San Sebastian El Salvador is a small town well-known for its production of colorful looms, hammocks, and textiles. These local crafts have beautiful and unique designs with fantastic vivid colors; they are created by locals who have learned the craft-making process from previous generations.
San Sebastian has many local shops where visitors can see and appreciate how the looms, hammocks, and textiles are made.
For many of these shops and the people who own them, making these crafts is a family tradition usually passed on from generation to generation.
Also, San Sebastian is one of the towns in El Salvador, where you will find fantastic hammocks with different styles, colors, and designs; they are great as gifts or for personal use.
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Visiting San Sebastian El Salvador.
The small town of San Sebastian is located in the department of San Vicente about 48 kilometers from downtown San Salvador, and about 70 kilometers from the international airport.
San Sebastian is a small town; therefore, you can explore and see everything the city has to offer in a few hours.
So, when visiting San Sebastian, you should do it as a part of a touring package; or if you are visiting by yourself, do it as a combination with other towns nearby.
This is what I would recommend for you to do when visiting San Sebastian; also, this is a typical tour package from some tour companies in El Salvador.
1- Begin at Ilobasco.
From San Salvador or other parts of the country, go to the city of Ilobasco first! It is about 18 kilometers from San Sebastian. Here, at Ilobasco, you can spend the morning exploring everything the town has to offer.
2- Have lunch overlooking the San Vicente volcano.
After Ilobasco, have lunch at one of the many small restaurants on the Pan American Highway overlooking the San Vicente Volcano.
From the small town of San Rafael Cedros, which is about 11 kilometers from San Sebastian, all the way to the detour going to San Sebastian, on Pan American Highway, you will find small restaurants with great views of the San Vicente Volcano.
At these small restaurants, you can try the typical Salvadoran foods in addition to local dishes from the area. Additionally, you will be able to get some great photos of the San Vicente volcano and the valley.
3- Spend the afternoon in San Sebastian.
After lunch, you can spend the afternoon exploring the colorful town of San Sebastian. Here, you can explore the church with its colonial styles, you can find a local shop and see how they create the local crafts, or you can spend the afternoon shopping for souvenirs.
If you are visiting with a tour company, they will have a schedule already set up for you to follow.
4- Go to the city of San Vicente.
After spending the afternoon in San Sebastian, you have the option to head back to the San Salvador area or visit the city of San Vicente.
San Vicente is a colorful small town located about 19 kilometers from San Sebastian; it is the capital city in the department of San Vicente.
The city of San Vicente is well-known for its church and the local park with its unique tower. Obviously, there are other things to do in this city, the church and the park are the most popular.
About San Sebastian El Salvador.
San Sebastian is a small town, in which a large percentage of the population works making artisan crafts such as looms, hammocks, and textiles.
According to local historians, in early times, locals started by creating Sarapes. Sarapes are created with fine threads and were used to shelter newborns. Additionally, they made colorful skirts for women to wear and cotton blankets for making shirts.
Today, the artisans in San Sebastian create items such as hammocks, bedspreads, tablecloths, colorful backpacks, and clothing.
On a sad note, the making of these crafts in San Sebastian is an art that is starting to disappear; many of the locals currently creating these crafts are an older generation.
According to locals who work in the industry, the younger generations are not interested in learning the craft-making process; therefore, there are fewer and fewer people willing to learn and keep the tradition alive.
San Sebastian El Salvador.
The Artisan looms are the main characteristic of the municipality of San Sebastian, and the cultural heritage of the area.
San Sebastian is a small town that gets a high volume of tourism; It is also part of the Artisan touristic route in El Salvador.
So, there is no doubt that this place is highly attractive for its cultural heritage. To sum up, San Sebastian is definitely a small colorful town that you should visit, if you get the chance.