San Salvador is the capital city of El Salvador, approximately in the center of the country in a valley near the base of the San Salvador volcano. It provides a good base for exploring the rest of the country as it's a transportation hub, with most major roads running through it due to its central location. Spending a few days exploring this cosmopolitan and internationally-conscious city can be a rewarding experience.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
San Salvador lies in the "Valle de las Hamacas" (literally "Valley of the hammocks", as it was called by the Pipil, due to its intense earthquake activity) at the foot of the San Salvador volcano. It covers an area of 600 km² and is home to nearly 2 million people. It is home to one-third of El Salvador's population and one-half of the country's wealth.
If driving, rental car agencies include Budget, Alamo, and Hertz. Buses and taxis also provide good ways of getting around. Negotiating the cost of your taxi, Before you step in, is common practice and expected. Carry small denominations of money and have exact change for your taxi fare. If you do not have exact change, taxi drivers will try to convince you to make the change a tip instead. Distances between sights make walking an unpopular option, as does the street layout in the city; San Salvador is not a square city but has long avenues that are straight and streets that are not.
San Salvador has wide avenues and boulevards, including the two widest boulevards in Central America: Boulevard de los Proceres and Boulevard de los Heroes. Other important boulevards include Alameda Roosevelt, Paseo General Escalon, Av. Jerusalem, Boulevard Constitucion and Av. Juan Pablo Segundo. San Salvador has many beautiful monuments, some of them dating back to the early 20th century, while others are more modern. Some of the most important monuments include the National Palace, Plaza Gerardo Barrios, Plaza Morazan, Water Clock, Monument to the Sea, Atlacatl Monument and the Proceres Monuments (it has 10 monuments).
San Salvador has many theatres, including the beautiful Teatro Presidente (near Zona Rosa), where the symphony regularly performs expensive and inexpensive concerts, and the Teatro Nacional (downtown), which has been restored to its full splendor. Here you can step back and experience the grandeur once reserved for the city's elite in the early 1900s. 1 National Theatre of El Salvador (Teatro Nacional de El Salvador), Calle Delgado. (updated Oct 2018) 2 Teatro Presidente, 33 Ave Norte. (updated Oct 2018)
The restaurant scene in San Salvador is influenced by many different cultures. Food options include Italian, Korean, Japanese, Thai, French, Chilean, American, Peruvian, Mexican, Spanish, Middle Eastern, German, Chinese, Argentinian and others. Local food options include Tipicos Margot where one can purchase the famous Salvadoran Pupusas. Perhaps the biggest indictment against the quality of the San Salvador restaurant scene however is the sheer number of chain restaurants referenced in this article. When you are in El Salvador you won't have to worry about finding a place to eat, there is food everywhere you go. La Panetière, ☏ +503 2-263-8792, fax: +503 2-264-1759.
San Salvador is well-known for its nightlife. Clubs and bars can be found in the Zona Rosa, Basilea Mall, La Terraza (Sheraton Hotel), Las Terrazas (Multiplaza Mall), Boulevard de Los Heroes, Temptation Plaza, and the bars and restaurants area in La Gran Via (mall and night lifestyle center). These places have many bars, discos, restaurants, DJ centers and boutiques. Visit the laidback bohemian bars (university crowd) around Calle San Antonio Abad to meet interesting locals or head to the Zona Rosa/Multiplaza Mall area to dance the night away with the city's style-conscious upper class youth. La Taberna, Beer House 79 Ave Sur y Calle La Mascota, Lotes #7 y 8. Bar and grill.
San Salvador has had a history of violence. San Salvador was considered the most dangerous city in the world in 1992. Today, El Salvador has made tremendous progress combatting crime with a hard-line approach to the gang crisis. The current homicide rate sits at one of the lowest in the Americas at 2.4 per 100,000. At one point it had some of the highest homicide rates in the world, and it was an epicenter of the gang crisis, along with Guatemala and Honduras. Still some precautions should be observed and common sense should prevail. To stay safe: Don't walk on streets that look abandoned and dark. Use only licensed taxis or rent a car.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, San Salvador typically sees ~30°C daytime highs and 17 rainy days.
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