León's centre is compact enough to walk. The main sights — cathedral, central park, museums, and the string of colonial churches — are all within 15 minutes' walk of each other. For destinations further out, mototaxis (small three-wheelers) are everywhere and cost almost nothing for short trips.
For the volcanoes and beaches, you need to book a tour or hire a taxi for the day. Cerro Negro and Telica are best reached with a guide in any case. The Pacific beaches at Poneloya and Las Peñitas are served by local buses from the bus terminal, though a shared taxi or taxi contratado is more comfortable and barely more expensive.
Rental bicycles are available from some hostels and work well for getting to the city's outer barrios and the botanical garden.