Granada Things to Do

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Granada’s hippest strip, Calle La Calzada, starts east from the Parque Central and runs all the way to the lake. The brightly coloured street has been recently reworked with a modern pedestrian-friendly design, but with an old feel featuring cobblestone, street lamps and wide sidewalks. La Calzada is flanked by casonas (large colonial houses) and historical buildings. The street contains the city’s highest concentration of foreign tourists, with restaurants, cafés, ice cream shop, hostels, tour operator's offices, internet café and even laundry service. It’s a great place for enjoying a cold drink and people-watching.

About halfway towards the lake is the 17th century Iglesia Guadalupe. Beyond the church you’ll pass a baseball field before arriving to the lakeshore with the ferry terminal and malecón, a lovely, recently remodeled boulevard, refreshed by a vonstant breeze. At the south end of the malecón is the Centro Turistico, an area with restaurants, discos and cafés, popular with the locals. There is a new lighting along La Calzada all the way to the lake. Taking a walk or ride at night is beautiful.

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One thing that I really wanted to do while in Granada was taking a boat tour to Las Isletas, a miniature archipelago of roughly 365 islands. Scattered along the shoe from granada, these delightful tiny islands were formed when Volcan Mombacho blew most of its top into the air thousands of years ago, some of which landed in Lago de Nicaragua (also called Lago Cocibolca). The islets range in size from very small to some that are large enough to have several houses built on them. There are around 1.200 people living on the islets, most are fishermen. Some islands have little hotels or luxurious houses owned by wealthy Nicaraguans (some of them can be rented). There are also uninhabigted islets with only some palm trees growing on them.

You will surely enjoy taking a boat and cruising around Las Isletas, not only for the stunning scenery but for the aquatic birds which frequent the area, including egrets, herons and cranes. Despite consisting of mostly volcanic rock, the islands also has a lot of vegetation, mostly palm and fruit trees. There are hundreds of mango trees but unfortunately the fruits weren't in season. Normally you can spend an afternoon at an island beach swimming and taking the sun. But due to extremely lot of rain in the last months several islands were under water. Actually, there were no beaches in the time of my visit (December 2010).

Most tour companies in Granada run trips to Las Isletas and you can also do it yourself by kayak. Petra joined me at the boat tour which we aranged with a guide that was recommended by Marcela from La Siesta. We took a taxi to the restaurant by the lake, about 1 km from the Centro Turistico entrance, where the friendly guy was waiting for us. We took a two-hour tour among the islands that were relatively close to the shore, learning about the history, life of the islanders, seeing the diversity of houses built on many of the isletas (from small simple cottages to mini mansions, as well a church and a school), local fishermen and lots of birds and monkeys.

We enoyed the boat ride to Las Isletas, a relaxed and fun way to spend the late afternoon. And at the end we were rewarded with a magical sunset with Volcan Mombacho in the back.

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Being the oldest colonial city in Central America means it also has the oldest cemetery. Cementerio de Granada was used between 1876 and 1922, which were some of Granada's wealthiest decades. Many wealthy families were buried here. Rich dead individuals wanted to show their wealth even in the afterlife, so huge tombs and statues were commissioned to show their family statues. This beautiful cemetery has lots of picturesque mausoleums and finely sculpted tombs, including the Presidential memorial (six Nicaragua's presidents are burried in Granada).

The walled complex is domionated by the column-lined Neoclassical stone Capilla de Animas (Chapel of Spirits) from 1880, a scale replica of the French chapel of the same name. If you walk about 100 metres behind the chapel you'll see a large marble tomb, reminiscent of Notre Dame cathedral. No one knows who built it. The names have been chiseled away, adding to the cemetery's mysterious feel.

To get there from Parque Central, follow Calle Real Xalteva and one block after Iglesia Xalteva turn left onto Calle el Tamarindo. Follow Calle el Tamarindo which slightly curves to the right before it takes you to the cemetery's entrance.

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Just two blocks south of Parque Central, next to the bus station, is the hustle and bustle of Granada’s local market. It starts early in the morning when people from nearby villages bring baskets filled with fresh produce and everything comes carried on people’s heads. You have to watch where you are walking otherwise someone carrying a basket of bananas will knock you over. This local market is definitely worth visiting, not only for the delicious tropical fruit, but also if you want to experience local life. It’s chaotic little market piled with colourful goods, where vendors sell everything from fruit, vegetables, beans, rice, bread, fish and meat. Anything you need can be found here.

Visiting markets is always fun. There is a good selection of fruit and vegetables, and it’s also the way to support local economy. I was quite a regular visitor of Granada’s market. Usually I came to buy pineapple, citrus fruits and bananas. But one particular morning I wasn’t there especially for the fruit. Wanted to take the earliest bus to Rivas but arrived too early. I had one hour to kill, and what would be a better thing to do than wander around, talking to local people and soaking up the early morning market atmosphere.

The market is open every day except holidays and covers the area around the old Market hall. Best time to visit is in the morning when it is more quiet, not too hot yet, and produce is much fresher.

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Mi Museo is a small museum, located in an old colonial building with a lovely interior courtyard filled with tropical plants and flowers, dating from 1868. The building was restored with attention to its original design and preserving many of the original rooms. This new museum has an array of well-presented pre-Columbian relics and if you are interested in ceramics then this is definitely the place for you.

The private ceramics collection of Mi Museo contains artistic and archeological treasures ranging from 2000 BC until present day. The ceramics is presented along the walls in cubes of glass atop pedestals that make staircase silhouettes along the gallery walls. If you take a closer look you’ll notice designs of monkeys, jaguars, serpents and crocodiles on the pieces, each animal having a different meaning in the beliefs of the potters who created them. Items range from simple containers atop a tripod of tapered legs to rare ritual items. Big funerary urns line the walls around the courtyard.

The museum is open Mon-Fri 8am-noon and 1:30pm-5pm. Upon entering visitors are treated to a complimentary guided tour with knowledgeable staff, an opportunity not to be missed.

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Chocolate workshops are organized by ChocoMuseo and there must be minimum of two people. When I signed up I was hoping for more people showing their interest. At the end we were four, together with Petra and an English couple. At the workshop we learnt how to make our own chocolate from cacao beans. Of course, we did everything by hand. Natalia explained about cacao tree, cacao nuts and how to obtain fermented cacao beans, the base for making a delicious chocolate. She brought us to one of the patios and the workshop began.

First we toasted the cacao beans in a clay pot over an open fire. Then we pealed tha cacao beans. This was quite a work and we all got blisters. From the husk we prepared a cacao husk tea. Then we ground the cacao nibs (shelled and roasted cacao beans - their taste is nicely bittersweer and they have the crunchy, toasty flavour of roasted nuts) to obtain a thick paste that we used for preparing different types of chocolate drinks: Aztec – with chilli, Mayan – with vanilla and cinnamon, chilli and Spanish – with milk.

And finally, we prepared some well-ground pure cacao paste to make our own chocolate bar (each of us made two), and we could add vanilla, cinnamon, almonds, cashew nuts, orange or rum. Mine were with almonds. The models filled with cacao paste had to stay in a fridge overnight before they were ready to enjoy. I left Granada next day early in the morning so I could not come. But Natalia said there was no need to worry. The chocolates would wait for me until one week later when I was back to Granada.

The chocolate workshop was a great experience, we had lots of fun and the chocolate was just delicious. It usually starts at 5pm. The price is US $ 20 per person if there are 2 people, and less if there are more. We were four and it was US $ 16 per person (December 2010).

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ChocoMuseo was actually the first thing that I came across on my first day in Granada. Well, not bad for a chocolate lover like me :) ChocoMuseo is a new museum in Granada, dedicated to the history of cacao and chocolate. It’s part of Hotel Spa Granada where you also find ChocoMuseo Shop and Choco Café. The museum offers a great overview of the history of cacao and chocolate. ChocoMuseo has its own factory where chocolate is made by hand, from 100% Nicaraguan organic cacao beans. The organic chocolate produced here, with 50% and 70% of cacao, does not contain additives, artificial ingredients or preservatives. They use natural ingredients such as coconut, almonds and oranges. The chocolate can be purchased in their shop.

When I came to the museum I found a friendly young lady Natalia just making chocolate pralines. I talked to her and she offered me a tour of the museum. Don’t worry, she speaks quite good English. She also told me about the Chocolate Workshops where you can make your own chocolate bar from cacao beans and learn how to make various traditional chocolate drinks. I did not think twice, just signed up.

ChocoMuseo also offers the Cacao Farm Tour, which is a day trip of 6 to 7 hours, and takes visitors to a picturesque cacao farm that is located in the midst of a forest near the Lago de Nicaragua. On the tour visitors can observe the processing of cacao beans, from the plantations to processing, and taste the white pulp around the beans inside the cacao nut.

The museum is open every day from 10am to 6pm and the entrance is free.

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One of the favourite spots in Granada is Casa de los Leones with its 17th-century Moorish stone door frame. It was named for the carved lions on its stone portal, the only part of the original building that survived Willliam Walker's 1856 pyromanical retreat. This spacious, old house, built around 1720, was once the municipal theatre, then a private house where Catholic priest, poet and Nicaragua's first culture minister Ernesto Cardenal was born. Now it is a cultural centre with exhibitions, music, dance, films and poetry readings, Casa de los Tres Mundos.

Founded in 1986 by Ernesto Cardenal, the foundation Casa de los Tres Mundos (House of the Three Worlds) moved to its current location in 1992. The institution was created to support and promote cultural projects in Nicaragua and Central America, and to promote a cultural exchange between the European tradition and the rich artistic potential of Central America. The foundation offers a variety of courses and programs. Those who attend the centre can choose between art school, theatre school and music academy. Casa de los Tres Mundos also has a supervised library that was founded in 1995 and is responsible for the archives that document the history of Granada since 1653. A two-thousand book library of arts and performing art is also available. The foundation is a breath of fresh air to the Granada community, helping them to find their strength, creativity and unique contribution to society.

In addition, Casa de los Tres Mundos frequently organizes cultural events that include concerts, exhibitions, theatre plays, classical ballet, folkloric dance, films and poetry readings. Stop by as soon as yo arrive in Ganada to get a schedule of that week's events. There is also a permanent painting exhibition, with some beautiful paintings of Nicaraguan painters. The exhibition can be visited free of charge. This is also a great opportunity to take a look at the beautiful colonial house which was previously called Casa de los Leones, and enjoy the tranquil surroundings. There are also books, CDs and other items for sale just inside the main entrance.

Opening hours are Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm.