Transportation and Antigua Guatemala - our new transportation hub

Antigua - Guatemala's #1 tourist destination. It wasn't contemplated in our original plans, but for some of you we think that it could be a fortunate coincidence and result of logistical issues.

Everyone has a different flight time both in and out, but we don't want people travelling alone or trying to find their own way from the airport to La Casa Colibrí. So we have tentatively bunched people up on private shuttles with particular schedules. We will cover the cost of these private shuttles. Some of you whose flights don't line up perfectly with the shuttle schedule will have a morning or a night to spare. We don't recommend that you spend that time in Guatemala City (see the Security in Guatemala Post), and we DO recommend that you spend it in Antigua Guatemala. Antigua, as it is known, is located about 45 minutes to one hour from the Guatemala City airport, and while it is not exactly on the way to the lake, it is in its general direction. On the map below, you can see Antigua Guatemala about 40 km west of Guatemala City, and Lake Atitlan about 100 km west of the city.

Antigua is a stop for almost all tourists to Guatemala for its colonial architecture and ruins, near-perfect climate and picturesque surroundings and its cosmopolitan culture. It is a World Cultural Heritage Site. It was the colonial capital of Guatemala and at points of Central America. Severely damaged in an earthquake around the time of the American Revolution, it was abandoned for today's Guatemala City. This spelled short-term doom for the city but long-term benefits, as the lack of development preserved the colonial architecture for centuries. Today this architecture, "charm," "feel," makes Antigua an excellent place to stay. I am very wistful of my Peace Corps days when I had an excuse to go to Antigua every couple months for Peace Corps meetings there.

What should you do with a few hours there? These are just some quick personal highlights and ideas (Q. 7.8 = $1.00):

Convento de las Capuchinas. A beautiful 17th-century convent on 2 Calle, 2 Avenida still in excellent condition. Hire a tour guide for Q. 50 and he or she will tell you about every detail of daily convent life and the structures built to facilitate them. Q. 40 for foreigners.

Central Park. Just hang out for a while and people watch in the beautiful central park. But do expect to be offered things to buy by indigenous women. Free.

Walk to Cerro La Cruz. This is about a 30-40 minute hike from the central park to the city's viewpoint. 1 Avenida Norte. Free.

Watch Volcan de Fuego in the morning. True to its name, most mornings Volcán de Fuego is angrily steaming southwest of the city.

Iglesia La Merced. One of the biggest and most beautiful churches in Antigua. End of Calle del Arco. Q. 5.

Iglesia San Francisco. Church with extensive grounds with ruins and a museum to Hermano Pedro, Guatemala's only official saint. 7 Calle, 1 Avenida. Q. 10.

Catedral. It's interesting to look at both the current cathedral, which is lit up beautifully at night, and the cathedral ruins behind it. Off the Central Park. Q. 3.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation. A bus will pick you up in the central park and drive you to one of the many coffee plantations around Antigua, but this one separates itself by having English-language tours, an informative coffee museum and an annex Mayan music museum. Jocotenango. Q. 50.

Valhalla Macadamia Nut Farm. This is a little further away and requires a taxi ride or chicken bus trip, but it's interesting. Learn about organic agriculture, macadamia nuts and business as social enterprise. Free; food to buy; taxi might cost Q. 40 each way, chicken bus Q. 3 per person each way. Ciudad Vieja camino a San Miguel Dueñas.

Chocolate-Making. I haven't done this, but apparently it is very popular nowadays.

And to eat:

Doña Luisa Xicotenatl. Very good place to go for breakfast or brunch. Breakfasts, sandwiches, pastries. Great ambience, can be crowded. 4 Calle Oriente. Q. 40 pp.

Sabe Rico. Also in the sandwich / pastries area, but more innovative and completely natural ingredients. 6 Avenida Norte. Q. 60 pp.

La Fonda de la Calle Real. Quality Guatemalan dishes from different parts of the country. Calle del Arco. Q. 80 pp.

Frida's. Mexican food and innovative margaritas. Calle del Arco. Q. 80 pp.

Sobremesa. Innovative dishes and an enjoyably eccentric American owner. 3 Calle Poniente. Q. 120 pp.

There are plenty of nightlife options too, drinking and Latin dancing, depending on what day of the week you are there. Ask me for more specific info.

Here are some websites to look at:

AntiguaGuatemala.info