Atlántida Department · Honduras
Where to stay in La Ceiba
La Ceiba is a city in Atlántida Department, Honduras, home to about 197,000 people.
- Best months
- March
- Nearest airport
- LCE8 km · Golosón International Airport
- Currency
- HNLHonduran lempira
- Time zone
- America/Tegucigalpa
- Language
- Spanish
About
About La Ceiba
La Ceiba is a municipality, the capital of the Honduran department of Atlántida and a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras.
It is the fourth largest city in Honduras, home to roughly 250,000 people. The town has good hotels, ATMs and internet cafes. Many people who visit La Ceiba do so to use the city as a base to visit Pico Bonito National Park, the Cuero and Salado Wildlife Refuge or beaches and ethnic Garífuna villages nearby. Or people just stop off for a night on their way to the Bay Islands or the Hog Islands.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of La Ceiba to stay in
There are good quality hotels in La Ceiba, including the Quinta Real, La Quinta, Hotel Paris, the Aurora and, between the airport and downtown, the Coco Pando. A good mid-range hotel is the Iberia. There are also safe budget hotels in town such as the Catracho and the Lastenia. A big draw-back for budget travelers is the lack of hostels. There are only a couple & both are surrounded by dark streets after 7PM, offering very little. Lastenia Hotel is nice and cheap place to stay; they have a really tiny swimming pool upstairs, a cafeteria next door, you can get a room with a/c or fan, depending on your budget. Three people can stay for about US$15 a night.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in La Ceiba
7 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Apart Hotel Pico Bonito | 6.8 km | |
| Hotel Art Deco Beach | 0.6 km | |
| Hotel Carnaval | 1.0 km | |
| Hotel Casa Marina | 1.2 km | |
| Hotel Las Hamacas | 3.9 km | |
| La Delphina Bed and Breakfast Bar and Grill | 20.4 km | |
| Rainbow Village | 7.8 km |
When to go
The best time to visit La Ceiba
The most comfortable months for a city stay in La Ceiba are March. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; October is the wettest, with about 277 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to La Ceiba: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Golosón International Airport (LCE), about 8.0 km from the city centre in a straight line; Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB, 66 km) and La Laguna Airport (GJA, 120 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
There are buses from San Pedro Sula for L100 (lempiras), the journey takes 3-4 hr. From Guatemala City take a bus to San Pedro Sula (8-11 hr) or Copán Ruinas and change.
Getting around
Getting around La Ceiba is easy and cheap. Within the city and to the airport there are standard taxi rates. Do make sure you know the fare before you get in the cab, particularly if you are leaving downtown for the port or the airport. Prices are generally quoted per passenger except from the airport. Don't be surprised if your driver stops to pick up additional passengers. Since it's a small town, everybody knows where everything is. Know the name of your destination or have it written down (for the more obscure destinations, include the barrio or colonia in which it is located).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
LCE · Golosón International Airport
RTB · Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport
GJA · La Laguna Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in La Ceiba
Eat
A great place for tourists and ex-pats alike is Bar Expatriados. Any cab driver or local will know its rooftop downtown location (in Barrio El Iman at the end of Calle 12). The former owners, Mark and Maureen have returned to Canada but the new American owners, Joe and his wife Michelle, are helpful and friendly. The menu is typical American/Honduran. Great burgers and imported/domestic beer. The cost for a meal is expensive compared to the non ex-pat places but much cheaper than a fancy restaurant. A night of dinner and drinks for two will run you about US$30.
Stay safe
The beach area to the west of the old pier at the end of Avenida de la República should be avoided, as it is allegedly the territory of a heavily armed gang. The east side, including Barrio la Isla, is safer and is also where much of the nightlife is to be found. Walking alone at night in some parts of La Ceiba should be avoided due to the risk of robbery, though of the three major cities La Ceiba generally has lower crime rates. Taxis are abundant and cheap and are the safest way to get around at night.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
La Ceiba: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit La Ceiba?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in La Ceiba are March. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; October is the wettest, with about 277 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to La Ceiba?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Golosón International Airport (LCE), about 8.0 km from the city centre in a straight line; Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB, 66 km) and La Laguna Airport (GJA, 120 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in La Ceiba?
Honduran lempira (HNL).
Nearby
Destinations near La Ceiba
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.