Home to León’s patron saint, la Virgen de la Merced, this is considered the city’s second-most-important church. After Volcán Momotombo erupted and forced the city’s evacuation, the Leonese built a new church here in 1615, replaced with the current baroque building with neoclassical elements in the early 1700s.
Iglesia de la Merced
León
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.14 MILES
Three blocks north of the cathedral, the 1786 Iglesia de la Recolección is considered the city’s most beautiful church, a Mexican-style baroque confection…
Reserva Natural Isla Juan Venado
10.47 MILES
This 20km-long, sandy barrier island (in some places only 300m wide) has swimming holes and lots of wildlife, including hundreds of migrating bird species…
Museo de Arte Fundación Ortiz-Gurdián
0.22 MILES
Probably the finest museum of contemporary art in all of Central America, the Ortiz-Gurdián Collection has spilled over from its original home in Casa Don…
13.84 MILES
Flor de Caña rum is among the world's finest and it has been produced in Chichigalpa since the distillery's founding in 1890. Visitors are initiated into…
Museo Histórico de la Revolución
0.1 MILES
León is the heart and soul of liberal Nicaragua. Stop into this museum for an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza…
20.85 MILES
Anyone with even a passing interest in archaeology should stop in here, one of the finest museums in the country. The beautifully displayed collection…
0.1 MILES
Officially known as the Basílica de la Asunción, León’s cathedral is the largest in Central America, its expansive design famously (and perhaps…
Museo de Leyendas y Tradiciones
0.29 MILES
León’s most entertaining and eclectic museum is housed in La XXI (the 21st Garrison), decorated with murals graphically depicting methods the Guardia…
Nearby León attractions
2. Mausoleo de los Héroes y Mártires
0.06 MILES
A monument to the local heroes, the eternal flame of the Mausoleum of Heroes & Martyrs rests within a small plaza just north of the Parque Central,…
3. Galería de Héroes y Mártires
0.09 MILES
A homage to León’s more recent history is found at the Galería de Héroes y Mártires, run by mothers of FSLN veterans and fallen heroes, with murals,…
0.1 MILES
Officially known as the Basílica de la Asunción, León’s cathedral is the largest in Central America, its expansive design famously (and perhaps…
5. Museo Histórico de la Revolución
0.1 MILES
León is the heart and soul of liberal Nicaragua. Stop into this museum for an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza…
0.13 MILES
This quaint park has a statue of the poet master and busts of other, lesser Leónese poets, including Alfonso Cortés (1893–1969), Azarias H Pallais (1884…
0.13 MILES
An early 20th-century landmark, the Casa del Obrero (House of the Worker) honors Nicaraguan laborers. The building became a historical symbol on September…
0.14 MILES
Pricey private school worth checking out for a look into León's university scene.