Go on a Tuesday-to-Friday or a Sunday: since its March 2026 reopening Guatemala City’s Museo del Ferrocarril, in the old central station at 9a. avenida A 18-03, zona 1, opens 9:00 to 16:00 on those days and stays closed on Saturday and Monday, according to the state news agency AGN (22 March 2026).
In short: The museum, run within FEGUA’s cultural centre, keeps 20th-century locomotives, carriages, track and freight equipment, an exhibition hall on the railway’s role in the economy, and the presidential carriage of Jorge Ubico. The latest published entry price is Q15.00 for adults and Q5.00 for children (Guatemala.com, March 2026); a museum directory lists Q.30.00 for foreigners. Book or ask on WhatsApp 3994-1310. Parking is at 10a. avenida and 21 calle, zona 1, Q25 flat rate. All read 10 November 2026.
Hours since the March 2026 reopening
The museum closed for maintenance on 16 January 2026. AGN reported on 22 March 2026 that it reopened that Sunday with a new schedule; Guatemala.com’s report of 6 March 2026 (updated 9 March), citing the museum’s social media, gives the same schedule taking effect on 10 March 2026 and says the museum was open again from 6 March. The two reports differ on the reopening date, not on the hours.
| Publisher and date | Tuesday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGN, 22 March 2026 | 9:00 to 16:00 | Closed | 9:00 to 16:00 | Closed |
| Guatemala.com, March 2026 (secondary) | 9:00 to 16:00 | Closed | 9:00 to 16:00 | Closed |
| AGN, 20 October 2024 (earlier schedule) | 9 to 16 | 10 to 16 | 10 to 16 | Not listed |
| Ministry of Culture, SIC directory | 9:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | Not listed |
| AMG-ICOM museum directory, edited July 2025 (secondary) | 9:00 to 16:00 | 9:00 to 16:00 | 9:00 to 16:00 | Not listed |
All read 10 November 2026. Only the two 2026 reports describe the schedule announced at the reopening, and both close Saturday. The SIC page, last edited in September 2026, still prints Saturday and Sunday hours of 10:00 to 16:00; for a weekend visit, confirm on WhatsApp first.
Getting in: tickets, booking and parking
| Item | Detail | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 9a. avenida A 18-03, zona 1 (the former central station) | AGN, 22 March 2026; AMG-ICOM |
| Adults | Q15.00 | Guatemala.com, March 2026 |
| Children | Q5.00 | Guatemala.com, March 2026 |
| Foreigners | Q.30.00 | AMG-ICOM directory (edited July 2025) |
| Nationals and students | Q.15.00 | AMG-ICOM directory |
| Older ministry figures | Nationals and foreigners Q 2.00; children Q. 1.00 | SIC directory |
| Booking | WhatsApp 3994-1310, or buy on site a little in advance | AGN, 22 March 2026 |
| Parking | 10a. avenida and 21 calle, zona 1, flat rate of 25 quetzales; Guatemala.com identifies it as FEGUA’s blue gate | AGN; Guatemala.com |
| Telephone | 2208-4747 | AMG-ICOM directory |
Guatemala.com does not split its adult price by nationality, and AMG-ICOM’s foreigner rate is from an older edit, so a foreign adult should expect Q15 or Q30 and confirm on WhatsApp before going.
What you can see
The Ministry of Culture’s SIC directory entry describes an open exhibition on Guatemala’s railway history: locomotives, rails, carriages and loading equipment used in the 20th century to move goods between the ports and to carry passengers. A main hall tells the story of the railway’s part in the country’s industrial and economic development. As a cultural centre it offers guided visits, permanent exhibition rooms, temporary exhibitions and talks.
Guatemala.com’s reopening report adds the smaller things: tools used by railway workers, old photographs, documents and furniture showing daily life in the stations. Its headline piece is the presidential carriage used by Jorge Ubico, which it calls one of the most-visited stops, with its interior fittings on view. The same report lists itinerant libraries, storytelling sessions and art workshops for families and school groups. The AMG-ICOM directory describes locomotives from different periods and says train rides run on restored lines around the old station; it also lists guided visits, educational activities outside the museum and complementary cultural workshops.
Train rides and night events
Rides are tied to programmed dates rather than a daily timetable:
| Event | Date | Detail | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reopening ride | 22 March 2026 | 30-minute locomotive ride to Estación Gerona at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00; 75 quetzales; free for children up to 4 | AGN |
| Estación del Terror | 16, 17, 23 and 24 October 2026 | Night tour with train rides inside the museum at 19:00, 20:00, 21:00 and 22:00; Q100 per person; tickets via FEGUA’s WhatsApp 39941310 | AGN, 25 September 2026 |
| Estación del Terror | 25 and 26 October 2024 | Tour of the museum and old station yards plus a train ride, with professional actors; 100 quetzales per person | AGN, 20 October 2024 |
The 2026 night event is covered in our Halloween in Guatemala guide. Ask on WhatsApp whether a ride is scheduled for your date.
The station and how the museum began
The building is part of the exhibit. AGN and SIC date the construction of the central station to 1884-1908. It was repaired in 1920 (SIC says in the 1920s) after the earthquakes of 1917 and 1918. On 6 November 1995 its second floor burned. In 1998, with support from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, the 100 key historic railway pieces now on show were gathered together.
SIC, drawing on a 2005 study titled Sitio Web para el Museo del Ferrocarril de Guatemala, gives the founding steps:
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 2003 | A special commission was named to create the museum |
| 23 May 2003 | Preliminary work began, rescuing historic pieces and documents |
| 8 January 2004 | The museum opened under Acuerdo de Intervención No. 012-2003 |
| 12 January 2004 | Opening to the public |
SIC says the idea came from the decline of railway activity and from railway enthusiasts who wanted to save original pieces from a period of economic growth.
Related pages
For the state of passenger rail and FEGUA itself, see trains in Guatemala. Quetzaltenango has its own railway museum, the Museo del Ferrocarril de los Altos, listed on our Museo Ixkik’ page. Two more Guatemala City collections are the Banco de Guatemala coin museum and the Popol Vuh and Ixchel museums.
Sources
- AGN: Reabren al público el Museo del Ferrocarril, 22 March 2026, schedule, address, booking, parking, reopening ride and history; read 10 November 2026.
- AGN: Museo del Ferrocarril invita a La Estación del Terror en octubre, 20 October 2024; read 10 November 2026.
- AGN: Estación del Terror del Museo del Ferrocarril 2026, 25 September 2026; read 10 November 2026.
- Ministry of Culture, SIC: Museo del Ferrocarril, collection, history, hours and tariff; read 10 November 2026.
- Guatemala.com: El Museo del Ferrocarril en Guatemala vuelve a abrir, secondary report, 6 March 2026 (updated 9 March); read 10 November 2026.
- AMG-ICOM Guatemala: Museo del Ferrocarril, secondary museum directory; read 10 November 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Guatemala City's railway museum: where is it, when is it open, what can you see?
The Museo del Ferrocarril is in the old central railway station at 9a. avenida A 18-03, zona 1. Since its March 2026 reopening it opens Tuesday to Friday and Sunday, 9:00 to 16:00, and is closed on Saturday and Monday (AGN, 22 March 2026). Inside are locomotives, carriages, track, freight equipment and an exhibition hall on the railway’s history.
Is the railway museum open on Saturdays?
No, not since March 2026. AGN’s reopening report and Guatemala.com both say Saturdays and Mondays are closed under the schedule in force from 10 March 2026. AGN’s October 2024 article, the Ministry of Culture’s SIC directory and the AMG-ICOM directory still show Saturday hours; the two 2026 reports are the ones that describe the new schedule.
How much does the railway museum cost?
Guatemala.com’s March 2026 reopening report gives Q15.00 for adults and Q5.00 for children. The AMG-ICOM directory, last edited in July 2025, lists Q.30.00 for foreigners, Q.15.00 for nationals and students and Q.5.00 for children. The SIC directory still prints Q 2.00 and Q. 1.00. Confirm on the museum’s WhatsApp, 3994-1310.
Can you ride a train at the museum?
On special dates. At the March 2026 reopening the museum ran a 30-minute locomotive ride to Estación Gerona at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00 for 75 quetzales (free up to age 4), and in October 2026 its Estación del Terror night event included train rides at Q100 per person. Neither the March 2026 reopening report nor the two museum directories read on 10 November 2026 lists a daily ride.
What is the most famous piece in the railway museum?
Guatemala.com singles out the presidential carriage used by President Jorge Ubico, which it calls one of the most-visited stops on the route.
When did the railway museum open?
The Ministry of Culture’s SIC directory says it opened on 8 January 2004 under Acuerdo de Intervención No. 012-2003 and opened to the public on 12 January 2004.
