Went to Leon twice, and the difference was like day and night. Without students Leon is a sleepy colonial town. With them it is bustling, with a pleasant vibe and quite some partying.
That makes it much livelier than its archrival Granada. You can also see it in the kind of tourists it attracts: older people flock to Granada. Backpackers go to Leon where it is hip and more happening.
CONTENTS
General introduction
Food and drinks
Activities / Things to do
Getting there and getting around
Miscellaneous
General introduction
Welcome to Sandinista heartland. Because of the student population, Leon has always been very critical of governmental oppression. As such, it is also one of the first places to explode when unrest is bubbling up.
As with all Spanish-era towns, Leon has a grid system centered around the Parque Central. Everything within the city is within walking distance. Seeing the city in 24 hours is possible, but you would miss out on enjoying the local relaxed party vibe. And it’s a great base for exploring the region.
Oh, and if you are looking for street names: they don’t have them. They identify locations by the amount of streets north/south and east/west of Parque Central.
Food and drinks
Probably even better than in Granada, as this city caters as much for locals as it does for tourists, which means you have options available for all budgets. Good breakfast and lunch places are Pan y Paz and Batidos Pataya. But the Coco Calala is also irresistible: vegan dishes AND a swimming pool.
In the evening most eating options are in the streets on the western and northern side of the Parque Central. The biggest parties are around Jose de Marcoleta street (no idea why that one has a proper name) and around the corner, where the theatre also is.
Activities / things to do
- Ortiz Gurdian: the best contemporary art museum of Central America. Several colonial houses combined into one big complex (well, separated by a street). This one houses works of Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Basquiat, amongst many many others. And sunday entrance is even free
- Museo de la Revoluccion: located on the Parque Central, this is a building with a lot of history. Former Sandinistas show you around for free, but appreciate it if you buy a DVD from them afterwards
- Museum of Traditions and Legends: very funny museum. It looks a bit amateurish, the dolls depicting local legends. But it has a genuine local flavour
- entertainment:
- Theatre: as said, the Teatro Municipal Jose de la Cruz Mena is not only a beautiful building, it also stages excellent (albeit Spanish-languaged) plays
- Cinema: one of the very few outside Managua. Not huge, but with three screens and some American blockbusters
- saturday nights in Parque Central: not sure whether these are weekly, but at least very often there are shows with dance groups and other artists entertaining the locals on a stage in the main square
- Las Penitas: pretty close to paradise, this beach thirty minutes by chicken bus outside of Leon. Outside of weekends and national holidays, this place is deserted. It also has a turtle preservation park that can be visited. Nature at its most beautiful
- Sandboarding: didn’t do it myself, but on the hills of the nearby volcanoes you can actually surf the black sand
Getting to Leon and getting around:
- connections to Managua and other cities are almost always by chicken bus
- the station is located in the northeast of Leon
- To get to Granada, you have to switch buses in Managua
- To get to Matagalpa, you need a minivan
- within Leon, everything is within walking distance. International transfers are best done with minivans as well
Miscellaneous
- Weather: a fucking oven. No other way to describe the temperatures in this city on the plains of Nicaragua. Make sure to drink enough, don’t get too drunk. Together with Granada the hottest place we visited. Bad luck? Probably not
- Safety: Leon is very safe. As it is also a major tourist destination, attitudes towards foreigners are usually very relaxed and open-minded
There is a separate article with more photos from Leon, Nicaragua