Amazing Things to do in Granada, Nicaragua (2024)

Overview of Beautiful Granada

There are loads of amazing things to do in Granada, Nicaragua, and this travel guide covers them all! Granada is one of the most charming colonial towns in Central America, but it somehow hasn’t exploded as a hotspot tourist destination. For many, Granada is the highlight of their Nicaraguan travels, and for good reason! If you like Antigua, Guatemala, you’ll absolutely LOVE Granada. The lovely cobblestone streets lined with beautiful colored buildings and the surrounding nature is what truly captivated us.

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My prediction for 2024 and beyond? Granada becomes a major hotspot for digital nomads. With its happening but laid-back atmosphere, diversity of amazing cuisines, and cheap cost of living, this is not only the perfect place to visit, but also to live!

The surrounding nature in Granada consists of hundreds of islets, volcanoes, crater lakes, cloud forests, and we can’t forget about Lake Cocibolca – the biggest lake in Central America! Let’s get into the best things to do in Granada!

ATM Tip: Withdraw money from Banca Red, which doesn’t have fees (although your bank may charge you a fee).

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!

Safety Wing’s Nomad Insurance is how we travel knowing that if something bad were to happen to us, we’d be protected. They cover medical assistance if you get sick or get into an accident which gives us peace of mind while on the road. In addition to medical benefits, they also cover lost baggage, travel delays, and even evacuation from political and environmental dangers! They have additional add-on coverage for non-US residents for extreme adventure activities, electronics theft, and US coverage. This is a must-have for every long-term traveler!

The 11 Best Things to do in Granada, Nicaragua

1. Walk the Streets of Granada

Whether this is on a walking tour or by yourself, walking the old cobblestone streets was our favorite thing to do in Granada. Admire the colorful houses, the various churches, and stumble across restaurants and hotels with gorgeous courtyards. The Central Park is lively at all hours of the day and is right in front of the famous cathedral, which you’ll surely pass by during your time in Granada.

2. Tour the Islets of Granada

If we could only give you one piece of advice on Granada, it would be not to skip the islets. This was such an amazing experience, I only wish we had longer! Granada has 365 islets, many of which are occupied by luxury villas and hotels. In addition, there is a monkey island, where you see and feed monkeys, as well as an island where an old Spanish fort was used to fight off pirates. We almost skipped this, but this turned out to be one of the most awesome things to do in Granada!

It costs 25 USD for an hour boat tour for up to 5 people, and then 5 USD per person after that. If you stop at the San Pedro Island, you just pay 20 cordobas (the boat driver convinced us it was 100 and we fell for his scam). You can just walk down to the Isletas de Granada and negotiate with anyone who approaches you. If you’d prefer to explore the islets by kayak, check out this kayak tour!

3. Day Trip to Lake Apoyo

This crater lake is beautiful, relaxing and the perfect place to unwind and escape from Granada’s heat. You can rent a boat, swim, kayak and even scuba and free dive here!

We recommend staying the night at Paradiso Hostel, but even if you don’t have enough time to stay overnight, at least do a day trip. The property is absolutely beautiful and there’s a lot to do! They offer free kayaks, pottery classes, movie nights, a free yoga class on Tuesdays, massages, beer pong tournaments, and more! The easiest way to get here is using the shuttle service that runs from Hostel Oasis: it runs to the lake at 10 AM and from the lake at 3:30 PM (if you’re going straight to Masaya) and 4 PM (if you’re just returning to Granada). The shuttle costs 3 USD each way.

4. View Granada from Above at Iglesia de la Merced

Make sure to climb up Iglesia de la Merced’s bell tower for 1 USD, you won’t regret it! The inside of the church is cool as well, but you can’t beat views of Mombacho, Lake Cocibolca, the Granada Cathedral and the rest of Granada! This is by far the best view of Granada.

5. Hike up Mombacho

This is unique because you’ll hike through a cloud forest and arrive at a massive volcano crater. The hike only takes 2 hours, but it is fairly steep and therefore difficult. While Nicaragua can be extremely hot, Mombacho is much cooler due to it being a dense cloud forest at higher altitudes. If you’re interested in an adrenaline adventure, check out this full-day Mombacho tour with a canopy course!

6. Night Tour to Masaya Volcano

While we weren’t massively impressed with the Masaya Volcano (partially because we saw the Volcán de Fuego erupt a few weeks before), it’s still a cool experience. This is THE thing to do in Granada, so make sure you don’t miss out! Our tour operator included a trip to a lookout of Lake Apoyo, and there are a couple short hikes you can do around Masaya while the sun is setting for beautiful views. This total cost of the tour was 25 USD, which includes park entry (which is 10 USD on its own).

Note: It’s cheaper to book this tour with any hostel (even if you’re not staying at one!) upon arrival in Granada. Booking on a tour website will be a lot more expensive.

7. Go to a Jungle Rave

The infamous Treehouse Rave has made its way around social media in recent years. It occurs every Friday at Treehouse Hostel, which a 20 minute drive from downtown Granada. The hostel provides shuttles at set times which is helpful, but this also traps you if you don’t want to stay too long. Don’t try to catch a taxi back from here at night or there’s a good chance you’ll get robbed!

8. Walk Calle La Calzada at Night

This mostly-pedestrian street is lined with restaurants and bars where seating is mostly in the street instead of inside the restaurant. It gets very busy at night, but in a good way. Locals and tourists alike enjoy their meals for several hours, kids run around in the streets, and music blares over the loudspeakers.

9. Party at Selina on Saturdays

The Selina hostel in Granada is absolutely gorgeous and has a perfect location, just across the street from the main park. They also host drinking games on Saturday nights, so if the treehouse rave on Friday was fun, you’ll like this as well! While we haven’t been to the Selina in Granada, we have gone to one of their beer pong tournaments elsewhere, and it was a ton of fun!

10. Admire the Xalteva Church

Xalteva Church has another great view if you pay the 1 USD to climb up. While the views aren’t as spectacular as the Iglesia de La Merced’s it’s still absolutely worth it for the price. It does however have the Iglesia de La Merced beat on the inside, which is absolutely stunning!

11. Tour the Museums

While Granada is rich in history and deserves many more museums (or at least one really good one), there are a few you can go to. There aren’t many history-related things to do in Granada, so make sure to make the most of what does exist!

Casa De Los Tres Mundos

Casa De Los Tres Mundos is a cultural exhibit which also serves as a community center for kids, so you’ll see some of their artwork on display here! There’s also a cool mural that you see from a bird’s eye view, a print shop, and a more professional art exhibit. It costs 20 Cordobas or 0.50 USD.

San Francisco Convent

The San Francisco Convent museum is also a cultural center but it has detailed signs and information on Granada’s history. Unfortunately these are only in Spanish so keep that in mind! There’s some religious and pre-Colombian art here, and visitors have the option for a free guided tour. Entry is 180 Cordobas or 5 USD.

La Polvora Fortress: Coming Soon

As of February of 2024, this is currently under construction and only used for private government events. However, some people have reported being able to convince the guards to let them in. This has some charming gardens and we are hopeful that this gives Granada’s history the attention it deserves!

Where to Eat and Drink in Granada

The Garden Café: For delicious, sustainably produced and healthy food, and a great ambiance! It’s a little pricey, but worth a splurge.
Gaia Forest Café & Market: Very similar to the Garden Café, but they actually produce their own coffee! The food here is amazing, and this is also a great spot to come chill and get some work done.
Cake n Bake Panaderia Inglesa: This place has delicious cakes and smoothies – we went here twice and tried so many of their desserts!
La Terraza Rooftop Bar: Watch the sunset and enjoy a 2 for 1 happy hour from 4-6!
Bate Bate: This place has delicious chocolate brownies. They also have chocolate mojitos, which is definitely interesting!
Granada’s Grill: For amazing and large-portioned meat dishes.
Tostometro: The most interesting burger you’ll have due to the fried banana instead of buns!
Rincón de Sabores: For some authentic Nicaraguan food!
Museito de Carlos: For amazing breakfast and the nicest owners ever!

Best Time to Visit Granada

The best time to visit Granada is during Nicaragua’s dry season that runs from November to May. This time of year is ideal for warm weather and perfect for exploring this beautiful city as well as the surrounding volcanoes! November through January tend to be a bit cooler than February through May, so if you’re sensitive to hot weather you may want to plan for those months. However, it’s always going to be hot in Nicaragua (especially in the cities), no matter when you visit!

Where to Stay in Granada

When we were in Granada, we stayed at Museito de Carlos and cannot recommend it enough!! Carlos is phenomenal – truly the nicest man – and the free breakfasts were amazing.

A note on staying in Granada: the city can get quite hot, so we definitely recommend staying in a place with AC if you’re the type that won’t be able to sleep in the heat.

Granada Accommodations

BUDGET

Hostel de Boca en Boca

How to Get to Granada

The easiest way to get to Granada from the Managua Airport is by renting a car, which you can book here.

If you’re flying into Managua (make sure to book cheap flights with Skyscanner), you can book a private transfer to Granada here. If you’re coming from another city/town in Nicaragua, while you may not be able to buy shuttles online, ask your accommodation or any tour agencies for shuttle information!

How to Get to Granada via Public Transportation

From Managua, buses frequently leave from the UCA terminal for 37 Cordobas (1 USD), but they may charge you extra for your luggage.

From León, you can take a 50 cordoba bus (about 1.25 USD) to Managua (make sure it’s going to the UCA terminal), and then follow the instructions above.

From Ometepe, you can take the 50 Cordoba (about 1.25 USD) ferry to San Jorge. From there, you can either take a taxi, mini bus, or chicken bus to Rivas, all for around 1 USD. From Rivas, you can take the ~2 hour bus to Granada, which costs around 50 Cordobas (they may charge 70 for your luggage).

From San Juan del Sur, you can take the 50 Cordobas (about 1.25 USD) bus to Rivas, and from there, follow the same steps as above.

Keep Exploring Nicaragua….

Our Favorite Travel Resources

Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.

Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.

Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.

Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.

International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.

eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.

Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!

Amazing Things to do in Granada, Nicaragua