2025 Guatemala City Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in April)

#fallishere Don’t feel intimidated by the soldiers at the entrance, the museum is well worth a visit and there are both indoor museum and military vehicles and planes outside. This place is great! I went solo and it was only 5 Quetzales.Great museum, especially if you're a military or history buff. It's an odd gated entrance to an outdoor theater/indoor theater complex across the street from mercado sur dos. Just walk up the hill after saying hi to the guard. Will highly recommend a visit

For Guatemala people mostly skip Guatemala City and head straight to Antigua lake atitlan and Tikal. The usual reasons are it’s either unsafe or there’s just not much to see. My take is that if you have a set number of days you don’t need to force Guatemala City into it but if you have a layover spending half to one day is also ok. The historical district is very compact extremely walkable you can do it in 3 hours. But yes in general at night anywhere outside apart from the gentrification zone of zones ten and nine, everywhere else is unsafe. Zone one is the historical sightseeing zone and is safe to walk during day time but checking out historical sights and structures aside I wouldn’t say it’s incredibly appealing as there’s just lots of homeless around. Simply because of all this for peace of mind do a walking tour instead of trying to navigate on your own. The airport of Guatemala City is handy because it’s literally in the middle of the city (compare to San Salvador which is quite a drive). Not necessarily a bad place to transit but I admit for transit San Salvador is the hub of Avianca giving you quite a bit of transit options and is more appealing

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I stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Guatemala and was very satisfied with the overall experience. The hotel is quiet and comfortable, providing a relaxing atmosphere, which is especially suitable for rest during the journey. The room was clean and spacious, the staff were friendly and helpful, and made me feel very cared for. The breakfast has a rich selection and good quality, which makes people energetic every day. The price is relatively fair and worth the money. It is a good choice that takes into account both quality and price. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, Hilton will not disappoint.

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Thailand's PATTAYA Internet Beauty Cafe is about 25 minutes away by Grab. Go early in the morning when the weather is not too hot and there are fewer people. The rooftop is similar to a tin house. It is extremely hot near noon, and any random photos you take are great. It is recommended to wear a beautiful outfit and stay for 1-2 hours to take beautiful photos!

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#fallishere The National Palace of Culture today is part museum and part government office. The entry fee to the museum is Q40 per person. Tourists are only allowed to enter as part of tours and times for these tours are preset where groups can only enter at certain times because part of the building has government office The interior of the place has 350 rooms; yet only few of them are available as part of the museum/ tour. The building is designed to have a large beautiful courtyard. Another unusual feature is the inclusion of traffic lights throughout the building to signal when the president was in the building and direct the traffic. The color was chosen because it was the favorite color of the President Jorge Ubico’s wife. The building also has a number of structural designs highlighting the number 5 which is the favorite number of the president. The tour takes about an hour and it is worth visiting.

#fallishere Shop Review : Coffee District Guatemala This is a beautiful restaurant in zone 4. It serves different options to taste coffee. There are a lot of appetizers, main dishes and desserts. The place is very comfortable and very warm. Their especiallity are traditional coffe bring of diferents parts of the country. You should go to visit some day and taste a very good coffee. I recommend the place. The atmosphere is great. I will definitely recommend going at around evening time for a nice sunset view.

#fallishere Visited Guatemala City and while exploring the downtown chance upon a street where the local are selling street food. as I’m new to the place I walk one round around before decide which food to try . They are many many varieties of street food which I spoiled for choice . In the end I try the local fry sausage and without regret it really taste good While traveling, Trying street food is one of the best way to enjoy the country culture and cuisine.

#fallishere A must visit!!! Mayan Ruins of Tikal is one of the lost mystical places on Earth. Guatemala preserved a magnificent Mayan site with dozens of pyramids. Many pyramids were left under a protective layer of soil, grass, and trees, naturally covered the walls of those historic buildings. The energy you feel in this incredible place is truly magical.I had an amazing guide and his knowledge of the Mayan peoples was appreciated. Plenty of walking so make sure you wear comfortable shoes! And keep cool water.

#fallishere There are ample food and souvenir store options right past security. They mostly all have the same types of things, but the biggest one is beyond the Cafe Barista on the left (where the Duty Free stores start). There are a couple places for kids to play, but they were blocked off the day I was there. The airport also has a couple different bars to get your last taste of Ron Zacappa or quetzalteca (but I’m not sure you can fly with some of those). There is a whole Zacappa store to get “swag” and other last minute rum items. Before security (and when you land in Guatemala) they have started using a QR code system to do the customs claim form. This can take a while so if you can access the website before it will save time. When I was there they had one or two attendants helping, and a few desktop computers for people who couldn’t do the digital forms on their phones. Overall it still acceptable as I been to worse airport .

#fallishere Nice lounge in Guatemala airport. The decor is trendy and the seating is comfortable, it is small so it can fill up quickly. This lounge is exquisite! The menu is small but consists of high quality food and it tastes as good as it looks. The ambience is of an up scale restaurant. Arguably the best lounge I've been to as a part of priority pass. They do table service here so there isn’t a buffet of any kind and you have to order what you would like from the menu. Water, tea and coffee is the only items for self service.

#fallishere Stall review : Rosita restaurant local at the Central Market I had the opportunity to taste one of the best Guatemala Traditional dishes I have ever eaten. All the Guatemalan flavor in the dish is so characteristic and light for my stomach . Super recommended to try the taste of homemade Guatemalan cuisine and excellent service, if you want to live the experience of being in a historic center and eating excellent typical food this is the place.

#fallishere Plaza vivar is an amazing place. It is located at the downtown of Guatemala City. Over here there are various shop selling different varieties of items . But will recommend if you want to buy any electronics as most of the shop are selling electronics like mobile, laptops. It is also recommended to go for a walk and to enjoy items display by the shop Although the building look out dated it still have it charms

#fallishere As a lover for Peruvian Food I’m sure out hunting for Peruvian Restaurants whenever I go to Latin American Country and of course since I’m in Guatemala City I out hunting again and glad to come across Peru Con Alma which is located near to my hotel in Zona 13 I ordered my favourite fish ceviche and it was super delicious, very plentiful and well prepared. The service is also very friendly. The cocktails I have is mojitos and it great and the bar is very extensive with various drinks I will higher recommend this restaurant as the food is just so nice

#fallishere Torre del Reformador located in Guatemala City is construct similar to Eiffel Tower of Pairs . It’s located in the Reformador neighborhood and it has no reason to exist but the very fact it does puts a smile on the face of motorists and pedestrians walking by alike. It's best viewed from afar at first on foot, slowly approaching it becomes larger and the full detail of the structure appears and it seems to play with the light. It's worth a trip out to see only a brief stroll for those in Zona 10

#fallishere Hotel review : InterContinental Real Guatemala One of the best hotels I’ve stayed at in Latin America. The staff was super friendly. The room including bed and pillows were very comfortable. The gym is open 24 hours and has a nice selection. There is also a great pool, sauna, and jacuzzi. There’s no AC in the gym and the jacuzzi doesn’t get super hot but these are minor things. This hotel is stellar! Highly recommend

#fallishere Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago of Guatemala is a beautiful building with great stories, if you are religious this Catholic Cathedral is open for everyone and you can go with you family everyday or enjoy the special events they do every Sunday. Located in the Central Park of Guatemala helps it have a better look of the park. Inside you can fine a lot of religious paints and ceramics showing some of the important histories of the Catholic religion. Entrance is Free so highly recommended.

#fallishere Plaza Fontabella is a great place to shop and din.Have been there twice. Lots of elegant shops and restaurants. The architecture of the plaza itself is designed in a way to take you out of the city while being at the heart of it. The restaurants have great service. There is a hotel there as well. It located in Zona 13 hence is a very safe place in Guatemala but still be alert

#fallishere Oakland Mall located at Zona 13 is the biggest mall in Guatemala. They have big Brand showcase clothing stores, a well-equipped luxury food court with a large variety of global fast food brands. Gourmet coffee shops and boutiques, a vibrant and high end premium mall with great entertainment for kids including world class cinema and a rooftop like setting for big Brand restaurants and some original fusion food venues. A bit crowded. Most anything you need to buy, everything else, there is a supermarket right beside it. It definitely a good place to shop

#fallishere For an authentic market experience, visit Mercado Central. You will find the best prices for souvenirs and any other items you may be looking for including fresh fruit, flowers, candy and everything else in between. Just be warned that some food stalls may charge you higher prices as a tourist which I believe they overcharge me Outside of the market is a bit dangerous so be aware of your surroundings

#fallishere It's mind-blowing to think that this place was build in the 1500s!!When I went there ( nov 2023 ) the outside of the church is being renovated The grandiosity of the altar, which is gold-plated, and pretty much all the interior except for the pews is truly staggering. Taking pictures is not allowed, so you'll have to be discreet if you want to snap any. Most importantly, remember it's still a church, not a museum, so be mindful of the people praying inside.

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It was my first time to visit Central America and see the different customs. The local residents are friendly and there are many delicious restaurants. There are also ancient artifacts from the imperial era outside the city that are worth visiting.