You may be surprised when you first lay eyes on Guatemala City from the window of your airplane. Even if you’ve visited other Central American capitals, you’ll notice Guatemala City is quite beautiful from the air. Bordered by a lake, forested mountains, and four volcanoes, the nation’s capital is a bustling urban agglomeration of four million inhabitants occupying a broad valley and spilling into ravines and neighboring hillsides.

The beauty of its physical surroundings aside, Guatemala City, or “Guate,” as it’s more commonly called by locals, can seem polluted, noisy, and downright dodgy once you step onto its streets—however, the same can be said of New York or Mexico City.

It’s all a matter of getting acquainted with your surroundings and discovering the pleasant aspects of this mountain city. Among these are a temperate spring-like climate, a splendid scenic backdrop, excellent dining and entertainment options, and the opportunity to travel in relative comfort with all the amenities of a First World city.

If you give it a chance, you’ll find that “Guate” grows on you after a while. As far as Latin American capitals go, you could certainly do worse. (I actually find other Central American capitals, including San José, Costa Rica, less agreeable.) As the region’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, Guatemala City has a greater variety of accommodations and entertainment options suited to tastes, needs, and budget.

The remodeled La Aurora International Airport serves as a fitting gateway to Central America’s largest city. Just minutes from the airport, you’ll find most of the areas frequented by Guatemala’s well-to-do and foreign residents. Scattered among forest-clad ravines and sprawling east into neighboring mountainsides are Guatemala City’s business, retail, and residential sectors.

The northern part of the city is home to its downtown core, which has unfortunately seen better days as a colonial capital but is also the ongoing focus of some much-needed gentrification. Tumbling out into surrounding ravines and plateaus in the vicinity of the downtown core are the city’s slums, while its industrial sectors lie mostly to the south and west.

It should be expected that a country of such great wealth (though badly distributed) should have a modern capital with all the First World comforts one would expect to find there. Like everything else in Guatemala, it all coexists side by side with some of the uglier realities. It’s all there for you to see, and nowhere else in the country is this striking contrast of wealth and poverty so evident.

Look at a visit to Guatemala City as a glimpse into the country’s culture, history, and politics, and a worthy introduction to a fascinating country of contrasts with some unexpected surprises around every corner.

The Best of Guatemala City

• Palacio Nacional de la Cultura
• Zona Viva
• Museo Ixchel
• Museo Miraflores
• Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología
• Pacaya Volcano National Park