7 Best Things to Do in Zone 1 Guatemala City, Guatemala City, Guatemala

Guatemala is famous for its beautiful landscapes, volcanoes, colonial towns, and Mayan ruins. Its capital, on the other hand, is either completely discounted or labeled infamous. But don’t high-tail it before you’ve had a chance to check out these fabulous things to do in Zone 1 Guatemala City.

Guatemala City often gets a bad rap for being noisy, dirty, chaotic, and an epicenter of crime. Many visitors to Guatemala get out of the capital city as fast as possible, taking a shuttle from the airport to the black sand beaches of the Pacific, Acatenango Volcano, or the scenic highlands surrounding Lake Atitlán.

The traffic IS awful. Buses discharge plumes of diesel smoke from their rear ends. Petty theft, “zonas rojas” (red zones for crime), and poverty are real issues. Between the honking horns, blaring music, megaphone announcers, and street vendors hawking their wares, it is definitely loud.

And yet, Guatemala City still has some pretty neat places. My all-time favorite spot to visit in the sprawl of the capital is Guatemala’s historic center: Zone 1. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).