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Belize City
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most populous city in Belize and capital of the district of Belize
Belize City is the largest city in the country of Belize and serves as the capital of Belize District. It is the main population center in Belize, making it the country's most important urban hub.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
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Place details
- Locality
- Belize City
- Region
- Belize District
- Country
- Belize
- Population
- 65,222
- Timezone
- America/Belize
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Travel guide
Get in
thumb|300px|Belize City waterfront
Get around
Use a taxi . If you want to get out of Belize City, use the taxi, bus, or even the little airplanes which take you to other destinations in Belize for less than US$100.
In Belize City, you will find plenty of local auto rental companies along with a couple of international ones. It's about US$70 per day to rent a car in Belize (as of 2021). If you stay for a longer time in Belize, you can get a discount on the rental. The auto rental companies can be spotted across the parking lot as you exit the Belize International Airport. They include Hertz, AQ Car Rental, Budget Rent-A-Car, Avis Car Rental, Jabiru Auto Rentals, and Dollar/Thrifty Rent-A-Car.
See
thumb|Belize City Government House thumb|Bliss Institute
Do
Most tourists use Belize City as a transportation hub and spend little time in the city. With that said, Belize City is still the cultural centre of the country and offers a comparably large number of cultural attractions.
Buy
All places accept US dollars as the Belizean dollar is pegged to the US dollar at BZ$2=US$1. If you are travelling to the cayes, stock up on your cash at the central bank, as the ATMs on the islands often run out of money on weekends. A number of merchants do recognize and accept US dollars or give change in US dollars or a combination of US and Belizean dollar bills and coins.
If you want to shop there is tourism village in the Fort George area which has jewelry shops like Diamonds International and lots of gift shops. Fort George is located on a boardwalk.
Albert Street is the main street in the Commercial District and features many shops and small shopping centres.
Stay safe
Although Belize City has a bad reputation, Commercial District and the Fort George District are safe during the day. Virtually all sights and the water taxi docks are in this area and tourist should not be worried about exploring these neighborhoods while waiting for a bus or water taxi. Other neighbourhoods in Belize City have a very high crime rate and you should take a taxi if you have to leave the city centre.
Sleep
Chateau Caribbean: A great place to stay. Food is great, especially the seafood soup. The service is awesome. The hotel is a large colonial style house which was at one time a hospital. The structure could use some repairs, but if you can look beyond that it is the best deal in town, especially as it offers you a great view of the seafront while sipping on the best Baileys Colada in Belize City. Seas Guesthouse: A resort on the outskirts of Belize City on the western highway named Old Belize. It is a beautiful resort with a beach named Cucumber Beach. One can learn about life in Old Belize there. Tourists are shown the chicletos and rum makers of Belize and the importance of baymen and loggers who logged the mahogany (the national tree). There is also colonial houses, a marina, and restaurants. Harbour View Boutique Hotel & Yoga Retreat: 14 Fort St, Belize City. A small, humble, but beautiful resort located near the port where water taxis pick up/drop off passengers in Belize City. It has a small walk filled with different plant species and a small pool. It is also where you can find one of Belize City's numerous "Belize" signs. There is also a little lighthouse called the Baron Bliss Lighthouse overlooking the harbor.
Go next
The Western Highway leads to Belize West or the Northern Highway to Belize North.
Water taxis regularly run from the main terminal to Caye Caulker, a 25-minute trip, and Ambergris Caye, a 75-minute trip.
San Pedro Belize Express departs from the Brown Sugar Terminal in Belize City with scheduled runs at 9AM, noon, 3PM. 5:30PM to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.
Rates: Belize City to San Pedro, San Pedro to Belize City: BZ$30 or US$15 (one way), BZ$55 or US$27.50 (round trip), Belize City to Caye Caulker: BZ$20 or US$10 (one way), BZ$35 or US$17.50 (round trip)
A week-long trip to Green River in the south to experience the rain forest and a week-long trip to the coral reefs to experience the reefs are both recommended.
Belmopan capital of Belize (80 km to W). Stop on way to see Belize zoo at Mile 29 George Price Highway.
You can get to San Ignacio via Belmopan a good stopping off point for the ruins of Tikal in Guatemala.
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a distributary of the Belize River. The Belize River empties into the Caribbean Sea eight kilometres (five miles) from Belize City on the Philip Goldson Highway on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. The city was almost entirely destroyed in October 1961 when Hurricane Hattie swept ashore. It was the capital of British Honduras (as Belize was then named) until the government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970.
History
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Belize City” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
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