Antigua

Really lovely city with colonial architecture. There are apparently lots of Spanish language schools here, would love to come back and spend some time at one of them some day! It’s also a great place to buy lavender jade.

Absolutely lovely place, the charming cobblestone streets, the colonial houses, the relaxing parques and the great international buzz!
Yet still it keeps its authentic Guatemalan character.

If you´re thinking about learning Spanish, go there! And it´s excellent value for money as well!!

Wow . . . I come from farm country. Flat land, everywhere. You see for miles where I’m from. Here, you can see land for miles only your looking up instead of across.

antigua was lovely. there’s this wonderful cobblestone (terrible for heels) everywhere and its this mix of ruins and old-world style that’s just charming. We stayed at Panze Verde—highly recommend it.

Antigua is a nice little town only about an hour from Guatemala City and the airport. It seems to be a hven for expats and college students wanting to travel and spend some time learning Spanish. Many others simply pass through. The accomodations are nice and cheap, too. There is also plenty to do – you can trek on a volcano, take kayaking or mountain bike tours, it is also a great place to set your “home base” while seeing other places in the country. Most places will arrange an airport shuttle for you for just a few bucks if you ask.

A friend is getting married here in January, and it’s supposed to be just beautiful.

Touristy – but still Guatemalan. I loved the architecture and the cobblestone streets.

there’s an old monastery that has been turned into a hotel, it’s the only place i would stay if i ever went back, very romantic.

I lived here for 3 months in 2004 while studying spanish. I totally recommend it!

I write that this place is worth visiting with a little trepidation.

Yes, it is very beautiful, but beautiful in a picture-perfect, wind-brushed, sanitized way. The walls are all tastefully yellow and red, and every shop sells luxury goods. Everything and everyone is too pretty.

Too pretty because the rest of the country is so different than Antigua, and kids come here for the “authentic” experience and spend the whole time hanging out here and seeing a nearby volcano without seeing what “actual” Guatemalan life is like.

Quetzaltenango (“Xela”) is up in the highlands, has better Spanish schools, and can give you a much more authentic experience. And it has decent nightlife too. If you’re going to come to Guatemala from the “First World,” you owe it to yourself to get out of Antigua and see the actual country.

That being said, this is a great town to use as a resting point between day trips, because it has lots of creature comforts and a central location. Lots of people do just that.