Antigua City Tour: Jade Museum, Churches & Coffee Plantation

Colonial churches, a working jade studio, and a coffee plantation in one morning

This six-hour guided tour of Antigua covers the city's colonial landmarks and a working coffee plantation, with hotel pickup included. You visit the Jade Museum to watch craftsmen cut and polish stones, explore La Merced Church and the ruins of Santo Domingo Monastery, see San Francisco Church and the 17th-century arch of Santa Catalina, and end at a nearby coffee plantation where you sample fresh coffee. The guide speaks English or Spanish.

Step-by-step itinerary

Antigua city and coffee plantation tour

• Visit Jade Museum and watch craftsmen
• Explore La Merced Church and Santo Domingo Monastery ruins
• See San Francisco Church and Santa Catalina Arch
• Eat lunch at local restaurant (own expense)
• Visit coffee plantation and learn coffee making
• Return to hotel

The Experience

The day starts with hotel pickup and heads into Antigua's Central Plaza, where you'll see San Francisco Church—home to the shrine of Peter of St Joseph Betancur—and the famous arch of Santa Catalina, a 17th-century structure that once belonged to the convent. From there you move to La Merced Church, which has a Baroque-style façade, and then to the ruins of Santo Domingo Monastery, once the biggest and richest monastery in the city. The guide walks you through the history of each site as you move between them.

Before lunch, you'll spend time at the Jade Museum watching craftsmen turn stones into finished pieces. You can browse the jewel gallery and see the work up close—the museum shows the full process, not just the finished product. After eating at a local restaurant (at your own cost), you head to a nearby coffee plantation where someone shows you how coffee is made and you get to sample the fresh product.

The tour wraps up with a return to your hotel. Six hours means you're back by early afternoon, leaving time for other plans. The guide is a live person who speaks English or Spanish, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

What’s included

• English- or Spanish-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• coffee samples at the plantation.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Guatemalan Adventure

Is this one for you?Six hours means you're back by early afternoon, which leaves room for a second activity or a relaxed dinner without rushing. If you need a full day of sightseeing with everything arranged and explained, this tour holds together; if you want to wander Antigua on your own pace, a self-guided walk works better.

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Top questions

What exactly do you do at the Jade Museum on this tour?

At the Jade Museum you watch craftsmen actively turning stones into finished jewelry pieces, then browse the gallery to see the completed work. It's a working studio, not just a display.

Is lunch included in the tour price?

Lunch is not included—you eat at a local restaurant at your own cost before heading to the coffee plantation. The tour does include coffee samples at the plantation.

Do you need to be fit to do this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. Infants can ride in a pram or stroller, and small children can sit on an adult's lap if needed.

What's the arch of Santa Catalina, and where do you see it?

The arch of Santa Catalina is a 17th-century structure built when it was part of the Santa Catalina Convent. You see it in Antigua's Central Plaza as part of the tour's colonial church stops.