About Guatemala

When arriving to a new country, I always ask me the same question: Now where do I go??

For me is part of the fun and the adventure, but sometimes is nice to know the next move when you arrive into a new country after a long flight, especially if you do not speak the local language.

Travelers arriving in Guatemala City usually follow the same steps. I will try to explain the different number of options to get to your next destination.

Destination #1: La Antigua Guatemala or the Highlands.

Most of the people arriving in Guatemala make their first destination La Antigua Guatemala for a number of reasons, and to get there you have different options. The easy ones is either taking a shuttle or a Taxi. If you are a solo traveler, then perhaps the best option is to take a shuttle, because it will be cheaper. The shuttles from the airport cost around $10 to La Antigua Guatemala.

And if you are traveling in a group or you need to get to La Antigua quick then the best option is to take a Taxi that will cost around Q250 ( aprox $33). Make sure you get a register taxi from the airport for safety issues.

For those backpacking and feeling a little bit adventurous then public transportation is for you. I will explain you how to get by public buses to Antigua, tough I must warn you that robberies in the Guatemala city buses happened every day, and even the chances of this happening to you are small I cant really vouch for this.

Once you have local currency and small bills (buses cost only Q1), you need to turn to the right once you are outside of the airport and walk straight until you get to the road where the buses pass by. You need to take the Bus #83, and you need to be alert because you will not spend much time in this bus, so be ready to get down in a while. This bus will go straight once it picks you up and will make a turn to the left where the Guatemalan Zoo is, and after that it will go straight for another 200 meters and turn to the right, and when the bus does it is when you need to get down. It will drop you in front of a soccer field, and once here you will need to cross to the other side of the street to take the bus #63 in direction to Roosevelt. Once you take this bus sit down and relax because you need to go all the way to the last stop, which is in Roosevelt Avenue. This avenue is one of the most important of the city and the exit to Antigua Guatemala and the highlands. The buses to Antigua will pass trough this Avenue and you just need to stop it by taking your arm out and make a sing to stop him. Now you can sit and enjoy your first Guatemalan Chicken Bus.

If you are going to other places in the highlands you can do the same procedure until you get to Roosevelt avenue, and then take the bus you need: Xela, Panajachel, etc.,

And if you would like to go by shuttle to other places of the highlands then, take a shuttle or Taxi to Antigua and here you will find many travel agencies that offer you these rides.

Destination #2 The North of Guatemala (Peten, Coban, Izabal, etc.,)

If you want to reach the Northern or Caribbean part of Guatemala, you will not find shuttles going in this direction, at least from the City. You will have to go to Antigua first and then try to get a shuttle from there.

All of the buses going to this part of the country depart from downtown (Zone 1), so at the airport you can get a Taxi and just tell the driver to take you to the bus station of the place you want to go.

And if you want to go public transportation all the way then you take the bus #63 or #83 Terminal at the airport, and any of these buses will take you to downtown near of where all this bus stops are. For this you will have to ask people where to get down or have the exact address of the bus terminal you are looking for.

Destination # 3 Staying over night in Guatemala City?.

Did you arrive late?? Did you need to spend the night at the city even if you don’t want to?? It might not be a bad idea after all and here are some options you might find interesting.

If you are tired, and just looking for a place to sleep I would recommend you some of the Hostels near the airport like Dos Lunas or Hostal los Volcanes and they even can arrange a pick up at the airport or arrange also a shuttle for you the next day.

If you would like a nice place, but also to go out and have a nice dinner at a restaurant then in hostels your best option is Xamanek. This hostel is not just perhaps the nicest one in the city, but also is located in a very safe zone (Zone 10) where you can find restaurants, bars, discos, all of them in a walking distance from the Hostel.

There is also very nice hotels if your budget allows it and all of them are very close from the airport. And if you are looking for a really cheap option, you might head yourself to downtown to Pension Meza, which is a very popular spot among backpackers coming trough the city.

Hope you find this information useful, and helps in your visit to Guatemala.