mercado central

The market itself is large and a great learning experience for guatemalteco shopping and food preparation. You get a great feel for how locals shop at the market -- interesting dishes being prepared. However, we were there on a Sunday morning and about 1 block away were robbed -- necklace snatched. Kind of set the tone for an unpleasant experience. There are many other good opportunities for shopping for traditional Guatemalan handicrafts -- Antigua, Panajachel. This place is just not secure enough and without a better security presence in the future I would avoid it.

At the end of a two month trip through Central America I thought I had to go to Chichicastenango again to find the presents to bring back to friends and family but I could not do it on a marketday. So I went to the Central Market in Guatemala City instead. I was very surprised about the great range of authentic Guatemalan textiles, ceramics, leather and other goods and about their good quality. This was not the cheap, massproduced stuff for tourists but beautifully crafted articles in a great variety. After I had gone to the Central Market in Nicaragua with high expectations due to the favourable comments in my travel guidebook and was very disappointed there, I was so glad to be able to find all the gifts I wanted in a very good quality at very reasonable prices in this market. The market is to be found just behind the cathedral. Do not be irritated not to find a big building - the whole market is underground.

If you like exploring local markets, don't miss this one! It is huge, colorful, jammed full and has just about anything you could want as both a local and a tourist. This combination of local folks shopping for fruits and vegs, flowers, baskets or other home items, and tourists shopping for souvenirs is one of the magical things about the place. The "food court" with dozens of local eateries is fun to browse (though I agree with the comments that non-locals should probably not give in to the temptation to eat there).

This was my second visit to the market. If and when I come to Guatemala again I will go to the market. The selection for just about any natural or homemade thing you can think of will be there. I would probably agree about the statement about not eating anything EXCEPT fruit that you can personally peel they should be fine to eat. And you will find some fruits that you haven't seen or tried. Unless of course you are from this area.

Nearby Central square in Guatemala City is a big space covered by tin roof and there is an labyrinth of shops, local fast foods (comidas), local ceramic and other products for local people also for tourists... wonderfull place if you like to buy something and you like better price then in other places... this market is not for tourists only and its good accassion to eat something strange and original. on many places they have 3 floors of market and by the rain is this place good covered. Explore it by the visit and dont miss the Sanitarios!

The first thing the Guatemalan national bell hop at our hotel said was.."Don't eat anything there." He said he sometimes goes but brings special pills if he eats anything and we should not. We took his advice but had a great time anyway. The food hall is awesome, I'm into food. It looked like all locals hanging out and eating which was a nice contrast to the Zona 10 'hood our hotel is in and the fancy pants Oakland mall. Lots of vendors selling all kinds of interesting prepared food and fresh fruits, produce, flowers, banana leaves, stuff I had never seen or heard of before, etc. In addition, there are 2 whole huge floors of "other stuff" being sold: t-shirts, jewelry, masks, arts & crafts, etc. Hallways very narrow and a little warm. We went on a Monday which was perfect because it was not too crowded. It would not have been as enjoyable has it been super crowded. We were also warned to be wary of pick pockets as there are many skilled ones who frequent the market. Just keep your stuff tied down to your person and keep your wits about you. I ventured to the market ladies room...It cost a few Qs. It was clean but old. You pay for tissue before entering then put the tissue in a trash can when used, not the toilet, then you need to go get a bucket of water and poor it down the toilet. It's near the food portion on a back wall. If you have some sanitizer or a few wipes, no need to be afraid! After the market, take a stroll up to the historic square with the cathedral and other buildings, then down AV 6. We were treated to a super cute children's parade, a prostitution park, and some more cool old buildings.

I was here on vacation and stayed at a hotel nearby in March. I asked the hotel staff where a good place to eat breakfast was that was typical for most Guatemalans. I was directed to the Central Market - about 6 to 7 blocks from my hotel.It was all that I expected and more. Not only was there the typical tourists souvenir traps but also fresh flower stands, meat market and of course the reason I went was for some typical Guatemalan food. Was I pleasantly surprised. One whole section of the Mercado was dedicated to serving food. I pulled up a stool and had a pleasant conversation with the owner of the restaurant who had spent 36 years in the states teaching before coming home to run the restaurant for her mother. Needless to say an hour later I had to say goodbye but my time there was enjoyable.

The Mercado Central is just a block off the main square in Guatemala City in Zona Uno. If you're already downtown, it's worth stopping into. The underground market is full of both craft sellers as well as stalls of everyday or special items locals might be looking for. Prices are typically better here for crafts than one finds for similar items in Antigua. The food comedores are about as clean looking as any I have seen around the country. They would be an excellent choice for lunch or a snack. From where we got off the city bus, we walked down the main pedestrian street to the central plaza. Shops, government buildings and eateries line the street taking you into the main square. Once there, one can view the cathedral. A large outdoor book fair was going on as we passed through. The market can be found just behind the cathedral. However, as cities go, Guate City is probably not on most people's itineraries when they visit the country. I did not see many tour operators in Antigua advertising tours of or shuttles to the city. It's not really all that attractive and it's a bit difficult to get around using local buses unless you are there with someone who knows the system. As pleasant as the market is, you can find exactly the same things in Antigua. When you consider the time and energy it takes to find your way there, you would have been better off to have shopped locally and had a nice lunch outside the city. The city can be dangerous, so exercise caution when visiting there.

If you are claustrophobic, don't go down there. It's pretty much your standard market, but it's underground. The aisles are very narrow. The stalls are piled high with all kinds of goods. There is fresh food on one level, and the rest are filled with flowers or touristy gift things. If you're in the market for them, the prices are much better than your hotel, or especially the airport. Cheap and colorful textiles and shoes are plentiful. Unfortunately, most everything else has "Guatemala" stamped on it.

This is equivalent to our malls, but nothing like it at all. everything can be found here. A large bazaar, from perishables, to textiles, to appliance, to a food court, to souvenirs. Narrow halls over barring with wears. Again exciting, adventure like, safe.

If you really want to immerse yourself in a purely Guatemalan experience then this one of the best venues for it. If you are not into shopping, or just want to take a break from wandering the endless, but fascinating, maze of vendor stalls, then venture down into the food court level, an explosion of produce and food. Lots of tasty very local food.

Great market, colorful local feel, lovely items for sale. You'll get better deals if you pay in quetzales (not dollars) and bargain with the vendors. And you'll get the BEST deals if you speak Spanish. But even if you're green at market shopping, you'll enjoy this experience. Highly recommended.

This market is filled with the local crafts and art that make Guatemala so special. It is a must see when visiting Guatemala. It has the best quality and the best prices of any other market I went to in the entire country.

My last visit to Guatemala was business trip, between end of July and beginning of August/12, so I didn`t have enough time for visiting other places, besides the Central Market, which for me it`s beautiful with all the Guatemalan Artesany.It really shows how rich is Guatemala with all variety of textiles, wood work, ceramic, vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. Here you also can find the real Guatemalan food. I had lunch there two times and it was delicious: The hilachas, rice with vegetables, hot tortillas, fried plantains, etc. Here you can see that there are two prices: one for tourists and one for local people, but still good prices.The Central Market it`s at the Centro Historico of Guatemala City, back of the Cathedral. For me it was easy to get, within walking distance from the Hotel Posada Belen where I stay when I visit Guatemala.

Having been to many central markets, this one falls in the middle. Some good handicrafts, but really this is more for the locals tan anything else.