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Getting There by Air
The main airline is TACA (website: www.taca.com). Iberia (website: www.iberia.com) flies direct from Madrid to Guatemala City.
Approximate Flight Times
From New York to Guatemala City is 5 hours 10 minutes and from Madrid is 11 hours 30 minutes.
Main Airports
Guatemala City (GUA) (La Aurora) is 6km (4 miles) south of the city. To/from the airport: A bus runs to the city. Taxi services to Guatemala City are available (journey time – 20 minutes). Facilities: Car hire, duty-free, shops, bars, restaurants, post office, bank/bureaux de change and tourist information.
Flores (FRS) is 3km (2 miles) from Flores and is located one hour from the UNESCO Tikal Archaelogical Park. Regular flights operate to Belize and Mexico. To/from the airport: Taxis and shuttles are available. Facilities: Snack bar and car hire.
Departure Tax
Flores (FRS) is 3km (2 miles) from Flores and is located one hour from the UNESCO Tikal Archaelogical Park. Regular flights operate to Belize and Mexico. To/from the airport: Taxis and shuttles are available. Facilities: Snack bar and car hire.
US$30, usually included in the fare. 24-hour transit passengers are exempt. A security tax of US$3 is payable at the airport.
Getting There by Water
Main ports: Santo Thomás de Castilla, Puerto Quetzal and Puerto Barrios. Further information is available from the Guatemala Port Authority (website: www.cpn.gob.gt).
There are regular water taxi services between Punta Gorda, Belize and Puerto Barrios and twice-weekly boats between Punta Gorda and Livingston. There is also a service from Omoa, Honduras to Livingston. From Palenque, in the Chiapas region of Mexico, there are a number of routes to Flores involving a mixture of bus and riverboat travel. Travel agents in Palenque can make all the arrangements.
Several international cruise lines call at Guatemalan ports.
There are regular water taxi services between Punta Gorda, Belize and Puerto Barrios and twice-weekly boats between Punta Gorda and Livingston. There is also a service from Omoa, Honduras to Livingston. From Palenque, in the Chiapas region of Mexico, there are a number of routes to Flores involving a mixture of bus and riverboat travel. Travel agents in Palenque can make all the arrangements.
Several international cruise lines call at Guatemalan ports.
Getting There by Rail
Ferrovias Guatemala (FVG) (tel: 2412 7200; website: www.rrdc.com) is an 800km (500-mile) railway connecting Guatemala City with Mexico, El Salvador and ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Restoration of the railway is currently underway, but the line is used mainly for freight. Two steam trains are available for charter by tour companies.
Getting There by Road
The Pan-American Highway runs through Guatemala from Mexico in the north and El Salvador in the south. Access is also possible from Belize. You should exercise particular care when travelling in the Belize/Guatemala border area. Travellers are strongly advised to use only the officially recognised border crossings.
Bus: There are bus services from all the neighbouring countries. Border crossings can be subject to considerable delays. The buses used by some companies are comfortable and air conditioned. Ticabus (tel: 2366 4038; website: www.ticabus.com) runs international services throughout Central America.
Bus: There are bus services from all the neighbouring countries. Border crossings can be subject to considerable delays. The buses used by some companies are comfortable and air conditioned. Ticabus (tel: 2366 4038; website: www.ticabus.com) runs international services throughout Central America.