El Salvador Travel Guide

Immigration requires that visitors entering El Salvador have their passport and one of the following documents: visa or tourist card. For citizens that do not need a visa, you may need to pay USD 12 (by cash, card, or bitcoin) right after disembarking at the airport.

El Salvador's official currencies are the U.S. dollar, denoted by the symbol "$" (ISO currency code: USD) and Bitcoin. Carry only $1, $5, $10 or $20 bills. Most stores, supermarkets and department stores won't accept $50 or $100 bills. If you need to exchange to lower denominations, you can go to any bank. ($1 coins issued in El Salvador cannot be used in the United States.)

By train

All rail transport in El Salvador was suspended in October 2002. In 2006 a pilot scheme for reviving the rail network commenced and in 2007 a service between San Salvador and Apopa was restarted with two return trips each morning and evening aimed at commuter traffic. Whilst this will be of little use to travellers, it may be a sign of a future reopening of more of the extensive rail network.

Spanish is the official language, though many people also speak English. In some small towns in the west, about 500 elders speak Pipil, also called Nahuat or Nawat and related to the Nahuatl language of Mexico.

]] El Salvador has a bad reputation due to the civil war of the 1980s. Crime has historically been an issue just as in neighboring Honduras and Guatemala, with most of it attributed to street gangs. Since 2019, there has been a change in combatting crime and gang activity making El Salvador have one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The government is combatting the gangs with a tactic called "Super Mano Dura" which means "Super Strong Hand" and this has had an effect with homicide rates declining from 103 per 100,000 in 2015 to just 2.3 per 100,000 in 2023. This tactic includes a “State…

If you are not accustomed to food sold by street vendors, you might want to stay away from food sold on the streets until you acclimatize. If you want to try a pupusa, you should try to find a restaurant to taste this popular dish rather than buying them from street vendors. Street food that you see cooked can sometimes be safer than restaurant food that you do not see cooked.

The international country code for El Salvador is 503.

Salvadorans are known for their great hospitality. They are among the nicest people in the world. They are friendly, industrious people always willing to help anyone. That is what has earned El Salvador the nickname of "the country with a smile". When speaking with people you don't know, it is customary to address them in a formal manner, using señor, señora and/or usted.