Plaza de la Independencia, Granada, NicaraguaPlaza de la Independencia, Granada, Nicaragua
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:06.Plaza_de_la_Independencia_de_Granada.JPG
Author: Elemaki
photo licensing

Granada is the fourth biggest city in Nicaragua. It covers 531 sq km (205 sq mi) and has a population of 110,000 people (2011 estimate). The city is also one of the oldest in the country. It was established by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba in 1524, making it the first European-founded city in mainland Americas.

Granada was named after the city of Granada in Spain. This was to commemorate the victory of the Spanish over the last Moorish stronghold of Granada.

The city of Granada, Nicaragua, was developed to reflect the Moorish and Andalusian character of its namesake. This sets it apart from its sister city, León, which was created to reflect a Castilian character. Granada was also historically the sister capital to Antigua Guatemala.

Guadalupe Church, Granada, NicaraguaGuadalupe Church, Granada, Nicaragua
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guadalupe_Church_Granada_Nicaragua_5.jpg
Author: nakashi
photo licensing

The economy of Granada was traditionally supported by timber as well as the mining of gold and silver. In the past few decades, these have receded while the city becomes an increasingly important tourist destination. It has also become a retirement home for many Europeans and Americans, which has helped escalate the price of local real estate.

Visiting Granada

As Granada is to the north of Managua, you can take a bus or taxi direct from Managua Airport to Granada. There's a bus every half an hour from the airport. If you go by taxi, the fare is around $35.

Places of Interest in Granada

  1. Churches of Granada
    There are six historic churches which are worth visiting for their historic and aesthetic values. They are the Cathedral of Granada, the Church of La Merced, the Church of Guadalupe, the Xalteva Church, the Church of San Francisco and the Church of María Auxiliadora.

  2. Lake Cocibolca
    This is the 10th largest fresh-water lake on earth. It is inhabited by bull sharks.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website



Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.

Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.