Top 10 Things To Do And See In Guatemala City

A re-appropriated military fortress turned into a cultural wonderland in 1987, in the shape of the volcanoes which surround it, Teatro Nacional lies in the heart of the city and contains five complexes, an amazing view of the city and Civic Center, excellent acoustics and everything under the sun from plays to ballets to concerts. In the vision of its architect, Efrain Recions, the masterpiece is inspired by Mayan culture and offers an outdoor, chamber and main theater, as well as a Museum of Old Fort of San José which accommodates a small military museum home to a replica of the first fortified Mayan city of Mesoamerica: Punta de Chiminios. The National School of Art and The National Cultural Radio also operate from the confines of this complex.

24 Calle 3 – 81,Zona 1, Guatemala City, Guatemala, +502 2232 4041

Located on the north side of Parque Central sits the architectural and historic tribute that is the Presidential Palace. Built between 1936 and 1943, with its intermix of Spanish styles (from Renaissance to neoclassical), Palacio Nacional is in fact the third palace to sit in this location. Commissioned by the infamous dictator General Jorge Ubico, who forced prisoners to build this site, it now stands bereft of its governmental offices as a museum open to the public and a destination of ceremonial events. The stain-glass banquet hall, adorned with stained-glass panels, ironically represents the virtues of good government. Be sure to find the presidential balcony and the Patio de la Paz in the western courtyard, in which a monument of two enormous brass hands signify the signing of the Guatemalan Peace Accords of 1996. If you happen to be there at 11 a.m., the military guard changes the rose held in the hands daily and the previous is tossed to a female spectator.

Cnr 6a Av & 6a Calle,Zona 1, Guatemala City, Guatemala, +502 2253 0748

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9-11:45 a.m. & 2-4:45 p.m. (Price: Q30)