Overview to Guatemala City: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
- Guatemala City Information
- Eating & drinking in Guatemala City
- Where to stay in Guatemala City
- Guatemala City street map
The capital of Guatemala may not be all that well-praised but, as with so many places in Latin America, it’s a genuinely great place to investigate and discover. There’s a raw – at times even stark – quality to the heart of Guatemala City that makes for the most rewarding exploration.
Although the city is large (it’s home to some three million people), it is, thankfully, fairly easy to get around as the streets form an easy-to-navigate grid. What’s more, each district has its own number which can help visitors get to grips with the layout quickly.
The best place to start is Zone 1. Here you’ll find the city’s historical core, which takes the Parque Central as its epicenter. Flanked by the Palacio Nacional and Cathedral, the area is particularly worth a look on Sundays when crowds gather to chat about the week’s goings-on.
Just behind the cathedral, you’ll find the Mercado Central which attracts equal volumes on a Sunday – and, for that matter, all throughout the week. Another of the city’s best attractions, the Iglesia de San Francisco, sits just a little south of the market in a largely commercial area.
The heaving mass of the New City sprawls to the south of Zone 1. Of particular interest are Zone 4, with its imposing Torre del Reformador, and Zones 9 and 10. This is the city’s cultural heart, holding the Museo Ixchel, the Museo Popul Vuh and the Jardin Botanico.
Zone 10 is known as Guatemala City’s party area, where the majority of the restaurants, bars, shops and clubs can be found. Here, surrounded by the city as it unwinds, it’s possible to feel a part of this intense but fascinating place.
