Matanzas Province
Enhance your taste for bucolic provincial life away from the razzmatazz of Matanzas Province's north coast at this ecological farm 14km northeast of San…
Must-see attractions in Matanzas Province
Matanzas
For a mappable view of mildewed Matanzas on one side and the broccoli-green Valle de Yumurí on the other, climb 1.5km northeast of the center up Calle 306…
Matanzas
Imagine. You're tramping through Matanzas' tatty streets wondering whether the 'Athens of Cuba' moniker is just a local joke when you stumble upon this…
Matanzas Province
A gorgeous ruin lying truly abandoned in the middle of small-town Cuba that's heavy with atmosphere and still shines (despite the mildew) with a…
Matanzas Province
Cuba's second-oldest museum (after the Museo Bacardí in Santiago) offers a selection of weird artifacts, including a strangulation chair from 1830, a face…
Varadero
Everything east of Varadero's small stone water tower (it looks like an old Spanish fort, but was built in the 1930s) once belonged to the Du Pont family…
Matanzas Province
Boat trips on the Río Canímar, 8km east of Matanzas, are a truly magical experience. Gnarly mangroves dip their jungle-like branches into the ebbing water…
Playa Girón
This exceedingly well-kept museum with its gleaming display cases evokes a tangible sense of the history of the famous Cold War episode that unfolded…
Playa Girón
If you don't fancy diving in the sea, head to the Cueva de los Peces, a 70m-deep cenote (sinkhole) on the inland side of the coast road halfway between…
Matanzas Province
Your closest bet for shore snorkeling in the Varadero area is Playa Coral, on the old coastal road, about 3km off the Vía Blanca, halfway between Matanzas…
Varadero
If you're set on sightseeing in Varadero, ensconce yourself in this pretty green oasis. These landscaped gardens date back to 1940 and take their name…
Varadero
At the peninsula's eastern tip, state-run Gaviota's impressive marina, built in the early 2010s, encompasses a wide malecón (main street), luxury…
Varadero
For something completely different in Varadero's tourist circus, decamp to this large cave 500m beyond the Club Amigo Varadero on the Autopista Sur. It's…
Matanzas Province
The newest of Cárdenas' three museums offers a keenly curated if propaganda-heavy overview of the history of US–Cuban relations inspired by the case of…
Matanzas Province
Cuba's oldest tourist attraction, according to local propaganda, lies 5km southeast of Matanzas and is 300,000 years old. There are 2500m of caves here,…
Matanzas Province
This lake is 5km east of Boca de Guamá via the Canal de la Laguna, accessible only by boat. On the far (east) side of the 92-sq-km body of water is a…
Matanzas
The defining symbol of the city according to Mexican painter (and admirer) Diego Rivera, the Teatro Sauto (1863) on Plaza de la Vigía's south side is one…
Catedral de San Carlos Borromeo
Matanzas
Standing back from the disorganized melee of Calle 83 behind shady Plaza de la Iglesia is Matanzas' main church, a neoclassical structure with two unequal…
Playa Girón
Punta Perdiz is a snorkeling and diving spot, 10km north of Playa Girón, where you can glide out from the shore in fish-tank clarity water to a world of…
Matanzas Province
The freshwater Cueva de Saturno, 1km south of the Vía Blanca by the road to Varadero's international airport, is a highly popular (ie crowded)…
Matanzas
If you've only got time to see one bridge (there are 21 in total) in Cuba's celebrated 'city of bridges,' gravitate toward this impressive steel structure…
Matanzas
The original Plaza de Armas still remains as Plaza de la Vigía (literally 'lookout place'), a reference to the threat from piracy and smuggling that…
Matanzas Province
A less-visited cave system off the Matanzas–Varadero highway near Boca de Camarioca, where highlights include Amerindian cave paintings. The cave is…
Matanzas
The workspace and gallery of local painter Adrián Socorro is fortuitously located next to Taller-Galería Lolo, inviting you to witness a double-whammy of…
Playa Girón
Caleta Buena, 8km southeast of Playa Girón, is a lovely protected cove that's perfect for snorkeling and kitted out with a diving office. Admission…
Matanzas Province
In a city of lost glories, Plaza Molocoff is one of the grandest yet most disfigured sights. This whimsical two-story cast-iron market hall with a…
Matanzas Province
Looming above San Miguel de los Baños are the steep slopes of Loma de Jacán, a glowering hill with 448 steps embellished by faded murals of the Stations…
Matanzas
A few blocks directly west of Plaza de la Vigía is Parque Libertad, the anchor of Matanzas' cultural life and home to several of the city's most…
Matanzas Province
The Laguna de Maya is part of a flora and fauna reserve on the coast that also incorporates Playa Coral. Located 2km inland from the beach, it comprises a…
Matanzas
Museo Farmaceútico is one of Matanzas' showcase sights. Founded in 1882 by the Triolett family, the pharmacy was the first of its type in Latin America…
Matanzas
This double-arched edifice on the Plaza de la Vigía showcases the full sweep of Matanzas' history from pirate incursions to the cruel reign of slavery…
Matanzas
Dominating the scruffy Versalles neighborhood is this fine neoclassical church, which was refurbished inside and out in the mid-2010s. The interior is…
Varadero
Located 5km north of Playa las Calaveras (one hour by boat), Cayo Piedras del Norte has been made into a 'marine park' through the deliberate sinking of…
Matanzas Province
This highly successful crocodile-breeding facility, run by the Ministerio de la Industria Pesquera, straddles the road as you come into Boca de Guamá from…
Varadero
Just east of Parque Central is this tiny colonial-style building resembling a displaced alpine chapel.
Matanzas Province
During the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, Fidel Castro had his headquarters in the former office of this sugar mill, but since 2001 the building has been…
Matanzas Province
To the northwest of the center of Cárdenas, in the industrial zone, is this famous rum factory founded in 1878 by Spanish immigrant José Arechabala…
Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción
Matanzas Province
Cárdenas' twin-towered cathedral was built in 1846, though it looks older. The main ecclesiastical building of Cárdenas, it is noted for its stained glass…
Matanzas
Northeast of Versalles lies this formidable bastion, built by the Spanish in 1735 as part of Cuba's defensive ring. It was tested early on by the British;…
Museo Casa Natal de José Antonio Echeverría
Matanzas Province
This museum with temperamental opening times was where student leader José Antonio Echeverría was born in 1932. Echeverría, a rebel leader not dissimilar…
