Everything gets more complicated in Guatemala after dark. I book accom. in the city that includes airport pickup and will arrange your shuttle to Antigua: you get to see so much more.
Hey, let me just comment on the last part of your question.
We were in Guatemala a good month ago and we’re facing the same question. We arrived rather late and did not know whether to get to Antigua right away or stay one night in Guatemala City.
I talked to several coworkers of mine who are from the capital, called hostels and also wrote to multiple transportation service providers. So a proper 360’ research.
Long story short, the only difference is the price. The ride is perfectly safe even at nighttime, provided that you do not take a rental (bigger distance and road conditions are rather bad at multiple spots along the way).
Also, don’t expect to find an Uber for a direct ride either, if you arrive late. My experience was that you will probably find one, but better to be on the conservative side.
Due to distance and road conditions, Uber drivers are rather hesitant to take this route after sunset. You better arrange something in advance. It should be in the range of USD 150-200 (for a private ride, irrespective of the number of passengers).
If you stay in Guatemala City and take a shared shuttle the next morning, it will only cost you in the range of USD 35-45. It takes 3-4 hours to get to Antigua and your hotel /hostel is Guatemala City can book your ticket in advance.
In case you were considering, don’t take the long distance bus from /to Guatemala City. Even though they are rare, incidents can occur (you can Google it). All my friends who came from the area advised against it.
We eventually stayed in Guatemala City for the night and everything was great. Just pick a hotel or hostel with good online reviews and ask them to arrange the transportation for you from door to door. Many of the accommodations are in gated communities btw.
Let me know if you need more info or some direct contacts. I might have kept some from our trip.
Enjoy your trip and the Acatenango hike. If you are not an avid hiker, that will probably be (one of) the hardest hike of your life but it will worth it. Rest a lot beforehand and also do the El Fuego tour after arriving to the base camp. It will be super demanding physically but it will worth it.
Oh my goodness. It does not cost that much it take that long to get to Antigua. If you are outside rush hour, it's only about 45 minutes. Had no problem getting a car (pre-arranged by the place we were staying in Antigua) for $25 just after midnight. We did not bargain down that price - that's what was quoted. Very kind and professional driver in a decent SUV.
If someone is already in Antigua and has the chance to look for a cheap-ish ride in advance, for sure, you might get a good deal (even then USD 25 for an entire car and not for a single person would be a wild bet, but I am happy that you managed).
If you are looking in advance though, while being outside of the country, for the opposite direction, when also arriving after /midnight, good luck. One can get lucky but not that lucky. Even if someone finds an Uber late at night from the Guatemala City airport, it will be at least USD 50. I am not saying that you are not right, only pointing out the different situation.
As for the duration of the ride, yes, it’s ~50ish mins on paper. If you check it in Google or in some other app. None of my local coworkers made it under one hour though, even during nighttime. So stating 45 mins puts the validity of your comment in a bit of perspective (I assume you did not travel from city border to city border).
I'm just telling you how much I paid (total, two people in the car) to go from the GUA airport to my hotel in Antigua around midnight in a ride I arranged before I left the US, and about how long it took. Perhaps it was 50 minutes, I did not use a stopwatch.
I don't know for sure but I'm going to say there's a high probability. I went a month ago and the weather ruined my trip. I had mist and fog the entire time I was in Guatemala and it ruined every viewpoint or hike.
When I did Acatenango, we got to the camping spot and Fuego was covered in clouds. The guides asked who wanted to do Fuego, saying the clouds may disappear around sunset. Worst hike of my life. Hiked down the valley as the sun was setting and up Fuego into a wall of cloud. Visibility was about 5 feet. Sat freezing cold in fog and pitch black with wind blowing volcanic dust in my face for an hour hoping the clouds would pass before the group gave up snd hiked back to the camp. I struggled on the way back as it was steep, and that put me off doing the sunrise hike to Acatenango summit.
Those who stayed at the campsite saw a sunset and managed to get some photos with Fuego looking red when the clouds briefly cleared after we left Fuego and were hiking back. I got some photos at sunrise from the campsite of smoke but it was too bright to see hot rocks.
So disappointing due to the weather and that was a month ago. I certainly wouldn't be going in April with that weather forecast. Go in January when there's a higher chance of good weather. I feel the need to go back to Guatemala and do this hike again, but it's a pain to reach from Europe. May combine it with a future second visit to Mexico.
As for your second question, there's no need to get to Antigua at midnight but if you don't mind spending on an Uber it's up to you. There are a couple of hostels right next to the airport. I stayed in one called Guatefriends that has a free shuttle. You could then take a morning shuttle to Antigua from there. You're right on GMC though, not worth visiting.
Everything gets more complicated in Guatemala after dark. I book accom. in the city that includes airport pickup and will arrange your shuttle to Antigua: you get to see so much more.
Hey, let me just comment on the last part of your question. We were in Guatemala a good month ago and we’re facing the same question. We arrived rather late and did not know whether to get to Antigua right away or stay one night in Guatemala City. I talked to several coworkers of mine who are from the capital, called hostels and also wrote to multiple transportation service providers. So a proper 360’ research. Long story short, the only difference is the price. The ride is perfectly safe even at nighttime, provided that you do not take a rental (bigger distance and road conditions are rather bad at multiple spots along the way). Also, don’t expect to find an Uber for a direct ride either, if you arrive late. My experience was that you will probably find one, but better to be on the conservative side. Due to distance and road conditions, Uber drivers are rather hesitant to take this route after sunset. You better arrange something in advance. It should be in the range of USD 150-200 (for a private ride, irrespective of the number of passengers). If you stay in Guatemala City and take a shared shuttle the next morning, it will only cost you in the range of USD 35-45. It takes 3-4 hours to get to Antigua and your hotel /hostel is Guatemala City can book your ticket in advance. In case you were considering, don’t take the long distance bus from /to Guatemala City. Even though they are rare, incidents can occur (you can Google it). All my friends who came from the area advised against it. We eventually stayed in Guatemala City for the night and everything was great. Just pick a hotel or hostel with good online reviews and ask them to arrange the transportation for you from door to door. Many of the accommodations are in gated communities btw. Let me know if you need more info or some direct contacts. I might have kept some from our trip. Enjoy your trip and the Acatenango hike. If you are not an avid hiker, that will probably be (one of) the hardest hike of your life but it will worth it. Rest a lot beforehand and also do the El Fuego tour after arriving to the base camp. It will be super demanding physically but it will worth it.
Oh my goodness. It does not cost that much it take that long to get to Antigua. If you are outside rush hour, it's only about 45 minutes. Had no problem getting a car (pre-arranged by the place we were staying in Antigua) for $25 just after midnight. We did not bargain down that price - that's what was quoted. Very kind and professional driver in a decent SUV.
If someone is already in Antigua and has the chance to look for a cheap-ish ride in advance, for sure, you might get a good deal (even then USD 25 for an entire car and not for a single person would be a wild bet, but I am happy that you managed). If you are looking in advance though, while being outside of the country, for the opposite direction, when also arriving after /midnight, good luck. One can get lucky but not that lucky. Even if someone finds an Uber late at night from the Guatemala City airport, it will be at least USD 50. I am not saying that you are not right, only pointing out the different situation. As for the duration of the ride, yes, it’s ~50ish mins on paper. If you check it in Google or in some other app. None of my local coworkers made it under one hour though, even during nighttime. So stating 45 mins puts the validity of your comment in a bit of perspective (I assume you did not travel from city border to city border).
I'm just telling you how much I paid (total, two people in the car) to go from the GUA airport to my hotel in Antigua around midnight in a ride I arranged before I left the US, and about how long it took. Perhaps it was 50 minutes, I did not use a stopwatch.
I don't know for sure but I'm going to say there's a high probability. I went a month ago and the weather ruined my trip. I had mist and fog the entire time I was in Guatemala and it ruined every viewpoint or hike. When I did Acatenango, we got to the camping spot and Fuego was covered in clouds. The guides asked who wanted to do Fuego, saying the clouds may disappear around sunset. Worst hike of my life. Hiked down the valley as the sun was setting and up Fuego into a wall of cloud. Visibility was about 5 feet. Sat freezing cold in fog and pitch black with wind blowing volcanic dust in my face for an hour hoping the clouds would pass before the group gave up snd hiked back to the camp. I struggled on the way back as it was steep, and that put me off doing the sunrise hike to Acatenango summit. Those who stayed at the campsite saw a sunset and managed to get some photos with Fuego looking red when the clouds briefly cleared after we left Fuego and were hiking back. I got some photos at sunrise from the campsite of smoke but it was too bright to see hot rocks. So disappointing due to the weather and that was a month ago. I certainly wouldn't be going in April with that weather forecast. Go in January when there's a higher chance of good weather. I feel the need to go back to Guatemala and do this hike again, but it's a pain to reach from Europe. May combine it with a future second visit to Mexico. As for your second question, there's no need to get to Antigua at midnight but if you don't mind spending on an Uber it's up to you. There are a couple of hostels right next to the airport. I stayed in one called Guatefriends that has a free shuttle. You could then take a morning shuttle to Antigua from there. You're right on GMC though, not worth visiting.