When it comes to staying in Esquipulas, you'll find yourself amongst hundreds of visitors whatever the time of year. Hotels probably outnumber private homes but bargains are in short supply - the bulk of the budget places are grubby and bare. Prices are rarely quoted in writing and are always negotiable, depending on the flow of pilgrims. Avoid Saturday nights, when rooms cost double.

Many of the budget options are clustered together in the streets off the main road, 11 C. The family-run Hotel Villa Edelmira (US$5-15) is one of the best, or look for a room at La Favorita on 10 C and 2 Av (US$5-10). For a touch more luxury, head for 2 Avenida, beside the church, where you'll find the Hotel Los Ángeles (tel 943 1254; US$10-15), whose rooms have private bath and cable TV, and the Hotel Esquipulao (tel 943 1143, fax 943 1371; US$15-25), a cheaper annexe of the Hotel Payaquí (same numbers; US$25-40), which has rooms with TV and fan, and a pool.

There are also dozens of restaurants and bars , most of them overpriced by Guatemalan standards. Breakfast is a bargain, however, and you shouldn't have to pay more than US$1.50 for a good feed. There's a decent range of lunch specials later on, though dinner can be expensive. The Hacienda Steak House , a block from the plaza at 2 Av and 10 C, is one of the smartest places in town, while many of the cheaper places are on 11 Calle and the surrounding streets. Banco Industrial has a branch with a 24-hour ATM at 9 C and 3 Av, and there's also a Banco G & T Continental (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-2pm) almost opposite.

Rutas Orientales runs a superb hourly bus service between Guatemala City and Esquipulas; its office is on the main street at 11 C and 1 Av. There are also buses across the highlands to Ipala and regular minibuses to the borders with El Salvador (every 30min; 6am-4pm; 1hr) and Honduras at Aguacaliente (every 30min 6am-5.30pm; 30min). If you want to get to the ruins of Copán, you'll need to catch a bus to Chiquimula and change there for the El Florido border post. There's a Honduran consulate (Mon-Fri 8am-1pm & 3-6pm) in the Hotel Payaquí , beside the church.