Belize City: colonial cathedrals and the barrier reef

Former capital of Belize before the transfer to Belmopan, Belize City preserves a compact colonial center and remains the primary departure point for the western hemisphere's longest coral barrier reef.

The center can be explored on foot in a few hours.

Built in 1812 with bricks brought as ballast by British ships, the Cathedral of Saint John is the oldest Anglican cathedral in Central America.

A few blocks away, the Belize Museum occupies the former city prison, active until 1993: the old cells today host displays on colonial history and Mayan culture.

Descending toward the water, one encounters the Swing Bridge over the Haulover Creek river, built in 1923 in England and historically turned by hand to allow boats to pass.

For those with more time, a boat excursion leads to the Great Blue Hole, an underwater sinkhole made famous by Jacques Cousteau's expeditions, part of the UNESCO World Heritage coral reef.

The Swing Bridge, nowadays seldom rotated compared to the past, nevertheless remains one of the few hand-operated swing bridges still surviving in the world, if only as a technical testament.

The Great Blue Hole lies roughly a hundred kilometers from the city: those without time for the full excursion can still dive along nearer stretches of the same coral reef.