Guatemala Attractions

Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango, mercifully known to just about everyone as Xela ('shay-lah'), is a base for excursions to hot springs, handicraft villages and treks to volcano summits. It's popular with travelers wanting to study Spanish or to join volunteer projects working with indigenous communities.

Heartland of the K'iche' Mayan people, this commercial hub prospered during the 19th century. The town's major sights are the central square and surrounding buildings, a couple of markets and the ubiquitous Parque Minerva - built to inspire Guatemalan youth to new heights of learning.

Guatemala City

Guatemala City may not be strictly pretty, but it is the largest urban agglomeration in Central America. Sprawling across a range of flattened, ravine-scored mountains, the city blankets an entire mountain plain. Its rickety chicken buses and chaotic marketplaces are straight off a postcard.

The city is visited more as the nation's administrative and transportation hub than as a tourist destination, so there isn't a whole lot to see. That said, the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología and Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno have great Mayan artifacts and 20th-century Guatemalan art.