Parroquia San Juan Bautista

San Juan Del Sur

　　The town's pretty peach-and-white church pays homage to San Juan Bautista. ...

Petroglyph

San Juan Del Sur

　　There's a spectacular petroglyph not far from town, depicting an enormous and elaborate hunting scene carved perhaps 1500 years ago. To find it, walk toward Rivas, passing the Texaco station, and make a left after the bridge. Pass a school and then a gate on your right. Continue to the...

Cristo de la Misericordia

San Juan Del Sur

　　This 25m statue of Jesus – one of the tallest in the world – overlooks the town from its perch 2km to the north. Take the one-hour hike up from the north end of Playa San Juan del Sur to catch a great bird's-eye (or son-of-God's eye) view of the...

Iglesia Molagüina

Matagalpa

　　The 1751 Iglesia Molagüina, in the center of town, is the plainest of Matagalpa's churches, but has nice gardens. ...

Iglesia Catedral San Pedro

Matagalpa

　　Built in 1874, Matagalpa's glorious, whitewashed neoclassical cathedral is flooded with light. Inside the sanctuary are a natural wood altar, gorgeous domes, arches and crown moldings. It fronts Parque Morazán, a reasonably shady hangout with outstanding people-watching. ...

Iglesia San José

Matagalpa

　　Originally constructed in 1751 and used as a jail for indigenous rebels in the late 1800s, this church was rebuilt in 1917 by Franciscan friars. The baroque gold-leaf altar and arched ceilings are lovely, while its pink facade immeasurably improves the leafy Parque Rubén Darío out front. ...

Foreigners Cemetery

Matagalpa

　　Graveyard fans should check out both the Foreigners Cemetery (and nearby National Cemetery) on the eastern edge of town, where you'll find great views and the headstone of Benjamin Linder, an American hydroelectric engineer who was murdered by Contra forces, an event that further polarized US public opinion about the...

Museo Nacional de Café

Matagalpa

　　This absorbing museum features large, glossy, printed displays in Spanish and English on the roots of modern coffee production in the region, as well as antique coffee-processing machinery. Particularly interesting are the panels on the hardy immigrants who set up the first plantations in the region. Well worth a visit...

Casa Museo Comandante Carlos Fonseca

Matagalpa

　　Commander Carlos Fonseca, the Sandinista equivalent of Malcolm X (read: bespectacled, goateed, intense, highly charismatic), grew up desperately poor in this humble abode with his single mother and four siblings, despite the fact that his father was a coffee magnate. Now it’s a tiny but interesting museum that follows his...

Alcadía

Estelí

　　A local reference point, the city hall sits across the park from the cathedral. ...

Casa de Cultura Leonel Rugama

Estelí

　　In the bullet-hole-marked former home of a high-ranking Somoza official, the Casa de Cultura offers a range of art, dance and music classes to locals (even as the building seemingly falls apart around them). ...

Museo de Historia y Arqueología

Estelí

　　In a large, concrete, faux-indigenous pyramid on the north side of town, Estelí's museum has a small but interesting collection of pottery and petroglyphs from local pre-Hispanic cultures, as well as fossils of extinct megafauna and items from the revolution. ...

Catedral

Estelí

　　The 1823 cathedral has a wonderful facade and is worth a wander. A number of interesting murals can be seen in the surrounding blocks, although most of the original revolutionary works have long disappeared. ...

Murals

Estelí

　　You'll still see some murals around the streets of Estelí, and although many of the original revolutionary pieces have been lost to development, there are also new works that keep the tradition alive. Many of the modern pieces were painted by children through the Funarte program. ...

Galería de Héroes y Mártires

Estelí

　　Be sure to stop by this moving gallery devoted to fallen revolutionaries, with displays of faded photos, clothes and weaponry. Check out the exhibit (with English signage) on Leonel Rugama, the warrior-poet whose last line was his best. When he and Carlos Fonseca were surrounded by 300 Guardia Nacional troops...

El Fortín de Acososco

León

　　The Guardia Nacional’s last holdout in León can be reached by the 2.5km dirt road from the western side of Guadalupe cemetery, on the southern border of Barrio Subtiaba. The large, squat, gray building was originally constructed in 1889 to take advantage of the great city views. It was abandoned...

Museo Rubén Darío

León

　　Nicaragua's most famous poet, Rubén Dario, lived in this house for the first 14 years of his life – indeed, he started writing poetry right here at age 12. That first poem is on display here, as are various personal effects. Of all of Nicaragua's museums and monuments dedicated to...

Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba

León

　　The Subtiaba neighborhood is centered on this church, located about 1km west of the León cathedral. It’s better known as ‘Catedral Subtiaba,’ and is the oldest intact church in the city. Built in the 1530s and reconstructed in 1710, its relatively plain beige facade and precious wood interior are largely...

Museo de Leyendas y Tradiciones

León

　　León’s most entertaining and eclectic museum is housed in La XXI (the 21st Garrison), decorated with murals graphically depicting methods the Guardia Nacional used to torture prisoners. What makes this museum unmissable is the striking contrast of its main subjects: a quirky collection of life-sized papier-mâché figures from Leonese history...

Catedral de León

León

　　Officially known as the Basílica de la Asunción, León’s cathedral is the largest in Central America, its expansive design famously (and perhaps apocryphally) approved for construction in much more important Lima, Peru. Leonese leaders originally submitted a more modest but bogus set of plans, but architect Diego José de Porres...

Museo Histórico de la Revolución

León

　　León is the heart and soul of liberal Nicaragua. Stop into this museum for an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza dictatorship, tracing national history from the devastating earthquake of 1972 to the Sandinista overthrow. The true highlight here is being shown around by the...

Museo de Arte Fundación Ortiz-Gurdián

León

　　Probably the finest museum of contemporary art in all of Central America, the Ortiz-Gurdián Collection has spilled over from its original home in Casa Don Norberto Ramírez,which was refurbished in 2000 to its original Creole Civil style, with Arabic tiles and impressive flagstones. The collection, spread across two buildings and...

Iglesia de la Recolección

León

　　Three blocks north of the cathedral, the 1786 Iglesia de la Recolección is considered the city’s most beautiful church, a Mexican-style baroque confection of swirling columns and bas-relief medallions that portray the life of Christ. Dyed a deep yellow, accented with cream and age, the lavishly decorated facade may be...

Iglesia de Xalteva

Granada

　　The dilapidated but attractive colonial church that houses La Virgen de la Asunción was almost completely rebuilt in the 1890s after suffering serious earthquake damage. ...

La Capilla María Auxiliadora

Granada

　　This gorgeous 1918 Gothic church with white-and-blue trim is worth a look for its interior – arguably the most beautiful of all of Granada's churches – all neo-Gothic arches and blue-and green-pastels. ...

Mi Museo

Granada

　　This museum displays a private collection of ceramics dating from at least 2000 BC to the present. Hundreds of beautifully crafted pieces were chosen with as much an eye for their artistic merit as their archaeological significance. ...

Cementerio de Granada

Granada

　　Used between 1876 and 1922, this beautiful cemetery on Granada's outskirts has lots of picturesque mausoleums and tombs, including those of six Nicaraguan presidents. Most people come to see the 1880 neoclassical stone Capilla de Animas (Chapel of Spirits), a scale model of the French chapel of the same name....

Casa de los Leones & Fundación Casa de los Tres Mundos

Granada

　　Founded in 1986 by Ernesto Cardenal, the Fundación Casa de los Tres Mundos moved to elegant Casa de los Leones in 1992. Casa Los Leones was built in 1720, but what you see now is a reconstruction, since William Walker burned down the original. At the entrance, a board lists...

Iglesia La Merced

Granada

　　Perhaps the most beautiful church in the city, this landmark was built in 1534. Most come here for the spectacular views from the bell tower – especially picturesque at sunset. Originally completed in 1539, it was razed by pirates in 1655 and rebuilt with its current baroque facade between 1781...

Museo de Chocolate

Granada

　　Granada's new chocolate museum is excellent if you're traveling with children: the 'beans to bar' chocolate workshop, where participants learn to roast and grind cocao beans, and mold their very own Nicaraguan chocolate bar, is hands-on fun for all ages. Cigar-making workshops are also held here. The museum is at...

Convento y Museo San Francisco

Granada

　　One of the oldest churches in Central America, Convento San Francisco boasts a robin's egg–blue birthday-cake facade and houses both an important convent and one of the best museums in the region. The highlight is the museum that focuses on Nicaragua's pre-Columbian people. Don't miss the Zapatera statuary, two solemn...

National Assembly Pedestrian Walk

Managua

　　East of the National Assembly along Av Central is a pedestrian walk with open-air exhibits on Nicaragua's history, featuring everything from historic photos of Sandino to evocative pictures of pre-earthquake Managua. It's a great path to take if you're walking from Barrio Bolonia to the lakefront, especially if you're interested...

Paseo Salvador Allende

Managua

　　The malecón (pier) has been perked up by the Puerto Salvador Allende tourist complex at its base, and comes alive in the evenings (particularly on weekends), with several restaurants, bar and food stalls, lit up 'trees of life' (courtesy of first lady Rosario Murillo) and promenading families. There's a scale...

Catedral Metropolitana

Managua

　　Just north of the Metrocentro mall is an unforgettable Managua landmark that's practically new (the doors opened in 1993). It's an architectural marvel that leaves most visitors, well, scratching their heads. It’s not a mosque, really: the 63 cupolas (or breasts, or eggs; speculation continues) symbolize Nicaragua’s 63 Catholic churches,...

Museo Nacional

Managua

　　Inside the Palacio de la Cultura y Biblioteca Nacional, the beautiful national museum is an enjoyable romp through the country's history – from Nicaragua's prehistory and the formation of the lakes and volcanoes – not to mention gold mines – to pre-Columbian statuary and one of the best pottery collections...

Plaza de la Revolución

Managua

　　Inaugurated in 1899 by national hero and original anti-American General José Santos Zelaya, this open plaza has been the scene of countless protests, parades, romances and more. On the northeast of the plaza rests the tomb of Sandinista commander Carlos Fonseca. It's particularly atmospheric on afternoons and weekends, when it...

Parque Histórico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa

Managua

　　Home to what’s easily Managua’s most recognizable landmark, Sandino’s somber silhouette, this national historic park was once the site of the Casa Presidencial, where Sandino and his men were executed in 1934; what looks like a dilapidated parking structure was for decades one of Nicaragua’s most notorious prisons. 　　You can...

Antigua Catedral

Managua

　　The hollow shell of Managua’s Old Cathedral remains Managua’s most poignant metaphor, shattered by the 1972 earthquake – and slowly undergoing restoration. Though its neoclassical facade is beautiful and serene, attended by stone angels and dappled in golden light, its interior is empty and off-limits: a cathedral without a heart...

Museo Arqueológico Huellas de Acahualinca

Managua

　　Discovered by miners in 1874, these fossilized tracks record the passage of perhaps 10 people – men, women and children – as well as birds, raccoons, deer and possum across the muddy shores of Lago de Managua some 6000 to 8000 years ago. Despite early speculation that they were running...