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Managua

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

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The Bolivar avenue with the trees of life

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Overview

Stay a day or two and you will see that Managua truly is the heartstring that holds the nation's culture and commerce together. Skip it altogether, and you miss out on the revolutionary landmarks, vibrant dining and nightlife scenes and a slice of down-to-earth urban life that you're unlikely to see anywhere else.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Museo Arqueológico Huellas de Acahualinca

    Museo Arqueológico Huellas de Acahualinca

    Managua

    Discovered by miners in 1874, these fossilized tracks record the passage of perhaps 10 people – men, women and children – as well as birds, raccoons, deer…

  • Antigua Catedral

    Antigua Catedral

    Managua

    The hollow shell of Managua’s Old Cathedral remains Managua’s most poignant metaphor, shattered by the 1972 earthquake – and slowly undergoing restoration…

  • Silhouettes of statue of General Augusto Sandino in Managua, Nicaragua.

    Parque Histórico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa

    Managua

    Home to what’s easily Managua’s most recognizable landmark, Sandino’s somber silhouette, this national historic park was once the site of the Casa…

  • A Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) is seen at the National Arboretum in Managua, on March 28, 2012. Created in 1992, this woodland with over 200 species, became an ecological laboratory and oasis for those that want to escape from the heat of the Nicaraguan capital. It receives 15000 students, tourists, and public in general per year. AFP PHOTO / ELMER MARTINEZ (Photo credit should read ELMER MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

    Arboretum Nacional Juan Batista Salas

    Managua

    These modest gardens, inconveniently located halfway between Barrio Bolonia and the Plaza Monumental on Av Bolívar (well, it’s convenient if you’re making…

  • Fountain and ruben dario national theatre

    Monumento a Rubén Darío

    Managua

    On the lake side of Plaza de la Revolución, this monument was refurbished after the original 1933 statue fell into graffitied disrepair. A group of…

  • Managua, Nicaragua: Old Cathedral and Nicaraguan flag

    Plaza de la Revolución

    Managua

    Inaugurated in 1899 by national hero and original anti-American General José Santos Zelaya, this open plaza has been the scene of countless protests,…

  • Museo Nacional

    Museo Nacional

    Managua

    Inside the Palacio de la Cultura y Biblioteca Nacional, the beautiful national museum is an enjoyable romp through the country's history – from Nicaragua…

  • Catedral Metropolitana

    Catedral Metropolitana

    Managua

    Just north of the Metrocentro mall is an unforgettable Managua landmark that's practically new (the doors opened in 1993). It's an architectural marvel…

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