1 destination · 18 things to do
El Salvador
San Salvador sits in a valley beneath its own volcano, and almost everything worth seeing in El Salvador lies within a day’s drive of it. The capital offers a walkable historic centre where the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace and the colourful modernist El Rosario church are free to explore, plus the MUNA anthropology museum for background on the cultures that came before. Just above the city, El Boquerón’s crater and glass viewpoint give a quick taste of the volcanic landscape. Further out, the day trips are the heart of a visit: Joya de Cerén, the Maya farming village preserved under ash, and the Tazumal pyramid at Chalchuapa, the Santa Ana volcano with its crater lake and Lake Coatepeque views, the colonial towns, coffee farms and hot springs of the Ruta de las Flores, the cobbled lanes of Suchitoto above its lake, and the surf beaches of El Tunco on the Pacific. This guide shows what to book ahead, how to get around, how many days to allow and where to stay, from a five-star hotel in Escalón to roomy suites beside Plaza Futura.
