Varadero Cuba

Cheap Vacations to Varadero. Last Minute Hotel and Resorts in Varadero Cuba.

Introduction
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Considered by many as the world's most beautiful beach, Varadero is part of a peninsula that stretches far out into the calm waters of the Atlantic. Its 21-kilometre strip of fine white sand is an ideal vacation spot for sun-lovers, water babies and golfers. The beautiful Varahicacos Reserve offers wonderful fauna and flora, and a few archaeological findings.

If you also have a craving for art, history and culture then head to the nearby cities of Cárdenas and Matanzas, the provincial capital. Nature seekers will be delighted with the Zapata Biosphere Reserve which is famous for its ecotourism and history.

Beaches

The famous Varadero beach, sometimes referred to as the world's greatest beach, has long been the pride of Cuba.

Measuring 21 km, this beach is covered with a broad strip of the finest white sand imaginable and has an average year-round water temperature of 24° C to 26° C.

Climate

Its location on a narrow peninsula ensures that this tropical hot climate is constantly cooled by tropical breezes.

Temperature in CelsiusJFMAMJJASOND
Maximum252527272930313130282725
Minimum191920212223242423232220
Rainfall (mm)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

Geography

Bathing in the northern shores of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mantanzas province is located quite to the west on the island of Cuba. Varadero is situated on the long and narrow Hicacos Peninsula, between the bays of Matanzas and Cardenas, and enjoys a continuous delightful breeze.

History

The first inhabitants of the island were the Siboney Indians. The Siboney left many traces such as decorated caves with drawings and geometrical designs. Soon after the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in the late 16th century, salt was discovered and mined for profit. Black slaves from Africa were also brought in the work after the indigenous population was exhausted. These slaves left an important mark on the culture and religious practices. Many Spaniards were killed as well by the frequent pirate attacks.

Matanzas with time became a popular cultural center were musicians, poets and writers flocked to. This province is home to two music festivals and many cultural activities take place in the culture centers, theatres and cabarets.

Nature

The Varahicacos Ecological Park, right on the Varadero peninsula, offers gentle paths through the scrub forests and a series of small caves. Not to be missed is El Patriarca, a 600-year-old-cactus as tall as a tree grows at the end of the Hicacos peninsula, and the Ruinas de la Salina, a natural salt pit where leathers and meats were prepared over the centuries.

At about one hour is the Great Natural Park of Montemar, located in the Cienaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve. This park addresses the multiple specialties of nature tourism such as open sea diving or speleodiving in sunken caves.

Unique to Here

You can attend a baseball game at the Victoria de Giron Stadium in Matanzas.

Bellamar Cave, on the outskirts of Matanzas, is one of the Caribbean's largest and most beautiful underground formations. Two kilometres of underground passages are covered in peculiar stalagmites, stalactites and calcite crystals. Large mural paintings, numerous fossils, and other objects prove that the area was inhabited some 1600 years ago.

  • Airport :
    Juan Gualberto Gomez International Airport
  • Airport Tax :
    The departure tax in included in the price of the package.
  • Distance from Airport :
    15 km
  • Tourist Season :
    December through April
  • Festivals & Events

    April : Electroacoustic Music Festival
    November : Caribbean Music Festival

    Transportation

    Taxis and sometimes minibus are available. The bus circuits in Varadero include the most interesting sites. Budget travels by bus, in the popular destinations of the country, are also proposed by the Viazul Company.

    Thousands of kilometres are to be discovered with a car, jeep or motorcycle rental.

    Activities & Sports

    Being a beach resort, Varadero specializes in water sports. Absolutely everything is available here: sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, yachting, water skiing, jet skiing... you name it, Varadero has it. You can even go high-sea fishing or go horseback riding.

    With 25 dive sites, Varadero is sure to please diving and snorkeling fanatics. One great site is the Cayo Piedra Underwater Park, located to the northeast, it features several shipwrecks where schools of colourful, tropical fish and crustaceans gather.

    El Varadero Golf Club is a magnificent 18-hole course on the peninsula, marked by an intricate system of lagoons.

    For those with a taste for the extreme, you can go parachuting at the Varadero International Parachute Center.

    Archaeology

    Ambrosio Cave
    It was used as a ceremonial spot by the area's primitive inhabitants and later by runaway slaves. Here you can view about 70 well preserved pictographs.

    Other archaeological caves include the Musulmanes Caves used as dwellings, the Calero Funeral Cave, the Santa Catalina Cave and the Bellamar Caves (see the Specialties & Characteristics section)

    Attractions & Sights

    The Varadero Municipal Museum displays archaeological artefacts and objects related to Cuban sports. The house dates back to the 1920s and is filled with old furniture. The Centre Plaza America is a well appointed international convention centre that incorporates shopping malls, restaurants and amusement centres. The Santa Elvira Church dates back to 1938 and is known for it peculiar structure consisting of stones and wood. Josone's Oasis, near the beach, has typical tropical vegetation in its gardens and groves, as well as lagoons.

    Cardenas
    Across the bay from Varadero is Cardenas, where the Cuban flag was first flown. The town's story is told through its architecture and museums. Make a stop at Jose Antonio Echevarria's birthplace and the Polyvalent Museum. It is noted for three unusual monuments: replicas of a bicycle, a horse-drawn carriage and a crab cast in concrete that represents the abundant crustaceans in the area.

    Matanzas City
    The Vigia Square has the Junco Palace Historical Museum, the 19th century Sauto Theatre and an exhibition of ancient fire-fighting equipment in the former military headquarters. Visit the Le Triolet French pharmacy, built in 1882, is still stocked with ancient drugs, utensils and porcelain medicine flasks, all preserved under glass on the store's original shelves of hand-finished Cuban wood. At the mouth of the river you will find El Morrillo where the bodies of two revolutionaries rest in a mausoleum. The castle also has an archaeological museum from where you can see the Canimar woods.

    Nightlife

    La Casa de la Cultura presents all sorts of cultural events like poetry readings, folk groups, troubadors concerts, Rumba nights and Afro-Cuban ritual dances.

    Varadero's plentiful Cabarets feature Cuban and international drinks and rhythms. Resorts, theatres and the Amphitheatre host variety shows.

    This city has a count of nearly 100 clubs and discotheques for you to dance the night away.

    Side Trips

    Havana
    Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Old Havana is a colonial marvel unlike any other in the world. Visit the La Real Fuerza Castle, Arms Square, Obispo Street, Cathedral Square and other points of note. Walk in Hemingway's footsteps by visiting his haunts such as the fishing village of Cojimar; his former home and Finca Vigia, which is now the Hemingway Museum. Finally you can enjoy a cabaret show at the famous Tropicana.

    Pinar del Rio
    The world's finest tobacco grows here in the spectacular Vinales Valley. You can visit the provincial capital and then go to a tobacco farm, the Indian Cave and the Archaeological Mural. This region counts two biosphere reserves recognized by UNESCO: the Sierra del Rosario and the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. Bathe in the mineral and medicinal hot springs of San Diego de los Banos spa, admire the unique cork palm and discover the waterfalls in Soroa that are surrounded by an orchid garden with 700 species. Make sure to buy a bottle of the Guayabia del Pinar liqueur, made exclusively in this region.

    Guama
    In the heart of the Zapata Peninsula, Guama resort is home to a reconstructed Indian village on Treasure Lake. Life-sized sculptures of Taino Indians tell their story, while a nearby crocodile breeding farm lets you get up close and personal with those unique reptiles. This excursion combines past and present. At the Bay of Pigs, a museum displays mementos of the unsuccessful mercenary invasion there. If you would like to go for a swim, head to Playa Giron or Playa Larga, the other beach on the Bay of Pigs.

    Accommodations

    Today, a broad range of hotels and resorts on this wide, sandy beach offer affordable vacations to please any pocketbook. Most resorts operate with All Inclusive packages but a few independent simple hotels remain.

    The Centre Plaza America is a well appointed international convention centre that incorporates shopping malls, restaurants and amusement centres.

    Eating Out

    Several old mansions such as Du Pont, who houses the Las Americas restaurant, have been converted into restaurants who specialize in barbecued meat and shellfish as well, international cuisine promise satisfaction for every taste.

    Desert is a must at the Coppelia Ice Cream Parlour which has countless flavours of creamy Cuban ice cream.

    Shopping

    Cuban cigars, rum and coffee are the most popular souvenirs, followed by wood handicraft and congas. Cuban music recordings are a must as well.

    Varadero Cuba Vacations

    1002709
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