BZ
Belize City
Belize’s busy port and transport hub, with colonial landmarks and easy trips to the cayes
Belize’s busy port and transport hub, with colonial landmarks and easy trips to the cayes
Opened in 1923, this bridge over Haulover Creek is still swung open by hand to let boats pass.
Photo: Antti T. Nissinen, CC BY 2.0
Housed in a former colonial jail, the museum covers Maya artefacts, colonial history and Belize’s path to independence.
Photo: Psubhashish, CC BY-SA 4.0
About 50km west, this zoo keeps native animals such as jaguars, tapirs and harpy eagles, many of them rescued or rehabilitated.
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0
About an hour north, this Maya site has plazas and temples, including the Temple of the Masonry Altars.
Photo: Denis Barthel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Try rice and beans with stew chicken, fry jacks, hudut (Garifuna fish and plantain), and conch or lobster in season.
The Fort George area has a range of restaurants.
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport is about 16km northwest. Water taxis from the city reach Caye Caulker in under an hour and Ambergris Caye in about 1.5 hours.
Buses connect Belize City with Belmopan, San Ignacio and the north and south of the country.
Belize uses the Belize dollar, fixed at BZ$2 to US$1. US dollars are widely accepted.
Prices are approximate; Belize adds hotel tax and service charges.
City and day trips.
See the Swing Bridge, St John’s Cathedral and the Museum of Belize, and walk the Fort George seafront.
Visit the Belize Zoo or Altun Ha, then catch a water taxi to the cayes.
Avoid the south side and walking after dark; use licensed taxis.
Hurricane season runs from June to November.
Several companies run to the cayes; check schedules.
Check whether prices are in Belize or US dollars.
Quick answers for planning time in Belize City.
Exercise caution; the US government advises reconsidering travel to the south side because of crime.
No, the capital is Belmopan; Belize City is the largest city.
By water taxi or a short flight.
A 1923 bridge still opened by hand to let boats through.
December to May, the dry season.
Planning a wider trip? Our Belize travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.