Cruise ships dock close to the center of town.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise calendar for this port.

Watch a destination video.

Even though most people who come to the city are rather business visitors than tourists, Guayaquil offers some attractions that are worth seeing:
The old district "Las Peñas" is the only part of the city where the wooden houses were not destroyed by fire and you can get an impression of the old, picturesque colonial Guayaquil.
Or you walk along the riverside that has been refurbished in the project "Malecón 2000". There you find a mall and a park with historical monuments (the area is open till 12am).
Guayaquil´s churches as "La Merced" or "San Francisco", the beautiful cemetery below "Cerro el Carmen", several museums, the Botanical Gardens and parks (the Parque Bolivia in front of the Cathedral is filled with tame iguanas) are also definitely worth a visit.

The city grows very rapidly. Almost every day people from the country move to Guayaquil on their search for work. Poverty and crime are serious problems, so take good care of your belongings throughout the city, especially in the city center. On no account walk around after dark and avoid carrying valuables with you.

Taxis have no meters so prices are very negotiable. The US State Department advises not to take a taxi. Use cruise organized excursions!

It pays to compare your cruise line shore excursions here.

US Dollar

Currency Converter

Spanish spoken.

There are hundreds of "coffee-nets" in the commercial and touristic areas that offer net2phone, email, internet and fax services at very reasonable prices.

Most shops are open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm. Many occupy the family home and, outside the biggest cities, open every day for as long as there is someone to staff it.

1 Jan New Year's Day.
12 Feb Amazon and Galapagos Day.
27 Feb Civicism and National Unity Day.
Good Friday.
1 May Labour Day.
24 May Battle of Pichincha.
10 Aug Independence Day.
9 Oct Guayaquil Independence Day.
2 Nov All Souls' Day.
3 Nov Cuenca Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
31 Dec New Year's Eve.

Help us to keep this page up to date: Mail us your suggestions