Guatemala: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Guatemala feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 73 written places.
Soft-spoken and gently formal; courtesy and patience are the currency that matters most.
✓ Considered polite
- Say buenos dias or buenas tardes when entering shops, buses and waiting rooms
- Ask before photographing anyone, especially children - in markets a small tip may be expected
- Haggle gently and with a smile in markets - hard bargaining over pennies reads badly
- Dress modestly in highland towns and inside churches
✗ Better avoided
- Step on the sawdust alfombra carpets laid out for processions - walk around them
- Interrupt ceremonies on church steps or at Maya altars - watch quietly from a distance
- Expect punctuality - buses, meetings and meals all run on a softer clock
- Wear beachwear away from the coast and lakeside resorts
Worth knowing
- Cash quetzales rule daily life - keep small notes, as nobody can change a 100
- A 10% propina is sometimes already on the bill - check before adding more
- Chichicastenango market runs Thursdays and Sundays - arrive early
- Intercity buses thin out by late afternoon - plan long journeys for the morning
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.