Experience the best of Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango, shortened by locals to Xela, lies at about 2,300 metres in Guatemala's western highlands, ringed by volcanoes. It is the second-largest city in the country and a centre of the K'iche' Maya, with a calm, cool, provincial feel. The Parque Centroamérica, the main square, is framed by neoclassical buildings and a cathedral whose old colonial facade has been kept.

Santa María volcano, 3,772 metres, rises behind the city, and hikers climb it for a view of the smoking Santiaguito dome below. The Fuentes Georginas hot springs, in cloud forest near Zunil, and the vegetable fields of Almolonga lie close by. Salcajá has one of the oldest churches in Central America, and Lake Chicabal fills a crater.

Spanish-language schools draw students from abroad. Salcajá is known for its fruit liqueurs, and pepián stew and chuchitos, small tamales, fill the market stalls. Evenings are cold, and the dry season from November to April brings crisp sunny days.