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Visiting Guatemala's Tips
You need Quetzales to buy and exchange services in Guatemala although you may use US Dollars widely accepted in touristic places. Most of the time you will be loosing some bucles when paying in USDollars because no one will exchange you at the oficial rate. Yet, It will be hard for you to get Quetzales at your local bank in your country of origen. So best advise is to bring your Dollars and exchange them at the local banks and use the Quetzales for any trade. And secondly, bring your credit cards.
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Many visitors believe that USDollars are widely accepted in Guatemala and in a way it is true. Guatemalan law allows to pay in any currency you want: meaning that if someone accepts your dollars, you can pay them in dollars. But many Guatemalans don't like to exchange them at banks because no one is a great mathematician to begin with and they hate making long lines for the few dollars they got. And still they might be willing to accept your Dollars, but one thing is for sure: bring in good shape bills (immaculate if possible) because banks tend to reject not only damaged bills but also small denomination bills. Therefore my best advise is to exchange your currency for Quetzales at a local bank and use them widely.
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You can bring your Dollars, Euros or Quetzales bills, which is widely used for trading. Your other option is to bring your credit cards or debits: make sure your cards are international and able to be used outside your country. Otherwise they won't work outside your country of origin.
The next step once in Guatemala is to find a money dispenser for your credit or debit cards, which in Guatemala are called "cajero or cajero automático". Most of them will work for your cards except for few machines that are exclusively for local use. If one does not work,try another bank-dispenser. You have 2 ATMs at the La Aurora Airport and most likely you will make a line or it will easily run out of cash on rush days.
Not advised to exchange money on an exchange guichet as you will get a real bad rate and they are very scarce in Guatemala. The best you can do is to exchange your US Dollars at a bank, but allow at least 1 hour waiting there on paydays. You will need a valid ID for the transaction.
As an alternative you may exchange your currency at your Hotel's front desk but your best choice a local bank.
Walkings and small transactions are paid with cash; restaurants, formal shops and hotels can be easily paid with credit cards and most touristic places accept Dollars at their own rate.
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These numbers are just a reference to helping you make your daily budget because each individual is unique and you as a tourist might find more expensive places that the average guatemalan.
If you are only eating at formal restaurants or touristic places, about $100 dollars for your 3 meals would be wise to budget. Each main dish is between $10 and $15, some places have their main dish for ~$6. these rates apply for main cities, but when you are at the countryside, prices will lower to about $4 to $6 dollars per dish.
if your plan is eating on the streets $50 dollars per person and per day, will be enough. You can even have 2-3 meals for about $30 Dollars. Besides if you decide going to a restaurant, you can also pay with your debit or credit cards at main cities or towns.
But if you like shopping all sort of souvenirs and eating out on the street, you might need about $80 per day.
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