Santa Lucia

Santa Lucía is a pleasant mining town—this is the first locale where colonial-era silver was struck in the 16th century—with plenty of winding cobblestone streets, red-tile roofs, and colorful gardens. Only 14 km (8½ miles) northeast of the capital, it is surrounded by hills thick with pines. While Tegucigalpa is hardly the balmy tropics, the capital will seem positively sweltering by comparison when you arrive here at Santa Lucía's 5,000-feet altitude. Evenings can be brisk. Like Valle de Ángeles farther down the road, Santa Lucía hums with activity on Saturday and Sunday; both towns are favorite weekend getaways for capital residents. The town is quiet other days. No matter what the day of the week, you might stumble upon a few Americans here: the Peace Corps uses Santa Lucía as a training base for its volunteers assigned to Honduras.