Belize City Travel Guide
About Belize City
Cruise passengers use the port as a hub for Belize's spectacular outdoor attractions, including the offshore islands or cayes, rainforest reserves, large caves and Mayan temples and ruins.Belize, and Belize City in particular, is inhabited by several cultures and ethnic groups including people of Creole, Garifuna, Mestizo, Spanish, Mayan, English, Mennonite, Lebanese, Chinese and East Indian heritage.
Belize City is the only settlement of any size in this small Central American country.
Sightseeing:
There are a few old colonial buildings, as well as a Tourism Village built especially for cruise ship visitors.But most visitors head straight out to the cayes which are part of the Western hemisphere's longest barrier reef with great opportunities for snorkelling, diving and soaking up the Caribbean atmosphere. Inland, Belize boasts some pristine, and largely protected, rainforest areas offering many wildlife watching options and adventure activities for visitors. Several ancient Mayan sites are within easy reach of the city.
Highlights
• House of Culture
• Belize Museum
• Baron Bliss Lighthouse
• Ambergis Caye & Caye Caulker (offshore islands)
• The Blue Hole (dive destination)
• Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
• Five Blues Lake National Park
• Altun Ha (Mayan ruins)
Tourist Information Centres
Belize Tourism Board
64 Regent Street, Belize City, Belize
Tel: +11 501 227 2420.
Website: www.travelbelize.org
Shopping:
Souvenirs include Belizean art and jewellery, clothing, handcrafted wood and bamboo products, spices, sauces and local beauty treatments. Travellers should be aware of their home country's rules on importing exotic goods. In the UK, for example, there are restrictions on importing tortoiseshell goods and jewellery made from endangered coral.
Restaurants
There is a good selection of restaurants serving international, Chinese, Creole and Latin American food. Service and quality vary, but the food is generally cheap.
When to go:
Belize is subtropical and generally hot and humid, although there is often a brisk wind from the Caribbean. January to April is the best time to visit when Belize is at its driest. But the tourist board is promoting the "green" (rainy) season which starts in June. Hurricanes can occur from June up to the end of November.
Nearest Destination:
Belize City.Transfer Distance:
There is a good selection of restaurants serving international, Chinese, Creole and Latin American food. Service and quality vary, but the food is generally cheap.
