Guatemala

The following nationalities do not need a visa to visit Guatemala:Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United States, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Venezuela.

Valid passports are required of everyone except citizens of Central American countries.

By bus

From Belize

There are regular tourist buses from Belize City to Flores or Guatemala City via the border town of Benque Viejo, passing through San Ignacio and Xunantunich. From Benque you get a tazi to the border for around 3 Belize dollars, and from there a colectivo to Flores or Guatemala. Walk across the bridge to the Colectivo van headquarters to get better deals.

From El Salvador

Buses are available from San Salvador and Santa Ana.

From Honduras

Services run from Copan, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa.

Mexico

Buses are available from Tapachula, Palenque, Chetumal, Tulum, Cancun and Mexico City.

From further afield, it is possible to reach Guatemala from Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Tica Bus (http://www.ticabus.com) is a bus company that has newer buses and mainly travels between Central American countries with limited stops.

By plane

Guatemala's main airport, La Aurora International Airport GUA, is near Guatemala City. International flights arrive mostly from other Central American countries and North America. The airport recently underwent modernizing reconstruction. It is now a glass-and-concrete edifice with modern shops and duty-frees that you might expect in any large city. Food options may be somewhat still limited, however.

Guatemala's secondary airport is situated in Flores, Petén. This small airport receives flights from a small number of close destinations including Belize, Mexico City and Guatemala City.

It is sometimes cheaper to fly into Cancun and take buses through Belize or to fly into Mexico City and then take a low-cost airlines flight on Aviacsa (http://www.aviacsa.com) for around $100 USD to Tapachula which is the Mexico/Guatemala border. Now Interjet is flying for $130 from Mexico City to Guatemala City as well. Spirit Airlines offers great ticket prices from a number of US destinations normally connecting through Miami/Ft. Lauderdale - recently priced at $166 one-way to Guatemala City.

By car

From Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador access is via the Pan-American Highway. Road access is also possible with more difficulty from Belize.