Best Day Trips from Antigua
Are you looking for the best day trips from Antigua, Guatemala?
Antigua is a colorful colonial town in Guatemala, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. With its cobblestone streets, historic churches, beautiful architecture, trendy cafes and bars, and views of the surrounding volcanoes, it’s easy to see why it’s such a beloved place to visit.
I personally spent a full month in Antigua studying at one of the many local Spanish schools in town (another popular activity to do), and later spent several months traveling all around Guatemala.
I visited many destinations near Antigua, which you’ll find on the list of day trips below. But I do have to note that while some destinations are technically doable on a day trip from Antigua, they’re really best enjoyed if you have two of three days to spare. But I recognize not everyone can do that, so if you’re short on time and basing yourself in Antigua, you can also visit these destinations in a single day.
Here’s a look at the best day trips to take from Antigua, Guatemala:
⭐ Short on time? These are the top tours and activities I recommend. If you book directly through a link on this page, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Stay to Wander!
Best Day Trips from Antigua:
- ATV tour from Antigua with Hobbitenango entry
- Half-day tour to Pacaya Volcano (moderate hike)
- Overnight tour to Acatenango Volcano (intense hike)
- Full-day tour to Lake Atitlan from Antigua
1. Hobbitenango
Hobbitenango is one of the easiest day trips to take from Antigua. It’s a sort of Hobbit-themed amusement park, with some rides, a rope swing, axe throwing, carnival-type games, cool photo ops, and more. There are also on-site restaurants and you can even stay overnight in one of the little Hobbit houses.
The setting is what really makes Hobbitenango stand out, because it’s located in the hills above Antigua, and there are beautiful views all around. It’s also easy to get to from Antigua, being less than a 30-minute drive from town. This is the perfect half-day trip if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in transit.
This would be a great day trip to take if you’re traveling with kids, but honestly I went a couple of times with friends while in Antigua and I had lots of fun too. It’s a little cheesy, but cool.
Hobbitenango offers regular shuttles from their office in Antigua, which is the easiest way to get there and costs about $6 round-trip. If you’re looking for something more exciting, you could book an ATV tour that includes entry to Hobbitenango and lets you explore the hills around Antigua by ATV.
Entry to Hobbitenango is about $7, and if you want to do any of the additional activities like the rope swing or axe throwing, you’ll pay for each one separately (usually just a couple of dollars.)
2. Pacaya
Next up, if you’re looking for an adventurous day trip from Antigua, consider hiking Pacaya Volcano. This is one of several volcanoes that surround Antigua, and it’s the easiest one to visit on a day trip. The best way to visit Pacaya is with a tour, and there are plenty of tour providers to choose from in Antigua.
This half-day tour from Antigua receives good ratings, and it includes transportation from Antigua to the volcano by bus, a local bilingual guide to accompany you, and marshmallows to make s’mores once you reach the top of Pacaya (yes, you’ll be able to toast marshmallows over the lava of the volcano!)
The hike itself is not too challenging — from the starting point, it takes about two hours to reach the top of the volcano, and about half that time to come back down. Anyone with moderate fitness can do it.
Once you reach the top of the volcano, you’ll be able to take in spectacular views of surrounding volcanoes, including Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego, making it well worth the hike to get there.
3. Acatenango
For an even more intense hike, you can also climb Acatenango Volcano. This is definitely an adventure, and it’s done as an overnight trip where you’ll camp before heading to the summit in the morning.
As someone who’s not particularly athletic, I really struggled on this hike, but the views were amazing. If you’re of a moderate fitness level and don’t mind pushing yourself, or you consider yourself to be in good shape, you can handle Acatenango. But it’s important to prepare properly for this hike!
There are many tour operators in Antigua that do this trip, and you’ll want to choose the right one. This Acatenango tour has great ratings although I recommend researching all options thoroughly.
All tours include lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next morning, but you’ll also want to bring your own snacks and several liters of bottled water. It gets freezing cold at the top of Acatenango, so you’ll want to pack warm clothing including a coat, a hat, layered clothing, warm socks, and a pair of gloves.
The hike to Acatenango base camp takes between four and seven hours depending on your pace. Once you reach the base camp, you’ll have the option to trek three to five more hours in total to reach the nearby Fuego Volcano and return. The next morning, it’s about two hours to get up to the summit.
I did not opt to hike to Fuego because I barely made it to base camp, and I also decided not to hike to the summit the next morning and instead opted to watch the lovely sunrise from base camp instead. If I haven’t scared you off yet, I do have to say that this is one of the most iconic things to do in Guatemala.
4. Iximiche
Next up, we have a lesser-known day trip option: the Mayan ruins of Iximiche. One of the things I love most about Guatemala is the Mayan influence. Indigenous cultures are still very strong in Guatemala.
The Iximiche ruins aren’t as well-known as the Tikal ruins in northern Guatemala, but I recommend them as a day trip from Antigua because of how close they are. You can get to the Iximiche ruins in less than 1.5 hours from Antigua. If you’re interested in history and like seeing ruins, you won’t be disappointed.
This private half-day tour of Iximiche includes round-trip transportation from Antigua and a knowledgeable local guide who will share the history of this site with you. It’s also a great value for money.
While it’s technically possible to visit the ruins of Tikal on a day trip from Antigua, I don’t recommend it. Tikal is a destination you really need several days for. Tours like this include round-trip flights to Flores (the town closest to the ruins) followed by a drive into the jungle and a rapid-fire tour of the ruins.
You’ll be traveling all day and it’s insanely expensive — it’s much better to spread a trip to Flores and Tikal over several days. Although the ruins of Iximiche admittedly aren’t as impressive as those at Tikal, they’re still really cool and make for a great off-the-beaten-path day trip for history lovers.
5. Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is one of the most beautiful destinations in Guatemala, and its’s reachable on a day trip from Antigua. This is a place I really recommend spending more time in if you can — I spent a full week in Lake Atitlan and I could have spent even more time there. But if you’re short on time, a day trip works.
The best way to visit Lake Atitlan if you only have a day is on a tour. The closest towns on the lake from Antigua are a little over two hours away, while the furthest towns are over three hours away.
This full-day tour from Antigua has an early start time and involves a lot of driving, but you’ll get to visit three gorgeous towns on the lake: Panajachel, San Juan La Laguna, and Santiago Atitlan. You’ll also enjoy an included breakfast and travel across the lake by lancha, a type of traditional boat.
Lake Atitlan has a strong Mayan culture, which you’ll be able to see on full display in many of the towns, where people dress colorful traditional clothing and practice indigenous religions mixed with Christianity. The views around the lake, which is surrounded by volcanoes and mountains, are also amazing.
6. Chichicastenango
If you’re interested in Mayan culture and/or love shopping, Chichicastenango is a great cultural day trip to take from Antigua. This town in the Guatemalan highlands northwest of Antigua is known for its strong Mayan roots and its twice-weekly market, where you can peruse unique Mayan handicrafts.
The market takes place every Sunday and Thursday, which means those are the only two days of the week that are really worth visiting Chichicastenango. The colorful, vibrant market is an amazing place to shop for handmade souvenirs. You can also visit Iglesia de Santo Tomás while in Chichicastenango.
This is a Catholic church, but it’s not uncommon to see Mayan ceremonies or offerings taking place outside of it. Christianity and Mayan religions are practiced side by side in this part of Guatemala.
Most of the tours that go to Chichicastenango also include other destinations. This full-day tour from Antigua includes a visit to Chichicastenango followed by time in Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. This other tour combines a morning visit to Chichicastenango with an afternoon visit the Iximiche ruins.
7. El Paredon
Finally, one of the best day trips from Antigua if you want to have a beach day is El Paredon. Guatemala may not be as well-known for its beaches as other Central American countries, but they do exist and they’re worth visiting! From Antigua, you can reach the Pacific Coast in a little over two hours.
El Paredon is my favorite beach town in Guatemala. Once a sleepy fishing village, it has become a popular spot for surfers, which has led to a little more tourism infrastructure. But this is still a very rustic place, and the whole town is made up of a couple of dusty dirt roads running alongside the beach.
This is another destination that’s really better for an overnight trip, and that’s mainly just for transportation reasons. There are tourist shuttles that leave Antigua in the morning and take you to El Paredon (the cost is about $15), but you won’t be able to go back to Antigua until the next morning.
If you have a group of people going and can arrange a driver (which is what I did), then it’s possible to visit in just a day trip. This gives you plenty of time to enjoy the beach, do some surfing, or relax by the pool.
Best Day Trips from Antigua
This guide showed you the best day trips from Antigua, Guatemala.
If you’re looking for something easy and fun that won’t take the whole day, I recommend visiting Hobbitenango or doing the Pacaya volcano hike. For a more intense volcano experience, the overnight hike to Acatenango is also worth it. And finally, Lake Atitlan is amazing — but it will be a pretty long travel day!
Enjoy your trip to Antigua!
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