Belize City Tours

[Roce48]

We are interested in touring a few local markets to get a flavor of Belize City; and yes I am aware that it is a very poor country. Would anyone care to share their thoughts and experiences? We will be there in February for the day with RCCL.

Thanks

[crewsweeper]

Directly across from thje Tourist Village where the tenders dock is a flea market/crafts market with lots of locally made items, many cheaper and better quality that what the shops in the TV sell. If you hang a left out of theTV and walk up about 3-4 blocks to Queen Street and turn left you'll see a swing bridge you can cross over to "downtown" Belize City. Hang left over the swing bridge there's a small store that sell fruits and veggies. Walk down Albert Street a couple of blocks you'll come to Brodie's, B.C.'s "department" store, really more like a general store. They have a variety of Belizean goods including Marie Sharp hot sauce. If you go back over the swing bridge to Queen Street and turn left, in the next block (Daly St) is Nerries a great Belizean restaurant with local cuisine not tourist oriented food. There's also Anna's Lunch Box along the North Front Street by the Caye Caulker water taxi with a great bakery (banana bread, yum) and good lunch selections.

 

Now you will find a lot of responses and other posts on this board that say do not go out of the TV. And yes there are a number of seemingly aggressive tour hwkers right outside the gate (but not nearly as bad a any Jamaican port, IMO). Once you are across the street to the flea market, people/vendors can't be nicer. And as you walk further away from the TV the hawkers aren't around.

[oldschoolcruiser jaja]

Part of our tour was a ride through some of the city. Honestly, we did not see any highlights, most of the time you saw places you would not like to get off the bus. :(

[jaxfl]

Part of our tour was a ride through some of the city. Honestly, we did not see any highlights, most of the time you saw places you would not like to get off the bus. :(

 

I have read statements like this about outside of the walls at Belize many times. That is why we are going on the Carnival Sponsored Tour of Altum and the River. I figure that it is the safest and if late returning it is on Carnival to get us back. This also gives us a chance to see the city and country while on the tour.

[crusinpsychRN]

Don't wast money on the city tour, nothing to see but slums and one little old church. There are many vendors just outside the pier, unsure of safety there.

 

Did the Altun Ha/River Wallace tour w/Carnival and bored to death. The river ride was long, arduous, hot and we saw only a few birds. Ruins are not much to see if you've seen other sites. It was about 105 degrees out there in October.

 

Cave tubing is a blast. Have done that a few times and always had fun.

[AZbeachboy]

Directly across from thje Tourist Village where the tenders dock is a flea market/crafts market with lots of locally made items, many cheaper and better quality that what the shops in the TV sell. If you hang a left out of theTV and walk up about 3-4 blocks to Queen Street and turn left you'll see a swing bridge you can cross over to "downtown" Belize City. Hang left over the swing bridge there's a small store that sell fruits and veggies. Walk down Albert Street a couple of blocks you'll come to Brodie's, B.C.'s "department" store, really more like a general store. They have a variety of Belizean goods including Marie Sharp hot sauce. If you go back over the swing bridge to Queen Street and turn left, in the next block (Daly St) is Nerries a great Belizean restaurant with local cuisine not tourist oriented food. There's also Anna's Lunch Box along the North Front Street by the Caye Caulker water taxi with a great bakery (banana bread, yum) and good lunch selections.

 

Now you will find a lot of responses and other posts on this board that say do not go out of the TV. And yes there are a number of seemingly aggressive tour hwkers right outside the gate (but not nearly as bad a any Jamaican port, IMO). Once you are across the street to the flea market, people/vendors can't be nicer. And as you walk further away from the TV the hawkers aren't around.

 

 

I agree. Our first time in Belize we took a taxi tour in a van with four other couples around the city. It gave us some flavor and satisfied some curiosity about the city. Not much since they move the national government to Belmopan. But it has improved. On that tour we say the area on queen street and when we got back to the port we walked back and took some pics off the swing bridge and visited the shops in that area. That was one of the highlights of our vacation.

 

People try to say that Belize is not safe. We have been back many time on land tours and never had a problem. Nice people. Especially during that day. Just move on to your own business, smile and go pass anything you might think is unsavory. It is a poor country, but the people are industrious and friendly.