Antigua
Guatemala
Guatemala / Antigua
A feast for the senses
Nestled amidst towering volcanoes and forested hills, the small colonial village of Antigua is an instant charmer and a feast for the senses. Farm-to-table restaurants, artsy design studios, chocolate museums, and art galleries line a neat grid of cobblestone streets and fill the city with a constant buzz.
Antigua is a little over an hour’s drive from the airport in Guatemala City and the perfect base to start exploring the country.
Browse through the Offbeat Goat collection
Stays in Antigua
the highlights
Join a full-day tour (or DIY) scaling one of Antigua's surrounding volcanos. Consider a possible overnight hike to Acatenango or Fuego with the reputable tour group called Trek Guatemala or OX Expeditions.
Grab lunch or brunch or join a tour at the sustainable Caoba Farms, a delightful farmers market and sustainable farm project focused on enhancing biodiversity, conservation, and supporting local communities around Antigua.
In need of retail therapy or souvenirs, check out the hodge-podge of Guatemala crafts at Nimpot.
Visit a Mayan women's weaving cooperative in Solola with Venture Beneath The Skies.
Take a cooking workshop at La Tortilla Cooking School and learn how to prepare Guatemalan dishes while listening to the personal stories of the local instructors.
Visit a sustainable agricultural development project and macadamia farm close to Antigua. Take the local chicken bus to San Miguel Dueñas (and tell the driver to drop you off at “Las Macadamias”). The Valhalla Project started assisting indigenous people in developing self-sustaining agriculture by planting trees instead of slash-and-burn agriculture.
Join a unique tour with Guatemala Tours to a local charity organization providing education for children, Ninos de Guatemala.
Join one of the best cultural tours in Antigua with the reputable Elizabeth Bell.
Get your contemporary art fix at the New Roots Foundation — a leading creative destination with open studios and exhibitions. This cool new art center showcases art and documentary photography in a nearby textile factory. Fun fact: the foundation also supports sustainable community forest management, ecotourism projects, forest conservation, and youth leadership training on the South Coast and Laguna Brava.
Visit the family-run coffee plantation Finca la Azotea and learn about coffee production, harvesting, and processing on a Rainforest Alliance-certified tour. Fun fact: a portion of the plantation’s profits benefits local education programs focused on the preservation of the environment and Guatemalan culture.