Top Antigua Arts & Design

Take a walking tour through Antigua without worrying about being corralled into shops by signing up for this tour. You'll visit and learn about the city's numerous historic landmarks and gain insight into the history of the area since pre-Colombian times. And if you do want to shop, your guide will take you to a shopping area after the tour is over.

An orientation walk through the Antigua Market to experience and meet the community. Lead by an English speaking guide who lives in Antigua. This is not your average walking tour. While not led by someone born in the market, your guide is deeply connected to the people who were — offering an insider-style introduction to one of Antigua’s most vibrant communities. The market is more than buying and selling; it’s daily life in motion from before sunrise. This experience explores areas that bring the market to life: meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables, chicken buses, clothing, incense, floral stalls, hardware, kitchenware, artisan goods, food courts, ceviche spots, and more. Meet vendors, learn local rhythms, and experience the culture behind the stalls.

Chichicastenango, popularly called “Chichi” by locals, is an indigenous town in the Guatemalan Highlands where a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, traditions and tastes, takes place. Its market days predates the Spanish arrival and still draws people from far and wide to trade fresh products, handcrafted goods, vibrant textiles and local recipes. This experience walking through lively streets, visiting the cemetery, a traditional mask workshop, and the historic Santo Tomás Church, guided by experts and passioned local friends. Our visit includes one on one time with a local costume factory called Morería, where generation after generation the family has dedicated their passion and art to the creation of traditional customes worn or dressed at festive dances, step inside of Santo Tomás Church to appreciate how Maya and Catholicism Ideology has blended together.

Explore the fascinating Spanish and Mayan history of Guatemala on this family-friendly 8-hour tour to Iximché and colonial Antigua. Wander the atmospheric archaeological site of Iximché to discover the history of the Mayans. Then head to Antigua, former colonial capital, where you’ll visit the San Francisco Church, Calle del Arco, La Merced Church and the central plaza. Your excursion also includes round-trip transportation from your hotel, a guide and all entrance fees.

Antigua was built on a fault line, and its colonial builders learned the hard way what stands up and what falls down. Major earthquakes in 1717, 1751, and finally 1773 brought the great churches down one by one, and in between the builders worked out a structural language now called Barroco Antigueno, or Earthquake Baroque. This self-guided audio walk teaches you to read it across nine stops: the cathedral whose tall slim columns did not survive, the arcade that spreads its load across many small spans, the Santa Catalina Arch and its lesson in compression, La Merced with its two-metre walls and stucco skin, the circular tower of Capuchinas built with no corners for the shaking, and Santa Clara, where half the cloister fell and half still stands. Because it is self-guided, the walk is yours. Start whenever you like, go at your own pace, skip a stop or replay one. No group, no fixed departure, no tip pressure. Narrated in English and Spanish, it works offline and is yours to keep.