Stunning place full of history

If I have to visit Antigua second time, San Francisco church would be the only reason. The ruins and remains of old structures damaged by different earthquakes have an speechless beauty. People struggled to rebuild the great buildings right after each earthquake during past 500 years. Walking through the columns, thick walls and open arche and the chanting came from the still-in-operation building make me think of this moment every day.

San Francisco church , free entrance

Beautiful church with so many antique paintings, statues and relics. A must see!

Beautiful church , well preserved, just few blocks away from the center of the town. The placed its pretty quiet and peaceful, if you decide to visit dont miss the burial crypt inside at the end on the left side. And the antique paintaing of J.C. Pictures are not allowd inside the church and proper dressing its required go in.

Beautiful but get rid of the vendors makes it appear cheap and nasty. Then an armored vehicle arrives for money

If you only visit one church / convent / monastery in Antigua, visit this one: with a guide. You will not regret it. It has it all: ancient stories, more recent ones. Ruins, restoration, secret rooms, museum and even it's own market with Guatemalan sweets and specialties. It's literally it's own world...

Active Church and historical and great ruins to visit

Absolutely worth a visit! A bit more information in English would be welcome but what's there is sufficient to get an idea and enjoy the beautiful ruins and roam around. The place is slightly larger than you'd expect from the outside and if you look closely and use your imagination you get an idea just how magnificent the place must have been in its prime.

35q/$5 to enter for foreigners. Go on a weekday if you want decent photos. I recommend about 45 min here. Great if you have time to wander, it's not a must see. Most signs and info cards are in Spanish. I'd suggest if they're going to up charge foreigners, at least have more signs in English. No student discounts. Watch for tourist traps at the entrance. Follow the signs for ruin entrance. Main entrance is on the opposite end of where Google takes you. Yes there's parking for 5qs for 90 min. Drinks and snacks available for purchase.

While the remaining architecture is impressive, I am more impressed by the ordinary people’s devotion to their local saint. The courtyard in front of the church is a lively place at sunset, with people milling about, going in and out of the mass. People watching alone is worth the trip here.

This church is so beautiful. Everything was just so notably beautiful. This is a place designed to inspire faith. Amongst the Jesus figures, there is an African Jesus. I loved that. Most of the faces of Jesus looked Hispanic, and only a few white Jesuses.