3 days in Antigua

Day by day

1. Day 1: Parque Central and Antigua Cathedral

   Parque Central, Antigua Cathedral and Casa Santo Domingo, then Santa Catalina Arch in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Parque Central

      Antigua's main square is shaded by trees around the Fuente de las Sirenas, a fountain of mermaids, and framed by the cathedral to the east, the two-storey arcades of the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales to the south and the city hall to the north.

   2. Late morning

      Antigua Cathedral

      Enter the ruins from the side street, 5a Calle Oriente, and look up at the collapsed domes, where carved stucco details are still visible.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Pepián

      Traditional restaurants and comedores across the centre; set-lunch comedores near the market serve it at the lowest prices.

   4. Afternoon

      Casa Santo Domingo

      A hotel built into the ruins of the Dominican monastery also runs a museum circuit through crypts, cloisters and galleries of colonial silver, pre-Columbian ceramics and contemporary art.

   5. Evening

      Santa Catalina Arch

      Stand a block north and shoot south towards the volcano just after sunrise, before cars and crowds fill the street.

2. Day 2: Iglesia de La Merced and Cerro de la Cruz

   Iglesia de La Merced, Cerro de la Cruz and Convento de las Capuchinas, then 5a Avenida and around Parque Central in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Iglesia de La Merced

      Pay the small fee to climb the cloister's upper level for a view over the fountain and the church domes towards Agua.

   2. Late morning

      Cerro de la Cruz

      A stone cross on a hillside north of town looks straight down the street grid to Volcán de Agua, the classic overview of Antigua.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Jocón

      Guatemalan restaurants and some comedor set lunches; it appears on menus alongside pepián.

   4. Afternoon

      Convento de las Capuchinas

      Go down into the vaulted basement of the round tower, where the acoustics and the ring of cells are easy to miss.

   5. Evening

      5a Avenida and around Parque Central

      Rooftop bars, mezcal bars and pubs within a couple of blocks of the square, popular with travellers and language students.

3. Day 3: Iglesia de San Francisco and Tanque La Unión and Santa Clara ruins

   Iglesia de San Francisco, Tanque La Unión and Santa Clara ruins and La Recolección ruins, then Calle del Arco area in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Iglesia de San Francisco

      San Francisco el Grande holds the tomb of Santo Hermano Pedro de San José de Betancur, a 17th-century friar who cared for the poor and became Central America's first saint.

   2. Late morning

      Tanque La Unión and Santa Clara ruins

      Come in the morning on a market day, when women wash clothes at the basins and the park is busiest with local families.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Kak'ik

      Restaurants specialising in Guatemalan cooking in the centre; less common in comedores.

   4. Afternoon

      La Recolección ruins

      The church and monastery of La Recolección collapsed in 1773, leaving huge blocks of masonry and arches lying where they fell.

   5. Evening

      Calle del Arco area

      Wine bars and cocktail bars in colonial houses near the Santa Catalina Arch, with a calmer, more grown-up crowd.

If it rains

• Swap in Casa del Tejido Antiguo (Centro around Parque Central): Ask about the patterns of a specific village, such as Santiago Atitlán or San Antonio Aguas Calientes, before you visit those markets.
• Swap in ChocoMuseo (Centro around Parque Central): Book the hands-on workshop rather than just the free exhibit; children enjoy taking home the bars they made.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Centro around Parque Central keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, La Merced and Calle del Arco ($$$) suits couples, first-timers and luxury. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–10 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.3 hours in December to 13 hours in June.

More or fewer days

• One day in Antigua
• 2 days in Antigua
• 5 days in Antigua

Questions travellers ask