Santa Rosa de Copán is a colonial town in the western highlands of Honduras, sitting at about 1,100 metres where the air stays mild year-round. Its cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings give it more character than most Honduran cities, and it makes a natural base for visiting the Maya ruins at Copán an hour to the north.
The town is the centre of Honduras's tobacco country — Flor de Copán cigars are rolled here, and you can visit the factory. The central plaza is lively in the evenings, with food vendors and locals out for a stroll. Coffee from the surrounding highlands is excellent, and the weekly market brings in produce from the mountain villages.