Hagåtña (formerly spelt Agana) must be one of the smallest capitals anywhere: only around a thousand people live in the village itself, although the legislature, the courts, the cathedral and the Guam Museum are all here. The old Spanish town was almost completely flattened in the fighting of 1944 and rebuilt on a new street grid, so what you visit today is a set of survivors — the terrace, Chocolate House and three-arch gate of the Plaza de España, a row of ancient latte stones, a small Spanish fort on the hill — set among government offices and shady parks.
West of town, Marine Corps Drive follows the shore past the governor’s complex at Adelup to Asan Beach, one of the two beaches where US forces landed on 21 July 1944, and on to Piti, where a pier leads out over the reef to an underwater observatory. Beyond that is Apra Harbor, Guam’s commercial port and naval base. Together they make an easy half-day or full-day outing, and the best short introduction to the island’s history and culture — Chamorro (now usually written CHamoru on Guam), Spanish, Japanese and American.
Highlights
- Walking the Plaza de España and the cathedral square in the cool of the morning
- Standing beside centuries-old latte stones in Latte Stone Park
- Barbecue, crafts and dancing at the Wednesday night market in Chamorro Village
- The view over Hagåtña and Agana Bay from Fort Santa Agueda
- Asan Beach and the memorial wall at Asan Bay Overlook
- Snorkelling or visiting the underwater observatory at Piti Bomb Holes
Hagåtña & Central Guam in pictures
How long to stay and where to base yourself
How long: most people come for half a day from Tumon. Two to three hours covers the walkable core of Hagåtña — plaza, cathedral, museum, latte stones and the fort. Add Asan Beach, the overlook on Nimitz Hill and a snorkel or observatory visit at Piti and you have a full, varied day. If you can, time it for a Wednesday so that you finish at the night market.
Where to base yourself: there is very little visitor accommodation in Hagåtña itself. The nearest resorts stand on the Agana Bay shore of Tamuning, between the capital and Tumon — quieter than the main hotel strip and five to ten minutes from the plaza, but away from the shops and restaurants, so a hire car is useful. Everyone else simply drives or takes a taxi in from Tumon.
