San Miguel

San Miguel is the third city of El Salvador and the commercial centre of the east, sitting below the Chaparrastique volcano on a hot plain. The cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Paz on the central plaza holds the image the city's patronal celebrations are built around, and the Teatro Nacional de San Miguel of 1909 has been restored. The event the city is known for is the Carnaval de San Miguel, held on the last Saturday of November as the climax of the November festivities, when the main avenues are closed and filled with stages, bands, floats and very large crowds through the night, in what is the biggest street party in the country.

What you actually see

• The November carnival - the street party filling the avenues.
• The cathedral - the church of the city's patron on the plaza.
• The national theatre - the restored 1909 auditorium.
• The volcano - Chaparrastique rising above the plain.

When to go

The last Saturday in November for the carnival, which is the reason most visitors time a trip; accommodation fills well ahead. November to April otherwise for the dry season. The city is very hot from March to May.

Honest expectations

Carnival crowds are enormous and accommodation books out months ahead. Outside November the city has few conventional sights. Heat on the plain is severe. Traffic and congestion are heavy.

Nearby

Laguna El Jocotal lies south; Playa El Cuco is on the coast.