Gracias

A colonial town in western Honduras with cobbled streets and churches, and the gateway to the country's highest peak and the Celaque cloud forest.

Gracias (full name Gracias a Dios) lies in the Lempira department of western Honduras at an elevation of about 800 m. Founded by the Spanish in 1536, it was the seat of the Audiencia de los Confines, the royal court that governed Central America, in the mid-16th century. Today it is a quiet colonial town, with cobbled streets, red-tiled adobe houses and three white colonial churches well preserved. It is also the homeland region of Lempira, the Lenca hero who fought the Spanish.

The sights in town are within walking distance: the central park and San Marcos church, the baroque La Merced church, the San Cristóbal fort on a small hill (good for sunsets and views of the red-tiled roofs), and Casa Galeano, which showcases Lenca culture. West of town is Celaque National Park, where you can spend half a day hiking the cloud forest and waterfalls, or take two days to climb Las Minas Peak, the country's highest mountain at about 2,849 m. After the climb, a visit to the Presidential Hot Springs south of town is a classic combination. Lenca mountain villages make good day trips: La Campa is known for hand-shaped pottery, San Manuel de Colohete has a church with colonial murals, and on Sundays you can visit the market in Belén Gualcho.

The best season is the November–April dry season, for climbing and strolling the old town. From May to October, the rainy season makes mountain roads muddy, but the cloud forest is at its greenest. The mountains are cool in the early morning and evening, so bring warm clothing and rain gear for climbs.

Getting there: it takes about 4 hours from San Pedro Sula via Santa Rosa de Copán, and Santa Rosa has frequent minibuses. The Copán Maya ruins are about 3–4 hours away and are often visited together with Gracias. Within town, tuk-tuks serve as transport. Plan 2–4 days. Mountain security is generally stable, but hire a local guide for hikes into the mountains, and avoid walking alone on remote stretches at night.

Top sights

• Celaque National Park – One of Honduras's largest cloud forest reserves. From the visitor center on the outskirts of Gracias, you can hike to waterfalls and pristi…
• Fuerte de San Cristóbal – A 19th-century stone fort on a hill west of the old town, with old iron cannons and the tomb of President Juan Lindo. It overlooks red-tile…
• Aguas Termales Presidente – Natural hot spring pools in the forest about 5 km south of town, with several stone pools at different temperatures. Soaking in the evening…
• Cerro Las Minas – Honduras's highest peak, at about 2,849 m; the climb through cloud forest to the summit takes two days, and clear skies offer sunrises over…
• Iglesia La Merced – An 18th-century baroque colonial church whose white façade, with its ornate carving, is Gracias's most beautiful building.
• Iglesia San Marcos & Parque Central – The heart of Gracias's old town: a yellow-and-white parish church and a shaded central park, surrounded by cafés and colonial houses.
• Casa Galeano – A private museum in a former colonial house, showing Lenca culture, archaeological finds and local history, with a botanical garden at the…
• Iglesia San Sebastián – A small colonial church on the south side of the old town, with white walls and red tiles, simple and quiet, often visited together with th…
• La Campa – A Lenca mountain village about 16 km south of Gracias, known for its hand-built pottery workshops and a white colonial church in the valley.
• San Manuel de Colohete Church – An 18th-century colonial church in a remote Lenca mountain village, whose interior preserves rare colorful murals and gilded altarpieces, k…
• Belén Gualcho Sunday Market – A highland Lenca town on the western slope of the Celaque mountains, where villagers come down on Sunday mornings for market: produce, pott…

Where to eat

• Kandil Pizza y Café – The most reviewed restaurant in Gracias, run by an artist couple. Its thin-crust pizzas are wood-fired and topped with…
• Restaurante Guancascos – A hilltop terrace restaurant beside Fort San Cristóbal with views over the old town, serving authentic Honduran home co…
• Jardín Café – A garden-style restaurant and guesthouse on the north side of town, serving Central American dishes, burgers and pasta…