Home San Salvador, El Salvador Travel Guide


 Find Hotels        




San Salvador is the capital and biggest city in El Salvador. The city located in a valley in the central part of the country is officially known as La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador, meaning "City of the Great Holy Savior". It covers 72.25 sq km (27.9 sq mi) and has a population of 541,000 people (2011 estimate), within a metropolitan area of 2.3 million people.

Guide to San Salvador Hotels

Here's a list of hotels in San Salvador that you can book online, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites. This helps you to make your room booking with the site that offers the best price.


San Salvador, El Salvador
San Salvador, El Salvador
Author: Samsamofvador (public domain)



More on San Salvador

San Salvador is 658 m (2,159 ft) above sea level. Local geological features include hills, mountains, a volcano and a caldera lake. The city experiences the tropical wet and dry climate. The dry season is from November through April while the wet season is from May through October. Temperature is fairly constant throughout the year, from a low of 15.1°C (59.2°F) in December to a high of 32.2°C (90°F) in April. September gets the most rain, at 348 mm (13.7 in).

Human habitation of the San Salvador area goes back to pre-Columbian times. It was a city called Cuzcatlán, the capital of the Pipil people. The city was abandoned when the Spanish advanced into the area.

The modern city of San Salvador was established by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado on 1 April, 1525. Originally located further north, where the archaeological site of Ciudad Vieja is today, San Salvador was relocated in 1545 to its present site. It was just a small town until the early part of the 20th century.


Catedral de San Salvador
Catedral de San Salvador
Author: Pedro Nonualco (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)


The city has witness a number of calamities, both natural and man-made. It was hit by a massive earthquake in 1917. Politically, it survived the ouster of presidents, a coup d'état in 1931 and a civil war that began in the 1980s and raged for 22 years. Today San Salvador has a rich concentration of historic buildings, particularly in its downtown area. Among the important sights in the city include the National Theater, the Art Museum, National Museum David J. Guzmán, the Luis Poma Theater and the Children's Museum.

Visiting San Salvador

Overseas visitors arrive at Comalapa International Airport (SAL), located 45 minutes from downtown San Salvador by car. You can reach the city by taking a local bus, which costs $0.70 and takes an hour. To move about in San Salvador, you can rely on the taxi, but be sure to negotiate the fare before getting in.


Places of Interest in San Salvador

  1. La Laguna
    Botanical gardens near the US embassy.

  2. Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo
    Monument at Plaza Las Americas.

  3. Museo de Arte de El Salvador
    Museum with an extensive collection of art by both local and foreign artists.

  4. Museo Nacional de Antropología "Dr David J. Guzmán"
    The national museum of anthropology in San Salvador. It contains Maya and Pipil artifacts from around the country.

  5. Tin-Marin
    Children's museum, where children can gain knowledge in a fun and interactive way.

Return to El Salvador
Return to My World Travel Guides






  • Tips to become a smart traveler: Useful tips to remember, to get the best out of your travels.
  • Preparing for a Trip: Systematic approach to help you prepare for your trip.
  • How to plan your travel itinerary: Step-by-step guide to creating the itinerary for your trip.
  • Find and compare hotel room rates: View room rates from all the different booking sites.
  • How to compare hotel room rates: Step-by-step guide on finding the lowest rates every time.
  • When NOT to go where: List of seasons to avoid when traveling the globe.
  • How to do your travel homework: Systematic approach in making preparations for your trip.
  • How to pack your luggage: Useful steps to take when packing your luggage.
  • Packing List (PDF): Print out this free packing list to make sure you don't forget anything for your trip.
  • Voltage, Frequency, Plugs & Sockets of the World: Learn about the mains electricity supply in the world.
  • Travelers' List of Plugs and Sockets (PDF): Easy-to-use list of electricity and plugs for all countries.
  • Airport User Guide: User information for arriving at various airports in the world.
  • Making International Direct Dail Calls: Learn to make IDD calls from anywhere in the world.
  • IDD Call Prefixes & Country Codes (PDF): Listing of Call Prefixes and Country Codes on one page for you to bring on your trip.
  • Safety Tips When Traveling Alone: Useful advice for when you travel on your own.
  • Guide to Health Matters related to Travel: Comprehensive coverage of different issues related to your health when traveling.
  • Getting Travel Insurance for your trip: Benefits of travel insurance, and advise on when you should signing up for one.
  • Improve your travel photography: Tips to improve your photography skills, especially when traveling.
  • Guide to Traveling Around the World: Useful tips for encircling the globe.
  • English Made Simple: Improve your English for your travel.





  • Point - Click - Discover!

    Thanks for visiting this webpage. To continue exploring, choose another destination!


    My World Travel Guides - celebrating a beautiful world beautifully.


    Travel Business