What I Love About Antigua

When I began planning my trip to Guatemala, my wanderlust-filled mind was consumed with visions of a single destination: Lake Atitlan.  The volcanoes!  The lake!  The flowers ringing the pretty towns lining the shore!  Although there were other places I would have liked to see if I had more time, Lake Atitlan was my primary destination in Guatemala, and definitely the one I was most excited about.

But as we figured out our itinerary for a brief five-day visit, my friends and I decided that a night in Antigua made sense to kick off our time in the country.  It was close to the airport, we could see the highlights in a day, and it would be a good introduction to Guatemala.

And I must say, I ended up really, really enjoying Antigua.  It’s a beautiful city that I highly recommend anyone visiting Guatemala spend some time exploring.

So what made Antigua such a great first stop on our Guatemalan adventure?

My Favorite Things About Antigua

• The architecture. Antigua is a visually stunning city, filled with colonial-style architecture that is delightful to explore and makes for loads of great photo opportunities.  My personal favorites are the famous Arch, which seems to find its way into everyone’s Antigua photos (and functions as a helpful navigational tool as well; we may have gotten lost several times while wandering Antigua’s cobbled streets!).  I also really loved the town’s cathedral.

• The Parque Central. This lovely green space functions as a gathering spot for locals and tourists alike, with everyone gathering on the beautiful sunny afternoon we visited to sit on park benches, people watch, take in the magnificent buildings, and of course, eat.  It’s a really nice respite in the center of the city.

• The Convento de Capuchinas. This convent was damaged by earthquakes but restored so that now you can walk around and get a sense of what life was like for the nuns who resided there centuries ago, even looking into the remains of the eighteen nun’s rooms built in a circle on the patio.  Bonus: there were loads of gorgeous flowers blooming all around the convent; some of my favorite photos of my trip were snapped here.

• Everything’s Yellow! Well, not everything, but when I think about Antigua, I think of yellow: the yellow of the arch, of the buildings sprinkled throughout the streets, of the bright sunlight that bathed the city in a morning or afternoon glow.  It’s a bright, cheerful place, and I think the color affects the vibe and impacted my mood when I was there.

• The Food. Before arriving in Guatemala, we were told not to get too excited about the food, but that Antigua was the best place to get really good international cuisine.  It was true; while Panajachel’s food was better than I had expected, Antigua is Guatemala’s culinary star.  We didn’t have much time to eat there (sadly) but my favorite meal was our dinner at Luna de Miel, a restaurant serving every kind of sweet and savory crepe you can imagine.  I went with the chicken, avocado, and cheese crepe and it was hands-down the best meal of my trip (and began my tradition of eating avocados every day—something I’d like to make a regular habit even now that I’m back home!)

Have you been to Antigua?  What did you think of it?  What were your favorite places?