Guatemala Border to Antigua or Guatemala City

DRIVING TIME: 4.55 hours
KILOMETERS: 224
MILES: 139
HWY: CA 1

After surviving the monotonous entry procedures for Guatemala, the drive through the beautiful mountains and lowlands is refreshing. Keep your eyes out for any signs. You want to follow the one or two signs that indicate Guatemala, which is for Guatemala City. After several hours of driving, you will see a sign for Antigua. Turn right here and prepare yourself for a horrible road. If you decide to skip Antigua, which would be a shame, you may continue along the same road toward Guatemala City, about one hour further.

Antigua is exquisite. Similar to San Cristobal de Las Casas, this city is confusing when first entering by car. As you enter the city, you will come to a fork in the road two blocks past the Texaco station then head left at the fork. Approximately one kilometer past the fork in the road is Casa de Santa Lucia, between 5 and 6 Calles Ponienta. Santa Lucia is on the right side of the street. The entrance is a large black wooden door. If you go past the bank, you have gone too far. Santa Lucia is one block before the bank. The parking area is located in the rear, but you will need to knock and ask them to open the gates. This is a very secure place. You want to take extra precautions in Guatemala with your vehicle—they frequently disappear.

Antigua was the nation’s capital until 1776. It is among the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Americas. Set amid three magnificent volcanoes—Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Antigua’s colonial buildings have weathered earthquakes and numerous floods and fires. Resilient and beautiful is how I describe this town. It’s worth hanging out here for a few days.

Hotel & Eats

Casa de Santa Lucia is a nice place. There is a garden lounge great for mingling with other travelers. Rooms are $60. The bank is one block away and is open until 10:00 pm. It is a convenient place to get some local money. Turn right at the corner where the bank is and walk three blocks to the town center. There are several restaurants that offer delicious food—enjoy and relax.

Take a look at this trip advisor review.

Learned Lessons

Be patient at the border and allow 2-3 hours to complete the necessary paperwork. If you are coming from San Cristobal de Las Casas, allocate about 8 to 10 hours for the entire day. I recommend finding a nice relaxing hotel in Antigua and spending quality time in this fantastic city.

Road Conditions

The road conditions in Guatemala are very good. However, there are few signs or road markers. Look carefully for the signs that do exist—if you miss one, you may get lost. 

Special Directions

Give yourself enough time to make it to Antigua from the Guatemalan border. Please don’t drive at night. Violence is a way of life in Guatemala, and there are very few towns between the border and Antigua. The countryside is sparsely populated, and few foreigners are driving through the country.

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