Top Things to do in Leon
Top 10 Things to do in Leon, Leon Department
Discover the best top things to do in Leon, Nicaragua including Momotombo, Cerro Negro Volcano, Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Museo de Arte Fundacion Ortiz-Gurdian, Telica Volcano, Museum of Legends and Traditions (Museo de Tradiciones y Leyendas), Playa Poneloya, Playa Las Penitas, Museo Ruben Dario, Museo de la Revolucion.
Restaurants in Leon
1. Momotombo
2. Cerro Negro Volcano
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,141 reviews
Reviewed By Alfish96
Book the volcano boarding with Quetzaltrekkers - firstly, they donate most of your money to their scholarship scheme for nicaraguan kids, for the same price as other tour companies ($30 inc park entry). secondly, you go an hour earlier than all other tour groups so we didn’t have to wait for others to go down, we were the only ones up there the first time. It’s also a lot cooler. i dont know how big their groups can get, but there were only 5 of us which was perfect. They also offer for you to do it a second time, which is worth the extra hike up!
3. Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 804 reviews
Reviewed By bucketlisttravellers - Sydney, Australia
The inside of the church is pressive enough, but wait until you see the rooftop! Getting a ticket (100c or $3US) to explore the rooftop area was a bit of an exploration itself as you had to find a small door which lead to a dungeon area where the ticket sellers were located. We were pointed in the wrong direction initially and ended up almost circumnavigating the church before we found the right door! Once we purchased our tickets we had to head to the other side of the church to another small door which was the entrance to the rooftop area. We squeezed our way up a few narrow flights of stairs and eventually reached the bell tower. From there a guide pointed us to the rooftop area and we were instructed on the rules of the area, including taking off our shoes at a certain point in order to preserve the pristine white rooftop. The rooftop area is amazing! It is covered in domes and ornate embellishments. From the rooftop there are spectacular views of the distant volcanoes as well as city views. We snapped away photos to our hearts content and marvelled at the beauty of the limewashed white architecture. We were told that the architect was a big fan of chess and you can see references to all of the chess pieces in the structure of the rooftop.
4. Museo de Arte Fundacion Ortiz-Gurdian
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 449 reviews
Reviewed By Dejongwout - Leon, Nicaragua
Beautiful place. I love the architecture and most of the art is very beautiful. A calm get away from the daily noise.
5. Telica Volcano
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 180 reviews
Reviewed By C8338RWmattp
I hiked the volcano solo taking a local bus from Leon terminal heading to San Jacinto. Hop off the bus here and head to the Hervideros de San Jacinto and pay a C70 entry fee for foreign tourists. I used the Maps.Me app which has a trail on it, its pretty easy to follow from here. it took me about 2:45 hiking up, I spent about an hour and a half exploring around the creator and having some lunch and headed back down towards Santa Teresa, it took about 2 hours coming down. The trail this way leads right to a bus stop. I only had to wait 5 minutes to flag down a chicken bus heading back into Leon. Total cost 12c each way for the bus and 70c entry. I heard you have to pay a 100c fee at the top but I was the only person there when I went and didn't see anybody else. Highly recommend this hike, take lots of water!
6. Museum of Legends and Traditions (Museo de Tradiciones y Leyendas)
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 253 reviews
Reviewed By JasH834
Located in an old prison from pre revolution. We received a nice guided tour by a very knowledgeable gentleman. There are line paintings on all the walls that describe the horrors of torture in the prison.Its hard to imagine 400 men imprisoned in such a place. Inside the rooms are crude charactures representing Nicaraguan folk lore,legends and traditions. We were not sure if we should laugh .We enjoyed the experience very much. You can even walk around the perimeterup on the top of the wall.
7. Playa Poneloya
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 109 reviews
Reviewed By PalikaryaX - Bucharest, Romania
I really liked the beach and the restaurants. the food is nice, not too expensive, a cold beer on a hot summer day is just what you need. Also the waves are awesome, great fun for the whole group.
8. Playa Las Penitas
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 518 reviews
Reviewed By Szabin - London, United Kingdom
Nice, clean and quiet beach, a bit windy all the time. Has several hotels and restaurants around. There is a lake close by, worthed to get a trip.
9. Museo Ruben Dario
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 134 reviews
Reviewed By LuisVanegas - Chinandega, Nicaragua
If you are of the people who loves to know about poetry and its history, then this is a place you cannot miss when in León. The museum offers the possibility to see yourself about the life and death of famous nicaraguan write Rubén Darío.
10. Museo de la Revolucion
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 328 reviews
Reviewed By mar731 - Santa Monica, United States
The guides give a passionate description of the period up to and after the revolution. I don't recommend the walk on the tin roof because it doesn't seem that safe.
