San Salvador: Best Things to Do, Where to Eat and Stay

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If you’re heading to El Salvador’s capital, here’s my full guide with what to do,where to eat, where to stay — and some of the best day trips you can take!

Best things to do in San Salvador

If you’re anything like me you want the fun parts first! So lets dive right in to the top things to do in San Salvador. If you also want more practical tips like which areas to stay in and where to eat, just scroll further down and you’ll find everything you need.

Wander round Plaza Libertad and the Historic Center

The whole of San Salvador is pretty big and you’re probably not staying in the city center so it might feel like everything is a bit far away. However, when you first get to the city, most things are in walking distance from each other. Start your stroll in Plaza Libertad, the historic heart of San Salvador. It’s lively and chaotic. When we were there they were setting up for a huge bike competition so it felt extra chaotic and it was definitely a bit out of the ordinary. Around the Plaza you’ll find the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace, and the National Theater, all stunning and worth a visit. In addition, I recommend heading up to the top of the National library for a view of the city from above. If you want to learn more about the citys past and recent transformation I recommend booking a guided walking tour around the city.

These are the Walking Tours I recommend

Half Day Walking Tour + Pupusas Tasting

Walking Tour with Dave and Isaac

San Salvador City Tour and El Boquerón National Park including Pupusa Tasting

Visit Iglesia El Rosario

I’m not exaggerating when I say Iglesia El Rosario is one of the coolest churches I’ve ever seen. It looks like a concrete bunker from the Soviet Union on the outside, and a lit up pride flag from the inside. Or like a kaleidoscope exploded inside a bunker. Truly spectacular and needs to be seen! It might be a bit tricky to find since the entrance is located in a small alley that doesn’t look like it has a huge church in, but its well worth it.

Relax in Parque Bicentenario or Parque Cuscatlán

Need a break from the city noise? There are a couple of nice and peaceful parks to relax In. Head over to either park for a walk, a jog, or just chill with a coffee. It’s where the locals escape to, so it’s also a great place to just watch the local life in San Salvador.

Best Day Trips from San Salvador

We used San Salvador as one of our bases in El Salvador and travelled around to explore more of the surrrounding area. You can catch a bus, do it as a guided tour or just book an Uber. We did a mix and it was perfect for us.

Joya de Cerén

This is truly in the middle of Santa Ana and San Salvador so you can really get here from either side. I ended up taking an Uber from San Salvador and he even waited for me at the site and drove me to San Andrės before heading back. Joya de Cerén is a UNESCO World Heritage site often called the “Pompeii of the Americas.” It’s a preserved village buried by a volcanic eruption around 600 AD, giving rare insight into everyday Mayan life. It’s a completely different experience than all the other Mayan sites I’ve visited because it actually shows how people used to live and not just the temples.

Book your trip Joya de Cerén and more here

Ruins of San Andrés

The ruins of San Andrés are just a 10 minute drive from Joya de Cerén and worth a quick detour. This is a pretty small site and parts of it was closed of when I was there in 2025, and it looked like it would be for a very long time. I personally don’t think this was worth a trip in itself, but if you go to Joya De Cerén and have some extra time it’s worth a visit.

Tazumal Ruins

If you love ancient civilizations, don’t miss the Tazumal ruins in Chalchuapa — an impressive Mayan pyramid structure you can actually walk around. This was my favourite in El Salvador. If you’re heading to Santa Ana as well it’s shorter go get to Tazumal from there, but if Santa Ana itsn’t on your agenda I still think a visit to Tazumal is worth the 2 hour drive.

Book your Tour to Tazumal Here

Explore Suchitoto

I loved Suchitoto. I haven’t seen it on many itineraries for El Salvador so I was a bit unsure if it was worth a trip. Therefore we ended up doing it as a day trip instead of spending the night. If you’ve read my guide to Suchitoto you know I recommend a night there, but if you don’t have the time I still would go there for a day trip. Just arrange a driver to take you there for the day or book a guided tour and see more on the way. We asked our Uber driver for a fixed price and went with that. Walk around town, grab a coffee with lake views, and if you’re up for it, visit Lake Suchitlán for a boat tour.

Find the tour to Suchitoto that suits you

Combo Tour: San Salvador Volcano (El Boqueron) and Suchitoto colorful town

The Best Colonial Town with Clobbestone Streets: Suchitoto and Ilopango Lake

Suchitoto, El Salvador: Best Things to Do and Where to Eat and Stay

Hike around El Boquerón

I personally didn’t do this even though it was on my list of things I wanted to do. We had just done so much and I needed to relax. But if we had more time I would definitely go! El Boquerón is a massive volcanic crater just outside the city. You can either hike short trails around the rim or simply enjoy the cool temperatures and incredible views. It’s super accessible, just book an Uber to get there.

Hike the Santa Ana Volcano (Ilamatepec)

This is again another activity which is closer to Santa Ana, so if your heading there wait to do this until youre there. However, if yourselves just visiting San Salvador you shouldn’t miss out on a day trip to the Santa Ana volcano.

The hike takes about 1-2 hours and at the top you will be able to look down into the crater lake filled with steaming turquoise liquid. It’s quite the sight! We spent about 40 minutes at the top before descending down again. It’s not a strenuous hike, but pretty rugged with sharp rocks so bring good shoes, or more specifically not open-toe shoes.

These are the Day Trips to Santa Ana volcano I recommend

Best Day-Tour : Santa Ana Volcano Hiking + Lake Coatepeque

Santa Ana Volcano Tour Adventure Early Hike + Coatepeque Lake visit and swim

Santa Ana Volcano and Lake - An Unforgettable Journey

Ruta de las Flores

Ruta de las Flores is a range of cute towns not far from Santa Ana. We considered spending a night here, something I know many people choose to do. However, we ended up skipping it and going there as a day trip instead. We based this decision on what time of the week we were able to visit. All my research said that this area was pretty slow on weekdays, but it was well worth spending a night or two here during the weekend when the towns truly came to life with markets and lots of people. As we didn’t end up spending the night I can’t give any personal tips on how it was, but based on everyone I talked to it seemed like a fun place to spend the weekend.

If you want to organize it yourself you can either rent a car for the day or take the local buses between cities. However, if you only have one day I don’t recommend traveling by bus since they dont run that often so you might have trouble seeing all the places you want. It’s probably a great option if you choose to spend the night in one of the towns. If you’re based in San Salvador there are some really great guided tours you can choose from. You can find all the different ones here.

These are the Day Tours to Ruta de Las Flores I recommend

Full Day Ruta de Las Flores visit four Colonial Towns and Coffee Farm

Ruta de Flores + Bike Zipline and Cafe Albania Rainbow Slide

Ruta de Las Flores Adventure, Relax at Hotsprings + 1930's farm Coffee Tour

Where to Stay in San Salvador

As a full time traveler I don’t always have the opportunity to book my stays well ahead of time, so sometimes I dont get my first pick. I only recommend a hotel I’ve stayed at if I genuinely thought it was a good deal. Other options listed are hotels I’ve reserched or gotten recommended and personally would’ve booked.

San Salvador is a big city, so picking the right neighborhood is key. I recommend staying in either Escalón or Zona Rosa — they’re safe, walkable, and full of restaurants. We decided to splurge a little while in San Salvador after traveling for a long time so we spent our time here at the Hilton. It was amazing to have a great gym, comfy bed and a nice pool to relax in for a bit. It’s also perfectly placed to tons of great restaurants. Below you’ll find other Hotels I recommend staying at.

Hostal Cumbres del Volcan

For budget travelers, this cute little hostel or guesthouse might be ideal. Clean rooms, lovely owners, and a peaceful garden. It’s in Escalon so close to lots of great places to eat.

Barcelo San Salvador

If you’re looking for something a little fancier, the Barcelo is a great pick. Rooftop pool with views of the volcano, spa, huge breakfast buffet — the whole deal.

Villa Serena Escalon

This is a great option for those looking for a Mid-range option. It even has a cute little courtyard in the back to relax in.

Best places to eat in San Salvador

I was truly surprised by how much I loved the food in San Salvador and just how many great restaurants there are! I do however feel that the best ones were slightly outside the city, the ones we tried in the city center were no big hits. We ended up finding some amazing places to eat closer to where we stayed as you can see below.

Oye Chico

This might have been my favorite place in al of El Salvador. The place in itself was cozy, but the food was soooo good! We came back multiple times. The sauces were delicious, the chicken super moist and no matter what we tried it was always a success. An added bonus was that it was super cheap!

Restaurante Roberto Caudra

This is a Peruvian restaurant and a slightly pricier one. However, the food was absolutely amazing! We ordered steak, chicken and ceviche and it was all really good. So if you want to splurge a little this is a nice option.

Roof Garden

Not really a restaurant, but a super cool rooftop garden bar. We came here a couple of evenings to grab a drink. The vibe was always really great and the drinks amazing!

Cacio e Pepe restaurant

As you might gather from the name, this is an Italian restaurant. They have lots of amazing and slightly different pasta and seafood dishes than you might be used to. But really good!

Cadejo Brewing Company

Craft beer lovers, this one’s for you. Cadejo serves up house-brewed beers alongside fantastic pub food. Their outdoor patio is perfect for a relaxed evening.

El Xolo

This stylish spot fuses traditional Salvadoran flavors with a modern twist. Think pupusas — but fancy. It’s popular, so it’s good to make a reservation.

Café Fulanos

A cozy café with great breakfasts, coffee, and desserts. Perfect if you want to hide from the midday heat (or do a little laptop time).

Final Thoughts on San Salvador

San Salvador surprised me, and I’m not easily surprised anymore. I liked it much more than I thought I would. It’s a huge city and can feel a bit overwhelming, but different from other big cities in Central America it felt very safe, even walking around at night. The city itself doesn’t boast tons of activities, but if you add on some day trips you will have an amazing time.

Happy exploring!

I truly hope this guide will help you plan your visit to San Salvador. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me on social media. I would love to connect and help out!

– Ingrid

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