Guatemala City
A highland capital whose airport sits almost in town, with tasting menus that tell the country's story and Antigua some 25 kilometres to the west.
- Arrival
- La Aurora · GUA
- To the city
- About 2.5 km from Zone 9
- Private jets
- Handlers with own customs at GUA
- Best time
- November to April
The city
The capital on the plateau.
Guatemala City is the country's business capital, a highland city divided into numbered zones. Hotels and offices gather in Zone 9 and the Zona Viva along Avenida la Reforma, a few minutes from the runway; the old centre, with its cathedral and palace on the main square, lies about four and a half kilometres away.
Several tables now rank among the best in Latin America, building menus on the country's own produce and history. With the altitude, the weather stays temperate: dry from November to April, with heavy rain from May to October.
- The historic centre The central square of the capital, with the cathedral and the National Palace facing each other across it.
- Avenida la Reforma The broad avenue of the Zona Viva, lined with hotels, offices and the city's evening life.
- Cuatro Grados Norte The fashionable quarter of the moment, home to Mercado 24 and its market-led cooking.
Arriving
An airport inside the city.
La Aurora stands on the south side of the capital, only a couple of kilometres from the hotels of Zone 9. The single runway is 9,800 feet long, at close to 5,000 feet of elevation.
- Cancún 1 h 25
- Mexico City 1 h 45
- Los Angeles 4 h 55
- San Francisco 5 h 35
- Frankfurt 12 h 25 long-range jet
When to go
November to April.
Temperate for the tropics, with highs between 22 and 26 degrees through the year. November to April is the dry season, under 25 millimetres a month; June and September are the wettest.
- 22° J 4
- 24° F 4
- 25° M 6
- 26° A 23
- 25° M 120
- 23° J 236
- 23° J 188
- 24° A 154
- 23° S 227
- 22° O 125
- 22° N 21
- 22° D 7
Where to stay
In Zone 9, or out in Antigua.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Barceló Guatemala City A large business hotel of 397 rooms, with a spa, an outdoor pool, a Japanese restaurant and a hall for 1,500 guests.
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Villa Bokeh Two MICHELIN Keys for a fifteen-room estate set in six acres of parkland on the edge of the old capital.
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Posada del Ángel An adults-only house of seven suites, its courtyard given over to a narrow lap pool.
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Good Hotel Antigua Twenty rooms in the UNESCO-listed centre, from a hotel group that began in Amsterdam.
Where to dine
The best tables in town.
No MICHELIN guide covers Guatemala; tables ranked by Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025.
- Sublime Latin America's 50 Best, No. 19 Guatemalan tasting menu 12 Calle 4-15, Guatemala City
- Diacá Latin America's 50 Best, No. 37 Seasonal Guatemalan Carretera a Muxbal, km 8
- Ana Latin America's 50 Best, No. 94 Colombian and Guatemalan 12 Calle 2-99, Guatemala City
Elsewhere in Guatemala
More reasons to come.
Flying to Guatemala City?
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