Guatemala

It's been a long time since anybody called Guatemala City the Paris of anywhere, which makes it all the more remarkable to find a replica of the Eiffel Tower straddling a busy downtown intersection. The Torre del Reformador, originally named the 'Torre Conmemorativa del 19 del Julio,' was completed in 1935 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of former president and reformer Justo Rufino Barrios.

The main sights in Zona 1 are grouped around Parque Central. Back in the day, standard colonial urban planning required every town in the New World to have a large plaza for military exercises and ceremonies: on the north side of the plaza was usually the palacio de gobierno (colonial government headquarters); on another side, preferably the east, would be a church or cathedral; and the remaining sides of the square would feature additional civic buildings or the imposing mansions of wealthy citizens. Guatemala City's Parque Central is a classic example of the plan.

Two of the country's best museums are housed in large, modern buildings at the Universidad Francisco Marroquín, 1km east of Av La Reforma.

The attractions here in the city's southern reaches are all ranged along 5a Calle in the Finca Aurora area, northwest of the airport. While here you can also drop into the Mercado de Artesanías.

For budget and many midrange hotels, make a beeline for Zona 1. If you have just flown in or are about to fly out, there are a number of convenient guesthouses near the airport. Top-end hotels are mostly located around Zona 10.

Many of the city's cheaper lodgings are clustered in the area between 6a and 9a Avs and 14a and 17a Calles, 10 to 15 minutes' walk south from Parque Central. Keep street noise in mind as you look for a room. Note that this area can be dicey at night, and some of the hotels are used to hourly visits by customers.

The middle-class residential area around the airport in Zona 13 is filling up with guesthouses catering to arriving and departing travelers. All the room rates include breakfast and airport transfers (call from the airport on arrival). There are no restaurants out here, but hotel staff have the complete lowdown on fast-food home-delivery options.

For cheap eats head to Zona 1 – there are little comedores around the Mercado Central, and the cheapest of all are inside the market, on the lower floor. Zonas 10 and 14 have the lion's share of upscale restaurants, with a good selection of international cuisines.

Cheap eats are easy to find in Zona 1 – dozens of restaurants and fast-food shops are strung along, and just off, 6a Av between 8a and 15a Calles.

Zona 10's upmarket ambience is matched by its range of restaurant choices – prices are higher here, but you're bound to find more variety on the menus and more comfortable surroundings.

Zona 1 has a clutch of good drinking places, including some Latin music and dance venues, all advantageously within half a block of each other just south of Parque Central.

The gay and lesbian scene in Guatemala City is not comparable to San Francisco (not by a long shot), but there are several places worthy of mention.

Guatemala City is home to nearly half the country's population, so it's no surprise that there are entertainment options to spare. The city's various cultural centers are the place to catch music and art shows, and there's live music most nights in the bars around Parque Central, and in the park itself most Sundays.

For fashion boutiques, electronics and other goods, head for large shopping malls such as Centro Comercial Los Próceres or Oakland Mall in and around Zona 10. Zona 1's 6a Av is a fun window-shopping experience – half the city seemingly turns out to check out the shops, eat ice cream and just cruise the pedestrian mall.

Guatemala City is quite spread out, with the airport to the south, the two major bus terminals to the southwest and northeast, the majority of interesting sights in the downtown Zona 1, and museums and higher-end accommodations clustered around Zona 10. None of these are really within walking distance of each other, but taxis are plentiful and cheap, and two relatively safe bus networks connect various parts of the city.

There are many exciting walks and climbs to be done from Xela. Volcán Tajumulco (4220m), 50km northwest, is the highest point in Central America, and is a challenging one-day trek from the city or two days with a night camping on the mountain. This includes about five hours of walking up from the starting point, Tuhichan (2½ hours by bus from Xela).

With a continual influx of foreign volunteers and language students, Xela counts numerous long-stay options. Some guesthouses offer furnished apartments and most language institutes can set up homestays with local families. Local rentals are listed in the classified section of the publication XelaWho.

Quetzaltenango has an excellent selection of places to eat in all price ranges. Cheapest are the food stalls on the lower level of the central market, where snacks and main-course plates are sold for Q10 or less. Most restaurants are just a few minutes' walk from Parque Centro América.

Coffee and hot chocolate fuel much of Xela's day-to-day life, and there are plenty of places to grab a cup.

Parque Centro América is a popular place for an evening stroll.

The heart of Xela is the oblong Parque Centro América, graced with neoclassical monuments and surrounded by the city's important buildings. Most accommodations are within a few blocks of this plaza.

If you want to secure a room the night before the Thursday or Sunday market, it's a good idea to call or arrive early the day before.

There are plenty of restaurants living by the twice-weekly influx of local and foreign visitors.

The real food action in Chichicastenango is in the central plaza, where attentive abuelitas (grandmas) ladle chicken soup, beef stew, tamales and chiles rellenos from huge pots as their daughters and granddaughters minister to the throngs of country folk sitting at long tables covered with oilcloth. What are called tamales here are made of rice and laced with sauce. Sliced watermelon and papaya can be had at other stalls. On non-market evenings, you'll find enchiladas and pupusas in front of the cathedral, served with atole de plátano, a warm plantain beverage spiked with cinnamon.

Evening activity is mostly a matter of wandering the stalls ringing the main square, though you can have a beer or cocktails at either of the two elegant hotels.

The twice-weekly market is one of the best places for souvenir shopping in Guatemala.

Looming above the village, Volcán San Pedro (3020m) almost demands to be climbed by anyone with an adventurous spirit and a reasonable level of fitness. It is the most accessible of the three volcanoes in the zone and, classified as a municipal ecological park, it's regularly patrolled by tourism police.

San Pedro does not lack for accommodations, particularly at the budget end of the spectrum. Most hotels charge a slight premium for rooms with a lake view. Deals are there to be had for long stays or during low season, along with rooms and houses to rent – ask around.

There are plenty of places to get your grub lakeside.

San Pedro has something of a hard-partying reputation, and while authorities have regular clean-ups of backpacker excesses, there are still plenty of bars. Many pedranos steer well clear and prefer to spend their evenings shouting the Lord's praises at evangelical congregations.

San Pedro has two docks, about 1km apart. The one on the southeast side of town serves boats going to/from Santiago Atitlán; the other, on the northwest side, serves Panajachel. From each dock, streets run ahead to meet outside the market in the town center, a few hundred meters uphill.

Lago de Atitlán is a cycling and hiking wonderland, spreading across hill and dale. But before setting out for any hike or ride, make inquiries about safety with Proatur, and keep asking as you go. Volcán San Pedro climbs with numerous operators in town cost around Q700 per person, including boat transportation, taxi to the trailhead, entry fees and guide. Paddleboards are available for rent from Pana Surf.

'Too much of a good thing' is how Aldous Huxley described Lago de Atitlán in his 1934 travel work Beyond the Mexique Bay. That applies well to the experience of soaring over Lago de Atitlán with parachute-like wings, enjoying a falcon's view of the lake's rippling expanse and the villages that tumble down from green hills to its shores. The lake has become a center for paragliding enthusiasts and several operators provide tandem flights, with passengers seated in a canvas chair attached to the flyer's harness so they're free to take photos or simply gaze in amazement at the panorama below.

Budget travelers will rejoice at the profusion of family-run hospedajes (guesthouses). They're simple but cheap. The pricier ones offer generous discounts for longer stays.

There are plenty of restaurants lining Calle Santander, which swell in the late afternoon and evening with taco stalls and other cheap street eats.

Panajachel's miniature Zona Viva (party zone) focuses on Av Los Árboles. Especially at weekends, it seems as if every other restaurant on Calle Santander has live music.

Calle Santander is lined with booths, stores and complexes that sell (among other things) traditional Maya clothing, colorful blankets, leather goods and wood carvings. Otherwise, head for the traditional market building in the town center, which is busiest on Sundays when every square meter of ground alongside is occupied by vendors in indigenous garb.

Most buses stop at the intersection of Calle Principal and Calle Santander, the main road to the lake with a plethora of lodgings and other tourist-oriented businesses. Calle Principal continues 400m to 500m northeast to the town center, where you'll find the daily market (busiest on Sunday and Thursday), church, town hall and a further smattering of places to sleep and eat.