Discovering Our Inner Tourist in Antigua

Antigua is a pretty little colonial town, with a rocky history. When the old capital was drowned by volcanic mudslide in 1543, the Guatemalan capital relocated here. But devastating earthquakes in 1717 and 1773 leveled much of Antigua as well. So once again the capital moved, this time to its present-day location at Guatemala City.

Still, enough lovely Baroque buildings and colonial-era church ruins remain to give Antigua an irresistably nostalgic, almost romantic feel. Tourists flock here.

We saw bus loads of retirees from the Midwest clustered tightly along the narrow sidewalks, European backpackers ambling through the markets- and enough young Americans to convince us this town must have big stars next to it in the Lonely Planet guide.

Around the central park:



Church ruins:



In fact, it was so touristy we were shocked. We completely forgot that people do come to Guatemala just for holiday. And certainly there is plenty to do here: you can hike up a volcano, do a rip-line tour through the forest canopy, visit a coffee plantation, or just shop and eat and relax.

After a busy week in the countryside, we chose the latter. Here, finally, we let our inner tourists shine: we shopped for souvenirs, had coffee and cocktails, walked and chatted and enjoyed lazy lunches. Finally, finally we relaxed.






Rooftop views from our hotel:


If you ever decide to visit Antigua, Guatemala, we highly recommend the lovely El Carmen Hotel. It's clean, comfortable, and centrally located. The hotel staff is really friendly- and they speak pretty darn good English too.