Areas at a glance
- Hagåtña centre: the plaza, cathedral, museum and Latte Stone Park, with the legislature and courts around them — walkable in a couple of hours.
- The waterfront: Chamorro Village, Paseo de Susana and the boat basin, plus the statue of Chief Quipuha and the little San Antonio Bridge of 1800 with its statue of Sirena, the mermaid of local legend.
- Adelup and Asan: the governor’s complex on its point, with the tall Latte of Freedom monument, then the landing beach and the overlook on Nimitz Hill.
- Piti and Apra Harbor: the marine preserve and observatory, the Piti Guns and, beyond, the commercial port and naval base, which are not open to casual visitors.
Eating and drinking
The Wednesday night market is the easiest place to try local cooking: barbecued chicken and ribs on a stick, red rice, chicken kelaguen, lumpia, empanadas and fresh coconut. On other days Hagåtña is a working town of lunch counters, cafés and bakeries that serve office staff and tend to close early; in the evening most people eat back in Tamuning or Tumon. Carry water when you walk — shade is patchy and the humidity is high.
Money and costs
Most of what you see here is free: the plaza, the latte stones, the fort and every unit of the national historical park. The underwater observatory charges for entry and the museum may too, and take US dollars in cash for market stalls, although cards are accepted in shops and restaurants. Guam adds no sales tax at the till.
Safety and respect
Hagåtña is safe by day; as anywhere on Guam, leave nothing visible in a parked car, particularly at beach and trailhead car parks. Asan Beach and the overlook are places of remembrance for local families as well as for veterans’ relatives, so behave as you would at any memorial. At Piti, stay inside the reef, do not stand on coral or feed the fish, and snorkel with a guide if you are not a confident swimmer.
Good to know
Government offices and some attractions close on Guam’s public holidays, and the museum does not open every day. Apra Harbor is famous among divers for two wrecks lying against each other — the German SMS Cormoran from the First World War and the Japanese Tokai Maru from the Second — reached by boat with local dive shops; see diving and snorkelling.
Sample plans
Half a day
Park near the Plaza de España and walk the plaza, cathedral and Latte Stone Park, with an hour in the Guam Museum if it is open. Drive up to Fort Santa Agueda for the view, then have lunch in town before heading back to Tumon.
One day
Start early at Piti for snorkelling or the underwater observatory while the sea is calm. Stop at Asan Beach and the Asan Bay Overlook on the way back, spend the afternoon in Hagåtña’s historic core, and end at Paseo de Susana for sunset.
A Wednesday
Take a morning dolphin cruise or guided snorkel from Piti, rest through the midday heat, then come into Hagåtña around four o’clock for the plaza and the fort and walk across to Chamorro Village as the night market gets going.
