American Express Diagonal 6 10-01, Centro Gerencial, Las Margaritas, Zona 10 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm; tel 339 2877, fax 339 2882).

Banks and exchange At the airport, Banco del Quetzal (Mon-Fri 6am-8pm, Sat & Sun 6am-6pm) gives a good rate, takes most European currencies, and has a 24hr Mastercard and Cirrus cashpoint; Visa and Plus cardholders should head for the nearby 24hr Bancared cashpoint. In Zona 1, Credomatic, on the corner of 5 Av and 11 C, gives Visa and Mastercard cash advances (Mon-Fri 8.30am-7pm, Sat 9am-1pm) and will cash travellers' cheques. In Zona 10, head for the Centro Gerencial Las Margaritas, at Diagonal 6 10-01, where there are numerous banks where you can cash travellers' cheques, three 24hr cashpoints for Visa and Plus cards and another, inside the Banco de Central AmA©rica (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm), that accepts Mastercard and Cirrus cards.

Books The pleasantest bookshop in town is Sopho's, Av la Reforma 13-89, Zona 10, where there's a decent selection of English-language fiction and literature - you can also get good coffee here. Over the road in Zona 9 the LibrerA­a del Pensativo, 7 Av and 13 C, Edificio La CA?pula, is worth a browse, while in Zona 1 try Arnel, in the basement of the Edificio El Centro on 9 C, corner of 7 Av. Finally GA©minis, 3 Av 17-05, Zona 14, is also worth a visit if you're in the south of the city.

Car rental Renting a car in Guatemala is quite expensive and you should always keep a sharp eye on the terms, as there are usually large deductible penalties if you damage the vehicle. Jeeps can be rented for a little under US$55 a day and cars start from US$35. Car rental agents include: Adaesa Renta Autos, 4 C A 16-57, Zona 1 (tel 220 2180, masifre@hotmail.com ); Americar, 6 Av 3-95, Zona 10 (tel 361 8641, www.america.com ); Autorrentas (Budget agent), Av HincapiA© 11-01, Zona 13 (tel 332 2024, budget@infovia.com ); Avis, 6 Av 11-24, Zona 9 (tel 334 1057, avis@guate.net ); Hertz, 7 Av 14-76, Zona 9 (tel 334 2540, rentauto@guate.net ); Rental (also the only company to rent motorbikes), 12 C 2-62, Zona 10 (tel 361 0672, fax 334 2739); Tabarini, 2 C A 7-30, Zona 10 (tel 332 2161, fax 334 1925); Thrifty, Av la Reforma 8-33, Zona 10 (tel 332 1220, thrifty@guate.net ).

City tours Excellent walking tours of the historic centre of the city are organized by AntaA±ona, 11 Av 5-59, Zona 1 (tel 238 1751, walkingtour@hotmail.com ); tours leave from their offices Mon-Fri at 9.30am and cost US$10 per person. Plenty of agencies offer guided city tours that usually include the main museums and sites and transport, including Clark Tours (see "Travel agents", below).

Embassies Most of the embassies are in the southeastern quarter of the city, along Avenida la Reforma and Avenida las AmA©ricas, and they tend to open weekday mornings only unless otherwise indicated. Belize, Av la Reforma 1-50, 8th Floor, Suite 803, Edificio el Reformador, Zona 9 (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-5pm; tel 334 5531 or 331 1137); Canada, 13 C 8-44, 8th Floor Edificio Edyma Plaza, Zona 10 (Mon-Thurs 8am-4.30pm, Fri 8am-1.30pm; tel 333 6102); Colombia, 12 C 1-25, Zona 10 (tel 335 3602); Costa Rica, Av la Reforma 8-60, 3rd floor, Torre 1, Edificio GalerA­as Reforma, Zona 9 (tel & fax 332 0531); El Salvador, 4 Av 13-60, Zona 10 (tel 366 2240); Honduras, 12 C 1-25, 12th floor, Edificio GA©minis, Zona 10 (tel 338 2068); Mexico, 15 C 3-20, Zona 10 (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 3-5pm; tel 333 7254 or 333 7255); Nicaragua, 10 Av 14-72, Zona 10 (tel 368 0785); PanamA?, 5 Av 15-45, Torre II, Edificio Centro Empresarial, Zona 10 (tel 333 7176); United Kingdom, 16 C 0-55, 11th floor, Torre Internacional, Zona 10 (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 2-4pm; tel 367 5425); United States, Av la Reforma, 7-01, Zona 10 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; tel 331 1541).

Immigration The main immigration office ( migraciA?n ) is conveniently located on the second floor of the Inguat HQ at 7 Av 1-17, Zona 4 (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm; tel 634 8476).

Internet Guatemala City is under-endowed with Internet cafA©s compared to Antigua, and rates are much higher, typically around US$5 an hour. In Zona 1, Cafebreria at 5 Av 13-32 is well set up, while in Zona 10 head for the PrA?ceres shopping mall at 16 C and 2 Av where you can surf at CafA© Virtual at ground level or Wizards on the third floor.

Laundry LavanderA­a Obelisco, Av la Reforma 16-30, next to the Samaritana supermarket (Mon-Fri 8am-6.45pm, Sat 8am-5.30pm), charges around US$3 for a self-service wash and dry, and there's also a self-service laundry at 4 Av 13-89, Zona 1.

Libraries The best library for English books is in the IGA (Guatemalan American Institute) at Ruta 1 and Via 4, Zona 4. There's also the National Library on the west side of Parque del Centenario, and specialist collections at the Ixchel and Popol Vuh museums.

Medical care Your embassy should have a list of bilingual doctors, but for emergency medical assistance dial 125 for the Red Cross, or head for the Centro MA©dico, a private hospital with 24hr cover, at 6 Av 3-47, Zona 10 (tel 332 3555). Central Dentist de Especialistas, 20 C 11-17, Zona 10 (tel 337 1773), is the best dental clinic in the country, and superb in emergencies.

Pharmacies Farmacia Osco, 16 C and 4 Av, Zona 10.

Photography Colour transparency and both colour and monochrome print film is easy to buy, though expensive. There are several camera shops on 6 Avenida in Zona 1. Foto Sittler, 12 C 6-20, Zona 1, and La Perla, 9 C and 6 Av, Zona 1, repair cameras and offer a three-month guarantee on their work.

Police The main police station is in a bizarre castle-like structure on the corner of 6 Av and 14 C, Zona 1. In an emergency dial 120.

Post office The main post office, 7 Av and 12 C (Mon-Fri 8.30am-6.30pm, Sat 8.30am-4.30pm), has a Lista de Correos and will hold mail for you.

Telephone You can make long-distance phone calls and send faxes from Telgua, one block east of the post office (daily 7am-midnight).

Travel agents There are plenty of travel agents in the centre and along Avenida la Reforma in Zonas 9 and 10; flights to PetA©n can be booked through all of them. Clark Tours, Diagonal 6, 10-01, 7th floor, Torre II, Las Margaritas, Zona 10 (tel 339 2888, fax 339 2909, www.clarktours.com ), organizes trips to many parts of the country; Ecotourism & Adventure Specialists, 4 Av A 7-95, Zona 14, (tel 337 0009, www.ecotourism-adventure.com ), offers well co-ordinated trips to PetA©n and many remote parts of the country; Maya Expeditions, 15 C 1-91, Zona 10 (tel 363 4955, fax 363 4164, www.mayaexpeditions.com ), specializes in ecotourism adventure and rafting trips. Viajes Tivoli, 6 Av 8-41, Zona 9 (tel 339 2260, viajes@tivoli.com.gt ), and 12 C 4-55, Zona 1 (tel 238 4771), is a good all round agent with competitive rates for international flights.

Work Hard to come by. The best bet is teaching at one of the English schools, most of which are grouped on calles 10 and 18 in Zona 1. Check the classified sections of the Guatemala Post and Revue .