Great photos of Granada. Granada sits on the edge of Lake Nicaragua and is draped in colonial magnificence. Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, a Spanish Conquistador, founded this city in 1524. Granada’s name is inspired by its Spanish namesake and its Moorish appearance. As an interesting historical side note, Nicaragua was once ruled by its President William Walker, an American mercenary, who 1856-57 ruled the country out of Granada. He was later defeated and expelled from the Nicaragua by a coalition of neighboring Central American countries. Today, Granada is a laid back city with over 100,000 residents.
It is incredibly easy to spend an entire week in this picturesque town. Granada has a great combination of historic churches, great cafes, and beautiful nature to appreciate.
There are many historic churches to take in, and several offer great views of the town from their bell towers.
Iglesia la Merced
Granada Cathedral
It is those little things that make the experience. I needed a haircut and stopped in for a great haircut for $2.
On Central Park, I dined several times at El Gordito. A tasty lunch of grilled chicken and rice. And you can even meet El Gordito, who hangs out on his stool.
By chance, I happened upon this group of kids practicing their music and their dance.
A side street for the locals
It is worth spending some time at the Cementerio de Granada, on the outskirts of town. Very large and historic, established in 1830.
And a cool, abandoned hospital from 1925.
I spent some time at Iglesia de Guadalupe taking some photos at sunset.
And I met some friends who were giving me a hard time.
Eventually, I won them over, when I let them take photos with my camera when it sat on the tripod.
As I rested in my hotel room, I heard a commotion. Outside was a religious procession; lively, colorful, and loud.
Take a relaxing boat tour on Lake Nicaragua. Take in the locals, monkeys, and mansions on the lake.
On the outskirts of town is the Nicaragua Butterfly Reserve. Very peaceful, during my visit, I was the only one.
Nicaragua is known as the land of volcanos, with 50 volcanos and 7 of them being active. Check out Massaya and the beautiful sunset.
And also nearby Granada is the MombachoVolcano. With wildlife including this cute frog.
To visit the volcanos or the boat tour, it is very cost effective to use the many tour companies in Granada. I recommend Nahual Tours. And for a very cool hotel with a central location, check out: Backpacker’s Inn. I hope you enjoyed these Great Photos of Granada.
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[…] spent a week in the historic colonial city of Granada. An easy place to wander and discover. A view of the town from a church’s bell […]
Nice photos! It is astounding how much Granada has changed in the last 15 years. I need to take my kids to that butterfly reserve next time we’re there.
I can only imagine…would have liked to have seen it 15 yrs ago.
It was a lot sleepier… you’d walk around and think “Wow, what a beautiful place, why aren’t there more people here?” But now there’s more people there.
I can imagine…not exactly a secret anymore 😉