Must-see attractions in El Salvador

  • Iglesia El Rosario's interior is a colorful celebration.

    Iglesia El Rosario

    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…

  • Tazumal

    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…

  • Parque Nacional Los Volcanes

    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,…

  • Joya de Ceren is an archaeological site featuring ruins of a Mayan farming village that was buried by a volcano.

    Joya de Cerén

    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…

  • Catedral Metropolitana in San Salvador

    Catedral Metropolitana

    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…

  • Parque Nacional El Imposible

    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,…

  • Centro Arte para la Paz

    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…

  • Jardín Botánico La Laguna

    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…

  • La Semilla de Dios

    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…

  • Parque Nacional Montecristo

    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…

  • Parque Arqueológico Cihuatán

    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…

  • Centro Monseñor Romero

    San Salvador

    At Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (La UCA), the Centro Monseñor Romero pays homage to the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero. Highly…

  • Campamento Guerrillero

    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…

  • El Arbol de Dios

    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…

  • Cascadas Los Tercios

    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),…

  • Catedral de Santa Ana

    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,…

  • Teatro de Santa Ana

    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…

  • Casa Blanca

    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…

  • Museo de Arte de El Salvador

    San Salvador

    An impressive collection of sketches, paintings and installations track the development of prominent local artists including Fernando Llort, Rosa Mena…

  • Parque El Boquerón

    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…

  • Palacio Nacional

    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…

  • Indigo Workshop

    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 …

  • Iglesia de San Pedro

    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…

  • El Salvador - Best in Travel 2023 - Shot October 2022

    Teatro Nacional

    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…

  • Ruinas de San Andrés

    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…

  • Ruinas de Quelepa

    Eastern El Salvador

    Archaeology buffs will appreciate the Ruinas de Quelepa, grassy mounds covering 40 terraced ceremonial platforms, largely unexcavated. Lenca inhabited the…

  • Finca Santa Leticia

    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,…

  • Laguna de Olomega

    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…

  • Reserva Ecologica El Limo

    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…

  • Jardín de los Cien Años

    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…

  • Museo Regional del Oriente

    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…

  • La Laguna de Alegría

    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…

  • Teatro Nacional de San Miguel

    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…

  • Hacienda San Jose

    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…

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