10 Day Highlights of Cuba

About the destination: Havana is the capital city of Cuba and the focal point of Cuban culture, rich in visual artists, musicians, poets, dancers, actors and writers and it is the base of the world famous Ballet Nacional. Havana is the kind of city where history oozes from every street and building and from every church and plaza. Vintage cars, baroque style buildings, grand mansions and palaces and beautiful courtyards adorn its streets. Walk along the famous Malecon for stunning views of the Bay and the Morro Fortress, which lies behind historical colonial style architecture. Old Havana, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982, is the oldest part of Havana city and it is a mixture of narrow cobblestone streets, elegant beautifully restored buildings and ancient crumbling ruins. This part is merged with the most modern and eclectic buildings which give a touch of dynamic cosmopolitism. The dome of the National Capitol Building dominates the Havana skyline. Inside there is a statue of La Republica, the biggest indoor bronze effigy in the world. There is also an enormous 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 seductive city that hums with street life, joy and charm.

About the destination: Viñales is a small town and municipality in the north-central Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. The municipality is dominated by low mountain ranges of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico such as Sierra de los Órganos. Tourism centered on the Viñales Valley is the area being protected by constitution and declared a national monument. The Viñales Valley has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since November 1999, for the outstanding karst landscape and traditional agriculture as well as vernacular architecture, crafts and music. The attractions in Viñales include the Viñales Municipal Museum, Casa de Caridad Botanical Gardens, Museo Paleontológico, Palenque and the nearby caves in Valle de Viñales National Park.

About the destination: Cienfuegos, capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about 250 km (160 mi) from Havana and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South). Cienfuegos literally translates to "one hundred fires"—cien meaning "one hundred", fuegos meaning "fires".

About the destination: Trinidad is a town in the province of Sancti Spíritus, central Cuba. Together with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios, it has been one of UNESCOs World Heritage sites since 1988. The waterfalls just outside of the town in Topes de Collantes are beautiful. These are accessible either by car or by taking one of the day tours offered by Cubatur. There is also salsa dancing in the square at night. Check out the colonial homes. The houses are open and some of the antiquities are visible from the streets. Check out Casa de la Música: It is an open air location where there is a small platform from which groups perform at night. Usually, there is salsa musica and great salsa dancers there enjoy the music and dance.

About the destination: It is the main city of the province with the same name. It is one of the seven villages founded by Diego Velázquez in the first moments of the conquest and Spanish colonization of the island of Cuba. From 1515 is the capital to the middle of the 16th century. The historic urban center was declared National Monument on 10 October 1978. It is said that is “the most Caribbean city of Cuba”. The main places to see in Santiago de Cuba are: -Castle of San Pedro de la Roca: declared Human Heritage by the UNESCO in 1997, which is the most complete and best preserved example of the Hispanic American military arquitecture, basically based in Italian and renacentist design. -Sanctuary of la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre: it was declared Patrona de Cuba in 1916 and crowned by the Pope John Paul II during his visit to Cuba in 1998. The appearance of the Virgin de la Caridad is one of the legends of this city. The current sanctuary where there is a mass every morning is from 1927 and has a plate altar and other ornamental objects of big value. Below the cabin of the Virgin is situated the Miracle’s Chapel, a little enclosure where the believers deposit different compliment, with different values. -The Big Stone: treasure of the east Cuba. It is a big stone situated almost 1000 meters above sea level, witness of the volcanism of Paleógeno.