Guatemala City

Understand

Guatemala City is in the department (territorial division) of Guatemala, and it's the capital of the country. All the main highways start at Kilómetro 0, inside Palacio Nacional de la Cultura (National Palace), in Centro Histórico (Historic Center).

Guatemala City became the capital after Antigua Guatemala had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1773.

Get around

The city is divided into 21 zones (zonas). Zona 1 is the old historic center. Here are the national palace, the presidential palace, the cathedral, the main plaza, and the Central Market. South of Zona 1 is Zona 4, with many of the official buildings like the national bank, the national theatre, and the tourist board (INGUAT). Farther south is Zona 10 and Zona 9, divided by Avenida La Reforma. Zona 10 hosts most of the high class hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping facilities. A small part of Zona 10 is called Zona Viva (the lively zone) because of its nightlife.

If you walk, make sure to do so accompanied.

See

thumb|250px|Guatemala's National Palace, now known as the "National Palace of Culture"

Antique churches provide the capital city with a very special historic and architectural touch, such as Cerrito del Carmen, Catedral Metropolitana, Calvario, Iglesia de Santo Domingo, Iglesia de Yurrita, and Iglesia de la Merced. The archaeological site of Kaminal Juyú is in this capital city, which according to specialists, is a city buried under one of the most commercial areas of the city, comprising Zona 7 and Zona 11.

Do

Recreational activities can be done as well, from climbing volcanoes (Agua and Pacaya), to swimming in several recreational facilities, as well as water sports in Lago de Atitlán (lake).

For recreation, you can visit 4 Grados Norte: pedestrian roads that offer great entertainment, commerce and cultural activities, and Zona Viva, an area of Zona 10 that has become the main center for nightlife. Guatemala City is an urban center with cultural diversity, cosmopolitan as well as traditional, in which traditional and folkloric abundance stands out, with legends such as El Cadejo or La Llorona. The city offers the tourist all the services and commodities and is normally the center of operations to set out to any of the other destinations in the Republic.

Shopping at the Central Market Every Sunday hundreds of People stroll at the Main Plaza ("Plaza Mayor") in Zona 1, where music, arts and food is provided Cinema Los Proceres La Pradera Miraflores. Tikal Futura Pradera Concepcion. Newest cinemas in Guatemala with IMAX Theater

Football Tour

Buy

250px|thumb|Souvenir market.

Guatemala is famous for its textiles. In the city you should be able to find textiles from all over the country. If you are particularly interested in Guatemala or the Maya, you might find books (in Spanish) here that are hard to get anywhere else. For books in English, you get better prices at an online bookstore like Amazon in most cases.

Drink

Bodegita del Centro, 12 Calle 3-55, Avenidas 3/4, Zona 1. El Portal, inside the complex (entrances from 8 Calle, 9 Calle and 6 Avenida) facing Parque Central, Zona 1. Supposedly Che Guevaras favorite place when he lived in Guatemala City in the early 1950s. The gay circuit in Guatemala is somewhat extensive, and it is growing every day.

Sleep

Most accommodations in the Zona Viva are within a few blocks making location less important than amenities like airport transfers or breakfast. Check for hidden costs and taxes (22%) before booking.

Stay safe

Guatemala City has a high level of crime. Crimes include carjackings on the road from the airport, robberies and assaults of tourist vans, ordinary buses and cars.

Even though it has a lot of crime, if you stay alert and follow good travel safety practices, you likely won't be exposed to any of it. Make sure you sharpen your street smarts and stay aware of your surroundings at all times.

If you experience a robbery, give away anything the robbers want. Though some would suggest to just stay inside in most places after sunset, at night you can have fun safely in Zona Viva (Zona 10), Zona 14, or 4 Grados Norte.

But despite some of its negative aspects, Guatemala City is the largest Central American capital city, and one of the most beautiful in Latin America, with varied and rich culture. It is important that visitors not return to their hotels too late, and that they don’t walk alone in dark places, but as long as they keep this in mind, they should have a beautiful stay.

Stay healthy

Guatemala City is at a somewhat high elevation (about 1500 m) in the mountains (plus the air is very polluted in Zona 1), so if you are coming from a location near sealevel, you might wish to plan to take it easy and get extra rest on your first day while your body adjusts to the altitude.

Also, make sure that any food that you eat is well-washed and well-cooked, or you might get quite ill.

Centro Médico, 6 Avenida 3-47, Zona 10. , , . 24-hour service. Hospital Bella Aurora, 10 Calle 2-31, Zona 14. Tel 384-3535. 24-hour service. Hospital Universitario Esperanza, 6 Avenida 7-49, Zona 10. .