Visit The Iconic Antigua - Private Shore Tour from Puerto Quetzal

A big day is waiting for you! We'll be waiting for you at Puerto Quetzal ready to take advantage of your time in our country and take you to discover the great colonial city of Antigua Guatemala, full of beautiful churches, monuments, and other curious places.

After departing from Puerto Quetzal, it will take us one hour and a half to get to Antigua Guatemala. We´ll spend a couple of hours there, enjoying the city, and the views, taking great pictures and having a good time! Of course, you will learn a lot about its history, a tour guide specialized in history will be in charge of your group so you can get the best out of this experience.

It is the biggest Monastery in Antigua Guatemala. Located on the grounds of the Santo Domingo Monastery, Casa Santo Domingo began life as the mainstay for one of the most important convents in the Americas. Those who lived in this sanctuary followed the order of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, and the monastery acted as a shelter for them. Its origins can be traced back to 1538 when the first Dominicans arrived in Guatemala, and during this time the monastery was a grand, two-towered, ten-belled building filled with riches and relics. Unfortunately, the monastery was partially destroyed in 1773 by the Santa Marta earthquake, and what still stands has become a monument preserving the baroque architecture and treasures of the period. The ancient walls, brick archways, and tile corridors convey the history of the original Casa Santo Domingo, and today part of the ruins have been turned into Antigua’s only five-star hotel, which opened in 1989.

We will move on to the most famous point in Antigua Guatemala: The Arch Street, where the Santa Catalina Arch is located. This place has become the symbol of Antigua and the central image on most postcards. In its origins, this arch was built by the Santa Catarina Mártir Convent in 1693 as a bridge to connect both sides of the street so that the nuns were not seen. Get ready to take jaw-dropping photos!

Walking through, we'll get to La Merced Church, by far one of the best examples of the Guatemalan Baroque style from the XVII century. The best example of Baroque architecture and one of the most beautiful ones in Antigua Guatemala.

El Carmen Church was built in the middle of the 17th century. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by several earthquakes that hit the city on several occasions. The last earthquake destroyed the church and left it as we see it today, this happened in 1773 with the Santa Marta earthquake. On our visit we will appreciate the history behind this great building, we will take beautiful photos, and finish our tour by visiting the handicraft market that is located right next to the church. Here you can buy beautiful handicrafts made of textiles, indigenous fabrics, wood, metal, precious stones such as jade, ceramics, leather, glass, rhinestones in general, and others.

After the visit to all the great monuments, we´ll move to a nice restaurant to have lunch. You´ll have a variety of options to choose including traditional dishes. We´ll spend one hour in the restaurant and then we´ll move back to your cruise ship.

At the end of this great tour, we´ll go back to your cruise ship. The road trip will take us about an hour and a half so sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful landscapes. If there´s anything you need, please don´t hesitate to ask your tour guide. He will be happy to help all the time.