Belize City

Belize City

Whether you arrive in Belize by air or by cruise, chances are your first destination will bring you to Belize City. While many Belize travellers soon head to the more popular Belize vacation areas, Belize City deserves a visit, if for no other reason than the Belize Zoo and Jungle Lodge. Located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, this is the largest city in Belize (population around 70,800). You will find many things to do in Belize City in
the way of cultural activities and nightlife.

Belize Zoo

The Belize Zoo does not capture animals but rather provides a home to animals, such as jaguars and howler monkeys that have been injured, orphaned or displaced. A wide variety of tours are offered here, including bird watching tours and nocturnal tours (where you get to do things in Belize like hold a live boa constrictor). 

Adjacent to the Belize Zoo is its Jungle Lodge. Here you can take an amazing savannah nature trail that leads you to wildlife platforms in the canopy. The lodge offers a variety of accommodations, and its most notable guests have included Steve Irwin and Cameron Diaz. 

The Swing Bridge

Built in 1922, this Belize attraction is of interest to many visiting Belize City for the first time because it is the only functioning manually operated swing bridge in the world. The bridge is swung every morning and evening to allow sailboats and other large boats to pass through the river.


Day Trip from Belize City

Belize City is a good starting point for many Belize activities and tours, including the Community Baboon (Black Howler Monkeys) Sanctuary, Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, the incredible Cockscomb Basin and Jaguar Preserve, Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, the Belize cays and Barrier Reef, and Mayan archaeological sites.


Belize City Travel Facts

At night, it's smart to travel by taxi, just to be on the safe side, but by day you can travel safely by food and reach just about anywhere you may want to go in this small city. Belize City offers many gift and souvenir shops near the port where Caribbean cruise ships dock.

While the dress code on the cays of Belize is super laid back, you'll want to go a bit dressier than swim trunks and tank tops in Belize City, but do opt for lightweight and breathable fabrics because this area can be quite damp.