountain though some go up an down within a day. Currently there are two outfits in Antigua who offer trips up Acatenango. If you have the gear though you can safely do the trip by yourself since there is only one way up.
- The dormant volcano Volcán Agua stretches up invitingly to the south of Antigua. Unfortunately people going up the are being robbed quite frequently, so this hike can not be recommended.
Learn
Work
Buy
- Laundry can be done by various lavanderias around town. You drop off your laundry, they weigh it and charge you a price per pound (not per kilogram, interestingly). As of 2005, one lavanderia charged Q5.00 per pound, and it is expected that others charge about the same. The laundry is dried and available for pickup in two-four hours. Locals advise that you inventory your laundry, to be sure that none is lost or exchanged with another load. One full backpack of clothes weighed about 16 pounds.
- Rapi Lavado, 6a Calle Pte No. 14, between 5a and 6a Ave Sur. As of December 2005, charged Q5,00 per pound.
Eat
Antigua has Cafes and restaurants for all tastes and budgets. The town is the most touristy place in Guatemala so you will find anything you are looking for: There is even a McDonalds, a Burger King, a Dominos Pizza and a Dunkin Donuts! So, no, you will not starve while in Antigua.
- Restaurante Doña Luisa Xiocotencatl, 4a Calle Ote 12, has the feel of a well-run corporate restaurant set in a gorgeous leafy courtyard of a historic building. Menu includes well-executed breakfast, hamburgers, and Guatemalan interpretations of Tex-Mex food. They use purified water on their vegetables and for drinking and ice, which means their menu is in-bounds for tender First World stomachs. There is a bakery in the building, which means that when you get close you can follow the delicious smells the rest of the way in.
- La Fonde de la Calle Real has generous helpings of Guatemalan specialties, with reasonable prices and a touch of corporate efficiency in their operations. The "De Todo Un Poco" ("a bit of everything") platter combines steak, chicken, and sausage for Q91. The vegetarian "Pepian Vegetariano" offers green beans and other vegetables in a unusual smoky-flavoured sauce for Q44. The green salad is fresh and overflows the large plate at Q28. The 5a Ave Nte 5 location features a rustic three-story wood-frame building just off the Parque Central with pleasant second-story open balconies. Uses purified water for all drinks, ice, and prepartion. web http://www.lafondacallereal.com/ . tel 7832-0507. Three locations: 3a Calle Pte 7, 5a Ave Nte 5, 5a Ave Nte 5 (the last two just north of the northwest corner of the Parque Central).
- The Sabor Cubano restaurant has a slightly up-market feel. It has live Cuban music on Thursday through Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. 4a Calle Oriente 3A, a half-block east of the north side of the Parque Central.
Drink
- La Peña de Sol Latino is a bar and restaurant featuring live music by Guatemalteco and Central American bands. It is located on a second-floor terrace above a hotel. 6a Avenida Norte No 9, Antigua Guatemala.
Sleep
- Hostel Los Amigos, 2a Avenida entre 7a y 8a calle. Dorm 35 Q (4USD) per person.
- Jungle Party, From 40 to 55 Q per person, breakfast included. Jungle Party is without doubt the best place to stay. Great staff, great fun, great chance to meet other backpackers.
- Hotel Quinta de las Flores, [1]. A ten minute walk from the central plaza, this hotel offers several quiet, almost free-standing rooms spaced around a central fountain. A special treat is the working fireplace, with firewood at the ready. $58US per night for a double.
- El Palacio de Dona Beatriz, [2]. Luxury bed and breakfast inside a coffee plantation, near Santo Domingo convent and museum, 40 min from the Guatemala city airport.
- Home stays with Antigua families can be arranged through language schools. As an example, in December 2005 one family charged Q470.00 per person for a room and three meals a day, six days a week. An advantage of a home stay for the Spanish language student is a chance for language immersion, as well as the cultural experience. On the other hand, the housing may be more basic than in a hotel: simple concrete block construction, shared bathroom, and small rooms.
Contact
There are many internet cafes and long-distance phone shops in Antigua. Internet time costs from Q5-10 per hour.
Stay Safe
Due to the presence of the "Tourist Police" Antigua is much safer than any other city in Guatemala. However, the tourist police are only present within the city. During the daytime your risk of getting robbed in Antigua is very small. However, if you leave the tourist-areas or if you walk the streets at night, there is a considerable risk. This is especially true during the time when the night and the morning shifts of the police change guard.
Almost all bars and restaurants will be happy to call you a taxi that will not cost more than 10 Q to drive you home. Asking the barstaff to call the taxi for you, instead of looking for one yourself, can be a good idea since they tend to know the drivers they are calling.
If you plan to visit sights like "La Cruz" outside town, make sure you go with an officer of the tourist police who accompany tourists there at least once a day. (See the See section).
The municipal water supply in Antigua is treated with chlorine. However, don't regard it as completely safe. It's still wise to drink agua pura (purified bottled water). Some homes and restaurants get agua pura in five gallon bottles and serve it in glasses. It's sensible to ask if the ice is made from purified water.
Cope
Get out
Antigua is a very good base for anyone who wants to explore Guatemala. The city is bustling with language students and you will have no problems finding a bus to anywhere in the country.
Almost all travel agencies in Antigua offer scheduled tourist shuttles to La Aurora airport in Guatemala City. Fares range from USD $5-10. The earliest buses depart at 4:00am, in time to arrive at the airport by 5:00am and catch a 7:00am flight out.
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