This is the Guatemala City chapter from Lonely Planet's Guatemala guidebook.

Big, dirty and dangerous, Guate (as it's known) is either utterly forgettable or fascinating, depending on who you talk to. Either way, there's no doubt that there's an energy here unlike that found in the rest of Guatemala, with the extremes that categorize the whole country in plain view.

• get among the bustle of Parques Central and Centenariom, with their shoeshine boys, ice-cream vendors and open-air political meetings and concerts
• maps
• be prepared for anything from salsa to reggaetón to trance in Zona 10
• transport
• check out the Mapa en Relieve, a huge, openair, 1:10,000 scale map of Guatemala
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Dangers & Annoyances, Sights, Guatemala City for Children, Tours, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking, Entertainment and Getting There & Around.