There are frequent international flights from Guatemala City's Aurora airport to Mexico, Central America and North America, and eight daily flights to Flores in Petén, the only other international airport in the country - most of these leave early in the morning, between 6.30 and 9am, enabling day-trippers to visit Tikal and get back to the capital. Tickets for the fifty-minute flight can be bought from virtually any travel agent in the capital, and cost around US$75 return in a small plane or US$110 in the larger Tikal Jets aircraft. To get to the international terminal of Aurora airport from Zona 1, either take bus #83 from 10 Av (30min) or a taxi (around US$10); from Zona 10, a taxi costs around US$7. There's a US$30 departure tax on all international flights, payable in either quetzales or dollars.

A new domestic airline, Inter (tel 334 7722), operated by the Taca group, in theory operates daily return services between Guatemala City and Puerto Barrios (US$60 each way; 1hr), Santa Cruz del Quiché (US$55; 25min), Quetzaltenango (US$40; 30min), Retalhuleu (US$40; 35min), Coatepeque (US$55; 1hr), Cobán (US$45; 30min) and Huehuetenango (US$55; 50min), plus return flights to the Río Dulce at weekends (US$50; 1hr). Note, however, that their schedules are subject to change and cancellation. Note that all Taca and Tikal Jets internal flights leave from the international terminal. For the domestic terminal , in the same complex as the international terminal but only accessible from Av Hicapié, you'll need to take a taxi; the domestic departure tax is US$0.80.

If you're leaving by first-class bus , departures are all from the offices of the relevant bus company. The Zona 1 terminal , spread out around the streets surrounding the old train station at 18 C and 9 Av, is the most important transit point, with departures to Puerto Barrios, Cobán, the Pacific highway, the Mexican border and Petén. Moving on by second-class bus the main centre is the chaotic Zona 4 terminal , where services run to all parts of the country. To get there take any city bus marked "terminal"; you'll find these heading south along 4 Av in Zona 1.