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Where to go in Cuba? Our travel guide, from Havana to Cienfuegos

2023-02-25T10:14:51.293Z


Where to go and what to visit in a week or more on the largest island in the Caribbean? Cuba sucks the traveler into a timeless parenthesis as myths live or survive there. The reality is sometimes quite different. But on the beach of a cayo, in the green valley of Viñales or the...


Cuba is cluttered with nasty clichés that mask its reality.

Almendrones (old American cars) are one of them.

Cubans drive more Ladas, Moskvitches and European or Chinese cars than Chevrolets from the 1950s. Another myth is Che, a guerrilla martyr extolled by generations of Westerners.

Ernesto Che Guevara was however also a diligent executioner.

To discover

  • Partner stay in Cuba |

    12 days |

    cigar, rum and tradition

If young Cubans are not interested in it, the Argentinian remains the best-selling by-product in Cuba... to foreigners.

The island's youth prefer romantic Latin melodies and the sultry, raspy moves of Reggaeton to old revolutionary songs.

Fi de la Guantanamera, this national symbol of Cuban song for tourists.

A Mojito maybe?

Cubans don't drink cocktails, for lack of Guanikiki (dollars).

They drink their rum pure.

Without quantitative restrictions!

The daily life of the island is impregnated with these puzzling realities, so different from the West.

Advertising does not exist in Cuba.

Capitalism, however, is envied.

The inhabitants of the crocodile island are too mixed to be Cartesian, too far from our analytical schemes.

The Cuban system is unique.

It is a permanent discovery.

Nothing is black or white.

That's why this country is so exciting.

Read alsoWhen to go to Cuba?

Weather, climate, visits… The best period by region

Havana, a mixed capital

Romantic and nostalgic, sublime and decrepit.

The Malecon, at the end of the day, captures a part of the Cuban soul.

Daniel Avram

Havana does not deliver in a day.

It takes three days to discover the romantic heart of the capital.

Board the Habana Bus Tour (HBT- route 1), parked at Parque Central, opposite the Hotel Inglaterra, where the young Winston Churchill, then a journalist, correspondent for the war between Spain and the United States, stayed. in 1898. This double-decker bus will take you from Old Havana to Centro Habana, Vedado, then Miramar.

In less than two hours, you will explore the highlights of the capital.

The HBT, with its route 3, will take you to the eastern beaches of this city of two million inhabitants, for a dip in the turquoise waters of the Florida Straits.

Departures to the beach take place at 9:30 a.m. and the latest returns at 6:30 p.m.

Stroll rue Obispo, the pedestrian street of Habana Vieja, to the Place d'Armes and its booksellers.

Slant towards Plaza Vieja, then towards the Museum of the Revolution and the Museo de Bellas Artes.

Of course, you will see the replica of the Washington Capitol, the Capitolio, the National Assembly.

And if you are peckish, ask for the restaurant Los Nardos, an institution, located opposite.

At sunset, be Havanese on a tour of the Malecon, the capital's waterfront.

  • Advice

Rent a convertible Buick or Chevrolet with a driver-guide, near the Hotel Nacional, or near Parque Central.

Count between 30 and 40 euros for a memorable hour.

Read alsoWhat to do in Havana?

Our ten essentials

Viñales, nature in all its original splendor

The fertile and green valley of Viñales, with the Mogotes, mountainous reliefs of the Sierra de los Organos, in the background.

Christian Schmidt

It all starts at the edge of a green valley, with ocher land.

This is Vinales.

A small village that became a trendy tourist paradise in the early 2000s, Viñales captivates with its authenticity.

Travelers come here to recharge their batteries in the heart of astonishing mountains springing up like mushrooms in the middle of the Viñales valleys.

These are the Mogotes.

These 160 million year old mountains mingle with pine forests.

Region listed since 1999 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its breathtaking landscapes, the surroundings of the village lend themselves to speleology, canoe trips in prehistoric caves such as the Cueva del Indio, or an excursion to the cave. of Santo Tomas.

If you still have strength, a Salsa course is a must at the Maison de la culture.

Your accommodation in Viñales should be a Casa Particular (a lodge) to take the measure of the place, rather than a hotel, unless you opt for Los Jazmines, a croquignolet hotel on the heights of the city.

The view of the valley from its swimming pool is truly unforgettable.

  • Our advice

If you have time, make a detour to Cayo Levisa, a paradise island, located less than an hour from Viñales, in the Gulf of Mexico.

You will undoubtedly find the most beautiful beaches in the region there.

Read alsoTo revive tourism, Cuba extends the duration of traveler visas

Pinar del Rio, cigar capital

The factory in the city center is the ideal place to discover all the know-how around the cigar, one of the specialties of the island.

robert

Pinar del Rio, capital of the province of the same name, is located less than 30 kilometers from the Mecca of the Mogotes, Viñales.

More authentic, more Cuban too, with its museums, its Baroque monuments such as the Guash palace or the Milanes theatre.

Pinar nights are spent at the Rumayor cabaret, where salsa dancers perform outdoors, perhaps before tasting the local liquor, Guayabita, a visit to the factory of which is a must.

And the cigars?

The workers show all their know-how in the factory in the city center.

The region is that of tobacco plantations, breathtaking haciendas.

In Cuba, where Tabaco is a cigar and Cigaro is a cigarette, the scent of Puros originates in the Vuelta Abajo valley, near Pinar del Rio.

Cubans have always smoked cigars.

These are those of the Bodega, the ration shop, large cigars made of poor quality leaf residue.

With the exception of the bourgeoisie of the beautiful Havana neighborhoods, the inhabitants of the communist island have never been able to smoke Montecristo!

  • Our advice

Dare to take a detour: rather than the Pinar del Rio-Cienfuegos highway, take side roads.

After Havana, at the junction of Jaguey Grande, turn towards the Bay of pigs and the Zapata peninsula.

The place is one of the wildest nature reserves, but it is also a historic site, where Cuban-American mercenaries failed to land in April 1961.

Cienfuegos, the pearl of the South

View of Cienfuegos from the sea. Karol Kozłowski

Cienfuegos, located 250 km from the capital, was founded by the French at the dawn of the 19th century.

With its triumphal arch, its palaces, including the Palacio del Valle and the Palacio Ferrer, it mixes French and Spanish architecture that you will discover during a Bicitaxi (bike rickshaw) outing.

Head for the Malecon, the waterfront, to Punta Gorda and its multicolored houses.

Stop at the Nautical Club (Club Cienfuegos) to enjoy a Mojito or Daiquiri, before heading to Marti Park.

Leave the next day for an excursion to the Castillo de Jagua, a fortress built in 1745 to block the way to pirates.

Rather than getting there by road, sail on an old tub from a pontoon near the city center.

An unusual contrast, the castle stands on the borders of the aptly named Ciudad Nuclear (nuclear city) and an abandoned reactor, dating from the time when Fidel Castro wanted to provide the island with nuclear energy.

Santa Clara, mother of all battles

The statue of Che, on the heights of this city where you can meet some of his former comrades in arms.

Curioso Photography

Santa Clara, where Che Guevara defeated the army of the previous dictator, Fulgencio Batista, with his Barbudos column at Christmas 1958. Unmissable memorial tourism with a visit to the old armored train stormed by Guevara's guerrillas, but also the huge statue of Che on the heights of the city and the museum dedicated to the latter.

More original, the Casa de Los Combatientes, where veterans, sometimes comrades-in-arms of Che Guevara, will tell you about the battle of Santa Clara over a glass of rum.

In the evening, take a seat on one of the benches in Parque Vidal to take in the city.

Cuban youth meet at the El Mejunje cultural center.

Trinidad, the colonial epic

The charming Trinidad, with its perfectly maintained colonial charm.

The other side of the coin: often more tourists than inhabitants!

TO pictures

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and founded by Diego Velazquez in 1514, Trinidad, located in the center of the island, in the province of Sancti Spiritu, owes its wealth to the fallen sugar industry.

It will delight travelers for its 17th and 18th century colonial architecture.

From the Plaza Mayor, where Hernan Cortès had established his headquarters to invade Mexico in 1518, stroll through the small streets, near the old palaces, the colorful houses, the church of the Santissima.

Trinidad is an excellent base for learning about the region, the waterfalls of the Topes de Collantes Natural Park and the Valle De Los Ingenios, where the remains of sugar industries can be found.

Trinidad, beyond its charm, is the most touristic city in Cuba, to the point that, sometimes, tourists outnumber Cubans.

No matter, because as you walk through its steep cobbled streets, your gaze will rest on the sleeping palaces and the colorful little houses.

Cuba in 7 or 11 days: our itinerary advice

In 7 days

Havana (2 days), Vinales (2 days), Cienfuegos and Santa Clara (2 days), Trinidad (1 day).

In 11 days

Havana (3 days), Vinales (2 days), Cayo Levisa (1 day), Pinar del Rio and tobacco plantations (1 day), Cienfuegos and Santa Clara (2 days), Trinidad and Sancti Spiritu (2 days).

Preparing for your trip: our advice

Prepare your travels

with www.infotur.cu and www.cuba.travel.

Remember, Cuba lacks everything.

Bring everything you need from soap to sunscreen.

Prefer a car with driver, rather than a simple rental.

Count 100-150 euros per day on site.

Viazul buses (www.viazul.cu) are also a good option.

When to go to Cuba?

Prefer the dry season between December and early April.

Avoid September to November, hurricane season.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-02-25

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