Expat Women in Antigua Guatemala

I stayed in a neighborhood just a few blocks from the Santa Catalina Arch for a little under two weeks and felt incredibly safe the entire time. As a solo mom with two young kids, I had no issues walking around—day or night. The locals were so kind and welcoming; at one point, my kids even fell into a fountain near a street food market, and people immediately ran over to help! Antigua gets a lot of tourists, so street vendors can sometimes be a bit persistent, but a simple “no, gracias” and walking away is enough (they won’t follow you). Tuktuk drivers do tend to overcharge, but haggling felt totally fine and expected. One thing to note—there are a lot of dogs roaming around, and it can be hard to tell if they’re strays or belong to someone. None that we encountered were aggressive, but we played it safe and avoided petting them. Overall, such a friendly and walkable place!