The History of Granada

Located less than one hour from the capital of Managua via a newly double highway and one and an half from the Costa Rican border  is the colonial jewel of Nicaragua , the city of Granada.
Founded in 1524 by the Spanish explorer Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba on the shores of the Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca and near the indigenous community of Xalteva. The “ Gran Sultana” as we also now Granada is the oldest city who still remaining in the original place since it´s was constructed on the American Continent.
In fact Granada was the first capital city of Nicaragua, has seen it all, from the first days of the colonization, from defending against trouble, attacks by buccaneers and the burning of the city in 1856 by the infamous filibuster William Walker.

In many aspects the city is not so different from the days of it was founded and today it´s characteristics for his tranquility and security.

Strolling through its streets you can easily feel that you have gone back in time and it is this charm which Granada exudes, that most visitors find irresistible and comforting. This place offers a variety of restaurants, bars, clubs and charming colonial hotels. This town is made for taking fun strolls either on foot, bicycle or on one of the originally horse carriages so classic in Granada and seeing peoples and places, listening to open air concerts, admiring the colonial architecture, visiting a museum or enjoying a walk on the lake borders.

This is also a good point from which to visit many of Nicaragua´s attractions, such as the Mombacho Cloud Forest reserve, the 365 Islets of Granada, the Ometepe Island, the old Masaya market which offers souvenirs and Nicaraguan handicrafts.

The central point of Granada is the “Parque Colon” which is surrounded by a great cathedral completed in 1910 and several historically and visually interesting buildings.

From here you can walk over to the Antiguo Convento San Francisco located behind the Casa de los Tres Mundos, possibly one of the best museums in Nicaragaua, and originally founded in 1529. Here you can see among other things, a great collection of pre-columbian stone idols, examples of indigenous life, myths and legends of Nicaragua. For historical buffs, a visit to the La Polvora fortress located at the end of Calle Real Xalteva, which is the last remaining military construction built by the Spanish to defend against the repeated pirate attacks. Built in 1748, it has remain virtually unchanged with his four towers. These are only a few examples of the interesting historical sights you can see in Granada.

So come ready to explore the many wonders that Granada offer.

PS. Granada has many different banks with international relationship and offers CASH cashiers 24 hours.