Boasting several attractions all its own, Tegucigalpa also serves as a convenient center for day trips to colonial towns, national parks and other nearby sites of interest. The city, located at 935 meters above sea level, has a nearly-perfect, springtime climate of warm days and cool nights. Long an important mining center, Tegucigalpa was settled by the Spaniards in 1539. The capital was established there in 1880, after the first capital, in Comayagua, was destroyed by fire in 1873.

Any tour of Tegucigalpa begins in the city's Historic Center. The central park, known as the Plaza Morazan, contains a fine sculpture of Honduran hero Francisco Morazan, who was elected president of the Central American Confederation in 1830. To one side of the Plaza stands the San Miguel Cathedral, built in 1782, with a beautiful silver altar and gold-plated pulpit inside. The oldest church in the Tegucigalpa, known as San Francisco and built in 1592, can be found two blocks away.

Only a few blocks from the plaza, visitors will find the modern Congressional building, as well as the old Presidential Palace. Although currently under renovation, an exhibition hall was recently opened in the Palace, which contains temporary exhibits dedicated to Honduran history and archaeology. To one side of the Congress, there is an outstanding museum dedicated to Honduran art, with works ranging from Maya ceramics to colonial paintings to contemporary artwork. Another museum, located in the Casa de Ramón Rosa, contains an art library and exhibits dedicated to Honduran culture.

From the lookouts, the massive basilica of the Virgin of Suyapa can be seen to dominate one end of Tegucigalpa's valley. An annual fair dedicated to the Virgin is celebrated every year beginning February 3 and is one of Honduras' most important holidays. On the opposite side of the valley from the Monument to Peace is the Villa Roy Museum of National History, which contains exhibits devoted to Honduran history from the 1821 independence through 1956.