If you are staying in Zone 10 as I recommend, the nearest bus routes will be on Avenida La Reforma, running northbound on the east side and southbound on the west side. Just past Calle 1, the northbound route, at least for some of the buses, will fork northwest where it merges into Avenida 7. Avenida 7 runs one-way north and will take you into Zone 1. Avenida 6 runs one-way south out of Zone 1.

I was advised by hotel personel and the Lonely Planet guide to take bus 82 or 101 to get downtown. I never saw #82, so I usually took 101 but on a couple occasions took a different bus. The other buses still led to Zone 1, but diverted to different routes once there.

Buses that say "Terminal" on them supposedly stop at a bus terminal in Zone 4. I never got on one of these buses, so I do not know for sure, but I did walk by on several occasions.


Zone 4 Terminal

To catch a bus, all you need to do is stand by the curb and hold out your hand. There are scattered bus stops around, but the city buses can and do stop anywhere and everywhere to pick up and drop off passengers.

I usually paid 1 peso to ride the bus. On a couple occasions at night I was charged 2 pesos, but it's still only the difference between .15US and .30US. The city buses run until about 9pm. According to Lonely Planet, "jitneys" will run the rest of the evening until the city buses resume their services at 5am. I'm not sure what these "jitneys" are, so I cannot comment on them much more.

There is another bus terminal near the intersection of Avenida 4 and Calle 19 in Zone 1. I may be off by a block since as I'm referring to a map, but it should be very easy to find. I took a bus from this terminal to get to Antigua. The cost was only 5 pesos, far less expensive than taking a taxi. Of course you have to suffer a longer ride and a potentially crowded bus, but I think it's worth the price. Make sure you keep track of the time to catch the last bus back before 6pm. (double-check the time as I had also been told 5pm and 7pm were the final runs)

Bus runs within GC can get very crowded, especially during rush hours. Experienced pickpockets have an even greater advantage during these times. If you are not keeping your wallet under your clothes, at least keep it in your front pocket and guard it well.

Most people will probably be unlikely to do this when they have luggage, including myself, but if you want to take a bus from the airport, that is an option. According to Lonely Planet, you'll need to go upstairs to the departure level, then walk across the airport parking lot to the bus stop. Bus #83 should be running 4x per hour from 6am until 9pm and cost 1 peso (.15US) to take you anywhere from Zone 9 to Zone 1. You'll need to walk east from Zone 9 to Zone 10, so this can be a pain with luggage.

To catch southbound 83 back to the airport, you'll need to get to Avenida 10 in Zone 1 or Avenida 6 in Zone 9.