√ Granada (Nicaragua): information on the city, what to visit and what to do in Granada?

Granada

Population: ~ 110.000

Time difference to London - Time zone GMT/UTC: -6 hours

► Basic information on Nicaragua

Granada, a historic Nicaraguan city on the edge of a huge lake with numerous islands, and boasting an impressive volcano, is one of the most important destinations in the whole Central American region.

Granada used to be the site where Native Nicaraguans, belonging to the tribe Xalteva, lived until the arrival of Spaniards.

On this site, in 1524, Spaniards founded Granada. Today, Xalteva is one of Granada's largest neighborhoods. Granada with an estimated population of about 116,000 (2005), it is just a short distance form Costa Rica.

La Gran Sultana (The Great Sultan)

The city is also called 'La Gran Sultana' (The Great Sultan) by its inhabitants. Granada is Nicaragua's oldest city and has been always played an important role in for the country economy. The city is now a main attraction for tourists, as it is slowly being restored to its former grandeur. There has been an increasing number of foreigners moving in the city, renovating old colonial homes and boosting the tourist industry.

There are already citizens of the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and France living in Granada; and this is primarily due to Granada's booming tourist economy. Recently, the number of foreigners seeking colonial homes for purchase has brought a growing number of Europeans and Americans to Granada as real estate prices are comparatively low. But tourism is still a minor player in the local economy, so there are few t-shirt shops or stores hawking handicrafts. Granada is a quiet community that belongs to the locals.

Calle La Calzada

If you visit Granada, do not miss a walk on La Calzada street 'Calle La Calzada' (0.5 miles - 800 m).

This street is one of the oldest streets in the city and goes from the historic Central Park to the waterfront 'Malecón' of Lake Cocibolca (or lake Nicaragua), the biggest lake in the country. Moreover, Calle La Calzada is an up and coming shopping area and has a variety of restaurants, shops and hotels. It's a wonderful walk.

Lake Cocibolca or Lake Nicaragua

Lake Cocibolca or Lake Nicaragua is the bigger of the two Great Lakes in the country, and the largest of the Central America region. It is the 10th largest fresh water lake in the world. With an area of 8,264 km², it is the third largest lake in Latin America only, slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca.

Lake Nicaragua is so big that it has islands with volcanoes and archipelagos of islands, such as the two-volcano island of Ometepe and the archipelago of Solentiname Islands. Certain areas of the lake have built a reputation of having periodic, powerful storms.

The winds on the western side are often very intense. From one of Granada's small ports, Asese, one can take a boat to visit some of the more than 300-island archipelago located just two miles south of the city.

Mombacho Volcano

Mombacho Volcano, easily accessible from Granada, is a great site for hiking, exploration and sightseeing. The Mombacho Volcano is one of the most prominent volcanoes in Nicaragua, located only 10 km from Granada. It was declared a natural park in 1983.

It has 1,345 meters of height. Mombacho is dormant volcano whose last eruption occurred about a million of years ago.

The entrance of the national park is situated on the foot of the volcano at the highway Granada-Nandaime, exactly at the 'Guanacaste Empalme.'

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