Things to do in Guatemala City
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Guatemala City
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season and the best window overall. November is green and quieter, January to March is dry, clear and mild.
Semana Santa falls in this movable window. Antigua sells out months ahead and the capital empties late in the week.
Rainy season. Sightsee in the morning and expect heavy afternoon downpours and worse traffic.
The worst months, with the heaviest rain of the year and the least reliable volcano views.
The city fair for the Virgin of the Assumption runs around mid August, atmospheric but in peak rainy season.
Dia de los Muertos on 1 November, when fiambre is served in good Guatemalan restaurants for one week only.
Christmas posadas from mid December, festive markets and high season hotel prices.
What's on
- Semana Santa Holy Week, March or April
Zone 1 processions in the capital and the famous alfombra processions in Antigua an hour away.
- Feria de Jocotenango around 15 August
The capital's patronal fair for the Virgin of the Assumption, in peak rainy season.
- Independence Day 15 September
Parades and torch runs across the city, in the wettest part of the year.
- Dia de los Muertos 1 November
Families gather in cemeteries and eat fiambre, the celebratory salad made only for this holiday.
- Posadas mid to late December
Nightly Christmas processions and nativity scenes across the city's neighbourhoods.
Best things to do in Guatemala City
Museo Popol Vuh
The best Maya museum in the capital, a fine chronological collection on a leafy university campus in Zone 10.
Museo Ixchel del Traje Indígena
A museum of indigenous textiles and dress that teaches you to read the weaving you will see in every market.
Museo Nacional de Arte Maya, Arqueología y Etnología
The national Maya collection in Zone 13, unmatched for monumental stelae, jade and Tikal material at scale.
Kaminaljuyú
An ancient Maya city inside the modern capital, a grassy park of protected excavations and living ceremonies.
Museo Miraflores
The Kaminaljuyu museum in Zone 11, with 500 artefacts and the context the park itself cannot give you.
Palacio Nacional de la Cultura
The green palace on the main plaza of Zone 1, the ceremonial heart of the country, visited by day only.
Mercado Central
The central market behind the cathedral, the best souvenir stop in the capital, with a level of local comedores.
Mapa en Relieve
A vast open air relief map from 1905 that teaches you the geography of Guatemala at a glance.
Where to stay in Guatemala City
Zone 10, Zona Viva
default base for almost every visitor
The hotel, restaurant and embassy district with the deepest choice, the strongest hotel security and the easiest Uber coverage.
Ciudad Cayala, Zone 16
walkable evenings and a quiet enclave base
A master planned district where you can stroll to dinner, further from Zone 1 and the Zone 13 museums.
Zone 9 and Zone 13 airport corridor
one night stops, early flights and late arrivals
Zone 9 shares the Zona Viva ecosystem, while Zone 13 holds the airport, the zoo and the national museum.
Zone 4, Cuatro Grados Norte
confident budget travellers who want the creative quarter
The most interesting few blocks in the city, but its edges need more care at night than Zona Viva.
Zone 14
quiet serviced apartment stays
A wealthy residential district of embassies and apartment towers with very few conventional hotels.
Think twice about
- Zone 18
Do not enter. This area is known for crime by gangs and criminal organisations.
- Villa Nueva
Do not enter. This area is known for crime by gangs and criminal organisations.
- Zone 1
Visit the palace, plaza and market by day as a car in, car out cluster. Do not stay overnight and do not linger after dark.
- Zones 6, 7 and 8
Treat these zones with caution. Visit Kaminaljuyu in Zone 7 by car to the entrance, by day, with no walking nearby.
Best restaurants in Guatemala City
Restaurante Flor de Lis
A tasting menu in Zone 4 that retells the Popol Vuh through modern Guatemalan cooking, course by course.
Sublime Restaurante
A Zone 10 research kitchen cooking tasting menus from deep dives into Guatemalan ingredients.
Casa Escobar Paseo Cayalá
The polished Cayala steakhouse, the default celebration dinner for anyone based in Cayala.
Hacienda Real
The Zona Viva steakhouse institution since 1994, known for premium cuts and a colonial courtyard.
Restaurante Kacao
A candlelit palapa in Zone 10 serving refined pepian, jocon and tamales, the national canon done properly.
Quintana Bistrot
A small fusion bistrot and wine bar near Cayala, the foodie favourite of the district.
Saúl Bistro Cayalá
The all day Cayala bistro, strongest at brunch and the full Guatemalan breakfast.
Pollo Campero
Guatemala's beloved fried chicken chain since 1971, a cultural act as much as a cheap lunch.
Outdoor things to do in Guatemala City
Antigua Guatemala
The UNESCO colonial capital an hour west, the headline day trip, with its own Swearby brief for details.
Pacaya Volcano
An active volcano hike south of the city, lava fields and marshmallows over geothermal heat, back the same day.
Iximché
The last Kaqchikel capital near Tecpan, grassy plazas and ball courts still used for Maya ceremonies.
Mixco Viejo
A remote hilltop Maya capital of 120 structures above ravines, almost empty and worth the winding drive.
Lake Amatitlán
The capital's own lake, for a local Sunday outing of grilled fish and a viewpoint, not a swimming spot.
Club de Golf San Isidro
The most visitor plausible private club round in the capital, in the green Zone 16 hills near Cayala.
Parque Ecológico Cayalá
A ravine eco park beside Ciudad Cayala with forest trails, the easiest green hour in the city.
Best hotels in Guatemala City
The Westin Camino Real, Guatemala
The grande dame of Zona Viva on Avenida Reforma, a full service five star with pool, gardens and depth.
Hotel Real InterContinental Guatemala
A modern business luxury high rise in the heart of Zona Viva, with the restaurant strip at its door.
Hyatt Centric Guatemala City
The newer design led luxury hotel in Zone 10, with a rooftop pool terrace and a roof bar.
Clarion Suites Guatemala
All suite Zona Viva value on 14 Calle, with kitchenettes and a pool, well suited to longer stays.
Quetzalroo
A small owner run hostel in Zone 10 with a garden feel and staff who orient you to the city.
AC Hotel Guatemala City
The only hotel inside Paseo Cayala, a compact Marriott with the whole district as its lobby.
Barceló Guatemala City
The big modern business hotel of Zone 9, sharing the Zona Viva taxi and Uber ecosystem.
Hostal Guatefriend's
A small Zone 13 guesthouse built around the airport run, with transfer and breakfast included.
Is Guatemala City expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | GTQ 290 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | GTQ 430 a person |
| Splurge | GTQ 900 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Antigua Guatemala: a few days ahead
- Pacaya Volcano: a few days ahead
- Iximché: a few days ahead
- Mixco Viejo: a few days ahead
- Club de Golf San Isidro: weeks ahead
- Quetzalroo: a few days ahead
- Restaurante Flor de Lis: weeks ahead
- Sublime Restaurante: weeks ahead
- Reserve Flor de Lis and Sublime days to weeks ahead and put the tasting menu early in the trip.
- Book Pacaya and ruins days through a reputable operator or your hotel, a few days ahead in dry season.
- Book Zona Viva hotels weeks out from November to March, and months out for Semana Santa.
- Confirm museum hours the day before, since opening days in Guatemala change with little notice.
Is Guatemala City safe?
- Zone 18 and Villa Nueva are do-not-enter areas, known for crime by gangs and criminal organisations.
- No part of the city is free from crime, including Zone 10. Base in Zone 10, Cayala or the Zone 9 and 13 corridor.
- Unofficial taxis are linked to robbery and express kidnapping. Only use dispatched, app booked or hotel cars.
- Do not resist a robbery. Police emergency is 110. Tourist assistance ASISTUR is 1500 or +502 2290 2810.
- Demonstrations can block roads and the airport without notice. Check local media before cross city drives.
Guatemala City travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Staying in Zone 1 to save money is the classic false economy. Budget beds exist in Zones 10, 13 and 4.
- Kaminaljuyu without a guide or the Miraflores Museum disappoints. The pairing is the pick.
- Chicken buses carry a real theft risk. Skip them however romantic they sound.
- Use ATMs inside banks, malls and hotels in daylight, never a street machine in Zone 1.
Getting around Guatemala City: public transport and more
- Use Uber as the default for every cross zone move, wait indoors, check the plate and share your trip.
- Never hail a taxi on the street. Use Uber, a hotel car, radio dispatch Taxi Amarillo Express on 1766, or a prepaid airport voucher.
- Do not walk between zones. Walking is only for short daylight stretches inside Zona Viva or Cayala.
- TransMetro buses are for locals on a short visit. With Uber this cheap, visitors have no reason to use public buses in this city.
- La Aurora airport is in Zone 13, 20 minutes to Zona Viva with no traffic and an hour or more at peak.
Who Guatemala City suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Guatemala City your trip
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