San Salvador
Designed by sculptor Ruben Martinez and completed in 1971, Iglesia El Rosario is radically beautiful. Arguably the finest church in Central America, its…
San Salvador
Designed by sculptor Ruben Martinez and completed in 1971, Iglesia El Rosario is radically beautiful. Arguably the finest church in Central America, its…
Western El Salvador
In the K’iche’ language Tazumal means ‘pyramid where the victims were burned.’ Archaeologists estimate that the verdant 10-sq-km Tazumal area – much of…
Western El Salvador
Alongside volcanoes in triplicate, Parque Nacional Los Volcanes has hectares of lush forest that provide sanctuary for hundreds of migrating bird species,…
Central El Salvador
Known as the Pompeii of America, Unesco World Heritage Site Joya de Cerén was a small Maya settlement that was buried under volcanic ash when the Laguna…
San Salvador
Facing the revamped Plaza Barrios, the cathedral is the most significant landmark in the city and the resting place of Archbishop Óscar A Romero. In the…
Western El Salvador
Edging Guatemala, the mostly primary forest of Parque Nacional El Imposible shimmers with rivers and beautiful waterfalls. Hiking can get muddy and steep,…
El Salvador
Opened in 2000 as a charitable initiative to support victims of domestic violence, the Centro Arte para la Paz now organizes a range of cultural…
San Salvador
Moss-covered bridges, pebbled paths, small waterfalls and ponds home to croaking frogs, turtles and feeding fish provide the perfect antidote to city…
El Salvador
Local cooperative La Semilla de Dios, founded in 1977 by Fernando Llort, crafts quality products in workshops behind the store. If you ask permission you…
Western El Salvador
The cloud forest–cloaked mountains of Parque Nacional Montecristo are home to abundant flora and fauna that make it a magnet for nature lovers and…
Central El Salvador
The modest ruins of Cihuatán were once an immense urban area alongside the Río Guazapa, possibly the largest pre-Columbian city between Guatemala and Peru…
Museo de la Revolución Salvadoreña
Eastern El Salvador
A few blocks north of the park is this excellent little museum that charts the causes and course of the Salvadoran civil war. Highlights include the…
San Salvador
At Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (La UCA), the Centro Monseñor Romero pays homage to the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero. Highly…
Eastern El Salvador
This reconstructed guerrilla camp features tatús (cave hideouts) and underground shelters connected by rickety rope bridges and dirt tracks in a patch of…
San Salvador
'God's Tree' is an institute dedicated to the work of world-famous painter Fernando Llort, with a gallery displaying sophisticated pieces that differ from…
Museo de la Palabra y La Imagen
San Salvador
This innovative museum examines the history of El Salvador's civil war (1981–1992), beginning with the long-term context of the 1920s struggle for…
Museo Nacional de Antropología David J Guzmán
San Salvador
This worthwhile museum has an excellent range of Maya and Olmec (pre-Maya) statues and relics from ancient Cuscatlan, as well as Lenca artifacts from…
El Salvador
Geologic oddity Cascadas Los Tercios tumbles over a cliff of tightly packed hexagonal stone spires. The waterfall underwhelms when water is low (often),…
Western El Salvador
The most notable sight in Santa Ana is its large neo-Gothic cathedral, which was completed in 1913. Exquisite ornate moldings cover the church's front,…
Western El Salvador
The Teatro de Santa Ana is an opulent Renaissance-style building constructed using funds from an export tax on coffee beans. The epitome of wealth, excess…
Western El Salvador
Across the highway from Chalchuapa town center and the Tazumal site sits Casa Blanca, home to some Preclassic Maya ruins set in attractive woodland. An…
San Salvador
An impressive collection of sketches, paintings and installations track the development of prominent local artists including Fernando Llort, Rosa Mena…
Central El Salvador
El Salvador's most accessible volcano is El Boquerón (the mouth), one of Volcán San Salvador's two peaks. An easy trail leads around the crater, offering…
San Salvador
Built in the early 20th century of Italian marble, the Palacio Nacional was the government headquarters until 1974. A few of the rooms now preserve…
El Salvador
This center, founded to support women in rural communities, offers traditional indigo dyeing demonstrations and can show you how to dye your own T-shirt …
Western El Salvador
Metapán's town square features the glorious Iglesia de San Pedro, the jewel in a restored old quarter where the sense of civic pride is palpable. In the…
San Salvador
This aging beauty still hosts major productions in the capital. Inaugurated in 1917, the theater was renovated in French classical style in the mid-20th…
Central El Salvador
In 1977 a step pyramid and a large courtyard with a subterranean section were unearthed at this site, inhabited by Maya between AD 600 and 900. Experts…
Parque Nacional Walter T Deininger
Central El Salvador
About 4km north of La Libertad, along the Comalapa road, Parque Nacional Walter T Deininger is named for the German settler who donated the land. It…
Eastern El Salvador
Archaeology buffs will appreciate the Ruinas de Quelepa, grassy mounds covering 40 terraced ceremonial platforms, largely unexcavated. Lenca inhabited the…
Western El Salvador
Finca Santa Leticia is a coffee farm, hotel and restaurant just south of Apaneca. The highlight here is the small on-site archaeological park (admission…
Casa de los Recuerdos Alejandro Cotto
El Salvador
The former home of El Salvador's most successful film director, the late Alejandro Cotto, is now a museum. Many of Cotto's personal belongings, artwork,…
Eastern El Salvador
About 40km southeast of San Miguel is a pretty lake on which you can catch a small boat (US$15 to US$40) to minuscule Los Cerritos Island. It's great for…
Western El Salvador
Fourteen kilometers north of Metapán is the lush Reserva Ecologica El Limo, home to incredible cascadas (waterfalls). Drivers near the turnoff to Frontera…
Western El Salvador
At Los Planes, this enchanting garden has more than 70 species of orchid as well as towering oaks and other plants, many of which are labeled. Don't miss…
Eastern El Salvador
The small collection of pottery includes pieces found at Quelepa, with explanations in English and Spanish. There's not much to see here but the…
Eastern El Salvador
The scenic crater lake La Laguna de Alegría is a 2km uphill walk from town, with some stunning views along the way. The lake's icy waters are said to be…
Hospital La Divina Providencia
San Salvador
Monseñor Romero was assassinated by government agents while giving Mass in the chapel here on March 24, 1980. You can tour his modest quarters, where his…
Eastern El Salvador
Recent renovations have spruced up this neoclassical gem. It functioned as a cinema during the silent-film era and later as the Telecom headquarters and a…
Western El Salvador
Near the park entrance, a charming hacienda with pretty gardens holds a small interpretative center with displays on the park's flora and fauna, including…