Exploring San SalvadorSan Salvador is one of the most modern cities in Central America! Custom Search San Salvador is a beautiful metropolis that is both historic and modern. Let me explain why... It has been the center of business and trade since it's discovery by the Spaniards, so it has rich history that can be seen through out the capital city. But it is also a very modern city with many malls and shopping centers, 5-star hotels, golf courses and so much more! I lived in San Salvador before moving to Canada and I absolutely loved it! I remember walking through the central plazas in the historic area and watching people feed the doves that lived on the roofs of the National Palace and National Theater. One of my favourite places to visit on weekends was the very popular Metro Centro Shopping Center as they have live music, shows and all that kind of fun stuff! But now they are so many more beautiful places that it takes a long time to visit them all. These are some of the places we have visited when we've gone back... 
Museums: With so many different places to visit we have to take our time and slowly work our way through all the places we want to visit. So we started our tour of San Salvador by visiting some of the museums.There are several museums here including the National Museum of Anthropology David J. Guzmán pictured here as well as the Museum of Art and others. 
Historic Center: We also wanted to experience and go sightseeing in the historic area of San Salvador. There are several plazas with monuments like this one of Gerardo Barrios.Landmark buildings from the early 1900's like the National Theater which was built by a French architect with a French Renaissance style and the National Palace are all in this area. 
Shopping: Of course, we can’t leave shopping behind, so visiting the modern shopping centers in San Salvador is also a must. The elegant Galerias Escalón is a great shopping center with exclusive boutiques, food courts, fashion shows and more.There’s also an Artisans Market (Mercado de Artesanías) where you can find all kinds of local crafts and souvenirs. So make sure you bring your walking shoes! 
Nightlife: For the nighthawks like us, there’s a couple of areas that offer great night entertainment, La Gran Vía and La Zona Rosa.These are the center of nightlife in El Salvador and they’re also very safe at night. Live shows, games for children, movie theater, bars and restaurants are plentiful here. 
Ilopango Lake: After a few days in the city, we are in the mood to go somewhere quieter with more peaceful surroundings and what better place to go than Ilopango Lake.This is a beautiful crater lake and is actually the largest one in El Salvador and only about 30 minutes from the city center. The local boat operators offer trips around the lake and it is so relaxing, you get to see the fauna and flora native to this lake. Just swimming and relaxing is also much fun too or... how would you like to scuba dive in the lake? Dive tours are offered by diving tour companies! 
Cihuatán ruins: For a more cultural experience, it’s also worthwhile visiting the ruins of Cihuatán.These are near the city of Aguilares about 30 minutes north of San Salvador in the valley of the Guazapa volcano and are the largest ruins in the country. 
Parks: On a tour around the city you just can’t miss visiting some of the parks like this one - Cuscatlán Park.There are many, and they are great for hiking, bird watching, rappelling so make sure you don’t forget your camera especially when visiting El Boquerón National Park, maybe you'll be able to spot the Torogóz - the national bird of El Salvador. 
Children Activities: There are activities for families with children as well.The Children’s Tin Marin Museum, The Family Park, and Mundo Felíz (Happy World) are just a few of the places where the children can have a blast and the parents get a chance to sit back and enjoy that nice cup of Salvadorean coffee! This is such a beautiful city and I don’t think we can ever run out of things to do and places to visit. On our next trip this year, we will visit the native village of Panchimalco where you can still observe the people wearing their native dress. We hope you enjoy reading about San Salvador just as much as we enjoy touring it.
Return from San Salvador to Home Page
|
