Havana, Matanzas & Varadero

About the destination: Havana is the capital city of Cuba and the epicentre of Cuban culture, brimming with visual artists, musicians, poets, dancers, actors and writers and it is the home base of the world-renowned Ballet Nacional. Havana is the type of city where history seeps from every street and building and from every church and square. Vintage cars, baroque style buildings, grand mansions and palaces and beautiful courtyards decorate its streets. Stroll along the famous Malecon for stunning views of the Bay and the Morro Fortress, which lies behind historical colonial style architecture. Old Havana, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982, is the oldest part of Havana city and it is a blend of narrow cobblestone streets, elegant beautifully restored buildings and ancient crumbling ruins. This part is fused with the most modern and eclectic buildings which lend a touch of dynamic cosmopolitanism. The dome of the National Capitol Building dominates the Havana skyline. Inside there is a statue of La Republica, the largest indoor bronze effigy in the world. There is also a massive and historic gallery, a 25-carat diamond that marks the exact centre of the city and the headquarters of the Cuban Natural History housing the country's largest natural history collection. There are two major cigar factories in Havana, the Partagas being the oldest. This working cigar factory is another “don’t miss” Havana experience. Havana is a unique and captivating city that buzzes with street life, joy and charm.

About the destination: Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas, east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero. Matanzas is called the City of Bridges, for the seventeen bridges that cross the three rivers that traverse the city. For this reason it was referred to as the "Venice of Cuba." and it was also called "La Atenas de Cuba" for its poets. Matanzas is known as the birthplace of the music and dance traditions danzón and rumba.

About the destination: Varadero is a holiday town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero is primarily a tourist resort town, boasting more than 20 km of white sandy beaches. Tourism grew in the early 1930s as Irénée du Pont Nemours, an American millionaire, built his estate on the peninsula. In addition to its most valued resource, the beach, Varadero has natural attractions such as caves and a chain of easily accessed untouched cays. There are also cultural, historical and environmental attractions in the vicinity, such as the cities of Matanzas and Cárdenas, the Zapata Peninsula and the resort of San Miguel de los Baños. Varadero, which is a free port, also possesses facilities for scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, yachting and other water sports.