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Guatemala City Sightseeing: Landmarks, Culture, and Metropolitan Cathedral
4.3
56 Ratings
Discover the best of Guatemala City on a guided sightseeing tour. Visit iconic landmarks, immerse yourself in the local culture, and explore the Metropolitan Cathedral. Book now!
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Gray Line Guatemala - You will be picked up from your hotel (selected hotels) in Guatemala City by our tour guide to begin our city sightseeing tour. Below is a brief overview of what to expect along the way.
- Avenida Las Americas - We will start with an avenue named for its numerous plazas and monuments honoring the countries of the American continent, all surrounded by gardens.
- Plaza Berlin - Continue to Berlin Plaza for a panoramic view of part of the city and the landscape of the Pacaya volcano.
- Avenida La Reforma - We proceed along La Reforma Avenue, which was inspired by the avenues of France. For this reason, various statues are carved in stone, bronze, and marble brought from Italy.
- Iglesia Yurrita - Yurrita Church is a private chapel of mixed Baroque style, with Romanesque and Byzantine elements. It was built as a votive offering by Felipe Yurrita, a native of Arevalo, Castilla, Spain, to the Virgin of Our Lady of Sorrows, patron of that town, for favors received, particularly for saving his life during the eruption of the Santa Maria volcano.
- Centro Civico - At the Civic Center of the City, we will see a collection of buildings constructed between the 1950s and 1960s, such as The Supreme Court of Justice, the Ministry of Public Finance, City Hall, the Social Security, the Bank of Guatemala, the National Mortgage Bank, and the Guatemalan Tourism Commission, which are significant for the history and government.
- Paseo de la Sexta - The Paseo de la Sexta Avenida emerged due to the relocation of the city after the Santa Marta earthquakes in 1773. Sixth Avenue was one of the most important streets in the city, home to the best fashion stores, the most prestigious businesses, and the first movie theaters.
- Teatro Lux - The Lux Theater was one of the most important and emblematic stages in Guatemala between 1935 and 1960. It was converted into a cinema in the 1980s due to a decline in interest in theater. More recently, it was transformed into the new headquarters of the Cultural Center of Spain after an architectural remodel.
- Hotel Pan American - The site of Hotel Pan American was originally called the Pension Amado, built in 1914 and demolished by earthquakes in 1917 and 1918. It was renamed Hotel Pan American to honor the Pan Am Airlines crews who often stayed there. By the early 1980s, Hotel Pan American was the downtown meeting place where presidents had lunch and diplomats, government officials, and foreign visitors gathered to discuss matters of national interest.
- Trade Portal - The Rubio Passage, also known as “El Portalito,” is one of the best-known places in Zone 1. Part of its structure is inspired by the commercial passages of 17th-century Italy.
- Plaza de la Constitucion - When we arrive at the Major Plaza of the Constitution, we will appreciate important monuments such as the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Portal of Commerce, and Centenarian Park. It is also known as the heart of the Historic Center of the city.
- Mercado Central - Finally, we will visit the Central Market, located behind the Metropolitan Cathedral in the basement of the Tabernacle Plaza. It is divided into different sectors of products, where you will find everything from spices to beautiful jade souvenirs made in Guatemala, and other handicrafts.
- Iglesia Santo Domingo - The ancient church of Santo Domingo in Guatemala City, Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, is a Catholic temple in a neoclassical seismic style located in the Historic Center of Guatemala City. The main devotion in the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Rosario is to the Virgen del Rosario, queen of Guatemala City against earthquakes.
- Gray Line Guatemala - At the end of our city sightseeing tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned coach, van or minivan
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
Enjoy an afternoon tour of the highlights of Guatemala City. This is an excellent opportunity to acquaint yourself with the city while preserving your morning for other activities.
Explore Central America’s biggest city with an expert local guide and visit significant places like the National Palace of Culture, Metropolitan Cathedral, the Civic Center, and the Bank of Guatemala. For your ease, hotel pick-up and drop-off is part of the service.
- Minimum of 2 passengers (adults) is required for the tour to run. If the minimum size is not reached, the tour is subject to cancellation and all tickets are refunded or rescheduled.
- Depending on your pick up place the order of the itineray may change.
- Please contact us if you need a guide in any other language. French, German and Italian in private services, subject to additional costs and guide availability.
- For groups of 10 persons or more, please contact Gray Line Guatemala to arrange.
- It is recommended that you bring walking shoes, hat, sunglasses, and a camera.
- To find pictures of our experiences, search us on Instagram as @graylinetoursgt
- If you are lodging in an airbnb please move to the nearest hotel lobby and please let us know of its name.
- If you are lodging in Zone 1, our only pick-up point is at the Hotel Conquistador and the pick up time may change.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(56 Ratings)
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Tracyaschall
Feb 19, 2024
Amazing Tour! Highly Recommend - My daughter and I had the pleasure of touring Guatemala City with our incredibly knowledgeable and multi-lingual guide, Juan Pablo. We learned so much about the history of Guatemala, it's culture and geography while touring the city with Juan and our driver Roberto, who seemed to have supernatural driving abilities. . I highly recommend the tour if you enjoy history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_w
Jan 25, 2024
Great tour! - For this private tour I had the great Juan Pablo as my tour guide, who spoke perfect English. I also had the great driver Mynor. The ride was in a silver air conditioned comfortable minivan with tinted windows so no one could see in. We drove down the Avenida Las Americas where almost every country in Central/South America had a monument to it. Juan Pablo explained each one as we drove by them. We stopped at Plaza Berlin for a photo stop. A great scenic overlook where you can see two volcanoes. Also they have pieces of the Berlin Wall there. We then drove down the Avenida La Reforma where Juan Pablo pointed out each statue. We then stopped at the private red church Iglesia Yurrita for pictures. You cannot go in, it's private. We then got out at 6th Avenue, a pedestrian only street, and walked that to the main square where we saw many more historic sites. We finished our trip with a visit to the Mercado Central, the huge underground shopping area you can can easily get lost in, so I'm glad Juan Pablo stuck with me the whole time. He was a good translator for all the merchants who would call out to you saying things in Spanish as you walked by their stalls. After this I was dropped back at my hotel. Overall a great tour of all the must see sights in Guatemala City.
Review provided by Viator
Jessicasy3867nq
Jan 19, 2024
Great Tour! - My mom, daughter, and myself took this tour. Evelyn was so sweet and kind to our family. She took us around the city and answered all of our questions. We had a good time. I would recommend this tour to others, especially if traveling with children.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nathalie_c
Jan 4, 2024
Great tour of 2 cities - Great tour of Anguila and Guatemala City. Pamela is awesome, knowledgeable and kind. You will learn alot
Review provided by Viator
Sonya
Nov 25, 2023
Nice Time Out of the Hotel - Very nice. It was good to get around the city and learn the history. My son’s favorite part was the flea market. The van was cozy and clean.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jason_t
Sep 30, 2023
A must when visiting Guatemala City - This was an amazing experience! Our tour guide was very welcoming and made the learning experience very memorable! I enjoyed visiting the different landmarks and learning about the history. I also enjoyed walking around the market and seeing the different shops.
Review provided by Viator
Tiffany_d
Sep 30, 2023
Fabulous tour! - Juan Pablo and our driver were AMAZING! Juan Pablo was one of the most informative and personable guides we have ever had on an excursion. His knowledge of the history, people and places of Guatemala City and beyond was interesting and he answered any questions we had with his in depth knowledge. We HIGHLY recommend this tour if you’d like a glimpse of what Guatemala City has to offer so you may revisit it on your own after. It was exactly what we were looking for.
Review provided by Viator
Merrily
Jul 11, 2023
Wonderful experience! - I am so glad I booked this tour! We would not have been able to see that number of important sights in that amount of time on our own. Our guide was knowledgeable on the history of the city and able to answer many of my questions. He was pleasant and enthusiastic about the tour. We were promptly picked up at the hotel and safely delivered back there. The driver was also amazing. I highly recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jack_b
Apr 13, 2024
Disappointed - Despite numerous attempts to contact the tour coordinator to confirm our pick up. The tour was a no go. The group did not pick us up at the hotel, so there was no tour.
Review provided by Viator
Vickieedetroit
Feb 10, 2024
Disappointed, disappeared - We booked this tour so we could see a wide swatch of Guatemala City on our last day of vacation. But the tour did not show up and we waited around for 45 minutes, wondering where they were. They had confirmed via email an hour ahead. When we finally reached them they offered us a tour the next day, which of course did not work. Terrible customer service. Very disappointed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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