Guatemala City and Belize City are capitals of neighbouring countries, but no bus links them in one piece. The carrier that sells Belize City, Fuente del Norte, sells it only from Santa Elena (Flores), and every overland package we found is an overnight bus to Flores glued to the 06:00 departure for Belize the next morning. The real choice is between that overnight chain and a flight, and the two are priced in different worlds: about USD 80-105 against round trips from USD 446.
Quick summary
- No direct bus. Fuente del Norte’s own booking engine returned “No se encontraron salida para esa fecha” for Guatemala to Belice City on both dates we tried (10 and 14 October 2026), read on 3 October 2026.
- Overnight packages via Flores: AtitlanTour USD 80 (recliner) or USD 100 (semi-bed), Guatemala Transportation USD 85 or USD 105, both leaving at 20:00 and continuing from Flores at 06:00.
- Do it yourself with the carrier: Fuente del Norte to Santa Elena at 15:00, 21:00 or 22:00 (Q262.50), then Santa Elena to Belice City at 06:00 (Q157.50).
- Fly: TAG Airlines round trips from USD 446; Tropic Air from USD 533 (a fare it says was seen within the last 48 hours). Neither publishes a flight time on the pages we read.
- Fees: no Guatemalan exit tax by land; BZ$40 in Belize fees on the way back out of Belize by land.
The four ways, side by side
Read at each seller’s own page or booking engine on 3 October 2026. Nothing is converted between currencies.
| Option | Leaves | Price | Time as published | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAG Airlines | Not published on its pages | Round trip from USD 446 | Not published | Belize listed as a TAG destination (“Belice”) |
| Tropic Air | Not published on its pages | Round trip from USD 533 (16-21 Oct 2026 dates) | Not published | Lands at Philip Goldson International (BZE) |
| AtitlanTour package | 20:00, Guatemala City | USD 80 recliner / USD 100 semi-bed | 9 + 6 hrs | Pullman to Flores, then Flores to Belize City |
| Guatemala Transportation package | 20:00, Guatemala City; 06:00 from Flores | USD 85 first class / USD 105 semi-bed | Not published | Pullman to Flores, then Pullman to Belize City |
| Fuente del Norte, two tickets | 15:00, 21:00 or 22:00 to Santa Elena; 06:00 to Belize City | Q262.50 + Q157.50 | Not published | You connect yourself in Santa Elena |
The engine also showed a Q315 fare next to Q262.50 on each Santa Elena departure. For the bus companies and stations on the first leg, see Guatemala City to Flores and Tikal.
Flying: TAG or Tropic Air
Both airlines list the route; neither publishes a timetable or a block time on the pages we read on 3 October 2026, so we do not quote a flight time.
- TAG Airlines shows Belize in its Destinos populares panel at USD 446 round trip (“Ida y Vuelta desde”). TAG’s own conditions say all flights close 45 minutes before departure. Its Belize destination page is travel copy only: no airport, schedule or fare.
- Tropic Air lists Guatemala City (GUA) among its destinations. Its fare finder showed Belize City to Guatemala City from USD 533 round trip for 16-21 October 2026, and Guatemala City to Belize City from USD 533 for 12-26 October 2026, with the caveat that fares are collected within the last 48 hours and may no longer be available.
- Where you land: Tropic Air says all international passengers clear customs and immigration at BZE, which it describes as Belize’s only international airport, 10 miles (16 km) from downtown Belize City.
The Guatemalan side adds one cost the bus does not: under the INGUAT law (Decreto 1701, Art. 21 c), people leaving Guatemala by air pay an exit tax equal in quetzales to US$30, while people leaving by land are exempt. Ask the airline whether your fare already includes it.
The overnight packages via Flores
Two agencies sell the whole trip as one ticket, and both use the same shape: a 20:00 Pullman out of Guatemala City to Flores, then the 06:00 service from Flores to Belize City.
| Seller | Price | Seats on the overnight leg | Travel time as published |
|---|---|---|---|
| AtitlanTour | USD 80 | A/C, recliner seats | “9 + 6hrs” |
| AtitlanTour | USD 100 | A/C, semi-bed seats Gua-Flores | 9 + 6 hrs |
| Guatemala Transportation | USD 85 | Pullman 1st class | Not published |
| Guatemala Transportation | USD 105 | Semi-bed seats | Not published |
Neither agency names the bus company or the boarding address in Guatemala City on its schedule page, so ask both before paying. Guatemala Transportation describes the second leg as a Pullman leaving Flores at 06:00 the next morning; AtitlanTour also sells the Flores to Belize City leg alone at USD 35 (06:00), and Guatemala Transportation at USD 40. Every Flores to Belize City seller, including the water taxi drop-off, is compared on Flores to Belize City.
Doing it yourself with Fuente del Norte
Fuente del Norte publishes no fare table; the only prices are per-date quotes from its own booking engine. What it returned on 3 October 2026:
- Guatemala to Santa Elena, Flores, Peten (for 10 October 2026): 3:00 pm, 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm, each at Q262.50 (Q315 also shown). The Guatemala station is at 17 Calle 8-46, zona 1.
- Santa Elena to Belice City (for 11 October 2026): one departure, 6:00 am, Q157.50, from the Mercado Nuevo station in Santa Elena, zona 2.
- Guatemala to Belice City, the through ticket: nothing sold on 10 or 14 October 2026.
The carrier does not publish arrival times, so it does not tell you whether the 21:00 or 22:00 bus reaches Santa Elena before the 06:00 leaves. AtitlanTour’s package pairs a 20:00 departure with that same morning connection; on your own, the 15:00 bus plus a night in Flores is the arrangement that does not depend on an overnight arrival time. Fuente del Norte’s Belize City station is 111 North Front Street, at the Belize marine terminal, the water taxi dock.
The border at Melchor de Mencos
The Flores to Belize City leg crosses Belize’s western land border; our Melchor de Mencos page covers the crossing itself. What changes your plan:
- Leaving Guatemala by land costs nothing in exit tax: the INGUAT law says people leaving by land are not subject to it.
- Belize’s western border is open 24 hours, Monday to Sunday, per the Border Management Agency of Belize (BMA).
- Belize’s fees are charged on departure from Belize (the BMA lists them as fees paid upon departure through any border point): Departure Fee BZ$30.00, Border Development Fee BZ$2.50 and P.A.C.T. Fee BZ$7.50, payable by anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Belize.
Hours on the Guatemalan side, money-changers and the walk across are on Melchor de Mencos border crossing. If you are re-entering Guatemala soon after, read the CA-4 border run guide before planning around this crossing.
Coming back from Belize City
- AtitlanTour lists Belize City to Guatemala at USD 80, with a two-hour pause in Flores, and Belize City to Flores alone at USD 40.
- Fuente del Norte returned no Belice City to Guatemala departure for 14 October 2026; its Belize product runs only between Belize City and Santa Elena.
- Budget the BZ$40 BMA fees for leaving Belize by land.
Which to pick
- Short on time, or travelling with a deadline: fly; you trade the overnight bus for a round trip from USD 446 and the Guatemalan air exit tax.
- Lowest cost with no planning: a USD 80-85 package, one booking, one overnight.
- Want to see Tikal on the way: buy the legs separately, stop in Flores (see Flores to Tikal) and take the 06:00 Belize departure on a later morning.
- Heading to southern Belize instead: the boat from the Caribbean coast is on Puerto Barrios to Punta Gorda.
Fares, times and stations as published by each airline, agency and carrier on 3 October 2026 (Fuente del Norte booking engine queried for 10, 11 and 14 October 2026). Booking-engine quotes are per date, not a fixed tariff. Border fees from the Border Management Agency of Belize; exit tax from the INGUAT organic law, Decreto 1701, Art. 21 c.
