We spent three nights exploring Granada on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, our favourite spot while visiting the country. Our days were spent wandering the colourful streets, finding the best viewpoints, eating delicious food and exploring.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Granada!
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 an episode of the Backpacking Series of exploring Granada!
Honestly, one of our favourite things to do while in Granada was to hang out, eat, shop and read at The Garden Cafe, a farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of the city. We loved it so much that I decided to write an entirely separate blog post just about visiting this wonderful restaurant!
You can find out how to get to Granada in my detailed travel guide. Below, I've outlined specific information for reaching The Garden Cafe:
By foot: The Garden Cafe is located in the centre of Granada on the corner of Calle Libertad and C. Cervantes. Arriving on foot is your most likely method.
→ Find the exact location of The Garden Cafe on Google Maps.
By bike: We noticed lots of locals like to get around by bike which makes exploring Granada easy. If your accommodation offers bikes, perhaps you'll arrive to The Garden Cafe on two wheels!
By taxi: If you are staying a bit out of the downtown area, you might want to grab a taxi to The Garden Cafe. Taxis are readily available. We didn't use them, but do make sure you agree on the price before starting your journey.
The Garden Cafe at night
The Garden Cafe is open daily from 7am to 9pm. They are a farm-to-table restaurant built into a restored colonial home, with locally-sourced ingredients creating a mouthwatering menu. They serve coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner and all-day yummy treats. During our four days in Granada, we dined at The Garden Cafe a total of eight times. Soooo I guess you could say we really loved it!
We celebrate the beauty of healthy food in an inspiring and safe environment.
At The Garden Cafe, you can also find a gorgeous boutique shop which offers products for sale that are locally made across Nicaragua such as household goods, jewelry, accessories and some secondhand clothes. We picked up some handmade vases, cutting boards, a ring and a handbag, all of which we will treasure for many years as they remind us of our time in Nicaragua.
One of my favourite things about The Garden Cafe was the amount of different, carefully-curated spaces they had. A spacious open lobby welcomes you to the restaurant with a big table and cozy seating. Bookshelves line the walls with secondhand books available to take; you can also drop off your read books for others to love. One door leads from this lobby into the boutique shop, another to the cashier and cake cabinet, another to the central courtyard of the building where lush greenery is the perfect backdrop to an array of seating. Another room leads off the courtyard where laptop-goers tend to frequent; more comfy seating, bookshelves and outlets are available here.
→ Check out my reel about The Garden Cafe!
The Lobby
The Courtyard
The Laptop Room
While you're in Granada, you might also wish to visit NM Culinary. NM Culinary is owned by the same couple who owns The Garden Cafe! While The Garden Cafe is the more casual of the two, NM Culinary does a tasting menu for lunch and dinner whereby you select a few dishes to share. It's predominantly fish- and meat-based.
I wrote a complete guide to visiting Granada, including:
- how to get to Granada by bus, shuttle, car and flight
- how to get around Granada
- where to stay in Granada
- where else to eat in Granada
- all the best things to see and do in Granada
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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.
