san salvador, SV

I didn't have much in the way of expectations when I pulled into San Salvador. I was expecting it to be terrible, frankly. After being through a few of the large Central American countries at this point my hopes were very very low for the capital city of El Salvador. However, when I arrived I was really pleasantly surprised. I actually kind of liked San Salvador. San Salvador is the largest city in the country, by a long shot. There are 1.7 million residents, almost 1/3 of the 6-million-person population of the country. It's also Central America's longest standing capital city. At a slight elevation of about 700 meters, or 2,000 feet, the weather is more forgiving than down at the coast. Now to say that I loved this large Central American capital city would be a stretch of the words. But it grew on me, and it's probably one of my favorites when compared to the other countries' capitals in this part of the world. The city felt clean. It was modern, well organized, and if you know where to look it's a nice place to stop for a minute on your way through the country. This page won't have too much information on San Salvador, but I will go into a few of the areas that if you are here, you should stick to. It's primarily an outer part of the city called 'Santa Tecla', which is an upscale part of the city that has restaurants and places to go. It's a wealthier part of the city, and very safe. San Salvador can get VERY VERY dodgy. I took a wrong turn in downtown San Salvador, and ended up in what is still to this date one of the sketchiest areas I have driven through. Blown out buildings, prostitution rampant in the streets, sketchy-looking characters all around. Just not a good place to be with a few surf boards on the top of your car. But if you can avoid these places — just as you would avoid the dodgy parts of whatever large town is nearest to you at home, you can find some really nice pockets of the city. Not a whole ton to add here on San Salvador. Just some tips on areas I found to be pretty nice in the city. I was driving myself around though, which makes things easier in these big cities.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

LOCATION - San Salvador is located in the north-western part of the country, — well not really that north, and more in the center of the country. It's land-locked, and at a slight elevation of about 700 meters. El Salvador is widely known for its beaches and the ocean, so just be aware that San Salvador is not on the ocean. To get to the ocean it will be only a 35-minute drive or so however. So it's really conveniently located proximity-wise to the beach and all the northern beach towns like El Tunco and El Zonte. It's really popular for people to stay down at the beach, but do little tours or excursions to explore San Salvador or the things to do around it. It's also very common to see people who live in the city down at the beach for the weekend relaxing.
- Flying into San Salvador is pretty simple. There is an international airport here, but it's pretty far away from the center of the city. It's a 40-minute drive to get from San Salvador to the airport. Transportation to and from the airport is by shuttle, and from what I know there's not really any public transportation from the airport to the city. So transport is by shuttle or taxi, which isn't super-cheap.
- AREA OF SAN SALVADOR -
  - SANTA TECLA - This was my favorite area of El Salvador. It's more of a suburb, really. There's a few really nice walking streets, restaurants all over the place, one of those streets that have all the flags streaming between the buildings overhead. It's a safe-feeling little suburb with good places to eat and hang out. One tourist attraction of note is Paseo El Carmen.
  - SAN BENITO - Upscale neighborhood in San Salvador proper, that has been pretty commercialized. It's got a lot of restaurants and bars, and it's where a lot of the nightlife is. Home to the 'Zona Rosa', or the nightlife district.
  - EL ESCALON - Another upscale neighborhood in San Salvador, with luxury homes, and nice malls.

ACCOMMODATION - There are hotels all over the place, but you won't really find much of a backpacking community here or hostel scene. I have one recommendation below though.
- La Zona - Nice hostel located well in San Benito.

EATS - I didn't do too much eating here. I actually went to a McDonald's when I was here because sometimes that's just what you want when you are traveling. But I have a few other recommendations. It's a big city, so if you spend time here go and explore.
- Cadejo Brewing Company - Great brewery and place to grab some food. The space is nice and modern, but the food will be a little pricey. There are two locations in the city, — one in San Benito, and one in Santa Tecla.
- Tacos the Best - Good and cheap taco spot in Santa Tecla.

NIGHTLIFE - I didn't really go out here, but the Zona Rosa is the nightlife district here if you are looking to go out and located right in San Benito.

SIGHTS - See the 'sights' section for El Zonte for a full list of things to do in the area. But some San Salvador-specific things to do are below.
- National Theatre of El Salvador - The National Theatre is the oldest theater in Central America, and a national monument that stands proudly in strollable downtown San Salvador. Classical concerts with the El Salvador Symphony Orchestra are among the many events hosted at the theater, and it's on the route of most city-walking tours.
- Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador - Probably the most famous image when you look up or talk about San Salvador is of this church. If you're into churches, this is a thing to see.

SURFING - Although there is no surfing here in San Salvador, there are some of the best waves in the world about 30-minutes away. See El Zonte for the waves in the area.