The graceful former capital, with an incredible legacy of colonial architecture, is one of the most elegant cities in the Americas.
The Guatemalan highlands at their most bewitching: the costume and scenery of this deeply traditional Maya region are astonishing.
Nebaj © Milonk/Shutterstock
A fascinating highland Maya town, home to one of the finest textile traditions in Latin America, which hosts a legendary fiesta, with a rip-roaring horse race.
© streetflash/Shutterstock
Visit the pagan temple of this liquor-swilling, cigar-smoking evil saint.
© Carlos Tischler/Shutterstock
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This unmatched Maya site has it all: monumental temples and palaces set in a tropical forest alive with spider monkeys and chattering parakeets.
© WitR/Shutterstock
Guatemala has dozens of excellent language schools that offer one-on-one tuition and home-stay packages at rock-bottom rates.
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In-depth, easy-to-use travel guides filled with expert advice.
There’s a plethora of exquisitely carved stelae and altars, a towering hieroglyphic stairway and an outstanding museum at the magnificent ruins of Copán.
© Vladislav T. Jirousek/Shutterstock
Cruise up the jungle-cloaked gorges and estuaries of Guatemala’s “sweet river” by boat, and marvel at the scenery and birdlife.
For souvenir hunters, this twice-weekly highland market is unsurpassed.
A wonderful collection of Maya artistry and breathtakingly carved monuments from many remote Petén sites.
Trek up this volcano for an unforgettable encounter with the lava-oozing cone of Pacaya, one of Central America’s most active.
Shake your booty to the hypnotic drum-driven punta beat in the Garífuna town of Lívingston.
This massive Maya site, superbly positioned on the banks of Lago de Yaxhá, has dozens of large temples and impressive monuments.
© Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock
Encircled by three volcanoes, the awesome crater lake of Lago de Atitlán was famously described by Aldous Huxley as “the most beautiful lake in the world”.
Garishly painted and outrageously uncomfortable, there’s never a dull journey aboard Guatemala’s iconic fume-belching camionetas.
Chicken Buses in Guatemala
© Eric Kukulowicz/Shutterstock
During Easter Week, head to either Antigua for its epic Catholic processions, or Santiago Atitlán to witness the symbolic confrontation between the pagan saint Maximón and Christ.
Explore the beguiling, lofty trails of Guatemala’s western highlands: the town of Quetzaltenango and Nebaj are good bases.
Quetzaltenango © Francisco Sandoval Guate/Shutterstock
Sample some of the world’s finest single estate roasts in Cobán, the easy-going capital of Alta Verapaz.
© fotoearl/Shutterstock
Explore the exquisite turquoise pools and river system around Semuc Champey, a natural limestone bridge.