Guatemala City Walking Tour: Authentic Exploration of Historical Houses
4.9
53 Ratings
Ciudad de Guatemala

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
  • Estación Centro Cívico - Here we will see all the buildings around such as: City Hall, Banco de Guatemala, Banco Credito Hipotecario Nacional, Social Security Offices.
  • Centro Cultural Miguel Angel Asturias - Teatro Nacional - Recinos Engineer was solely responsible for the monitoring, construction and creative development of what we know today 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, exactly on the 2nd. South Avenue and 10th. Street, but in 1935, the then president Jorge Ubico decided to start a new construction for the operation of the National Typography.
  • Rectoral parish of Our Lady of Remedies - The Church of Our Lady of Remedies or El Calvario is one of the most visited secular Catholic parishes in Guatemala City. Originally it was on the top of “Cerro del Cielito” at the end of the sixth avenue of the Historic Center of Guatemala City. In 1936 it was converted into the National Museum of History and later it was demolished to extend one of the main roads of Guatemala City.
  • Saint Francis Church - The Rectory of San Francisco is part of the territory of the Parish of Our Lady of Remedies of Guatemala City. It is a Catholic temple that belongs to the conventual Franciscan friars and is located in the Historic Center of Guatemala City.
  • General Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs of Guatemala - The Guatemalan Post and Telegraph Building, formerly called Palacio de Comunicaciones, was designed by Rafael Pérez de León and Enrique Riera and was built at the time of Jorge Ubico’s government.

The construction of the building began in 1938 and two years later, as part of the president’s birthday celebration, the first phase was inaugurated. Two other subsequent phases were completed in the next five years.

  • Casa Ibargüen - The Ibargüen House in zone 1 of the historic center was the old Beltranena palace, built in 1778. It is now the headquarters of the Foundation of the Historic Capital Center.
  • Constitution Plaza - The Constitution Plaza, also commonly called Central Park, is the largest square in Guatemala, surrounded to the north by the National Palace, former seat of the Government, to the east by the Metropolitan Cathedral, to the south by the Portal of Commerce, and to the west for the Centennial Park and the National Library of Guatemala. It is located on the Sixth Avenue of Zone 1, in Guatemala City.

In the Plaza, some of the most important events in the country are held, such as the celebrations and parades of the Independence Day of Guatemala, concerts, speeches, among others. It has also been the scene of the comparsas and strong criticisms of the government of the Huelga de todos los Dolores a parade of the students of the University of San Carlos and of demonstrations and protests against the Guatemalan government.

The main entrance of the National Palace is kilometer zero of all roads in the Republic of Guatemala.

  • Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago of Guatemala - The History of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Guatemala City. The Metropolitan Cathedral has gone through countless events for over 200 years, including two major earthquakes, independence and a revolution. … On July 23, 1860, the new Carrara marble altar was placed in the Cathedral.
  • Mercado Central - Shortly before the Independence of the Kingdom of Guatemala, there was a fairly large plot to the east of the Cathedral, as an abandoned square - old Plazuela de El Sagrario - and a semi-destroyed temple, which served as a chapel of the Sagrario itself, then in building. There was also a cemetery, closed for excess burials, made since the transfer of the Capital to the La Ermita Valley.

Dr. Mariano Gálvez conceived the idea of ​​converting that unhygienic square into a market that met public requirements, and for that, as a first providence, he arranged to move the cemetery to the large land called San Juan de Dios. The premature exhumation of newly buried corpses was attributed to the appearance of morbid cholera, so the work had to be paralyzed. In addition, the stubborn opposition of the ecclesiastical authorities had to be overcome, since it was a sacred place and belonged to the Church.

  • San Martín • Centro Histórico - A moment to finish with a Guatemala coffee cup on San Martin
    the old Pavón House, located on the Paseo de la Sexta and 10 street of the Historic Center, was revitalized to accommodate a new guest: the bakery and the most cozy restaurant 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
(53 Ratings)
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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
Julianrd1605mj
Jan 16, 2023
Wonderful !!! - Armando is a nice man and being born and growing up in this city make him to have a very good knowledge about everything … it was perfect.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
380cassiab
Dec 16, 2022
Interesting tour with knowledgeable guide - Armando was a kind and interesting guide who clearly has a great understanding of Guatemala City. He was very flexible and ensured the tour went at a nice pace for our children (aged 6 and 8). Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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