Casa Santo Domingo (Monasterio de Santo Domingo)

The basics

A single admission ticket grants you access to the Museums Promenade, a series of museums housed within the former church and convent of Santo Domingo and Santo Tomás de Aquino (Saint Thomas Aquinas) College. See religious artworks and sculptures from the 16th to the 19th centuries at the Colonial Museum; ceramic and stone Maya artifacts at the Archaeology Museum; a replica of a 19th-century apothecary at the Pharmacy Museum; candleholders and other handcrafted items at the Silver Museum; and Maya objects juxtaposed with contemporary glass pieces at the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art and Modern Glass.

For a more in-depth experience, visit with a guide as part of a sightseeing tour of Antigua. Some tours focus on the city’s colonial past, while others highlight the artistic legacy of Antigua.

Things to know before you go

• With its distinctive rooms and luxurious features, the monastery-turned-hotel is a must for visitors on a romantic getaway in Antigua.

• Spot resident macaws and view distant volcano peaks from the monastery’s well-manicured gardens.

• A restaurant and spa are on-site.

How to get there

Casa Santo Domingo is just outside the center of Antigua. Walking from Antigua Central Park (Parque Central) takes just 10 minutes.

When to get there

The museum complex is open daily. There isn't a bad time to visit, though it is quieter earlier in the day.

Antigua’s colonial-era convents and monasteries

As the former colonial capital of Guatemala, Antigua has an abundance of noteworthy religious buildings. Visit the 18th-century Las Capuchinas (Convento de las Capuchinas), a magnificent example of colonial architecture; La Recolección, an 18th-century monastery founded by French Franciscan monks; and the Antiguo Colegio de la Compañía de Jesús, a Jesuit monastery and college that has been converted into a cultural center.