Granada, Nicaragua

Granada, founded in 1524 on the western shore of Lake Nicaragua, is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited Spanish colonial cities in the Americas. Its central plaza is flanked by the ochre-yellow Cathedral of Granada and brightly painted 16th- and 17th-century façades. Horse-drawn carriages navigate streets of terracotta-roofed houses, and the nearby Isletas—a chain of over 350 small islands formed by an ancient Mombacho eruption—are accessible by boat from the city waterfront.