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Five Things to Do in Granada, Nicaragua

Parks, churches, great food, quaint colonial streets and a blue volcanic lake are some of the five things to do in Granada Nicaragua.  Of course, there is much more to see and do in this city, but these five activities will certainly whet your appetite. We have also included the top five hotels to stay in Granada Nicaragua, the top 5 restaurants and the top 8 tours.

(Editor Update 2021)

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Where is Granada Nicaragua

Granada in Nicaragua is located on Lake Nicaragua.  Lake Nicaragua is #20 in the world for its size. One of the prettiest islands – Ometepe Island is located in the middle of the Lake. One of the top things to do in Granada Nicaragua if you are into hiking and trekking a volcano or two you should catch the ferry to Ometepe Island for USD2 or you can take an organised tour, click here for details.

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua
Map of Granada Nicaragua

Map of Granada Nicaragua

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

Granada is Nicaragua’s most beautiful city with its parks, churches, lakeside location and its food street – Calle La Calzada

What to do in Granada Nicaragua:

Parque Central Granada Nicaragua

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua
Horse Drawn Carriage Rides start from Parque Central

A typical Spanish colonial designed central park that is the hub of Granada.  Here you will find local food stalls selling Granada’s famous dish Vigoron – fried pork skins with cabbage salad and Yukka wrapped in a banana leaf.

Horse-drawn carriages can be hired for a tour around the city sights from here. There are approximately 30 twin horse carriages to choose from, seating up to 4 passengers for a 30 or 60-minute journey. For more information on a longer tour of the City that includes the horse-drawn carriage ride and walking tour click here.

 

Granada Churches

La Merced Granada
La Merced

Granada is not short of spectacular churches. La Iglesia de la Merced the oldest religious church in Central America is located on Calle Real Xalteva.  Destroyed in 1655, 1781 and 1854 and rebuilt and completed in 1863 is said to be Granada’s most beautiful church.  Spend USD1.00 and climb to the top of the Bell Tower for 360-degree views over the countryside and on a clear day you can see the Mombacho Volcano.

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua
The View from the Top
Granada Cathedral
Granada Cathedral

The yellow and white Granada Cathedral stands majestically on the eastern side of Parque Colon – it is the iconic photographic image of Granada. Built originally in 1583 it has been destroyed over the years and recently rebuilt in 1915.

The colourful colonial buildings and churches in Granada really make the town one of the most picturesque in Nicaragua.

Calle La Calzada Granada

One of Granada Nicaragua’s tourist attraction is the central pedestrian boulevard lined with restaurants, shops, bars, local tour operators and artisan bread shops. No doubt, this is where you will spend most of your time eating, drinking and shopping.

Our favourites restaurants in Granada:

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua
Cafe de Los Suenos

Cafe de los Suenos located in front of Colegio Carlos Bravo 3 1/2 blocks from the Cathedral towards the lake. Cafe de los Suenos has the best coffee in town. They are closed on Mondays.

 

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua
O’sheas famous fish and chips and of course the bucket of beer!

O’Shea’s Irish Pub was recommended to us by two individual travel bloggers for the best fish and chips in town.  We had to go just on these recommendations alone and we were not disappointed. There is always an Irish Pub in most places that you visit but O’Shea’s was one of our favourite ones.  Don’t forget to enjoy an afternoon sharing a bucket of beers!

Laguna de Apoyo Granada

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua
Laguna de Apoyo

The volcanic blue crater lake, Laguna de Apoyo,  that lies 25 minutes from Granada and 30 minutes from Managua was declared a natural reserve in 1991.  It lies between Mombacho Volcano in the South and Masaya Volcano in the North.  A great place for swimming, kayaking, boating and viewing the flora and fauna.

The Laguna Beach Club on Laguna de Apoyo Granada
The Laguna Beach Club on Laguna de Apoyo

The Laguna Beach Club is a great place to spend a day relaxing, swimming and eating.  There is a small entrance fee if you are not staying there to use their facilities.  You can even bring your own food for a bbq.

 

Mansion de Chocolate Granada

Mansion de Chocolate Granada
Mansion de Chocolate

Mansion de Chocolate is located in the largest colonial mansion in Granada.  Apart from boutique hotel accommodation they also offer a selection of therapeutic and relaxing spa services and beauty treatments.  The Choco Museo offers workshops in the history of chocolate and for hands-on experience, they teach you how to create your own chocolate drinks. Don’t leave without trying their Hot Chocolate.

Where to Stay in Granada Nicaragua

For the top 5 hotels to stay in Granada Nicaragua see our recommended list below.

Hotel Plaza Colon (rated 9.8 with Hotels Combined): Parque Central, Granada

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

 

Hotel Jardin de Granada (rated 9.7 with Hotels Combined): La Otra Banda Contiguo a Farmacia, Granada

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

Hotel Casa San Francisco (rated 9.1 with Hotels Combined): 207 Corral, Granada

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

Hotel Real La Merced (rated 9.3 with Hotels Combined): Frente a Iglesia la Merced, Granada

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

Hotel Patio del Malinche (rated 9.7 with Hotels Combined): Calle El Calmito, de Alcadia 2 1/2c al Lago, Granada

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

For other hotel options:

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

Where to eat in Granada Nicaragua

Our top 5 restaurants in Granada as recommended by travellers on Tripadvisor:

Restaurante El Garaje: Calle Corral 512, Granada

Pan de Vida: Calle La Calzada 406, Granada

La Frontera: Xalteva Church, Granada

Bocadillos: Calle Corrales 207, Granada

Cafe de las Sonrisas: Calle Real Xalteva, Granada

 For other restaurant options:

Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

Granada Nicaragua Tours

We are very happy using Get Your Guide in activities in cities that we visit.  We love their ‘best price guarantee’ which means if we find the same activity by the same local tour operator in the same currency for less they will refund the difference.  Currently they offer over 35,000 activities in over 7,600 locations.

 

Further reading:


Getting Into Granada Nicaragua

The closest airport to Granada is Managua (the capital of Nicaragua).

Flight Deals to Nicaragua

Find the cheapest flights with Skyscanner  our go-to when researching and booking flights throughout the world.

The cost of a taxi from Managua to Granada is around USD40 to USD50.  It is recommended to reconfirm the price clearly before booking a taxi.

Bus Travel Around Nicaragua

For the latest bus schedules and ticket prices for travel around Nicaragua click here.

Travel Insurance

We recommend taking our travel insurance as soon as you pay for your flights, tours and or accommodation.  By taking it out at this time and not the day before you travel is that you are covered for cancellation due to health reasons or other reasons that are covered by your policy.  Please ensure that you read all the conditions of the policy.

 

Time in Nicaragua

GMT – 6 is the time zone for Nicaragua.

Best time to visit Nicaragua

The best time to visit Nicaragua is during the dry season which covers the months from December to April.

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Five things to do in Granada Nicaragua

 

 

 

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Thanks for stopping by and welcome to To Travel Too – Australia’s top Baby Boomer lifestyle and travel blog, with an international worldwide audience in mind, run by the married couple, freelance writers and full-time travellers Jane and Duncan Dempster-Smith. Come with us as we explore the world. Our two mantras that we live by are 'chase time not money' and 'age is no barrier when it comes to travel'.

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