One day in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

The Plaza Mayor in the morning

Start at the Plaza Mayor, also called the Plaza Central, with the Palacio del Ayuntamiento on its north side, the cathedral on the east and the Palacio Real on the south. In the middle stands the Fuente de las Sirenas, which the architect Diego de Porres designed in 1739.

Antigua keeps the grid of straight streets of the sixteenth-century city, along with its cobblestone streets and its plazas with fountains. The original core is small, about 775 metres from north to south and 635 from east to west, so you can do the whole day on foot.

The Museo de Capuchinas at midday

Walk on to the Museo de Capuchinas, in the old convent of the Capuchin nuns, at 2a Avenida Norte and 2a Calle Oriente. Diego de Porres, the architect of the fountain, designed the convent in 1731; the earthquakes of 1773 damaged its church but left the convent intact, and later its upper floor was turned into patios for drying coffee.

The museum shows about 80 pieces from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, from colonial art to archaeology and ethnography, and its displays come in Spanish, English and Mandarin. It opens from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 16:00, so keep it for a weekday.

The arch and La Recolección in the afternoon

In the afternoon, walk to the Arco de Santa Catalina. It belonged to the cloistered nuns of the convent of Santa Catalina, it was left abandoned after the earthquakes of 1773, and the small clock tower on top was built when it was restored.

End the day at the ruins of the convent and church of La Recolección, at the end of 1a Calle Poniente. Building began in 1701 and lasted sixteen years, the Santa Marta earthquakes of 1773 left the complex practically in ruins, and later it was used as a soap factory. Ask at the tourist office for its opening days and hours before you go.

Plan your one day in Antigua Guatemala

Stop at the INGUAT tourist information office, at 5a Calle Oriente No. 11, Local 2, where you can find printed maps and brochures and ask for information in Spanish or English. It opens from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 16:00 and on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00, with special hours on public holidays.

Antigua was built at about 1,500 metres above sea level, in an earthquake-prone region, and UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List in 1979. In an emergency, the tourist office puts you in touch with the tourist assistance department, and one of its emergency numbers is 1500.

Sources

• Official entry of the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture's SIC directory for the Plaza Central of La Antigua Guatemala: the Plaza Mayor, also known as Plaza Central, has the Portal de las Cadenas and the Palacio del Ayuntamiento to the north, the Palacio Episcopal and the Catedral de Santiago to the east, the Palacio Real to the south and the Portal de los Mercaderes to the west, and in its centre stands the Fuente de las Sirenas, designed in 1739 by the architect Diego de Porres. — sicultura.gob.gt (checked 21 October 2026)
• Museums page of the National Council for the Protection of La Antigua Guatemala (CNPAG): the Museo de Capuchinas, at 2da. Avenida Norte and 2da. Calle Oriente, is in the former Capuchin convent, designed in 1731 by the chief architect Diego de Porres; the 1773 earthquakes damaged the church but left the convent intact, and later the upper floor was turned into patios for drying coffee. The museum displays colonial art, archaeology, ethnography and contemporary art, its museography comes in Spanish, English and Mandarin, and it lists its opening hours as Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 16:00. — cnpag.com (checked 21 October 2026)
• Official entry of the Ministry of Culture's SIC directory for the Museo de Capuchinas, inside the Convento de Capuchinas: around 80 pieces dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries are on show, the museum has been open to the public since 14 May 2009, and under 'Horario y tarifas' it gives Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. — sicultura.gob.gt (checked 21 October 2026)
• Official entry of the Ministry of Culture's SIC directory for the Arco de Santa Catalina: the structure belonged to the cloistered nuns of the convent of Santa Catalina Virgen y Mártir and was abandoned after the 1773 earthquakes and the move of the city; when it was reconditioned in 1890, a small tower with a clock was built on top, and it has served as a passage between streets and convents. — sicultura.gob.gt (checked 21 October 2026)
• Official entry of the Ministry of Culture's SIC directory for the ruins of the convent and church of La Recolección, at 1a. Calle Poniente Final: construction began in 1701 and went on for 16 years, a strong earthquake damaged the complex soon after it opened, and the Santa Marta earthquakes of 1773 left it practically in ruins. It was later used as a soap factory and then for sports, it is protected as a national monument, and since 1979 it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List with the city. The entry gives no opening hours. — sicultura.gob.gt (checked 21 October 2026)
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre page for Antigua Guatemala, inscribed in 1979: the city was built 1,500 m above sea level in an earthquake-prone region and largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773, with its principal monuments preserved as ruins. Its sixteenth-century grid of straight streets survives along with cobblestone streets and plazas with fountains, and the original urban core measures about 775 metres from north to south and 635 metres from east to west. — whc.unesco.org (checked 21 October 2026)
• Page of INGUAT, the Guatemalan tourism institute, for its tourist information office in La Antigua Guatemala, at 5a. Calle Oriente No. 11, Local 2: it gives information in Spanish and English, offers INGUAT printed maps and brochures, links visitors with the tourist assistance department in an emergency and lists 1500 among its emergency numbers. Its hours are Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:00 and Saturday and Sunday 09:00 to 17:00, with special hours on public holidays. — inguat.gob.gt (checked 21 October 2026)