Things to do · Antigua · Guatemala
14 best things to do in Antigua
14 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Antigua are Parque Central, Antigua Cathedral and Santa Catalina Arch. Of the 14 picks below, 5 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 3 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Parque Central
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Casa Santo Domingo
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parque Central | Centro around Parque Central | 30–60 minutes | Free |
| Antigua Cathedral | Centro around Parque Central | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Santa Catalina Arch | La Merced and Calle del Arco | 20 minutes | Free |
| Iglesia de La Merced | La Merced and Calle del Arco | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Cerro de la Cruz | La Merced and Calle del Arco | 1–1.5 hours return | Free |
| Convento de las Capuchinas | La Merced and Calle del Arco | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Casa Santo Domingo | Centro around Parque Central | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Iglesia de San Francisco | San Francisco and El Calvario | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Tanque La Unión and Santa Clara ruins | San Francisco and El Calvario | 30 minutes | Free |
| La Recolección ruins | West side near the market | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Municipal market and handicraft market | West side near the market | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Casa del Tejido Antiguo | Centro around Parque Central | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| ChocoMuseo | Centro around Parque Central | 2 hours for a workshop | Mid-priced |
| Finca Filadelfia coffee tour | San Felipe de Jesús | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
The 14 best things to do
Landmark · Centro around Parque Central
1.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. Shoe-shiners, textile sellers and families fill the benches, and it is the natural starting point for any walk.
Sit on the upper arcade of the city hall side late in the afternoon for a view across the square to Volcán de Agua.
- Time needed
- 30–60 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Photo spot
Religious site · Centro around Parque Central
2.Antigua Cathedral
The white façade on the east side of Parque Central fronts a modest working church, but behind it lie the roofless ruins of the much larger original cathedral, brought down by the 18th-century earthquakes. Arches, broken domes and a crypt remain, giving a sense of the scale the colonial capital once had.
Enter the ruins from the side street, 5a Calle Oriente, and look up at the collapsed domes, where carved stucco details are still visible.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Landmark · La Merced and Calle del Arco
3.Santa Catalina Arch
The yellow arch spanning 5a Avenida Norte was built in the late 17th century so cloistered nuns could cross between two parts of the Santa Catalina convent without being seen; the clock was added in the 19th century. With Volcán de Agua framed behind it, it is the town's signature view.
Stand a block north and shoot south towards the volcano just after sunrise, before cars and crowds fill the street.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Architecture
- After dark
Religious site · La Merced and Calle del Arco
4.Iglesia de La Merced
La Merced's mustard-yellow façade is covered in white stucco lacework, one of the most ornate examples of Antigua's earthquake-resistant baroque, with squat towers and thick walls. Beside the church, the ruined cloister holds a large stone fountain, and the plaza in front fills with food stalls on weekend evenings.
Pay the small fee to climb the cloister's upper level for a view over the fountain and the church domes towards Agua.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
- Food
Viewpoint · La Merced and Calle del Arco
5.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. The trail starts at the end of 1a Avenida Norte and climbs steps and a forest path for about 20 minutes.
Walk up in daylight with others and go early in the morning, when the air is clearest and the volcano is least likely to be in cloud.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours return
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Active
Historic site · La Merced and Calle del Arco
6.Convento de las Capuchinas
This 18th-century Capuchin convent is one of the best-preserved ruins in Antigua, with a garden cloister, old washing basins and an unusual circular tower of nuns' cells arranged around a central pillar. Small exhibits show convent life and colonial religious art.
Go down into the vaulted basement of the round tower, where the acoustics and the ring of cells are easy to miss.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Centro around Parque Central
7.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. Restored ruins, candlelit corridors and macaws in the gardens make it worth a visit even if you are not staying.
Ask at reception for the museum circuit ticket; it also covers the satellite galleries the hotel runs in the same complex.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
.jpg){kind=link}
Religious site · San Francisco and El Calvario
8.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. Pilgrims leave plaques and letters at the shrine, and the ruined monastery next to the church can be explored on a small ticket.
Visit the side museum devoted to Hermano Pedro, then walk through the monastery ruins at the back for quieter views of the church domes.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · San Francisco and El Calvario
1.Tanque La Unión and Santa Clara ruins
Opposite the ruined façade of the Santa Clara convent, Tanque La Unión is a long colonial wash-house of stone basins under arches where some residents still do laundry, beside a small park with palm trees. It is a free, local corner of town that most visitors pass only briefly.
Come in the morning on a market day, when women wash clothes at the basins and the park is busiest with local families.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · West side near the market
2.La Recolección ruins
The church and monastery of La Recolección collapsed in 1773, leaving huge blocks of masonry and arches lying where they fell. It is one of the largest and most dramatic ruin sites in Antigua and is rarely crowded, a few minutes' walk from the market.
Combine it with the municipal market next door, and visit in the late afternoon when low sun lights the fallen arches.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Market · West side near the market
3.Municipal market and handicraft market
Antigua's main market is a maze of produce, flower, meat and clothing stalls where people from surrounding villages shop, with simple comedores serving set lunches. The adjacent handicraft market sells huipiles, woven bags, wooden masks and jade-coloured trinkets, usually for less than the shops in the centre.
Monday, Thursday and Saturday are the busiest market days; bargain politely in the handicraft section, but not for food.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Free
- Photo spot
Museum · Centro around Parque Central
4.Casa del Tejido Antiguo
This small textile museum explains how the huipiles of different highland towns are woven, with displays of regional patterns and backstrap loom demonstrations. It also has a shop of woven pieces, useful for learning to tell hand-loomed textiles from machine-made copies.
Ask about the patterns of a specific village, such as Santiago Atitlán or San Antonio Aguas Calientes, before you visit those markets.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Shopping
Museum · Centro around Parque Central
5.ChocoMuseo
A small chocolate museum and shop that runs bean-to-bar workshops, where you roast and grind cacao, make a Mayan-style cacao drink and mould your own bars. It is a practical rainy-afternoon activity for families and explains cacao's role in Maya culture.
Book the hands-on workshop rather than just the free exhibit; children enjoy taking home the bars they made.
- Time needed
- 2 hours for a workshop
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Food
- Rainy day
Experience · San Felipe de Jesús
6.Finca Filadelfia coffee tour
On the slopes above San Felipe de Jesús, this working estate leads tours through shaded coffee plants, wet mills, drying patios and roasting, ending with a tasting. The farm also has a restaurant with garden views and adventure activities in the hills behind.
Visit between December and March to see the harvest and red coffee cherries being picked and processed.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Kids
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Casa Santo Domingo, Casa del Tejido Antiguo and ChocoMuseo |
| History | Parque Central, Antigua Cathedral, Iglesia de La Merced and Convento de las Capuchinas |
| Views | Cerro de la Cruz |
| Outdoors and nature | Cerro de la Cruz and Finca Filadelfia coffee tour |
| Food and markets | Iglesia de La Merced, Municipal market and handicraft market, ChocoMuseo and Finca Filadelfia coffee tour |
| After dark | Santa Catalina Arch |
| With children | Parque Central, ChocoMuseo and Finca Filadelfia coffee tour |
| On a rainy day | Casa Santo Domingo, Iglesia de San Francisco, Casa del Tejido Antiguo and ChocoMuseo |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Antigua?
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.
+What can you do for free in Antigua?
Parque Central, Santa Catalina Arch, Cerro de la Cruz, Tanque La Unión and Santa Clara ruins and Municipal market and handicraft market. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Antigua when it rains?
Head indoors to Casa Santo Domingo, Iglesia de San Francisco, Casa del Tejido Antiguo and ChocoMuseo.
+What is there to do in Antigua at night?
Santa Catalina Arch are best after dark.