We chose Guatemala City to visit when looking for a destination for a long weekend that met the following criteria:
- We had not been before.
- Flights were both reasonable in price and did not require multiple hops.
- Warm weather
Guatemala City and neighboring Antigua ticked all of the boxes, and we were not disappointed. Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala, with several historical landmarks and cultural museums, is an excellent hub to start your trip to the country. Here are the highlights and must-see attractions that will make your visit unforgettable.
What stood out?
There were a few things that stood out on this trip.
American Fast Food Restuarants
As we drove down Avenue de Revolution and on our way to Antigua I was amazed at the number of American fast food restaurants especially McDonalds.
McDonald’s Happy Meal
Fun fact that the Happy Meal originalted in Guatemala City. In 1974 the franchise owners realized they needed a smaller meal for children and trued numbers iterations. Later McDonald’s corporate learned of this and decided to roll it out globally. There are 110 McDonalds restaurant across the country. We did not learn about it until after we left but one of most unique McDonalds is in Antigua which has interesting architecture due to the preservation rules.
Shortage of Guatemalen Restaurants
Around our hotel we had a challenge finding true Guatemalen restaurant. Our guide told us that most people either eat regional food or other dishes when they eat out since it is a luxury. We did have an amazing meal in Antigua. We ended up eating Peruvian and Tacos.
Coffee
I love good coffee and I did know that Guatemala is a major producer with 8 growing regions from mountain to lowlands. Guatemals it is the 9th largest exporter of coffee and the 4th largest of Arabica beans from nearly 2 billion trees with teh US and Japan being its biggest importers. Most of the coffee comes from shade coffee plants which has helped prevent deforestation that has occurred in other parts of the region. What I did not know that to help shade the coffee plants, farmers used avocado I was able to both try coffee from each region as well as bring back at least one bag from each.
Fun Fact – coffee was imported into Antigua by the Jesuits who used it as an ornamental bush in from of the monastery. This decorative plant resulted contributed nearly $1 billion to Guatemala’s Agricultural GDP second only to bananas.
Parque Central
Parque Central is teh main square incentral Guatemal City and on its sides are a few of the top hightorical sites so you are pretty much guaranteed to visit.
Metropolitan Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral is Guatemala City’s main church. To get to it, you can use one of the local names: Cathedral Metropolitan Basilica of Santiago de Guatemala or Catedral Primada Metropolitana de Santiago. It is centrally located at the Parque Central in the city’s center. It is a very large church incorporating baroque and classical elements and has withstood numerous large earthquakes. Damage by the devastating earthquakes of 1917 and 1976 has been repaired.
Compared to most cathedrals, this one is not as ornately decorated. In the front, 12 pillars contain the names of the thousands of people murdered during the counterinsurgency violence of their civil war.
National Palace
Popul Vuh Museum
Coffee
Tours
We did the day tour, really about three quarter day with Guatamalan Adventures.