Visa and entry requirements Guatemala:
Passport required
No visa is required
Information from the Foreign Office about your trip to Guatemala:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/guatemalasicherheit/221882
Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America with around 16.5 million inhabitants. The country is located south of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and borders Honduras to the southeast, El Salvador to the south, Mexico to the north and Belize to the east.
Guatemala lies on the Caribbean Sea in the east, with the Gulf of Honduras, and on the Pacific coast in the southwest. The official language of Guatemala is Spanish and the national currency is the Quetzal, with 1 euro equaling around 8.50 GTQ.
The territory of Guatemala consists of many different landscapes, such as the narrow western coastal strip on the Pacific, the hilly “Boca Costa” region, the dry Oriente in the east, the tropical rainforest on the Caribbean coast in the north and the central highlands.
The Central Highlands is the most populous region of Guatemala, accounting for approximately 30% of the country's total area. The highlands are crossed by the “Sierra Madre” and “Sierra de los Cuchumatanes” mountain ranges. These mountains are home to several volcanoes, including the highest volcano in Central America, the 4,220 meter high Tajumulco.
Guatemala's largest cities include Guatemala City, Villa Nueva, Mixco, Quetzaltenango, Chinautia, Huehuetenango, Escuintia, Chimaltenango, Petapa, San Juan, Villa Canales, Amatitlan, Santa Lucia, Puerto Barrios and the historic city of Antigua.
Guatemala's economy is now the largest in Central America, but also one of the poorest. Domestic agriculture employs almost 40% of the entire population.
The country's most important export product is coffee - Guatemala is the seventh largest coffee exporter in the world, and textiles, sugar, bananas, cotton, tobacco, rubber, palm oil, nuts, precious stones and cardamom are also exported.
In addition, Guatemala still has small deposits of mineral resources such as nickel, gold and petroleum.
Tourism has developed into another important economic sector since the late 1990s. Due to several different landscapes, a wealth of flora and fauna and a pleasant price level, the country is particularly popular with international visitors.
The most important tourist attractions in Guatemala include the ancient capital Antigua, the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal, the densely populated island city of Flores, Lake Atitlan - perhaps the most beautiful lake in the world, the cloud forests in the mountains, the natural water basins of Semuc Champay, the impressive volcanoes and the city of Livingston on the Caribbean coast.
The country's capital and largest city is Guatemala City, with around one million inhabitants in the urban area and almost three million in the metropolitan area. Although the city was settled early on by the Maya, Antigua was the country's ancient capital until 1773. However, the city of Antigua fell victim to a strong earthquake, so the new capital was founded in Guatemala City.
Among the main attractions of the capital are the National Museum, the National Palace, the Cathedral of Guatemala City, the National Library, the Museum of Modern Art, the Church “Cerrito del Carmen”, Fontabella Square, the Zoo-La Aurora, the Church San Francisco, the Central Market, the Archeology Museum, the Plaza Mayor, the Spanish Square, the Church of Santo Domingo and the National Theater.
In June 2014 I traveled to fascinating Guatemala for a week, for me one of the most beautiful and friendliest travel countries in the world.
After I started in Belize by bus with my companion Maria, the island town of Flores was our first port of call. The colorful architecture and the incredible narrowness of this city give Flores a very special ambience. A tourist stay, especially at dusk, can hardly be more beautiful.
Flores was of course the perfect starting point for a trip to the ancient Mayan city of Tikal. If the mosquitoes hadn't bitten me so terribly there, it would have been one of the most beautiful trips ever. But maybe it was just my poor preparation.
Tikal, the Mayan ruined city, is one of the few places in the world where visitors can truly be amazed. Even though the weather wasn't exactly the best with constant drizzle, Tikal is definitely one of the top 10 highlights of my entire travel time for me.
After I had spent the entire day in Tikal with Maria and a last cozy evening in Flores, we finally parted ways. We had met four days earlier on the bus from Mexico to Belize and, because we were pursuing the same destination, we simply joined forces for a short time. She then drove back to work in Mexico and I took the bus to Guatemala City the next morning.
When I arrived in Guatemala's capital, Diana was already waiting for me, having met me through the Internet portal “Couchsurfing”, who was my host for the next three nights.
After Diana had the next two days off, the first thing we did was take a trip to Antigua, the former colonial capital of Guatemala. After a fantastic day in the old town, it was clear to me that the city of Antigua is one of the most beautiful historical cities in the world.
The next day we visited Lake Atitlan with its three surrounding volcanoes. Here, too, we immersed ourselves deeply in the natural beauty of Guatemala, and the foggy weather did the rest. This volcanic lake offered a truly spectacular photo opportunity and in the surrounding villages I felt like I had somehow arrived in the middle of the real Guatemala.
On the last day it was the turn of the capital Guatemala City, where we lived not far from the center. Despite feeling a bit uneasy, we drove into the city center with the “Hard Rock Cafe” as our main goal.
However, due to the extremely high crime rate in Guatemala City and my own safety, despite being accompanied by locals, our tour was quite short. In addition, the constant thought that Diana's father was shot in the street in the center when she was just 14 years old also strengthened the decision to leave the city center as quickly as possible.
Apart from the capital, Guatemala is a fantastic travel destination. The many nice people, the impressive landscape and the unique attractions are guaranteed to make your stay unforgettable.
The next morning I took the bus on to El Salvador, of course not without saying goodbye to Diana first. Thank you for your great effort and fantastic three days, thank you for a great stay.
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