Things to do in San Salvador
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit San Salvador
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, verano. Best weather, reliable volcano views and the peak window from December to February.
Rainy season, invierno. Clear mornings and heavy afternoon rain, heaviest in September and October.
Wettest months and the worst window for a first trip. Trails are muddy and crater rims cloud over by midday.
What's on
- Fiestas Agostinas 1 to 6 August
The city patronal festival for El Salvador del Mundo, parades, a fair and fireworks in a national holiday week.
- Semana Santa Late March or early April, Holy Week
Processions in the city and sawdust carpet traditions in towns. A rich but busy week, book ahead.
- Independence Day 15 September
Parades and patriotic display in the capital, deep in the rainy season.
- Dia de los Difuntos 2 November
Families honour the dead in cemeteries with flowers and food. Witness respectfully, it is not a visitor event.
- Juayua Food Fair Every Saturday and Sunday, year round
The Ruta de las Flores weekly food festival in Juayua, the easiest event to plan around.
Best things to do in San Salvador
Iglesia El Rosario
A plain concrete shell outside, and inside a column free arch where coloured glass pours rainbow light all day.
Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador
The cathedral on Plaza Barrios, and below it the crypt tomb of Saint Oscar Romero, the city emotional centre.
Palacio Nacional
The neoclassical former seat of government on Plaza Barrios, best seen on the guided tour of its salons.
Teatro Nacional de San Salvador
Central America oldest working theatre, built 1911 to 1917, worth it for the foyer and painted ceilings alone.
Plaza Gerardo Barrios
The revived central square facing the cathedral and palace, the best people watching in the country.
Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador
A vast seven level national library open 24 hours and free, the symbol of the new Centro Historico.
Museo de Arte de El Salvador
The country principal art museum, Salvadoran work from the 19th century to today, free on Sundays.
Tin Marin, Children's Museum
A hands on childrens museum with a pretend town, a small farm and a planetarium by Parque Cuscatlan.
Where to stay in San Salvador
Colonia Escalon and Zona Rosa San Benito
first trip, dining and nightlife
Leafy Escalon above the Zona Rosa dining rectangle in San Benito, an area with better security.
Santa Elena and Antiguo Cuscatlan
business, families and calm
Newer avenues, the embassy district and big malls, quieter and more residential, with an easy airport road exit.
Boulevard de los Heroes and Metrocentro
facilities and mall access
A commercial district built around Metrocentro mall, practical rather than charming.
Think twice about
- Centro Historico side streets after dark
The lit core around Plaza Barrios and BINAES is busy and policed, but side streets thin out fast. Enjoy the core and take an Uber out.
- Peripheral residential colonias such as Soyapango and Apopa
Deprived districts with no visitor sights and a long gang history in reporting. No pick requires going near them.
- Bus terminals and public bus stops
Pickpockets operate at bus stations and public buses are not safe due to petty crime. Use Uber or hotel taxis.
Best restaurants in San Salvador
Brutto El Salvador
The city consensus special occasion rooftop, sushi, short rib and cocktails above Bambu City Center.
Restaurante Monarca
A newer fine dining terrace opposite the Barcelo, used for celebrations and hosted family dinners.
Al Pomodoro
The beloved San Benito Italian institution, fresh pasta and white tablecloth family occasion dining.
Delikat
A long running Zona Rosa favourite with a deli to dinner menu in a garden feeling space.
Kamakura
The city benchmark Japanese restaurant in Escalon, the traditionalist pick for sushi and classics.
Laca Laca
The fun Mexican cantina Salvadorans celebrate in, tacos and margaritas for big table group nights.
Típicos Margoth
The gateway tipico restaurant, pupusas, tamales and sopa de pata in a big visitor friendly Escalon room.
Pupusería Suiza
The Escalon pupuseria locals queue at, griddled to order with loroco, ayote and revuelta fillings.
Outdoor things to do in San Salvador
Parque Nacional El Boquerón
The city own volcano crater, 1.5 km across, on paved rim trails 25 minutes from the western districts.
Puerta del Diablo
A rock cleft viewpoint above Parque Balboa for the classic panorama over the capital and Lake Ilopango.
Lago de Ilopango
A huge warm caldera lake for kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming and diving, 30 minutes east of the capital.
Suchitoto
The loveliest colonial town in day trip range, cobbled streets and galleries above Lake Suchitlan.
Ruta de las Flores
Coffee towns linked by a mural painted mountain road, best on a weekend for Juayua food fair.
Parque Arqueológico Joya de Cerén
A Maya farming village preserved in ash, the Pompeii of the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Volcán de Santa Ana (Ilamatepec)
The country highest volcano, a guided climb to a steaming turquoise crater lake at 2,381 metres.
Parque Nacional Cerro Verde
A forest covered extinct volcano with shaded trails and miradores facing Izalco cone and Lake Coatepeque.
Best hotels in San Salvador
Barceló San Salvador
The Zona Rosa main hotel with pool and spa, and the biggest review base of any hotel in the city.
Sheraton Presidente San Salvador
The grand hotel beside MARTE in San Benito, with a pool, spa and walkable Zona Rosa dining.
Hyatt Centric San Salvador
The newest big luxury hotel, at Las Cascadas in Antiguo Cuscatlan, with the highest recent guest scores.
Real InterContinental San Salvador
A full facility luxury hotel attached to Metrocentro mall, with three restaurants, a spa and a pool.
Courtyard by Marriott San Salvador
A modern, predictable mid range hotel at La Gran Via, with a pool, gym and free parking.
Fairfield by Marriott San Salvador
A newer, simpler Marriott in the Escalon area, clean and efficient breakfast led value.
Casa Andalucía
A highly rated guesthouse style stay in Escalon, with a garden and a shared kitchen.
Suites & Apartments San Benito - Zona Rosa
Apartment style suites with a pool in San Benito, for self catering stays in the Zona Rosa.
Is San Salvador expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $45 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $110 a person |
| Splurge | $250 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Suchitoto: a few days ahead
- Ruta de las Flores: a few days ahead
- Volcán de Santa Ana (Ilamatepec): a few days ahead
- El Encanto Country Club: weeks ahead
- Barceló San Salvador: a few days ahead
- Sheraton Presidente San Salvador: a few days ahead
- Hyatt Centric San Salvador: a few days ahead
- Real InterContinental San Salvador: a few days ahead
- Book Brutto and Monarca days ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings.
- Book the Santa Ana hike and Ruta de las Flores or Suchitoto guided days days ahead.
- Arrange El Encanto golf weeks ahead through a member or concierge, with no guarantee of access.
- Book big name hotels ahead for December to February, Semana Santa and Fiestas Agostinas.
Is San Salvador safe?
- Homicide rates have fallen sharply since 2015. Normal big-city precautions apply, and the state of exception remains in force.
- The state of exception since March 2022 remains in force and US citizens have been detained under it. Carry a passport copy.
- Stay away from demonstrations and political activity, which is prohibited for foreign nationals.
- Use ATMs inside malls or banks in daylight, and take extra care in deprived areas and at bus stations.
- Emergency number is 911. Tourist police is +503 2224 2705.
San Salvador travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Treating Plaza Salvador del Mundo as a destination rather than a photo stop and navigation fixture.
- Paying resort prices for a Centro tour that the core walk covers on foot in a morning.
- Any pupuseria charging multiples of Suiza or Margoth prices for a view and a translated menu.
- Rushed beach day trips sold as a capital must do, which eat the volcano and Centro days.
Getting around San Salvador: public transport and more
- Uber works across the city and is the default, a few dollars between the western districts.
- The airport is in Comalapa, about 45 km and 45 minutes southeast. Pre book a transfer for late arrivals.
- Use Uber or radio dispatched, pre booked or hotel taxis. Do not use unofficial taxis or public buses.
- SITRAMSS runs an east west corridor but is a curiosity for visitors, not a practical visitor tool.
Who San Salvador suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make San Salvador your trip
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