Guatemala City or “Guate” as locals usually refer to it, is the capital city of Guatemala. Considered to be the most populous city in Central America, Guatemala city is indeed a sprawling metropolis. Because of the city’s elevation, people can expect a generally mild, almost spring like climate all throughout the year. Infrastructure wise, the city is a mixture of modern and colonial architecture. It is actually often ignored by tourists due to its bad reputation of traffic, insecurity, crimes or in short, a dangerous place to be. Most of the tourists upon arrival will go straight to Antigua, but, that’s quite unfair for the city.
For the last couple of years, the city has improved and with the continuous effort of the government to improve safety and security not only in the city but in the entire country, the statistics for crimes in Guatemala have fallen, but of course safety precautions are still advisable especially for tourists. Guatemala City has a certain charm of an old city, great churches and architectures, museums and markets. It is a good place to see mixture of Guatemala’s Criollo, ladino, mestizo and indigenous cultures.
Most of the historical sites and must see places in Guate are located in Zona 1. Places like The Metropolitan Cathedral, Palacio Nacional, Edificio de Correos Central (Post Office). The area also offers nice culture/crawl bars, coffee shops and restaurants for tourists as well. And for the contemporary and modern vibe of the city, Zona 10 & 14 or the “Zona Viva” are the places to check out. These area are the business sectors of the city, where most of the international businesses and modern architectures are mostly located, as well as embassies can be found. So, for your next travel destination, give the city of Guatemala a chance to share its culture and history to you.
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Con mucho amor.
Imelda❤
