Chinandega is the hot, workaday capital of Nicaragua's northwestern sugar country. It does not have the easy colonial polish of Leon, but it has a stronger local pulse: bicycle taxis, market streets, yellow churches, rum country nearby and the smoking bulk of San Cristobal volcano on the horizon.
The centre is compact enough to walk. Central Park and Santa Ana Church form the obvious starting point, while El Calvario Church and the Chorotega Nicarao Archeological Museum give the city enough substance for a half-day stop.
Chinandega is also a useful base for the wider department: El Viejo's basilica, the northern Pacific beaches, Cosiguina volcano and the Gulf of Fonseca are all reached from here. The city itself is not gentle in the heat, so start early, drink water and use taxis when the streets turn oven-like.