Belize City

Belize City, Belize

St John's Cathedral stands behind palms and a stone wall in Belize City as the low sun gilds its walls at sunset.

Belize City is a hot, lively Caribbean port where colonial timber history, Creole culture and cooking reward a day spent before heading to the cayes.

The place

Belize City sits where Haulover Creek, a distributary of the Belize River, reaches the Caribbean Sea, and it is the most populous city in Belize, with about 64,000 residents. Government relocated inland to Belmopan, so it is no longer the capital, yet it still functions as the main port and center for finance and industry. The terrain is flat and low, and water is never far away. Locals divide the city into Northside and Southside, with the creek as the boundary. Northside runs east towards the Fort George area, home to the waterfront boardwalk. Southside holds downtown, the port and the older commercial streets. Residential suburbs such as Buttonwood Bay, Coral Grove and Vista Del Mar spread out westward along the highways. The swing bridge across the creek, still worked by hand, is a detail residents mention with affection. Most visitors treat Belize City as a transit point on the way to the cayes, the reef and the Maya sites inland, and that is a shame, because a day here gives a fuller picture of the country than a resort does. There is a museum in a former prison, an Anglican cathedral, a contemporary art gallery and a plate of stewed chicken with rice and beans waiting in a family kitchen. The weather is hot and humid for most of the year, and the city can feel rough at the edges. Daylight exploring, local advice on which streets to avoid, and taxis after dark are the sensible approach.

Its story

Belize City began in 1638 as Belize Town, a base for English timber cutters on this stretch of coast. A small Maya settlement called Holzuz is recorded as having stood here before them. The site suited the loggers: it faced the sea and sat at the outlet of rivers and creeks, down which logwood and later mahogany could be floated to waiting ships. The timber trade relied on enslaved Africans, brought in by the English and then the British, and their descendants are central to the city's Creole identity. Belize Town was also the seat of the courts and colonial officials, and it coordinated the defence against would-be invaders that ended in British victory at the Battle of St. George's Caye. Historians sometimes put it neatly: the capital was the colony. Even when political figures such as Antonio Soberanis Gómez, George Price and Evan X Hyde pushed their movements beyond the town, and Garifuna and Mestizo communities grew elsewhere in the country, people still looked to Belize Town for direction. Nature has been unkind. Hurricane Hattie almost completely destroyed the city, and the government later moved inland to a new capital at Belmopan. Fires have swept through districts more than once, and later storms, including Richard and Earl, struck hard again. Rebuilding, patiently, is part of the city's character.

What to see

Culture

Belize City has the hustle and bustle of a Caribbean capital rather than a Central American one, and its culture sits closer to St George's in Grenada or Georgetown in Guyana than to its Spanish-speaking neighbours. English is the official language, Belize Kriol is the everyday speech, and Creole, Garifuna, Mestizo, Maya and other communities all meet here. The calendar is full: Baron Bliss Day in March, Belize City Carnival in September and Garifuna Settlement Day in November, when drumming and punta music fill the streets. Museums include the Museum of Belize, the Bliss Institute and the Maritime Museum, and an annual Street Art Festival brings colour to walls across town. Churches matter, and Sundays are noticeably quieter. Music runs from reggae and soca to brukdown and punta, and it spills out of shops and passing buses. Conversations begin with a greeting, and walking past someone without a word can seem cold. Greet people with a friendly "good morning" or "good afternoon" before asking for directions or help, and ask permission before photographing anyone.

What to wear

Belize City has no single national costume, and traditional dress belongs mostly to festivals and community events. Garifuna women wear bright, loose cotton dresses with matching head wraps for Settlement Day, and Maya communities in the west and south wear hand-embroidered cotton blouses. Creole festive dress draws on colonial-era cotton prints and white lace. Treat these descriptions as general, because each community has its own variations. Day to day, people dress for the heat: short sleeves, lightweight trousers or skirts, sandals and a cap, with football shirts and printed t-shirts common. Office and church dress is neater, with collared shirts and dresses. Visitors should pack light, breathable cotton or linen, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and a thin rain jacket for the wet months. Closed shoes or sturdy sandals suit uneven pavements and puddles. Cover shoulders and knees for churches, keep swimwear for the beach or boat, and avoid flashy jewellery or phones held out in the street.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. March and April are the short dry season, and March is the driest month, though some rain still falls. From May to February it is wet, hot and humid, and storms are possible. Temperatures stay warm all year, so humidity and rain matter more than the month.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. Philip Goldson International Airport takes flights from North American hubs and Central America, with a short taxi ride into the city; check airline sites for routes. Small-plane airlines such as Tropic Air and Mayan Island Air fly from the municipal airport to the cayes and southern towns. Buses and water taxis connect with the cayes, Guatemala and Mexico.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources