We spent two nights exploring León in northern Nicaragua, wandering the colourful streets, cuddling cute dogs, eating delicious breakfasts and hearing stories of the history.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting León!
My mission while planning out my Central America trip was to make it as varied as possible, visiting both big cities and small towns, gorgeous beaches and remote forests. My Central America trip covered five countries in five weeks; the first three (Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua) with my partner Tobi and the last two (Guatemala, Belize) with Ina, a friend from Salzburg.
Although it was a lot of work, I made daily vlogs on Instagram reels of every single day of my Central America trip which I branded "the backpacking series".
→ Check out my episode of the Backpacking Series of exploring León!
Our top highlight of our time in the city was our visit to the Cathedral of León, a majestic white building standing proudly on one side of the Plaza Parque Central de León. Here is my guide:
You can find out how to get to León in my detailed travel guide. Below, I've outlined specific information for reaching the cathedral:
By foot: The Cathedral of León is located in the centre of town, on one side of the Plaza Parque Central de León. Arriving on foot is your most likely method.
→ Find the exact location of the cathedral on Google Maps.
By taxi: If you are staying a bit out of the downtown area, you might want to grab a taxi to the cathedral. Taxis are readily available. We didn't use them, but do make sure you agree on the price before starting your journey.
By guided tour: We stopped at the cathedral as part of our walking tour of León, but the tour did not include going inside or on the roof, so do make sure you make time to come back for that as it was the highlight of our time in the city!
→ Check out my episode of the Backpacking Series of our walking tour in León!
The Cathedral of León - officially the Real e Insigne Basílica de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María or the Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - is a gorgeous white building in the heart of the city.
Visiting the inside of the cathedral is completely free and you can explore the baroque neoclassical architecture of one of the most famous religious buildings in the country. We were lucky enough to be in León on a Sunday and heard the singing of weekly mass. As well as the impressive inside and the tomb of the poet Rubén Darío, the best part of the cathedral (in our opinion), was climbing up to the roof.
Climbing the roof costs just a few euros. Tickets are available at the small ticket office payable in cash only on site and then you can climb up to the impressive roof covered in white domes. You have to go barefoot when you get up there and it can be quite hot in the direct sun, so I recommend bringing socks to protect the soles of your feet! From the roof, you can see the many buildings of León such as the Iglesia El Calvario and the Maribios mountains in the distance.
The cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, a nod to its impressive cultural, historical and architectural importance.
I wrote a complete guide to visiting León, including:
- how to get to León by bus, shuttle, car and flight
- how to get around León
- where to stay in León
- where to eat in León
- all the best things to see and do in León
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
