Guatemala City Walking Tour: Authentic Exploration of Historical Houses

55 Ratings

Ciudad de Guatemala

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This is the only walking tour in Guatemala City that truly captures the essence of the city’s core.
Explore on foot and step into a selection of significant residences.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias - Teatro Nacional - Engineer Recinos was solely responsible for overseeing, constructing, and creatively developing what is now known as the Guatemalan Cultural Center “Miguel Ángel Asturias”.
Dirección General del Diario de Centro América y Tipografía Nacional - The first National Typography building was located from 1894 to 1918 on the avenue known as Hospital Street, precisely at 2nd South Avenue and 10th Street. In 1935, President Jorge Ubico initiated the construction of a new building for the National Typography.
Rectoral Parish of Our Lady of Remedies - The Church of Our Lady of Remedies, also known as El Calvario, is one of the most frequented secular Catholic parishes in Guatemala City. Originally situated atop “Cerro del Cielito” at the end of Sixth Avenue in the Historic Center of Guatemala City, it was converted into the National Museum of History in 1936 and later demolished to extend one of the city’s main roads.
Saint Francis Church - The Rectory of San Francisco is part of the Parish of Our Lady of Remedies in Guatemala City. This Catholic temple, belonging to the conventual Franciscan friars, is located in the Historic Center of Guatemala City.
General Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs of Guatemala - The Guatemalan Post and Telegraph Building, formerly known as Palacio de Comunicaciones, was designed by Rafael Pérez de León and Enrique Riera. Construction began in 1938, and the first phase was inaugurated two years later as part of President Jorge Ubico’s birthday celebration. The subsequent phases were completed over the next five years.
Casa Ibargüen - The Ibargüen House, located in Zone 1 of the historic center, was originally the Beltranena Palace, built in 1778. It now serves as the headquarters of the Foundation of the Historic Capital Center.
Constitution Plaza - Constitution Plaza, commonly referred to as Central Park, is the largest square in Guatemala. It is bordered to the north by the National Palace, the former seat of the Government, to the east by the Metropolitan Cathedral, to the south by the Portal of Commerce, and to the west by Centennial Park and the National Library of Guatemala. Situated on Sixth Avenue in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, the plaza hosts significant national events such as Independence Day celebrations, concerts, speeches, and parades. It has also been a venue for student parades and protests against the Guatemalan government. The main entrance of the National Palace marks kilometer zero for all roads in the Republic of Guatemala.
Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago of Guatemala - The Metropolitan Cathedral of Guatemala City has a rich history spanning over 200 years, including surviving two major earthquakes, independence, and a revolution. On July 23, 1860, a new Carrara marble altar was installed in the Cathedral.
Mercado Central - Shortly before the Independence of the Kingdom of Guatemala, there was a large plot east of the Cathedral, known as the old Plazuela de El Sagrario, which included a semi-destroyed temple serving as a chapel and a cemetery closed due to excessive burials. Dr. Mariano Gálvez envisioned transforming this unhygienic square into a market that met public needs. He arranged to move the cemetery to the large land called San Juan de Dios. However, the premature exhumation of newly buried corpses was linked to the appearance of morbid cholera, halting the work. Additionally, there was strong opposition from ecclesiastical authorities, as it was a sacred place belonging to the Church.
San Martín • Centro Histórico - Enjoy a cup of Guatemalan coffee at San Martín, located in the revitalized old Pavón House on Paseo de la Sexta and 10th Street in the Historic Center. This cozy restaurant and bakery is part of the San Martín chain.

What's Included

Public transportation tickets included

What's Not Included

Tea and coffee
Lunch

Location

Westin Camino Real

14 Calle

Our guide will be at front door (outside) meet everyone to start the tour. Always look for our logo in front and back on its shirt it´s say "Tour Guide & Travel Services"

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(55 Ratings)

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G4486pvjuanl

Jun 12, 2024

Great tour of the Historic Center of Guatemala City - Great and enriching experience. Not only to walk through the historic center, but to know the history of each emblematic place in Zone 1. The guide, very good. Recommended.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Jennie_h

Apr 19, 2024

Amazing walking tour of Guatemala City - Excellent walking tour. It ended up being just me and my partner so we had a private tour! Armando was very informative and friendly, and knew a lot about Guatemala City from his experiences working there and being a previous firefighter! He imparted a lot of information, including about the government structure, Mayan history, and architecture. We saw lots of things within zone 1, and went to places we wouldn't have known about. Highly recommended!

Review provided by Viator

Larrymichigan

Feb 12, 2024

An excellent historic tour of Guatemala City. - Louise gave us an excellent tour. We learned a lot about Guatemala City that we did not know previously. Great tour and very informative.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Andrew

Feb 11, 2024

Good way to start off - The tour was good value for money. Lots of information given from a local with good English. It was hot so pack your hat, sunscreen and water. The tour of the market was great, one of the best in Latin America I am sure. Would do it again

Review provided by Viator

Gl2023

Oct 16, 2023

AMAZING EXPERIENCE! - We contacted Hector only one day in advance of our walking tour of Guatemala City and the communication was seamless. He responded immediately and we were very happy that the company was still able to offer tours during this time of protests. Our family of four did the walking tour with Don Armando in English and it was INCREDIBLE. Don Armando was very gregarious and everyone in our tour group instantly took a liking to him. He has a wealth of knowledge, was always open for questions, and let us take the tour at a very comfortable pace, allowing for lots of photos and winding conversations. We all felt like we learned a very full history of Guatemala. Don Armando was also very funny too! We absolutely loved our walking tour of Guatemala City and would highly recommend it if you have any time in Guatemala City. It was the highlight of our trip there. So happy we were able to have this experience!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

507andyv

Sep 12, 2023

The Best Way To See Guatemala City In A Day - We only had one day to see Guatemala City and we did it with Armando who guided us through the city. His English was great and very easy to understand. He showed us so many places and explained so many things that we would never have had seen if we had not done this tour. We also were able to book this tour at the last minute and they accommodated our requirements with easy. Highlight recommend this tour company for their Guatemala City Tour!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Z3086dbpaulk

Feb 24, 2023

Yes, you should visit Guatemala City. - A very interesting tour of Guatemala City zone 1. After reading so many negative things about Guatemala City, this was a real eye opener. Fidencio showed us a vibrant, living central city with a history. Very much worth the time and money.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Cozie2019

Feb 6, 2023

Luis mi protector - My sister and I literally booked our walking tour with Luis the night before and upon payment Hector reached out via WhatsApp and connected us with Luis, our guide. The tour was on Friday, February 3rd and the morning of we were to meet Luis at 10:30am. On our way over to meet him we had no idea that he was walking beside us until we arrived haha so from that moment we called him our protector. Luis honestly made me appreciate love and appreciate Guatemala City, he was so knowledgeable about the history of the City and it's people. He even shared external knowledge about other cultural influences past and present. That's not even all! He shared about the ins-&-out of where to eat, shop and recommended things about our incoming stay in Antigua. He is the best tour guide in Guatemala City and I am looking forward to meeting you again my friend!!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Yossi

Jan 31, 2023

Amazingly beautiful - We had our walking tour with Jose Luis and he made sure we see and understand the surroundings VIP walk and safety all around recommended to do ! Thank you so much

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Debbie_s