Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa is the capital of and largest city in Honduras. This 400-year-old mining center has a depth that is there for those with time and nerve to find it. It has a plethora of interesting, if decaying, old colonial buildings, and many old stone streets winding intriguingly up steep hills to hidden parks, stone steps, and old houses.

Understand
Tegucigalpa (Hondurans in general, and people familiar with the city, shorten it to "Tegus", while most locals actually use the full name...) is a great example Central America of urban sprawl gone amok, spread out across very hilly terrain.

The defining event in recent Honduran history, and that of Tegucigalpa also, is Hurricane Mitch, which devastated the country in 1998. Mitch reportedly set the country back 50 years. Tegus is still recovering from the massive flooding of the river, and equally massive landslides, both triggered by the rampant deforestation of the hills surrounding the city. Indeed, signs of whole colonias (neighbourhoods) having slid off steep hills are still evident. Workers continue to toil daily in the river, removing silt deposited by the flooding. Many or most people lost friends and relatives during the crisis.

By plane

 * Aeromexico Connect (Mexico City).
 * Avianca (San Salvador, Guatemala City, Bogota)
 * American Airlines (Miami and seasonally from Dallas)
 * CM (Roatan)
 * Copa (Panama City)
 * Iberojet (Madrid, Barcelona)
 * Spirit Airlines (from Fort Lauderdale and seasonally from Houston)
 * United (Houston)
 * United (Houston)


 * Aerolíneas Sosa (La Ceiba, Roatán)
 * CM (Islas Guanaja, La Ceiba, Puerto Lempira, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, Islas Utila, Belize City, Flores, San Salvador, Guatemala City)
 * Lanhsa operates to Islas Guanaja, Puerto Lempira, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, Islas Utila via La Ceiba. Check schedules.
 * Lanhsa operates to Islas Guanaja, Puerto Lempira, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, Islas Utila via La Ceiba. Check schedules.

By bus
There are a number of bus international bus lines running to Tegus from other Central American capitals, from San Pedro Sula, Siguatepeque, Comayagua, and from other parts of the country. They offer first class, very comfortable service at a reasonable price with some of the following:



The companies have their own bus stations in different parts of the city with the majority of buses coming into Comayagüela, the sister city of Tegucigalpa. It is also reputedly one of the more dangerous parts of the city. If arriving to Comayagüela after dark, do not walk around looking for a place to stay. Even in the day, walking from bus stations in Comayagüela to a hotel, hostel or another bus station at any distance away would be a bit risky.

Get around
The football (soccer) stadium is a great central point for learning your bearings map-wise of the city. Several of the larger roads meet in a round-about that uses the stadium as its hub.

By taxi
Taxis (directos) will take 20 minutes to do the cross-town trip. Negotiating for the price (before getting in) is expected. Taxi drivers are a bit wild, so buckle up (oops, they don't have seatbelts). Prices increase with number of passengers and late at night. Don't be afraid to walk away from an expensive offer: taxis are everywhere and you'll likely win the negotiation by walking away.

Colectivos, like the city buses, run set routes from one point to another. If you see a long line of people weaving down a side walk, this is most likely a collectivo line.

By bus
Buses run set routes that most visitors won't know.

There are common bus stops throughout the town, but are unlabeled. Find a large group of people standing on the sidewalks for the largest selection of bus routes. To know the main destinations of the buses, look on the front of the bus above the windshield. Most buses operate to distinct neighborhoods and link to El Centro or the market in Comayaguela. In the market in Comayaguela you can also find many inter-city buses with various prices and various levels of comfort, ranging from the most common chicken-bus to double decker luxury buses.

See
Tegucigalpa is the capital city of Honduras. Set in a central valley surrounded by mountains, it’s known for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture.

Do

 * Movies The Mall-Multiplaza has a Cinemark theater on the third floor. Showtimes for popular movies frequently are half English with Spanish subtitles, and half dubbed in Spanish. As of 2009, tickets are L63/person.

Buy

 * The Mall-Multiplaza is a two-story, top-of-the-line mall, just like you would find in any of the biggest cities in the United States. Overpriced and somewhat opulent, but a nice place.
 * Cascadas Mall the newest mall in Tegus located close to the airport is very modern and has many US restaurants such as Applebees inside it. Nopt as popular as Multiplaza
 * San Isidrio Market down by the river. You can walk around the 16 square blocks of true Honduran markets and see where the Hondurans who can't afford to shop at the mall go to buy their things. Women travelers will be more comfortable with a male companion. The market gets "earthier" the nearer the river you get. If a local warns you that you are heading into an unsafe area of the market, thank them and backtrack. (See Stay Safe).

Eat
Tegus has a unhealthy variety of American food restaurants: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Subway, etc. All follow "home office" food preparation procedures and travelers can eat at them without fear of getting sick. The food court of Multiplaza will do for on-the-go meals.

Tipping in Honduras is 10%. Tipping is not generally expected at smaller restaurants but always appreciated.


 * NiFu NiFa, Avenida Minas de Oro, adjacent to Farmacia del Ahorro y Reasa is an upscale Argentinian restaurant with parrillada and skirt steaks and a salad bar, wine and licuados and a terrace. +504 9440-0679
 * Duncan Maya is located just off the park, on the same street as La Terasa, but a bit closer to the park. It is on street level. Duncan Maya is often open later than other places in the area and at a certain hour will be your only alternative to fast food places. That being said, the food is greasy and a bit over-priced. But, they do sometimes have live bands at night (very loud), and it's a must for the "local" experience. Their "bistec de caballo" (yes, horse steak) is excellent.
 * Asados El Gordo has a few locations throughout the city and one on the road to Santa Lucía. Some of the best "parrilladas" or meat fests in the city accompanied by traditional sides such as beans, platanos, avocado, cheese, mantequilla (crema), and the oh so necessary tortilla. Very moderately priced: the "parrillada para dos" includes grilled chicken, chorizo, grilled steak, two plates of the sides mentioned above, and two drinks for just around US$20, and provides enough food leftover for another person to eat.
 * Asados El Gordo has a few locations throughout the city and one on the road to Santa Lucía. Some of the best "parrilladas" or meat fests in the city accompanied by traditional sides such as beans, platanos, avocado, cheese, mantequilla (crema), and the oh so necessary tortilla. Very moderately priced: the "parrillada para dos" includes grilled chicken, chorizo, grilled steak, two plates of the sides mentioned above, and two drinks for just around US$20, and provides enough food leftover for another person to eat.
 * Asados El Gordo has a few locations throughout the city and one on the road to Santa Lucía. Some of the best "parrilladas" or meat fests in the city accompanied by traditional sides such as beans, platanos, avocado, cheese, mantequilla (crema), and the oh so necessary tortilla. Very moderately priced: the "parrillada para dos" includes grilled chicken, chorizo, grilled steak, two plates of the sides mentioned above, and two drinks for just around US$20, and provides enough food leftover for another person to eat.

Drink
Friday and Saturday nights after nine may get a tiny bit dangerous as the alcohol content in the patrons goes up. In Honduras, empty beer bottles are left on the tables until the bill is paid, so you can get a very quick visual indication of where cooler heads will prevail and where tempers may rise just by looking.

Beers range in price from L12 to L30 depending on where you buy them. The cheapest way to go is to buy bottles from a store, however to do this, or at least to get the cheapest price, you need to have a supply of empties to exchange for new ones. You will have to pay more the first time to buy the bottles, but then you've got the cycle going.

Decent rum is incredibly inexpensive in supermarkets (US$6/bottle for what would be $25 elsewhere).

Honduras has four national beers, Salva Vida, Imperial, Port Royal, and Barena. They are all quite similar, all lagers. Port Royal is a bit skunkier, and Imperial may be a bit more flavorful.

The local hootch, known as "guaro" presumably deriving from "aguardiente" (fire water), comes in two brands, Tatascan and Yuscaran. This is cheap, strong cane liquor, the choice selection of drunks in Honduras. At 40% alcohol, a litre of this stuff could run you as little as a dollar. Probably best to avoid... or a one time occasion.

Sleep
Several cheap hotels can be found 15 minutes east of the center on Avenida Gutenberg. There are also many economical hotelitos and hospedajes (as well as some upmarket ones) around Inglesia Los Dolores, 5 calle.




 * Hotel Paseo Miramontes. 4 km. from the International Airport and in the vicinity of shopping malls, government offices, banks and the vibrant sector of the city, HPM provides personalized quality service at an excellent price. +504 2239-8179
 * Hotel Paseo Miramontes. 4 km. from the International Airport and in the vicinity of shopping malls, government offices, banks and the vibrant sector of the city, HPM provides personalized quality service at an excellent price. +504 2239-8179

Stay safe
The most important rule for street safety in Tegucigalpa is to never walk anywhere after dark. Are there areas of the city that are safe to walk in after dark? Yes. As an (assumedly) short-term traveler, do you know what they are? No.

In general, no one in Honduras will intervene during a crime. They do not want to get involved and reap the anger of the perpetrator. They will look the other way and walk right on by. Take special care at night. It is common for a foreigner to be robbed on the streets of Tegucigalpa at night. Thieves will stake out areas near tourist hotels, especially the Hotel Maya.

Cars are commonly broken into in broad daylight and the thieves don't even bother wearing masks. If you are driving, it is always worth it to pay to park in a guarded lot.

Follow these general guidelines:


 * Keep to the main parts of the city and don't be tempted to go to places that you are not sure of.
 * Keep to the main roads and avoid short cuts down back alleys etc.
 * Never walk at night in the center of the city even for a short distance - always take a taxi.
 * Be particularly wary of people hanging around outside hotels; it is a favorite place to catch tourists and mug them.
 * Ignore the street children and people coming up to you in the streets with hard luck tales. Street children can become violent and the latter may be part of an elaborate scam or they might just simply be pick pockets. The best thing to do is just to walk on and ignore them.
 * Do not carry large sums of money when shopping and do not wear expensive jewelry.
 * Do not accept food and drink from strangers; visitors have known to be drugged and then robbed.
 * If you must carry large sums of money or valuable possessions, carry two wallets: Keep one hidden with most of your money in it. The other should be in the most common place, your back pocket. Keep US$5-10 in the wallet, and a few stray lempiras. The lempiras can go to beggars (they tend to be persistent), and the dollars to appease any possible robbers. Typically US$5-10 is viewed as a day's salary in Honduras, and just may be enough to appease a robber without sacrificing your larger stash. Use caution, as there is no such thing as a predictable thief in Honduras.
 * If you shop at the Mercado San Isidro in Comayagüela, don't go after dark and don't carry a lot of valuables with you. Even in the daytime there are pickpockets and "grab-and-run" thieves in the market.  And definitely don't walk around in Comayagüela itself (apart from the market area) at ANY time, day or night.
 * It is possible to go to Parque de la Paz and take panoramic pictures from the top as well as a picture of the monument itself. However, you must be very careful.  Do not ever walk up the hill by yourself or even in a small group.  Have a reliable taxi or tourist guide drive you up and make sure not to wander around too much when you're at the summit.  It ought to go without saying that this is only possible in the daytime.

Embassies

 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next

 * San Pedro Sula
 * Copán Ruinas - A small town named after the nearby ruins of an ancient Mayan city.
 * Nicaragua - There are direct buses to Managua with connections to go further south.
 * El Salvador - Direct buses are available to go to San Salvador.
 * "Valle de Angeles" (Valley of the Angels) A small tourist town is 25 miles away from Tegus and is a great place to do all of your tourist shopping (a little cheaper than airport prices) and stay at The Rooster's Guesthouse for intimate provincial accommodations in private cabins, family rooms and dormitories.