León's street system is numerical. The junction of Avenida Central and Calle Central Rubén Darío form an axis at the northeast corner of Parque Central. Streets going north or south are called calles and ascend numerically, as do avenidas that go west and east of Avenida Central. Generally speaking, this numbering system is ignored by locals; when giving directions, they will almost always describe a location in terms of landmarks. The main market, called Mercado Central, is situated behind the cathedral. The old indigenous town of Subtiava is now a western suburb.

Visitor Information

The Intur office (2a Av. NO; tel. 505/2311-3682) is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 12:30pm and 2 to 5pm. They have an excellent map of the city, and the staff members are very helpful, though they speak little English. Another Intur Tourist Information Office (tel. 505/2311-3992) has opened just north of the cathedral, and here, you may be lucky to find some North American volunteers to help you out with maps and directions.

Spanish-Language Programs

León Spanish Language School is located inside La Casa de Cultura (Parque de la Merced, 1 1/2 blocks west of Casa de Cultura, Antenor Sandino Hernández; tel. 505/8865-3579 or 505/311-2116; www.spanishnicaragualeon.net) and offers a variety of Spanish classes and homestays. Dariana Spanish School, half a block west of Iglesia El Calvario (tel. 505/8458-4348; www.metropolitana-ss.com), organizes one-on-one classes and immersion courses.

Getting Around

León is good for strolling around -- it's perhaps easiest to discover its many historic buildings on foot. To get to outlying areas, you can take local buses or ruleteros (pickup trucks with canvas covers), which leave from Mercado Central and the bus terminal. Fares cost C6. Note that the roads around the city are in terrible condition, and it is not uncommon to see children filling potholes with dirt in exchange for coins from passing motorists. Taxis are easy to catch on any corner, and fares start at C10.

Fast Facts

ATMs -- There are three ATMs 1 block east of the cathedral; banks to try with ATMs are Credomatic (1a Calle NE; tel. 505/2311-7247; www.bac.net) and Bancentro, which is 20m (66 ft.) south of Parque La Merced (tel. 505/2311-0911).

Emergencies -- The police can be reached at tel. 505/2311-3137 or the national emergency number, tel. 118.

Hospital -- The area's largest hospital is Hospital San Vicente (tel. 505/2311-6990), past the bus station.

Internet -- One efficient Internet outlet is Compuservice, in front of Policlinica la Fraternidad (no phone). It is fast, reliable, and open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 9:30pm and Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Club en Conexión, 3 blocks north and a half-block east of the Cathedral (no phone), offers Internet access, along with air-conditioning, and is open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 9:30pm and Saturday 7:30am to 7pm. They both charge an hourly rate of C20.

Laundry -- Clean Express, 4 blocks north of the cathedral (tel. 505/8438-8393), offers 1-hour laundry service. It's open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 7pm.

Pharmacy -- Go to Farmacia López (Calle Rubén Darío; no phone) for any pharmacy needs.

Post Office -- The main post office, Correos de Nicaragua (tel. 505/2311-2102), is 3 blocks north of the cathedral. You'll find public phones outside the Enitel office on the northwest corner of the Parque Central.

Getting There

By Bus

León's bus station (6a Calle NE; tel. 505/2311-3909) is 1km (1/2 mile) northeast of the city center. Managua is 75 minutes away by microbus and costs C40; buses depart from Mercado Isreal Lewites in the capital to León every 30 minutes from 5am to 5pm. They return to Managua every 30 minutes from 5am to 6pm. Estelí is 3 1/2 hours away and costs C81; there are two buses a day at 5am and 3pm. Chinandega is a half-hour away and costs C25. The trip there takes 1 1/2 hours by ordinary bus and 45 minutes by microbus. There are also connections to Corinto (1 1/2 hr.) and Matagalpa (3 hr.), costing C22 and C80, respectively.

By Taxi-Shuttle

Tierra Tour, 1 1/2 blocks north of Iglesia La Merced (tel. 505/2315-4278; www.tierratour.com), organizes transfers to Managua and farther afield. Their shuttle service leaves daily for Granada at 4pm. Price depends on the size of your group and can vary between C600 and C1,000. Schedules are flexible, and they can drop you off right at your hotel.

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