San Salvador is the capital and largest city of El Salvador. Originally established on today’s ruins of Ciudad Vieja near Suchitoto, it was later moved to its present location, Valle de Las Hamacas. Despite the intense seismic activity of this valley, the city was still placed here due to the proximity to a vast area of fertile land.
1917 was an important year to the city, as it was severely damaged by an earthquake associated to the eruption of San Salvador volcano (El Boquerón). Since then, no more eruptions were recorded for this volcano. However, some minor earthquakes have hit the city until today.
The Salvadorean Civil War was another major blow for the city’s development, temporarily halting constructions and investments. It lasted from 1979 to 1992, claiming the lives of approximately 75000 Salvadorans.
The post-war environment saw a rise in gang-related crime, mainly in San Salvador, which gave the country and the city a bad reputation that still lasts today. It has been steadily declining, but in March 2022 San Salvador saw 70 killings in just one weekend. This prompted a flash reaction from the government, which has been making mass arrests in some neighbourhoods of the capital.
We visited in April 2022, just after the March surge in murders. The city centre was moderately policed and relatively calm. Our guess, confirmed after reading insights from other travellers, was that crime in San Salvador is quite focused on some neighbourhoods. Visitors hardly face any major problems when visiting tourist sites here.
We visited the city on a day trip from El Tunco. These are our top picks for a visit to San Salvador.
1. Historic centre
Earthquakes and civil war did not help the historic centre to thrive. In the 2010’s, efforts were made to reorganize and revitalize it. Today, we would say it’s acceptably safe for a tourist to wander the central streets of San Salvador, which are crowded with families and street vendors’ stands.
Here, we would highlight the beautiful facade of the National Theatre and two plazas:
- Plaza Gerardo Barrios is the most important one and the busiest. It features two of the most important buildings in town, the National Palace and Metropolitan Cathedral, described below;
- Plaza Libertad is less impressive but still has the odd Rosario Church, resembling more of a warehouse than a religious building. Many cafes, restaurants and utility stores may be found around this square.
2. Catedral Metropolitana
Construction started in the 1950’s to replace the previous one that was wrecked by an earthquake a century before, but it was only fully completed in 1999. It is a common pilgrimage site for locals, as it is the main church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador, and the resting place of the former archbishop of San Salvador, Óscar Romero.
During the Salvadoran Civil War, a right-wing nationalist militia leader presumably called for the execution of this archbishop, who spoke against government repression. Óscar Romero was assassinated in 1980 whilst celebrating a mass in a hospital. More than 250000 mourners attended the funeral mass that took place on this cathedral a week later. However, the sound of rifle shots during the ceremony provoked a stampede that killed almost 50 civilians.
3. National Palace
The palace was built in the beginning of the twentieth century, serving as the seat of the Salvadoran government until 1974. Today is it used by the governing bodies mainly for formal meetings and guests. A visit comprising the most important compartments of the building is also possible for tourists (English and Spanish tours available). You can pre-book tickets on this link.
- Expected duration of visit: 1 hour
- Entrance fee: $5
4. National Museum of Anthropology
The “Museo Nacional de Antropologia Dr. David J. Guzmán” invites tourists to dig into the foundations of Salvadoran people, as well as the country’s glories and issues. It is a very well built two-story museum, rich in local artefacts and crafts. A bit expensive, but the general opinion is that this is probably the best museum in San Salvador.
- Expected duration of visit: 2h
- Entrance fee: $10
5. El Boquerón
Volcán San Salvador (El Boquerón) lies just northeast of San Salvador. The national park of the volcano is also a popular tourist site, but we focused on just having dinner at one of the several restaurants of its slopes. It’s a truly amazing place to wrap your day in San Salvador, as evidenced by the photo below.
We really hope this article helps you organising a visit to San Salvador! If you have any question or remark, just drop a comment on the section below. We’ll answer as promptly as we can!