Granada was founded in 1524 and is believed to
be the oldest city established on mainland
Nicaragua during the Spanish conquests. During
colonial times the city was attacked by pirates
several times.
For a long time, Granada was in a fight with León
to be the capital of Nicaragua and both cities
actually have been capital city for some time,
until the fight between both rivals ended when
Managua was chosen to be the capital.
Granada nowadays is characterised by brightcoloured
Spanish‐colonial architecture, visible all
over the city centre. The authenticity of the city
centre is protected by regulatory building
requirements.
The ambiance is very pleasant and there is a wide
range of nice restaurants and bars, especially
along the boulevard from the central park to the
shores of the Lake of Nicaragua.
The city, also referred to as the ´colonial jewel´, is
the main tourist destination in Nicaragua and can
be reached easily from Costa Rica as well.
Also, Granada is a good starting point to visit the
Isla de Ometepe, situated in the lake of Nicaragua
and consisting of two volcanoes that, through
their past eruptions, have created a big island.
Nowadays, one of the volcanoes is dormant and
the other is still active, creating an interesing
variety of biospheres on a very short distance
from eachother.
In and around Granada there are numerous
possibilities for interesting touring.