Getting to and away

Most regional transportation goes from Leon's main bus terminal, a few blocks east of San Juan park. A taxi from downtown should cost 15 C – 20 C. Frequent departures for Managua and Chinandega between 4:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. The same station has buses to Matagalpa (4:40 a.m., 7:30 a.m., and 2:45 p.m. as of June 2008) and Esteli (5:20 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.).

For travelers who want to skip Managua entirely (not a bad idea...), Tierra Tour offers a direct shuttle from Leon to Granada. The minibus leaves Leon at 4 p.m. and arrives in Granada at 8:30 a.m. the next morning. Best to book tickets for this the day before.

If traveling by bus, it is also possible to skip traveling through Managua by going way of Tipitapa (just east of Managua)-Masaya-Granada. This works if you are taking the north-south corridor between Peñas Blancas / Rivas & Estelí - Ocotal / Somota. While it’s a bit out of the way to get to León & the northwest, it’s possible to take this route as far as San Isidro (part of the way to Estelí) where the highway to León comes in. This San Isidro-León is also the way to reach El Sauce & Achuapa.

International buses can be booked through Benitours, near the Iglesia San Juan. They offer direct buses to San Salvador, San Jose, and Guatemala City, as well as Choluteca (Honduras).