Cuba has a wide range of contrasting places, from gorgeous cities swaying to the beat of tropical rhythms to unspoiled forests.
Travelers will find eclectic architecture, white-sand beaches and prime wildlife watching spots across the country. Adding these places to your Cuba itinerary will allow you to experience the Caribbean's largest and most fascinating island.
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The best Casas particulares in Cuba and some of the most helpful Casa owners are located in Viales. The Gran Caverna Santo Toms is Cuba's largest cave system and can be reached via cycling, horseback riding or hiking.
If you want to see the world's best tobacco, you need to book an expert-guided tour inside the triangle-roofed drying houses.
The Malecn is a five-mile sea drive that can be seen from the north of Havana. The old squares of Habana Vieja are a great place to see the colonial architecture that shaped the city in the 1700s and 1800s. There are art galleries, shops, music venues, and amazing architecture on a walk along Obispo Boulevard.
There are a lot of art galleries and outdoor areas in Havana. If you want to learn more about Cuba's artistic history, you can take a day at the Museo.
There is still room for more tourists in Cuba. Varadero is Cuba's best beach resort with 12 miles of white sand and crystal clear water. There are many different types of accommodations, from top-end resorts to beautiful Casas particulares. Casas are B&Bs and range from budget friendly rooms next to family houses to classy hostels with swimming pools. Families enjoy Varadero's safe, shallow shores while revelers dance the night away at Casa de la Msica.
Mansin Xanad has a rooftop bar where you can sip cocktails while looking out at the peninsula.
Santiago de Cuba was the headquarters of the revolutionaries in the 1950s, but there is more to see here. The city has Caribbean rhythms, tropical flavors and frenzied festivals.
Cuartel Moncada is one of Cuba's best museums and contains a detailed explanation of the events that started the 1959 revolution. The Baslica de la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre is Cuba's most venerated church. There is an exhibition of offerings made to the patron saint by the bearded revolutionaries.
The best time to plan is after the Da de la Rebelda Nacional on July 26, when Santiago explodes with a constant party-like atmosphere.
Trinidad is Cuba's best-preserved "open-air museum" and is also a cradle of the best handmade crafts. Trinitarian needleworkers stitch their linen pieces at open-air markets, displaying handmade clothing, delicate embroidered tablecloths and garments such as guayaberas.
There are local markets on pedestrianized parts of the town's historical center, adjacent to the Playa Mayor, but artisans also display a daily fair on the base of Torre Manaca Iznaga.
Getting to Baracoa is an experience in and of itself. La Farola is the most scenic drive in Cuba and can be reached from the road from Guantnamo. A three-hour trip through lush mountains is interrupted only by vendors of Cucuruchos de Baracoa, a cone-shaped mix of coconut flakes, honey, guava paste and a fruity flavor wrapped up in a palm frond.
Ro Duaba and El Yunque are great spots for hiking with abundant flora and birdlife, but if you want to take a deeper look into semi-virgin forests, you should book a tour at Parque Alejandro de Humboldt.
Camagey is elegant and artistic, but it is the street pattern that most visitors notice. It is nearly impossible to sort it out if you are behind the wheel. Instead, walk around maze-like alleys and discover small but lovely plazas all within walking distance.
The art gallery of Martha Jiménez Pérez is located in the less-visited Plaza del Carmen and you can spend a day there.
Cuba's narrowest and shortest streets are something to consider while in Camagey. There are only two houses facing each other in Callejn de la Miseria.
Matanzas is the home of some of the country's most cherished performers, including the creator of the cheek-to-cheek danzn. Muequitos de Matanzas promotes rumba, an Afro-Cuban dance that was born in the city. The Museo Histrico Provincial is home to live music performances.
The Museo Farmacéutico is one of the first of its type and is located in Matanzas, Cuba, and is a local tip for travelers looking for a more Cuban Cuba.
The French-inspired city of Cienfuegos is known as the Pearl of the South. The best place to enjoy the bay is from Club Cienfuegos and the Marlin Marina Cienfuegos.
You should include an excursion to the natural protected area of Cienfuegos for a chance of birdwatching and a boat trip on the lake in your planning.
One of the country's best diving sites is located south of Matanzas province. The clear Caribbean waters are home to a wide variety of marine animals. You can go for a swim at the gorgeous cove at Caleta Buena.
One of the best places to watch birds in Cuba is at Playa Girn, which is part of the Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata.
One of Cuba's few cenotes is located on the way from Playa Larga to Playa Girn.
The first article was published in December of 2011.
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