I am an Aussie who went to San Pedro Sula for the Australia vs Honduras intercontinental playoff for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Here are the basic practical matters you need to know if you want to come to SPS to watch a game. All the places mentioned are marked in the map below, the map itself is here.

How to get there

You can see which airpots have direct flights to San Pedro Sula on the Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport Wikipedia page. From the Americas or Europe you can get there with 1 stop. If travel websites like Expedia or Kayak do not give you 1 stop flight options hack together your own fair by buying 2 separate tickets.

From outside of Europe and the Americas you will need 2 stops and you might be better off hacking your own airfare together with 2 or 3 separate ticket purchases. For example you can get from Sydney to San Pedro Sula in under 30 hours, whereas booking it all in one purchase from a travel site like Expedia or Kayak will get you a 40 hour trip!

Ask your hotel to pick you up from the airport or use the local taxis as long as the driver agrees to use the meter rather than trying to negotiate a fair.

Where to stay

There are 3 good quality, large, international chain hotels in the same area around city mall. From best to worst they are

InterContinental

Modern 5-star hotel with 3 good restaurants and delicious 24/7 room service. It’s attached to multiplaza shopping mall so you can safely go back and forth from hotel to shopping any time. The internet conection can be slow.

Hilton Princes

Slightly dated 4-star hotel where the Socceroos stayed.

Holiday Inn Express

Bland 3-star chain hotel. Its nothing fancy but its reliable and professional.

Tickets to the game

The official ticket outlet is the main Ficohsa Bank branch, not other branches. Staff may not be aware of the visitors section in the stadium, if you need tickets to the visitors section you can insist the staff ask a manager, call the stadium or come back later to try with another staff member. Or just buy a ticket outside the visitors section.

Tickets are available on the aftermarket from hawkers standing in front of the official ticket outlet. I am not sure how legal this is so I would not advise buying from them unless the bank is completely sold out.

If your hotel has a concierge he can pick up the tickets for you.

Local sim card

Claro or Tigo sim cards are available at City Mall. As a foreigner you have to bring your passport and can only get your sim from official Claro or Tigo shops, not at the small resellers.

Make sure your sim is set up for call, text and data because they may have to be purchased separately with only data coming by default.

Whatsapp is king here, everyone uses it for work and personal communication more than their sim card, but you still need a sim card to use it.

Food

You absolutely want to try baleadas, the local delicacy.

The best supermarket for snacks, supplies or home cooking is Comisariato Los Andes.

The stadium has real coal fire barbecues serving delicious meat and tortillas.

Safety and Security

The advice from locals is not go out at night and not to go to bad parts of town. This leaves 1 safe option; good parts of town, during the day.

It’s certainly not as dangerous as the sensationalist clickbait media make it out to be. It’s the Australian government’s job to be over cautious (or is it fear mongering?) as per their travel advisory for Honduras. Just err on the side of caution and you will be fine.