Guatemala City is worth a day if you care about Maya archaeology, textiles or modern Guatemalan art. If colonial streets are what you came for, compare our Antigua list first. Foreigner fees in the table below run from free to Q50 a museum (Q70 for the Popol Vuh and Ixchel pair; MUNAE, not on the official listing, is Q100 per our museums page), but the day you go matters more than the price. The National Palace runs tours on weekdays only. Popol Vuh and Ixchel shut on Sundays. MUNAE and Miraflores close on Mondays, and the modern art museum has been closed since November 2022. Every hour and fee below comes from the museum’s own page or the Ministry of Culture, read on 4 November 2026.
TL;DR: Go on a weekday for Zona 1 (National Palace, Q40) and Zona 10 (Popol Vuh + Ixchel, Q70 cash). Save zona 13 (MUNAE; the modern art museum is closed until its planned 2027 reopening) and Kaminaljuyú for Thursday to Sunday. Canada advises against non-essential travel to zones 1, 3, 5-7, 18 and 21, which takes in the historic centre and Kaminaljuyú. Use a ride-hail app or a reputable taxi between zones.
Quick summary
| What | Zone | Open | Foreigner fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palacio Nacional de la Cultura (guided tours) | 1 | Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00; weekends temporarily out of service | Q40 (Guatemalans free) | Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes |
| Museo Popol Vuh | 10 | Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat 9:00-13:00, Sun closed | Q45 adults; Q70 with Ixchel (cash only) | Museum’s own site |
| Museo Ixchel del Traje Indígena | 10 | Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat 9:00-13:00, Sun and holidays closed | Included in the Q70 combined ticket | Museum’s own site |
| NuMu (contemporary art) | 10 | 9:00-18:00 on most days of the year | Free | Museum’s own site |
| Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología (MUNAE) | 13 | Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00 | Not on the official listing; see our museums page | SIC (Ministry of Culture) |
| Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno Carlos Mérida | 13 | Closed since 9 Nov 2022; first rooms planned to reopen Jan 2027 | — | AGN, 7 Nov 2026 |
| Museo Miraflores | 11 | Tue-Sun 9:00-19:00, closed every Monday | Q35 adults | Museum’s own site |
| Kaminaljuyú archaeological park | 7 | Daily 8:00-16:00; guided walks Thu-Sun | Q50 (Guatemalans Q5), quetzales only | Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes |
Conversions at Banguat’s 3 November 2026 rates: Q40 is about US$5.24, C$7.32 or £4.08; Q50 about US$6.55, C$9.16 or £5.10; Q70 about US$9.17, C$12.82 or £7.14. For deeper notes on each museum and its collection, see our Guatemala City museums guide.
Which day you go decides the plan
The museums keep different weeks, so the same itinerary does not work every day. This grid reads straight from the hours in the table above.
| Venue | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Palace tours | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Popol Vuh and Ixchel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Until 13:00 | No |
| MUNAE | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Modern art museum (closed until 2027) | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Museo Miraflores | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kaminaljuyú (site) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kaminaljuyú guided walks | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Thursday and Friday are the only days when every open venue on this page is open. Ixchel also closes on public holidays, so check the date before a long weekend.
Zona 1: the historic centre
The Palacio Nacional de la Cultura stands at 6a calle and 6a avenida in zona 1. The Ministry of Culture runs tours Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:00 and lists weekend tours as temporarily out of service. The Ministry notes that tours are subject to protocol events. Foreigners pay Q40; Guatemalans enter free with ID.
Before you go, read the advisories. Canada’s travel advice tells its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to zone 1. The UK’s advice is milder: it asks for care there, noting that opportunistic criminals have singled out tourists in the historic centre, where the cheaper hotels are and several bus lines terminate. Our Zona 1 guide covers the square, the markets and the cultural calendar for anyone who goes.
The Mapa en Relieve at the Hipódromo del Norte is a three-dimensional map of the whole country, built in cement by engineer Francisco Vela and opened on 27 October 1905. The Ministry of Culture lists it as a national monument. The official listing does not publish hours or an entry fee.
Zona 10: Popol Vuh, Ixchel and NuMu
The two private museums share the Universidad Francisco Marroquín campus at the end of 6a calle in zona 10. Popol Vuh holds pre-Hispanic and colonial art; Ixchel is devoted to Guatemalan Indigenous textiles and dress. Both open Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00 and Saturday 9:00-13:00, and both close on Sunday. Popol Vuh charges Q45 per adult, Q25 for students with a card and Q15 for children aged 2 to 12. A ticket for both museums costs Q70 and is cash only. Popol Vuh also charges Q15 to bring a camera into the galleries and bans tripods and flash.
NuMu, the Nuevo Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, is a free space at Diagonal 6, 15-80 in zona 10. It says it opens 9:00 to 18:00 on nearly all days of the year. To get in, ask at La K-fé de Benjamín across the street, and someone will open it for you.
For restaurants in this zone and the others, see our where to eat in Guatemala City guide. The UK advice is explicit that Zone 10 is not free from crime either.
Zona 13: the national museums at Finca La Aurora
Two state museums sit in the old Finca La Aurora grounds in zona 13. MUNAE, the national archaeology and ethnology museum, holds about 20,000 archaeological and 5,000 ethnological pieces. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00. The Ministry’s listing does not carry its current fee; our museums guide records the last announced figure.
The Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno Carlos Mérida, in Salón No. 6 of the same grounds, has been closed since 9 November 2022, when its hydraulic system collapsed. The Ministry of Culture and Sports plans a progressive reopening, with the first rooms of the permanent exhibition planned for January 2027 and two later phases for temporary-exhibition rooms, the building’s restoration and a library (AGN, 7 November 2026). The Ministry’s own museum page still listed hours and fees when read on 4 November 2026, so do not plan a visit before the reopening is announced.
Zona 11 and zona 7: Miraflores and Kaminaljuyú
Kaminaljuyú was one of the Maya highland cities, and its earthen mounds survive inside the modern capital. The Ministry says more than 200 buildings were counted by early explorers and fewer than 40 remain. The park, in zona 7, opens daily from 8:00 to 16:00. Guided walks run Thursday to Sunday, 9:00-12:30 and 13:30-15:00. Foreigners pay Q50 and Guatemalans Q5, and the site takes quetzales only. Zona 7 falls inside Canada’s avoid-non-essential-travel list (zones 5-7), and the UK asks for caution in zones 6, 7 and 8. Go by ride-hail or taxi, door to door. Our Kaminaljuyú guide has the history and the visit details.
Museo Miraflores, at 7a calle 21-55 in zona 11, gives its permanent hall to archaeological pieces from Kaminaljuyú. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00-19:00, and is closed every Monday. Adults pay Q35; students with a card and children aged 3 to 12 pay Q25. The museum says a ticket stays valid until 31 December of the year you buy it.
Zona 4 and Cayalá: evenings
For an evening after the museums, look at Zona 4, home of Cuatro Grados Norte, or Cayalá in zona 16. Neither zone is on Canada’s list of zones to avoid. Rather than repeat them here, see our Zona 4 guide and our things to do in Cayalá page.
Where not to wander, per the official advisories
| Zones | Canada (last updated 13 October 2026) | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (historic centre) | Avoid non-essential travel | Take care; tourists have been targeted |
| 3 | Avoid non-essential travel | Not named |
| 5, 6, 7 | Avoid non-essential travel | 6 and 7 (and 8): treat with caution |
| 18 and 21 | Avoid non-essential travel | Part of zones 18-25: chain hotels only, research the area |
| 10 (Zona Viva) | Not on the list | Not free from crime |
Our Guatemala City zones comparison sets these zones side by side for residents.
Getting around between zones
Canada’s advice is to stick to reputable taxi firms or ride-hailing apps and never hail a cab on the street. It rates hotel-associated taxis and the yellow cabs (taxis amarillos) as safe and the independent white taxis as dangerous. It calls the Transmetro and Transurbano city bus lines safer than other buses but reports attacks on passengers at stations, and advises daylight travel if you ride them. For fares and routes, see our Uber in Guatemala guide and our Transmetro guide.
If you are choosing between the capital and Antigua for your one free day, compare this page with our things to do in Antigua list.
Sources
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Palacio Nacional de la Cultura, https://mcd.gob.gt/palacio-nacional-de-la-cultura/, read 4 November 2026
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno Carlos Mérida, https://mcd.gob.gt/museo-nacional-de-arte-moderno-carlos-merida/, read 4 November 2026
- AGN, Preparan reapertura del Museo de Arte Carlos Mérida para enero de 2027, https://agn.gt/preparan-reapertura-del-museo-de-arte-carlos-merida-para-enero-de-2027/, published 7 November 2026, read 7 November 2026
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Kaminaljuyú, https://culturaguate.gob.gt/kaminaljuyu/, read 4 November 2026
- SIC (Sistema de Información Cultural), Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, https://www.sicultura.gob.gt/directory-directorio_c/listing/museo-nacional-de-arqueologia-y-etnologia/, read 4 November 2026
- SIC, Mapa en Relieve, Hipódromo del Norte, https://www.sicultura.gob.gt/directory-directorio_c/listing/mapa-en-relieve/, read 4 November 2026
- Museo Popol Vuh, Horarios y precios, https://popolvuh.ufm.edu/horarios-y-precios/, read 4 November 2026
- Museo Ixchel, https://museoixchel.org/, read 4 November 2026
- NuMu, Visit, https://www.elnumu.org/visit, read 4 November 2026
- Museo Miraflores, Planea tu visita, https://www.museomiraflores.org.gt/planea-tu-visita.php, read 4 November 2026
- Government of Canada, Travel advice and advisories: Guatemala, https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/guatemala, read 4 November 2026
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Guatemala: safety and security, https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guatemala/safety-and-security, read 4 November 2026
- Banco de Guatemala reference exchange rates for business day 3 November 2026 (USD 7.63621, CAD 5.46087, GBP 9.8002 quetzales)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Guatemala City worth a day?
It is worth a day if you want Maya archaeology and textiles. The city holds the national archaeology museum in zona 13 (about 20,000 archaeological and 5,000 ethnological pieces, per the Ministry of Culture’s SIC listing), the Popol Vuh and Ixchel museums in zona 10 and the Kaminaljuyú archaeological park in zona 7. Pick the day carefully: the National Palace tours run Monday to Friday only, and Popol Vuh and Ixchel close on Sundays (official pages, read 4 November 2026).
Which Guatemala City museums are open on Sunday and Monday?
On Sunday: the national archaeology museum (MUNAE, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-19:00), Museo Miraflores (Tuesday to Sunday 9:00-19:00) and Kaminaljuyú (daily 8:00-16:00). On Monday: the National Palace tours (weekdays 9:00-16:00), Popol Vuh and Ixchel (weekdays 9:00-17:00) and Kaminaljuyú. Miraflores and MUNAE are closed on Mondays (official pages, read 4 November 2026). The modern art museum has been closed since 9 November 2022, with its first rooms planned to reopen in January 2027 (AGN, 7 November 2026).
How much do Guatemala City museums cost for foreigners?
As of 4 November 2026: National Palace Q40 for foreigners (free for Guatemalans), Kaminaljuyú Q50 (Q5 for Guatemalans, quetzales only), Popol Vuh Q45 per adult, a Popol Vuh + Ixchel combined ticket Q70 in cash, Museo Miraflores Q35 per adult and NuMu free. Q50 is about US$6.55, C$9.16 or £5.10 at Banguat’s 3 November 2026 rates.
Is Zona 1 in Guatemala City safe to visit?
Canada’s advisory (last updated 13 October 2026) tells travellers to avoid non-essential travel to zones 1, 3, 5-7, 18 and 21 of Guatemala City. The UK asks visitors to be careful in Zone 1, where opportunistic criminals have singled out tourists, and adds that no part of the city is free from crime, Zone 10 included. Read both before you plan a Centro Histórico visit.
How should a visitor get around Guatemala City?
Canada’s advisory says to stick to reputable taxi firms or ride-hailing apps and not to hail taxis on the street; it rates hotel taxis and yellow cabs as safe and the independent white taxis as dangerous. It calls Transmetro safer than other city buses but reports attacks on passengers at stations. Our Uber and Transmetro guides carry the fares and routes.
