What About Guatemala City?
The standard on the beaten path approach is to get out of town ASAP, generally heading to Antigua. Certainly that city is worth a visit of a day or two, especially if you have never been there before, and it is great for arranging day trips in the highlands to interesting places, such as Lake Atitlan, Pacaya and even Chichi. However, it is not the only place to spend a few days in after arrival or before departure.
People tend to stereotype Guate and no one will ever convince some people about the value of staying there. Zone 10 (La Zona Viva) is quite nice and does have inexpensive places to stay and to eat there, though the more expensive predominate. From where I was staying, Xamanek Student Inn, it was pretty much of a straight shot to the Mercado Central by bus from a stop three blocks away, and I have been able to walk to the Museums Ixchél and Popul Vuh. On one trip, my wife and I not only walked there, but also to the archaeological museum and the zoo near the airport. A late night beer run was to a mini-mart a mere 3/4 block away. It was close enough to the airport that in a metered cab, that one time I paid the then minimum fare of 25Q to get there when leaving for my flight home. A later time, the cab arrived with 2Q on the meter and I ended up paying 27.
The
Zona Viva tends to attract prosperous Guatemalans, so I found that my normal way
of not looking prosperous did not attract any of whatever few would-be robbers
may have been in the area. I also saw no beggars in the area at all, which
made it a bit difficult to give some food I had brought the first time there for any obviously
handicapped ones.
It would probably not be a good idea to ride a bus through some of the more
dodgy neighborhoods anytime or in Zone 1 at night, but I had no safety problems
in day bus use on major routes. The hostel co-manager gave me some excellent
directions for buses and for the walk to the museums.
By taking normal precautions,
Zone 1 seems fine during the day and the Mercado Central is well worth a visit. It
is also interesting to wander through the Parque Central.
If you are staying downtown, the
Hotel Pan-American is expensive, but quite
nice
for the price.
My night time experiences downtown suggest that going outside is all right if you have a pretty good idea of where you are going. For example, hanging out at a nearby restaurant until a night bus is no big deal.
If you are arriving late and have no wish to do much more than sleep before an early morning flight, there are a good number of other hotels near the airport. Most offer a free shuttle and free breakfast, though it may be after the flights to Flores leave. Most are also in a residential neighborhood where the nearest places to eat are back at the airport.
Guatemala City Business Directory
Go to Wikitravel to read about a lot of things to see and do in Guatemala City.
A list of Guatemala City language schools
A list of museums there and in Antigua