TegucigalpaCapital
Honduras · Country profile
Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras, the highland city of the mountains of the centre that spreads its red roofs and its churches, its colonial plazas and its busy commercial streets across the steep bowl of a river valley, ringed by green ridges and topped by the pine hills of the interior. Founded as a mining town in the sixteenth century and long the silver-working centre of the Spanish colony, it became the capital in 1880 and has since absorbed its twin city across the river into one crowded metropolitan whole. The central cathedral and the national museums, the peace park and the statue of the liberator, the markets and the viewpoints of the surrounding hills anchor the essential visits, while coffee farms, waterfall valleys and colonial towns of the region fill the day trips. High, busy and deeply Latin, Tegucigalpa is the pulsing political heart of the Honduran nation.
About Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras. The city's documented population is around 1,300,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Honduran Lempira (HNL) and Spanish is spoken; the dialling code is +504.
The Cathedral of the Plaza and the Palace of the Government
The capital is a steep, crowded valley city where the essential days move between the historic centre, the museums and the viewpoints, with the parks and the markets distributing the everyday energy. The central plaza with its cathedral and its government palace, the national museums of the anthropology and the history, the iconic peace park with its white angels and the statue of the liberator anchor the classic stops, while the handicraft markets and the colonial streets of the town and the restaurant boulevards of the north carry the modern life. The surrounding heights, with their viewpoints over the whole valley, and the village trips of the region fill the best excursions of the stay.
The Park of the Peace and the Museum of the Republic
The climate of the city is the mild highland tropical, with the warm pleasant days, the cool nights, the dry crisp season of the early year and the green rainy season of the middle months, when the showers fall in the afternoons. The lempira is the currency, the Spanish the language and the English limited outside the hotels. The centre, the museums and the hill viewpoints make the core visits, and the historic towns and the coffee lands of the region lie within a day trip of the capital. Layers for the cool evenings, rain gear for the rainy season and discreet dress complete the practical preparation.
The Peak of the Picacho and the Villages of the Valley
The cathedral of the capital, the grand eighteenth-century cathedral with its baroque facade that fronts the central square, anchors the oldest layer of the city, while the peace park, the white-domed memorial to the sacrifice of the recent wars, and the statue of the liberator of Central America on his horse give the monumental heart. The national museums of the town, from the anthropology gallery with its Mayan and the Lenca treasures to the museum of the republic with its independence history, carry the deep story of the country, and the handicraft market of the centre, with its leather, its wood and its textiles, runs the trade of the highlands. The viewpoints of the surrounding hills, the pine-topped summit with its view over the whole crowded valley, and the colonial silver town and the coffee and the waterfalls of the region, complete the essential circuit of the Honduran capital. Loud, mountainous and heartfelt, Tegucigalpa is the genuine heart of Honduras.
Report an error or suggest an update
- Country
- Honduras
- Population
- 1,300,000
- Capital
- Tegucigalpa
- Region
- North America
- Currency
- Honduran Lempira (HNL)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Calling code
- +504
- Country code
- HN
Frequently asked questions
Is Tegucigalpa the capital of Honduras?
Yes — Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras.
What currency do I need in Tegucigalpa?
The local currency is the Honduran Lempira (HNL). Languages spoken in Honduras include Spanish.
What is the dialling code for Honduras?
The international dialling code for Honduras is +504.
Flying out of Tegucigalpa? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.