Varadero to Matanzas
The wide, smooth sweep of the Vía Blanca highway southwest passes many of northern Matanzas' most magnificent sights: subterranean swimming holes, superb snorkeling and boat trips on hidden rivers.
1Sights & Activities
Playa CoralBEACH
Your closest bet for shore snorkeling is Playa Coral, on the old coastal road (about 3km off the Vía Blanca) halfway between Matanzas and Varadero. You can snorkel solo from the beach, but it's far better (and safer) to enter via the Laguna de Maya (8am to 5pm). At the Flora and Fauna Reserve, 400m east of the beach, professional Ecotur guides rent snorkeling gear (CUC$2) and provide guides to take you out to the reef (CUC$5 one hour).
There are a reported 300 species of fish here and visibility is a decent 15m to 20m. Diving is on offer too. The Laguna de Maya also incorporates a snack-bar-restaurant by the eponymous lake nearby with boat rental and horseback-riding opportunities. A package including all the activities is offered for CUC$25 and can be organised through most Varadero hotels or the Barracuda Scuba Diving Center. Most of the coast hereabouts is a gray-white coral shelf but there are beaches just west of Playa Coral.
Cueva SaturnoCAVE
(
%45-25-38-33, 45-25-32-72; admission incl snorkel gear CUC$5; 
h8am-6pm)
One kilometer south of the Vía Blanca, near the airport turnoff, is the freshwater Cueva Saturno, a highly popular (read: crowded) subterranean cave with a pool billed as a snorkeling and/or swimming spot. The water's about 20°C and the maximum depth is 22m, though there are shallower parts. There's a snack bar and equipment rental post onsite.
Cuevas de BellamarCAVE
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-26-16-83, 45-25-35-38; admission CUC$8, camera CUC$5; h9am-5pm)
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, discovered in 1861 by a Chinese workman in the employ of Don Manuel Santos Parga. A 45-minute Cuevas de Bellamar visit leaves almost hourly starting at 9:30am. The caves on show include a vast 12m stalagmite and an underground stream; cave walls glitter eerily with crystals.
Well-maintained, well-lit paths mean it's easy for kids to imbibe the stupendous geology, too. The entrance is through a small museum. Outside the Cuevas de Bellamar are two restaurants and a playground. To get there, take bus 12 from Plaza Libertad or use the Matanzas Bus Tour connecting to Varadero.
Cuevas de Santa CatalinaCAVE
(h9am-5pm)
A less-visited cave system off the Matanzas–Varadero highway near Boca de Camarioca, where highlights include Amerindian cave paintings. Organize at the Cueva Saturno or ask at one of the Varadero all-inclusive accommodations about trips. It is not possible to go independently. One local cave guide (%52-97-10-57), Cenén, offers trips here.
Río CanímarRIVER
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 and a warm haze caresses the regal palm trees as your boat slides silently 12km upstream from an insalubrious start beneath the Vía Blanca bridge.
Cubatur in Varadero offers this wonderful excursion with lunch, horseback riding, fishing and snorkeling for CUC$25, or you can chance it by showing up at the landing below the bridge on the east side.
Alternatively, most Varadero hotels have tour agencies offering this trip (look for the Río Canímar 'Back to Nature' tour).
Rowboats (CUC$2 per hour) are also available for rent from the riverside Bar Cubamar, almost under the Vía Blanca bridge, though not to Cubans (on the pretext that they might use them to emigrate).
Castillo del MorrilloCASTLE
(admission CUC$1; h9am-5pm Tue-Sun)
On the western side of the Río Canímar bridge, 8km east of Matanzas, a road runs 1km down to a cove presided over by the four guns of this yellow-painted castle (1720). The castle is now a museum dedicated to the student leader Antonio Guiteras Holmes (1906–35), who founded the revolutionary group Joven Cuba (Young Cuba) in 1934.
After serving briefly in the post-Machado government, Guiteras was forced out by army chief Fulgencio Batista and shot on May 8, 1935. A bronze bust marks the spot where he was executed.
4Sleeping & Eating
Hotel CanimaoHOTEL
(%45-26-10-14; Carretera Matanzas-Varadero Km 5; r incl breakfast CUC$23-30; 
p
a
s)
Perched above the Río Canímar 8km east of Matanzas, the Canimao has 160 comfortable rooms with little balconies. It's handy for Río Canímar excursions, the Cuevas de Bellamar or to visit the Tropicana Matanzas, but otherwise you're isolated here. There are two restaurants. Matanzas Bus Tour stops on the main road.
El Ranchón BellamarCARIBBEAN
(Cuevas de Bellamar; mains from CUC$10; hnoon-8:30pm)
If you're visiting the Cuevas de Bellamar, you'd do well to grab a comida criolla lunch at this ranchón-style restaurant before heading back into town. Good pork or chicken meals with the trimmings are about CUC$10.
3Entertainment
Tropicana MatanzasCABARET
(%45-26-53-80; Carretera Matanzas-Varadero Km 5; admission CUC$35; h10pm-2am Tue-Sat)
Capitalizing on its success in Havana and Santiago de Cuba, the famous Tropicana cabaret has a branch 8km east of Matanzas, next to the Hotel Canimao. You can mingle with the Varadero bus crowds and enjoy the same entertaining formula of lights, feathers, flesh and frivolity in the open air.
Matanzas
Pop 152,408
Much like a beloved but long-forgotten antique being polished back to its former glory, Matanzas is showing breathtaking signs of reclaiming its erstwhile place at the helm of Cuban culture. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it developed a gigantic literary and musical heritage, and was regularly touted as the ‘Athens of Cuba.' Undeniably, its battle-scarred buildings and cars belching out asphyxiating diesel fumes now leave it a shadow of its former self and a long way from the vacation glitter of Varadero, but sample its revitalized plaza edifices and still-astounding cultural scene and the dignity soon emerges amid the dilapidation. If the city were a character it would be the fisherman, Santiago, in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea: ‘thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles’ yet, irrepressibly ‘cheerful and undefeated.’
Two pivotal Cuban musical forms, danzón and rumba, were hatched here, along with various religions of African origin, including Arará, Regla de Ocha (Santería) and the secret Abakuá fraternity. Matanzas is also the home of Cuba’s finest provincial theaters, the Sauto and Sala de Conciertos José White, and was the birthplace of some of its most eloquent poets and writers. Today, the city offers little in the way of standard sights, but plenty of under-the-radar pleasures. Hang with the artists in sophisticated ACAA or listen to some bembe drummers in the Marina neighborhood, and you’ll quickly ascertain that Matanzas’ greatest strength is its people, a proud, poetic populace infused with the spirit of stoic survivors. Welcome to the real Cuba, asere.
History
In 1508 Sebastián de Ocampo sighted a bay that the indigenous population called Guanima. Now known as the Bahía de Matanzas, it's said the name recalls the matanza (massacre) of a group of Spaniards during an early indigenous uprising. In 1628 the Dutch pirate Piet Heyn captured a Spanish treasure fleet carrying 12 million gold florins, ushering in a lengthy era of smuggling and piracy. Undeterred by the pirate threat, 30 families from the Canary Islands arrived in 1693, on the orders of King Carlos III of Spain, to found the town of San Carlos y Severino de Matanzas; the first fort went up in 1734. In 1898 the bay saw the first engagement of the Spanish-American War.
In the late 18th and 19th centuries, Matanzas flourished through the building of numerous sugar mills and coffee exporting. In 1843, with the laying of the first railway to Havana, the floodgates for prosperity were opened. The second half of the 19th century became a golden age: the city set new cultural benchmarks with the development of a newspaper, a public library, a high school, a theater and a philharmonic society. Due to the large number of writers and intellectuals living in the area, Matanzas became known as the 'Athens of Cuba' with a cultural scene that dwarfed even Havana.
It was then that African slaves, imported to meet burgeoning labor demands, began to foster another reputation for Matanzas as the spiritual home of rumba. In tandem, and from the same roots, spread a network of Santería cabildos (associations) – brotherhoods of those from slave descent who came together to celebrate the traditions and rituals of their African ancestors. Both rumba and cabildos flourish here to this day.
Other landmarks in Matanzas' history include staging Cuba's first danzón performance (1879); later the city produced nationally important poets Cintio Vitier and Carilda Oliver Labra.
Matanzas
1Sights
2Activities, Courses & Tours
5Eating
3Entertainment
7Shopping
1Sights
Plaza de la Vigía
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 the first settlers faced. This diminutive square was where Matanzas was founded in the late 17th century and numerous iconic historical buildings still stand guard.
Teatro SautoTHEATER
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-24-27-21; Plaza de la Vigía)
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 of Cuba's finest theaters and famous for its superb acoustics. The lobby is graced by marble Greek goddesses and the ceiling in the main hall bears paintings of the muses.
Three balconies enclose this 775-seat theater, which features a floor that can be raised to convert the auditorium into a ballroom. The original theater curtain is a painting of Matanzas' very own Puente de la Concordia, and notables like Soviet dancer Anna Pavlova have performed here. Much-needed restoration work was ongoing at the time of research.
Puente Calixto GarcíaBRIDGE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
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 built in 1899, spanning the Río San Juan with its kayaks floating lazily by. Just south is an eye-catching Che Mural ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) while the northern side leads directly into Plaza de la Vigía.
oEdiciones VigíaWORKSHOP
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Plaza de la Vigía, cnr Calle 91; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat)
To the southwest of Plaza de la Vigía is a unique book publisher, founded in 1985, which produces high-quality handmade paper and first-edition books on a variety of topics. The books are typed, stenciled and pasted in editions of 200 copies. Visitors are welcome in the Dickensian workshop where they can purchase beautiful numbered and signed copies (CUC$5 to CUC$40).
Palacio de JusticiaHISTORIC BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Plaza de la Vigía & Calle 85)
This is another impressive construction on the Plaza de la Vigía opposite the Teatro Sauto, first erected in 1826 and rebuilt between 1908 and 1911.
Museo Histórico ProvincialMUSEUM
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Calles 83 & 272; admission CUC$2; h10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 1-7pm Sat, 9am-noon Sun)
Also known as Palacio del Junco (1840), this double-arched edifice on the Plaza de la Vigía showcases the full sweep of Matanzas' history from 1693 to the present. Cultural events are also held here.
MATANZAS CIVIC PRIDE: THE NEXT STEPS
Aside from the painstakingly ponderous refurbishment of the Teatro Sauto, the next phase of the city's ambitious redevelopment will take place south of the two central plazas along the north bank of the Río San Juan. Every self-respecting Cuban capital needs a boulevard, so Matanzas is getting one. It's earmarked to stretch from the river bridge bearing Calle 298 seven blocks east to Puente Calixto García. When finished, it will be Cuba's third-best malecón (waterside promenade). Just east again, a Palacio de la Rumba is scheduled to be built in the city that gave this music genre to the world.
Parque Libertad & Around
The once-crumbling Parque Libertad is the focal point of Matanzas' current restoration drive, and looking grander by the day. A bronze statue (1909) of José Martí stands in its center.
oMuseo FarmaceúticoMUSEUM
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 83 No 4951; admission CUC$3; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun)
Museo Farmaceútico, on the park's south side, is one of the city's showcase sights. Founded in 1882 by the Triolett family, the antique pharmacy was the first of its type in Latin America. The fine displays include all the odd bottles, instruments and suchlike used in the trade.
oSala de Conciertos José WhiteTHEATER
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-26-70-32; Calle 79, btwn Calles 290 & 288)
Restoration of this 1876 building abutting Hotel Velazco began in 2003, and has now been completed with every inch, flourish and cornicing returned to its former glory; well worth a lingering look. Fitting for a building that formerly hosted the city symphony orchestra, classical music makes up the majority of its performances, although there is also that made-in-Matanzas dance danzón performed here. A courtyard bar complements proceedings.
Palacio de GobiernoHISTORIC BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 288, btwn Calles 79 & 83)
Dating from 1853, this muscular building dominates the east side of Parque Libertad; these days it's the seat of the Poder Popular (Popular Power), the local government.
Catedral de San Carlos BorromeoCHURCH
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 282, btwn Calles 83 & 85; donation welcome; h8am-noon & 3-5pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun)
Standing back from the disorganized melee of Calle 83 behind shady Plaza de la Iglesia, this once-great, perennially shut, neoclassical cathedral was constructed in 1693 and contains some of Cuba's most famous frescoes, suffering terribly after years of neglect. Across the other side of Calle 83 is the Archivo Histórico ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 83 No 28013, btwn Calles 280 & 282), the city archives housed in the former residence of local poet José Jacinto Milanés (1814–63).
ABAKUá
A secret all-male society, a language understood only by initiates, a close-knit network of masonic-like lodges, and the symbolic use of the African leopard to denote power: the mysterious rites of Abakuá read like a Cuban Da Vinci Code.
In a country not short on foggy religious practices, Abakuá is perhaps the least understood. It's a complicated mixture of initiations, dances, chants and ceremonial drumming that testifies to the remarkable survival of African culture in Cuba since the slave era.
Not to be confused with Santería or other syncretized African religions, Abakuá’s traditions were brought to Cuba by enslaved Efik people from the Calabar region of southeastern Nigeria in the 18th and 19th centuries. Organizing themselves into ‘lodges’ or juegos, the first of which was formed in the Havana suburb of Regla in 1836, Abakuá acted as a kind of African mutual aid society made up primarily of black dock workers whose main goal was to help buy their tribal brethren out of slavery.
In the early days, Abakuá lodges were necessarily anti-slavery and anti-colonialist and were suppressed by the Spanish. Nonetheless, by the 1860s, the lodges were increasingly admitting white members and finding that their strength lay in their secretiveness and invisibility.
Today, there are thought to be over 100 Abakuá lodges in Cuba, some up to 600-strong, based primarily in Havana, Matanzas and Cárdenas (the practice never penetrated central or eastern Cuba). Initiates are known as ñáñigos and their intensely secret ceremonies take place in a temple known as a famba. Although detailed information about the brotherhood is scant, Abakuá is well-known to the outside world for its masked dancers called Ireme (devils) who showcase their skills in various annual carnivals and were instrumental in the development of the guaguancó style of rumba. Cuba’s great abstract artist, Wilfredo Lam, used Abakuá masks in his paintings, and composer, Amadeo Roldán, incorporated its rhythms into classical music.
While there is a strong spiritual and religious element to the brotherhood (forest deities and the leopard symbol are important), it differs from the more widespread Santería religion in that it does not hide its deities behind Catholic saints. Cuban anthropologist, Fernando Ortíz, once referred to Abakuá societies as a form of ‘African masonry’ while other researchers have suggested it acts like a separate state within a nation with its owns laws and language. The casual Cuban word ‘asere’ meaning ‘mate’ is actually derived from the Abakuá term for ‘ritual brother.'
Versalles & the North
North of the Río Yumurí, Versalles is the birthplace of rumba. From the Plaza de la Vigía you enter the barrio (neighborhood) by taking Calle 272 across graceful Puente de la Concordia.
Castillo de San SeverinoFORT
(
GOOGLE MAP
; Av del Muelle; h10am-7pm Tue-Sat, 9am-noon Sun)
Northeast of Versalles lies this formidable crenellation built by the Spanish in 1735 as part of Cuba's defensive ring. Slaves were offloaded here in the 18th century and, later, Cuban patriots were imprisoned within the walls – and sometimes executed. San Severino remained a prison until the 1970s and in more recent times has become the scantly populated slavery-themed Museo de la Ruta de los Esclavos (admission CUC$2; h10am-6pm).
The castle itself, with its well-preserved central square, has great views of the Bahía de Matanzas. A taxi from the city center costs CUC$2.
Iglesia de MonserrateCHURCH
( GOOGLE MAP )
For a mappable view of mildewed Matanzas and the broccoli green Valle de Yumurí, climb 1.5km northeast of the center up Calle 306 to this renovated church dating from 1875. The lofty bastion perched high above the city was built by colonists from Catalonia in Spain as a symbol of their regional power.
The lookout near here has a couple of ranchón-style restaurants good for skull-splitting music and basic refreshments.
Iglesia de San Pedro ApóstolCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Calles 57 & 270)
In the heart of Versalles, this neoclassical church is another Matanzas jewel that has benefited from a full renovation.
CCourses
Casa del DanzónDANCING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 85, btwn Calle 280 & Plaza de la Vigía)
Weekend danzón classes.
zFestivals & Events
Festival del Bailador RumberoMUSIC
(hOct)
During the 10 days following October 10, Matanzas rediscovers its rumba roots with talented local musicians at this festival. Until the Teatro Sauto is restored, this happens on a small park outside Museo Histórico Provincial. This coincides with the anniversary of the city's founding (October 12), a multiday party that includes celebrations of luminaries who have made the city what it is (or was).
CarnavalCARNIVAL
(hAug)
Carnaval in Matanzas every August doesn't quite reach the dizzying heights of Santiago but it's still a lively affair.
4Sleeping
Central Matanzas complements its one period hotel with a handful of equally retro casas particulares. Coast-hugging Playa – the name of the neighborhood stringing out along the Carrera Central southeast of the city center – has some super casas too.
oHostal AzulCASA PARTICULAR
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-24-24-49; hostalazul.cu@gmail.com; Calle 83 No 29012, btwn Calles 290 & 292; r CUC$25-30; a)
With a front door large enough to ride an elephant through, this handsome blue house dating from the 1890s has original tiled floors, an antique wooden spiral staircase and four castle-sized rooms set around a spacious alfresco patio.
Even better, multilingual owner Joel is a true gent and happy to offer his sturdy 1984 Lada for taxi duty. And best? Possibly the spacious period bar that he has just opened at the front (10am to 10pm), with live music in the evenings, making this one extremely atmospheric address.
Hostal AlmaCASA PARTICULAR
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-29-08-57; hostalalma@gmail.com; Calle 83 No 29008, btwn Calles 290 & 292; r CUC$20-25; a)
A house with mucha alma (soul), Mayra’s place has Seville-invoking azulejos (tiles), relaxing rocking chairs, and rainbow vitrales (stained glass) that refract colored light across the tiled floors. You can enjoy a welcome cocktail on one of its two colossal terraces while surveying Matanzas' semi-ruined rooftops. There are three spiffy rooms.
oVilla MarCASA PARTICULAR
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-28-81-32; http://villamar.info; Calle 127 No 20809, Playa; r CUC$35; pa)
This perfect green-and-yellow-painted house has three rooms and a large garden with a gazebo for dining, perched right on the bay.
Hostal RíoCASA PARTICULAR
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-24-30-41; hostalrio.cu@gmail.com; Calle 91 No 29018, btwn Calles 290 & 292; r CUC$20-25; a)
This house is owned by the parents of Joel, star of nearby Hostal Azul, so it comes with good recommendations. There are two comfortable rooms in a good location. Meals are served at Hostal Azul.
Evelio & IselCASA PARTICULAR
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-24-30-90; evelioisel@yahoo.es; Calle 79 No 28201, btwn Calles 282 & 288; r CUC$20-25; pa)
Rooms at this 2nd-floor apartment have TV, security boxes, balconies and underground parking. The owner is a font of knowledge about the Matanzas music scene.
Hotel VelazcoHOTEL
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-25-38-80; Calle 79, btwn Calles 290 & 288; s/d/ste CUC$41/58/80; a
i
W)
After years of desolation, the city has got back a hotel it deserves restored in its original 1902 fin-de-siècle style and blending seamlessly with the horses, carts and antediluvian autos in the square outside. A beautiful mahogany bar lures you in; 17 elegant rooms (with flat-screen TVs and wi-fi) practically force you to stay.
If this is a taste of things to come in Matanzas, bring it on!
5Eating
Matanzas' once scant dining scene has improved.
Plaza la VigíaCAFE
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Plaza de la Vigía & Calle 85; snacks CUC$2-3; h10am-midnight)
Burgers and draft beer rule the menu, while young student types dominate the clientele in this throwback bar that looks like a scene from a Parisian art nouveau poster, circa 1909. The ultimate anti-Varadero escape!
Restaurante Romántico San SeverinoINTERNATIONAL
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 290, btwn Calles 279 & 283; mains CUC$4.50-6.50; h6-11pm)
Parque Libertad now has a standout restaurant up a steep flight of steps on the west side. Colonial interior, good service and excellent shrimp-stuffed fish fillets.
Café AtenasCARIBBEAN
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 83 No 8301; CUC$2-5; h10am-11pm)
Settle down on the terraza (terrace) with the local students, taxi drivers and hotel workers on a day off, and contemplate everyday life on Plaza de la Vigía. Decent sandwiches; grilled meats.
Snack BarCUBAN, INTERNATIONAL
(
GOOGLE MAP
; Via Blanca No 22014, Playa; mains CUC$5-8; hnoon-2am)
Bringing tongue-in-cheek creativity to standard Cuban 'international' food through flashy presentation (here chicken fajitas become delicious trapos do viejas, or old lady's rags; shrimps are cuerpos revisitados – unearthed corpses), Snack Bar then serves the concept in a neat open-air patio doubling as a lively bar.
oRestaurante Paladar MallorcaINTERNATIONAL
(%45-28-32-82; Calle 334, btwn Calles 77 & 79; mains CUC$8-14; h11am-11pm; 
c)
The Mallorca out in Los Mangos neighborhood northwest of the center impresses with adventurous dishes such as fish in balsamic cream glaze, and some of Cuba's best piña coladas. Presentation is very nouveau and there are surprise touches such as a kids' menu, handwash brought to your table and live minstrel music.
Self-Catering
Centro Variedades CommercialSUPERMARKET
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 85, btwn Calles 288 & 290; h9am-6pm)
Groceries.
Mercado la PlazaMARKET
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Calles 97 & 298)
Near the Puente Sánchez Figueras; for produce/peso stalls.
DON'T MISS
STREET RUMBA
‘Without rumba there is no Cuba and without Cuba there is no rumba,' goes a wise old Cuban saying. To see the music in its gritty authenticity, come to Matanzas where the highly spiritual drumming and chanting was born. The best place for live alfresco rumba performances is in Plaza de la Vigía outside the Museo Histórico Provincial at 4pm on the third Friday of every month (check the museum’s noticeboard for more details).
6Drinking & Nightlife
oACAABAR
(Association Cubana de Artistas y Artesanos;
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 85, btwn Calles 282 & 284; h10am-late)
What begins as a glam-looking arts supplies shop and exhibition venue leads back into a courtyard reminiscent of bohemian Paris where artsy culture-vulture types sit around slurping strong coffee and conversing animatedly. A rooftop bar gets going after dark, often with live music as an accompaniment.
Bistro KubaBAR
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 83, btwn Calles 292 & 290; h11am-2am)
The tables in this cool dinky bar light up to show old city landmarks. Cocktails are incredible but we also love the espresso (practically the city's only coffee machine is here) and the ham and cheese tasting platters. Live music several nights per week.
Ruinas de MatasieteBAR
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Vía Blanca & Calle 101; h10am-10pm, club 10pm-2am)
The city's famed drinking hole is a frenetic (too frenetic for some) place housed in the ruins of a 19th-century, bay-facing warehouse. Drinks and grilled meats are served on an open-air terrace, but a better reason to come here is to hear live music (9pm Friday to Sunday; cover charge CUC$3).
3Entertainment
Teatro SautoTHEATER
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-24-27-21; Plaza de la Vigía)
Across Plaza de la Vigía, Teatro Sauto is a national landmark and one of Cuba's premier theaters. Performances have been held here since 1863. You might catch the Ballet Nacional de Cuba or the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba if the theater has recovered from its lengthy renovation.
Centro Cultural Comunitario Nelson BarreraCULTURAL CENTER
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Calles 276 & 77; h9am-5pm Tue-Sun)
A good starting point for anyone interested in Matanzas' Afro-Cuban history lies in this Marina neighborhood cultural center. Inquire about upcoming events and you could get lucky with religious processions, drum sessions, or just shooting the breeze with some hombres from the barrio.
Sala de Conciertos José WhiteCLASSICAL MUSIC
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 79, btwn Calles 290 & 288)
Check this wonderful new venue for orchestra and danzón performances (listed on the board outside) or – at the least – sup a drink in its pleasant courtyard.
Museo Histórico ProvincialCULTURAL CENTER
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Calles 83 & 272; admission CUC$2; h10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 1-7pm Sat, 9am-noon Sun)
Check the board outside this building (also known as Palacio del Junco) for events ranging from theater to danzón performances to rumba, with listings for the month ahead.
Las PalmasLIVE MUSIC
(
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Calles 254 & 127; admission CUC$1; hnoon-midnight Mon-Wed, to 2am Fri-Sun)
A good starlit night out for a fraction of the price of the Tropicana shindig can be had at this ARTex place.
Estadio Victoria de GirónSPORTS
( GOOGLE MAP ; Av Martín Dihigo)
From October to April, baseball games take place at this stadium 1km southwest of the market.
7Shopping
Bad luck, shopaholics: checking out the stores (what stores?) in Matanzas makes a car boot sale look like Hollywood Boulevard.
8Information
CadecaEXCHANGE
(Calle 286, btwn Calles 83 & 85; h8am-6pm Mon-Sat, to noon Sun)
Etecsa TelepuntoINTERNET, TELEPHONE
(
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Calles 83 & 282; per hour CUC$4.50; h8:30am-7:30pm)
Internet terminals.
ServimedMEDICAL
(%45-25-31-70; Hospital Faustino Pérez, Carretera Central Km 101)
Clinic just southwest of town.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Matanzas is connected to the outside world through Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport, aka Varadero airport, 20km east of town.
Car
The nearest car rental to the center is Cubacar (
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-25-32-46; cnr Calles 127 & 204), in Playa neighborhood.
Bicycle
Matanzas is reachable by bike from Varadero. The 32km road is well-paved and completely flat, bar the last 3km into the city starting at the Río Canímar bridge. Bike hire is available at some Varadero all-inclusive hotels.
Bus
All buses, long distance and provincial, use the National Bus Station ( GOOGLE MAP ) in the old train station on the corner of Calles 131 and 272 in Pueblo Nuevo south of the Río San Juan.
Matanzas has decent connections, although for destinations like Cienfuegos and Trinidad you need to change at Varadero, taking the first Varadero bus of the day then waiting for the afternoon Varadero–Trinidad bus.
Víazul (www.viazul.com) has four daily departures to Havana (CUC$7, two hours, 1:15pm, 5:15pm, 7pm and 8:50pm) and Varadero (CUC$6, one hour, 8:30am, 10:20am, 3:05pm and 7:50pm), also calling at the airport (CUC$6, 25 minutes).
Matanzas Bus Tour
Matanzas Bus Tour is a hop on/hop off tourist bus linking Varadero with Matanzas and its various outlying sights. It stops at all the main hotels in Varadero frequented by the similar Varadero Bus Tour as well as Río Canímar, Cuevas del Bellmar, Iglesia de Monserrate and Hotel Velazco on Parque Libertad in Matanzas. It runs four times daily (with some low-season hiccups). All-day tickets cost CUC$10. Schedules are sometimes cancelled in low season.
Train
The train station (%45-29-16-45; Calle 181) is in Miret, at the southern edge of the city. Foreigners usually pay the peso price in convertibles to the jefe de turno (shift manager). Most trains between Havana and Santiago de Cuba stop here. In theory, there are eight daily trains to Havana (CUC$3, 1½ hours). The daily Santiago de Cuba train (CUC$27) should leave in the evening (check well in advance as Cuban trains are notoriously fickle) stopping at Santa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey and Las Tunas.
Latest train information is plastered on pieces of paper stuck to a billboard on the far wall of the waiting room. Get here well in advance to beat the bedlam.
The Hershey Train Station (%45-24-48-05; cnr Calles 55 & 67) is in Versalles, an easy 10-minute walk from Parque Libertad. There are three trains a day to Casablanca station in Havana (CUC$2.80, four hours) via Canasí (CUC$0.85), Jibacoa (CUC$1.10, 1½ hours; for Playa Jibacoa), Hershey (CUC$1.40, two hours; for Jardines de Hershey) and Guanabo (CUC$2). Departure times from Matanzas are 4:39am, 12:09pm (an express service that should take three hours) and 4:25pm.
Ticket sales begin an hour before the scheduled departure time and, except on weekends and holidays, there's no problem getting aboard. Bicycles may not be allowed (ask). The train usually leaves on time, but often arrives in Havana's Casablanca station (just below La Cabaña fort on the east side of the harbor) one hour late. This is the only electric railway in Cuba. It's a scenic trip if you're not in a hurry, and a great way of reaching the little-visited attractions of Mayabeque province.
8Getting Around
Bus 12 links Plaza Libertad with the Cuevas de Bellamar and the Iglesia de Monserrate. You can also use the handy hop on/hop off Matanzas Bus Tour to get to Cuevas de Bellamar and Canímar.
The Oro Negro gas station is on the corner of Calles 129 and 210, 4km outside central Matanzas on the Varadero road. If you're driving to Varadero, you will pay a CUC$2 highway toll between Boca de Camarioca and Santa Marta (no toll between Matanzas and the airport).
Bici-taxis congregate next to the Mercado la Plaza and can take you to most of the city's destinations for one to two Cuban pesos. A taxi to Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport should cost CUC$25 to CUC$30, with Varadero fares a bit more again.
Cárdenas
Pop 109,552
Without the bright lights of Varadero or the rejuvenated historic and cultural legacy of Matanzas, Cárdenas can appear downright shabby. Looking like a sepia-toned photo from another era, this dilapidated town is home to countless resort-based waiters, front-desk clerks and taxi drivers, but with barely a restaurant, hotel or motorized cab to serve it.
Cárdenas has nevertheless played an episodic role in Cuban history. In 1850 Venezuelan adventurer Narciso López and a ragtag army of American mercenaries raised the Cuban flag here for the first time in a vain attempt to free the colony from its Spanish colonizers. Other history-making inhabitants followed, including revolutionary student leader José Antonio Echeverría, who was shot during an abortive raid to assassinate President Batista in 1957. This rich past is showcased in three fabulous museums stationed around Parque Echeverría, the city's main plaza, which today constitute the key reason to visit. Museums aside, the once-illustrious, now-dilapidated facades of Cárdenas can be a shock to travelers coming from Varadero. If you want to see a picture of real Cuban life, it doesn't get more eye-opening; if it's minty mojitos and all-day volleyball you're after, stick to the tourist beaches.
When asking for directions, beware that Cárdenas residents often use the old street names rather than the new street-naming system (numbers). Double-check if uncertain.
1Sights
In among the battered buildings and dingy peso restaurants of central Cárdenas, three excellent museums, all situated on pretty Parque Echeverría, stand out as city highlights.
oMuseo de Batalla de IdeasMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; Av 6, btwn Calles 11 & 12; admission CUC$2, camera CUC$5; h9am-5pm Tue-Sat, to 1pm Sun)
The newest of Cárdenas' three museums offers a well-designed and organized overview of the history of US–Cuban relations, replete with sophisticated graphics. Inspired by the case of Elián González, a boy from Cárdenas whose mother, stepfather and 11 others drowned attempting to enter the US by boat in 1999, the museum is the solid form of Castro's resulting batalla de ideas (battle of ideas) with the US government.
The displays' themes naturally center round the eight months during which Cuba and the US debated the custody of Elián – but it extends also to displays on the quality of the Cuban education system and a courtyard containing busts of anti-imperialists who died for the revolutionary cause. The exhibit that most epitomizes the purpose of the museum, however, is possibly the sculpture of a child in the act of disparagingly throwing away a Superman toy.
Museo Casa Natal de José Antonio EcheverríaMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; Av 4 Este No 560; admission incl guide CUC$5; h10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)
This museum has a macabre historical collection including the original garrote used to execute Narciso López by strangulation in 1851. Objects relating to the 19th-century independence wars are downstairs, while the 20th-century Revolution is covered upstairs, reached via a beautiful spiral staircase.
In 1932 José Antonio Echeverría was born here, a student leader slain by Batista's police in 1957 after a botched assassination attempt in Havana's Presidential Palace. There's a statue of him in the eponymous square outside.
Museo Oscar María de RojasMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; cnr Av 4 & Calle 13; admission CUC$5; h9am-6pm Tue-Sat, to 1pm Sun)
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 mask of Napoleon, the tail of Antonio Maceo's horse, Cuba's largest collection of snails and, last but by no means least, some preserved fleas – yes fleas – from 1912.
The museum is set in a lovely colonial building and staffed with knowledgeable official guides.
Catedral de la Inmaculada ConcepciónCHURCH
( GOOGLE MAP ; Av Céspedes, btwn Calles 8 & 9)
Parque Colón is the city's other interesting square, five blocks north of Parque Echeverría. Here stands the main ecclesiastical building of Cárdenas. Built in 1846, it's noted for its stained glass and purportedly the oldest statue of Christopher Columbus in the western hemisphere.
Dating from 1862, Colón, as he's known in Cuba, stands rather authoritatively with his face fixed in a thoughtful frown and a globe resting at his feet. It's Cárdenas' best photo op.
Flagpole MonumentMONUMENT
( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Av Céspedes & Calle 2)
No, not just any old flagpole. Follow Av Céspedes past Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción to its northern end and you will see this flagpole is attached to a monument and commemorates the first raising of the Cuban flag on May 19, 1850.
Arechabala Rum FactoryFACTORY
( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Calle 2 & Av 13)
To the northwest of the city center in the industrial zone is where Varadero rum is distilled: the Havana Club rum company was founded here in 1878. The company (and its international partner Bacardí) has recently been entangled in a trademark dispute with the Cuban government and partner Pernod Ricard over the rights to sell Havana Club in the US. The victors? The Cuban government/Pernod Ricard. No tours are available.
4Sleeping & Eating
Down the road Varadero flaunts more than 50 hotels. Here in humble Cárdenas there are precisely zero. Fortunately, Cárdenas sports a couple of good (if notoriously hard-to-find) casas particulares and to boot, two exceptional new restaurants on Parque Echeverría. There are many convertible supermarkets and stores near the cast-iron 19th-century market hall Plaza Molocoff ( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Av 3 Oeste & Calle 12), where you can get cheap peso snacks.
oRicardo DomínguezCASA PARTICULAR
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %52-89-44-31; cnr Avs 31 & Calle 12; r CUC$35; pa)
Ricardo's place is 1.5km northwest of Parque Echeverría and worth tracking down. The spick-and-span white terracotta-roofed house is cocooned within a large, leafy garden and seemingly just plucked from one of Miami's more tasteful suburbs. Three rooms available.
Hostal IdaCASA PARTICULAR
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-52-15-59; Calle 13, btwn Avs 13 & 15; r CUC$35; pa)
Don’t let the tatty street setting put you off here. Inside this plush apartment (with private entrance and garage) you’ll find a stunning living room/kitchenette, and a decadently furnished bedroom/bathroom that might have floated over from a decent Varadero hotel. Ample breakfasts (CUC$5).
oStudio 55CAFE, BAR
(
GOOGLE MAP
; Calle 12, btwn Avs 4 & 6; light mains CUC$3-5; hnoon-midnight Mon-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat)
Heard of New York's Studio 54? This is the Cárdenas version. Name and logo aside, there's no other real similarities, other than a touch of class. Soak up the industrial-chic vibe and order great burgers or other well-executed fast food from menus designed like DVD cases. And appreciate the fact that just a couple of years ago Cárdenas was a culinary wasteland.
Restaurant Don RamónINTERNATIONAL
(
GOOGLE MAP
; Av 4, btwn Calles 12 & 13; mains CUC$3-8; h11am-10pm)
Overlooking Parque Echeverría, the lovely Don Ramón woos you with its old-style colonial charm. For a varied sit-down meal, there's nowhere better in Cárdenas. The steak gets good reports.
3Entertainment
Casa de la CulturaCULTURAL CENTER
( GOOGLE MAP ; Av Céspedes No 706, btwn Calles 15 & 16)
Housed in a beautiful but faded colonial building with stained glass and an interior patio with rockers. Search the handwritten advertising posters for rap peñas (performances), theater and literature events.
8Information
Centro Médico Sub AcuáticaMEDICAL
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %45-52-21-14; Carretera a Varadero Km 2; per hour CUC$80; h8am-4pm Mon-Sat, doctors on-call 24hr)
Two kilometers northwest on the road to Varadero at Hospital Julio M Aristegui; has a Soviet recompression chamber dating from 1981.
Etecsa TelepuntoINTERNET, TELEPHONE
(cnr Av Céspedes & Calle 12; per hour CUC$4.50; h8:30am-7:30pm)
Telephone and internet access.
8Getting There & Away
It's simplest to go to Varadero to get onward bus connections because whilst the Varadero–Santiago de Cuba Víazul bus does pass through, it doesn't officially stop here. Varadero also has many more bus services.
Bus 236 to/from Varadero leaves hourly from the corner of Av 13 Oeste and Calle 13 (50 centavos, but tourists are usually charged CUC$1). A taxi for the same journey costs CUC$15 to CUC$20.
Local buses leave from the bus station ( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Av Céspedes & Calle 22) (a ten-block walk southwest from Parque Echeverría) to Havana and Santa Clara daily, but they're often full upon reaching Cárdenas. There are also trucks to Jovellanos/Perico, which puts you 12km from Colón and onto possible onward transport to the east. The ticket office is at the rear of the station.
8Getting Around
The main horse-carriage (one peso) route through Cárdenas is northeast on Av Céspedes from the bus station and then northwest on Calle 13 to the hospital, passing the stop of bus 236 (to Varadero) on the way.
The Servi-Cupet gas station (cnr Calle 13 & Av 31 Oeste) is opposite an old Spanish fort on the northwest side of town, on the road to Varadero.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
COLóN
Colón, tucked away in the east of the province 40km east of Jovellanos, makes an interesting journey-breaker on Cuba's Carretera Central. With its striking colonnaded buildings and one of Cuba's prettiest, greenest central plazas, this town is more about ambience than attractions. What you will be seeing in Colón is an example (and there are many across the country) of what Cuba is like for Cubans untouched by the tourism industry and the money it generates.
Stroll up the main thoroughfare Calle Martí and soak up local life on leafy Parque de la Libertad (aka Parque de Colón) with its statue of Christopher Columbus amongst numerous other busts. Nearby you can blow the cobwebs off the Iglesia Catholica (Catholic church), Escuela de Artes y Oficios (School of Arts and Works) with its striking colonial revivalist architecture and the optimistically named Hotel Nuevo Continental dating from 1937. There is also a museum, the Museo José R Zuleta, and an old fort to see.
San Miguel de los Baños & Around
Nestled in the interior of Matanzas province amid rolling hills punctuated by vivid splashes of bougainvillea, San Miguel de los Baños is an atmospheric old spa town that once rivaled Havana for elegant opulence. Once, that is. Flourishing briefly as a destination for wealthy folk seeking the soothing medicinal waters that were 'discovered' here in the early 20th century, San Miguel saw a smattering of lavish neoclassical villas shoot up that still line the town's arterial Av de Abril today. But the boom times didn't last. Just prior to the Revolution, pollution from a local sugar mill infiltrated the water supply and the resort quickly faded from prominence. Now, it's a curious mix between an architectural time capsule from a bygone era and something out of a post-apocalyptic John Wyndham novel.
1Sights & Activities
Passing visitors will be shocked at the architectural contrasts here: the smaller houses of the current population juxtaposed with the surreally ostentatious ruined buildings of the glory days, such as the ornate multidomed Gran Hotel y Balneario, on the north side of town, a replica of the Grand Casino at Monte Carlo. You can meander the eerie grounds down to the still-standing red-brick Romanesque bath houses. It's probably best to give bathing a miss, though.
Looming above town are the steep slopes of Loma de Jacán, a glowering hill with 448 steps embellished by faded murals of the Stations of the Cross. When you reach the small chapel on top you can drink in the town's best views with the added satisfaction that you are standing at the highest point in the province.
4Sleeping & Eating
Finca CoincidenciaCASA PARTICULAR
(%45-81-39-23; Carretera Central, btwn Coliseo & Jovellanos; r CUC$20; p)
S
Enhance your taste for bucolic provincial life away from the razzmatazz of the province's north coast at this idyllic farm 14km northeast of San Miguel de los Baños and 6km east of Colesio on the Carretera Central. Chill in the grounds replete with mango and guava trees, participate in ceramics classes and help out on a farm where 83 types of plants are cultivated.
8Getting There & Away
To get to San Miguel de los Baños, follow Rte 101 from Cárdenas to Colesio where you cross the Carretera Central; the town is situated a further 8km to the southwest of Colesio. A taxi from Cárdenas should cost CUC$20 to CUC$25 – bargain hard. You may be able to catch a ride on a truck/local bus from Cárdenas bus station.
