The hook
A ravishing colonial city of cobbled streets and pastel façades framed by volcanoes, and, a couple of hours away, a lake so beautiful that Aldous Huxley called it the most beautiful in the world, ringed by fire and Maya villages.
01Why it's worth it
Guatemala's highlands hold two of Central America's great draws. Antigua, the former colonial capital, is a jewel: a UNESCO-listed grid of cobbled streets lined with brightly-coloured, single-storey Spanish-colonial buildings and romantically ruined churches (toppled by earthquakes over the centuries), all beneath the perfect cone of the Volcán de Agua, with excellent cafés, restaurants, and Spanish schools, and famously spectacular Holy Week (Semana Santa) processions over carpets of dyed sawdust. A couple of hours away lies Lake Atitlán, a huge, deep crater lake of intense blue ringed by three volcanoes and a scatter of Maya villages, each with its own character, from backpacker San Pedro to spiritual San Marcos to the traditional weaving town of Santiago. Boating between the villages, the indigenous Maya culture still vividly alive in dress, markets, and language, is unforgettable. Together, and with the famous highland market of Chichicastenango nearby, colonial Antigua and the volcanic lake make the heart of highland Guatemala, rich in beauty and living culture.
02How to experience it
Base in Antigua for the colonial streets, cafés, and a volcano hike (the active Acatenango or Pacaya), timing a visit for Semana Santa if you can handle the crowds. Then head to Lake Atitlán and boat between the Maya villages, each distinct, ideally staying lakeside. Add the Chichicastenango market. The drier months are best.
From the locals
Travellers rate the human side above the scenery here. "In Antigua Guatemala now and it is amazing — amazing friendly people with an incredible culture, and inexpensive," one wrote, naming Atitlán, Tikal and Semuc Champey as the rest of the country's case. The single most recommended thing to do on the lake is not a viewpoint: "one of the best things I've done backpacking — learn to weave at Tinta Maya in San Juan, Lake Atitlán. They are a family of Mayan women who grow their own cotton and dye; you can pick your own and make and dye yarn to weave."