Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cluding euros, UK pounds, Canadian dollars, Honduran lempira and Costa Rican colones, for a much
larger fee.
Coyotes
at border crossings are much less reputable. Stay on your toes and avoid changing large
amounts.
Credit Cards
Visa and MasterCard are accepted throughout Nicaragua, and you can almost always count on
midrange hotels and restaurants to accept them. In places where electricity is unreliable - for instance,
most of the Caribbean coast - credit cards may not be widely accepted, so be prepared.
Tipping
Tipping is expected for table service in Nicaragua, and restaurants usually include a 10% 'voluntary'
tip in the bill. Small and/or rural eateries may not include the tip, so leave behind a few coins. You
should tip guides; that's often their only salary.
Opening Hours
General office hours are from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to noon on weekends. Many of-
fices, most museums and some shops take a lunch break from noon to 2pm.
Banks
8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday, 8:30am to noon on Saturday.
Bars
Open from around noon to midnight, and until 2am on weekends.
Discos
Usually don't get going until at least 9pm, later in Managua.
Government Offices
Most government departments, including Intur, Marena and Migración, officially
attend the public from 8am to 1pm, although many stay open longer.
Restaurants
Generally open from noon to 10pm,
comedores
are normally open from about 6am until
8pm while
fritangas
serve from 6pm to 10pm.
Shops
Most shops open around 9am and close around 6pm, although they often stay open later in lar-
ger cities.
Post
Considering that there are no real addresses in Nicaragua, the mail service is surprisingly effective. It
costs about US$0.80 to send a standard letter or postcard to the US, about US$1 to Europe. You can re-
ceive mail at any post office by having it addressed as follows:
(
your name
)
