Best Places to Visit in El Salvador

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For my first trip to El Salvador, I grabbed a friend, rented a car and spent two weeks. Here are the places I recommend to visit on a first trip to El Salvador:

“What brought you to El Salvador?” The woman sitting across from my friend and I at the hot spring asked. 

“We saw a Tiktok of a rainbow slide,” My friend joked. 

I laughed, but I thought for a moment… What really brought me there? I’d traveled around Central America for years, visiting Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala… but it had taken me longer to make it to El Salvador. 

Unfortunately, most of what we hear about El Salvador in mainstream news paints a very different picture of what I experienced on my recent trip.  While the country has suffered through a civil war and gang-related violence does still continue, the country’s tourism industry is blossoming and there are so many amazing places to visit in El Salvador. 

Over the past year, my Instagram and Tiktok feeds were flooded with images and videos of people sliding down a giant rainbow slide, ziplining through the forest, hiking volcanoes, and surfing. Social media gets a lot of flack for glamorizing destinations and not always showing the reality. With El Salvador though, they got it right. 

If a Tiktok of a rainbow slide inspires more people to visit this beautiful country and boost the tourism economy, I’m all for it. The rainbow slide is just the beginning of how amazing this country is.  There are hundreds more amazing places to visit in El Salvador.  

Traveling as a woman, I felt very safe. My friend and I shared a car rental, and we had no problems driving.  The main roads were all very well maintained.  Some places we visited like the hot spring and our hostel near the beach were located down dirt roads, however visiting during the dry season we managed just fine in our small car. (Driving tip: I always look out for other cars like mine making the drive, if they can do it so can I!) 

I was working remotely for part of this trip, so I took things a little slow and chose a home base for the week in Ataco.  The town located along the Ruta de las Flores is a great base for exploring the area. There were so many places nearby I was able to visit once my work was done for the day.  Plus, there are many cute cafes and coffee shops to drop in on for a quick mid-day break.  

What are my recommendations of places to visit in El Salvador? 

 Here’s the itinerary: 

Day 1: Fly into San Salvador, stay in the city for the night. 

Day 2: Hike Volcan Santa Ana and explore the Ruta de las Flores

Day 3-6: Relax in Ataco

Days 7-9: Head to the beach! 

Days 10-11 Explore the capital San Salvador

Day 12: Say good-bye to El Salvador and return home

San Salvador: 

Home to El Salvador’s international airport, of course this will be the start of your trip. If you’re arriving late in the afternoon or evening, it is highly recommended to spend the night here before continuing on to other destinations. It is not recommended to drive long distances at night. 

The capital city is a great destination for food lovers. You can find a wide selection of international flavors here.  Prices for restaurants are very reasonable and it is a great city for treating yourself to a fine dining experience. 

Things to do: 

The famous rainbow slide is located just 20 minutes from downtown San Salvador at Picnic Steakhouse. A ride down the slide costs $5 per person and is so worth it! This was such a fun and unique experience. The restaurant on-site has beautiful views and a varied menu. 

San Salvador is also a great base for exploring nearby attractions, such as the Volcan Santa Ana. If you have a car, the volcano is just over an hour’s drive from the city. There are also many day trip options that include transportation. 

Where to stay: 

There are many lovely and luxurious hotels in San Salvador. We stayed at Las Magnolias Boutique Hotel. The hotel was comfortable, included a delicious breakfast, and had great wifi. 

La Ruta de las Flores: 

La Ruta de las Flores, or Route of the Flowers, is a famous road passing through many small towns in the countryside of El Salvador. The road gets its name from the many flowers growing along it. It’s a great road trip, especially on weekends, when many of the small towns host food festivals. 

Juayua Food Festival:

The most famous of these can be found in Juayua. This small town is one of the best places to visit in El Salvador on the weekend. The entire center of town is filled with food stalls under several large tents. Grab yourself a drink, maybe a pina colada inside of a fresh pineapple, and stroll through the stalls. They all will look amazing so come hungry and try a few different dishes. From grilled meat, fresh seafood, pupusas… they have a wide variety of local gastronomic specialties. 

Ataco: 

Nearby Ataco is a quaint country town along the Ruta de Las Flores about 45 minutes drive from Juayua. It’s the perfect base if you plan to spend a few days in the area. During the week, the town is very quiet, which was perfect for my friend and I as we were working remotely during this part of the trip.  As the weekend inches closer, however, the evenings get livelier with more and more people out in the main square.  

Things to do: 

If you’re looking to relax, the Santa Teresa Hot Springs are just a 20 minute drive from the center of Ataco. There are several different pools with varying temperatures. Treat yourself to a full, natural spa experience in these natural, thermal pools. 

For the adventure lover, nearby Cafe Albania is the place to visit. An adventure park with a labyrinth, zip lines, and a bicycle suspended over the park (like a bicycle-zipline hybrid) there is plenty here for the adrenaline junkie. (My fear of heights got the better of me so I did not make it over to the bicycle in the air, but it looked really fun.) 

Where to stay: 

Casa Victoria is an amazing Airbnb located right in the center of Ataco. This was seriously the very best Airbnb experience I have had in my life. The staff here are so kind and made us a delicious breakfast every morning. 

The house is a beautiful historic home with a garden. The wifi was very strong and stable. My friend and I both worked remotely here for a week and had no problems with video conferencing at all. I can’t wait to come back to Ataco and stay here at Casa Victoria! 

El Salvador’s Beaches: 

El Zonte and La Libertad are some of the best places to visit in El Salvador for surfing. El Salvador is quickly becoming known worldwide as an amazing surf destination, but even if, like me, you are not a surfer, the beaches are beautiful. 

We chose to stay at La Garza Hostel which is located about a 30-40 minute drive from La Libertad. The hostel is secluded, has beach access, and a beautiful pool area. The tropical gardens, infinity pool and great food and drinks all offer on-site make this hostel feel more like a luxury resort. Starting at just $18 USD a night for a dorm bed, it is an amazing deal! 

While I opted to take some much needed vacation time and truly disconnect during my stay, I did do an internet speed test while there and you could opt to work remotely from La Garza and have a stable connection. 

For an amazing seafood meal, venture out to nearby Restaurante La Perlita. We stopped here purely by accident. After driving to the coast from Ataco, we needed a little break to use the restroom and we were feeling pretty hungry. This restaurant perched atop a seaside cliff appeared along the road at just the right time. Once we were seated with a view of the waves crashing onto the rocks below, I was so glad we had stopped. 

The views were not the only attraction at La Perlita. I ordered seafood stuffed lobster and was in a seafood-lover’s heaven. The fresh lobster stuffed with shrimp and a creamy sauce was perfect. 

Central America’s smallest country, El Salvador the Land of Volcanoes, is packed full of amazing places to visit. From the food, the nature, the towns, and the surf there is so much to experience. Visiting for two weeks, I felt I had only just scratched the surface of places to visit in El Salvador. I cannot wait for the opportunity to return.