Quick Facts

Location: Caribbean Sea, South of Florida (United States)
Area: 42,804 square miles (110,861 square kilometers)
Capital City: Havana with its 3 million population is the capital city of Cuba.
Language: The official language is Spanish
Climate: A mild subtropical climate with moderate warm temperatures makes Cuba (to) a favorite destination all year round. The average temperature is 25°C. The temperature varies depending on the season, so that the drier winter season (November to April) is generally more pleasant than the humid summer season (May to October).
Currency: Cuban peso (CUP)

Stacking your Postcards

Cuba has a wide variety of attractions, sights and activities for tourists. With a prime location in the Caribbean, it is an ideal spot for sun worshippers and beach lovers. History buffs will enjoy the feel that they've stepped back in time - there are relatively few modern buildings in Havana adding to its charm. Most of the cars are a real blast from the past - big American muscle cars from the 1950s still dominate the roads in Cuba. Havana also offers a wide variety of restaurants with local fare and nightclubs to experience the vibrant sounds of Cuba.

Other common attractions include cigar tours to see how the world's finest are made, Ernest Hemingway-themed tours, eco-tours, scuba diving, fishing and golfing. Many travelers also go under the auspices of a religious or humanitarian organization and engage in social activities through their groups.

Archeology Office
Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30am to 5pm; Sunday from 9am to 1pm. Halls with Cuban and South American aboriginal archeological findings, including important Peruvian pieces. Colonial archeology from Old Havana and findings from the Bay of Havana. Library and screening of videocassettes.

Palace of Fine Arts
Open: Thursday to Monday from 10am to 5pm. Admission: $3 USD. Permanent halls of Cuban art including paintings and prints from the 16th to 20th centuries and European art featuring works from Italy, Spain, Flanders, the Netherlands, Germany, England and France, of the 15th to 19th centuries.

Castillo del Morro
This is an old garrison that still appears to be guarding the entrance to the bay, even though the English pirates have long since sailed off into history. To reach the fort it is necessary to go to the outskirts of town and it is well worth the trip just to see this castle built in 1643. The fort offers a vantage point from which to see the whole port and Sierra Maestra Mountains. In addition to guarding the bay, it was also a prison and tomb for Cuban patriots in the 19th century. The complex also includes the Museo de la Piratería (The Pirate Museum).

Santuario El Cobre
Many are they who come to Santiago to climb the hill of this sanctuary dedicated to the Patron Saint of Cuba. Some come to keep a promise, others take offerings which are added to the hundreds of pieces and objects that have been dedicated to the Virgin, among which is Hemingway's Nobel Prize medal. Pilgrims often collect copper stones from the mine close to the church. According to legend, the Virgin of Charity appeared over the waters of the Bay of Nipe, and upon recognition of the event by the Catholic Church, the sanctuary was built in 1927.

National Museum of Music
Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm; Sunday from 8am to 12noon. Admission: $2 USD. Afro-Cuban instruments. Hall with phonographs and music boxes. Records, instruments and music scores.

National Museum of Natural History
Open: Monday to Friday from 9am to 3:45pm; Sunday from 10am to 1:45pm. Mammals and shells in beautiful colors, exclusive of Cuba. Flora and fauna from all continents. Cuban wildlife, fossils and minerals. Joint exhibit with the American Museum of Natural History, of New York.

The Blue Ferret
Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to noon and from 1pm to 5pm; Sunday from 9am to 1pm. Home of the prominent Cuban painter Carlos Henríquez. Exhibit of his paintings, documents and personal belongings.

Destination Guide

Havana
The capital of the largest Caribbean island is a lively and pulsating city with a lot to offer tourists. This is a city in which the culture is as varied as the landscape around it. This island has significant Spanish influences and the communist country still has many historical colonial buildings to explore today. Attractions in Havana include the city’s many museums, which chronicle Havana’s diverse and rich history. There are not a great variety of excellent restaurants in Havana but the local cuisine is usually fresh, authentic, and generally inexpensive. There are however, plenty of hotels in Havana, which are of varying standards and many of which are very reasonably priced. When shopping in Havana, it is always good to pick up unique local crafts and art works, and ofcourse the world famous Cuban cigars, which are a popular purchase among tourists. This lively city is a great place to visit any time of year.

Baracoa
Baracoa is a village founded by Conquistador Diego Velázquez between 1511 and 1512 with the original name of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa. It was the Island's first capital and the first archbishopric.
In addition to its high historic value, the Island's prime village is characterized by its people's affable nature and the beauty of the city, surrounded by mountains, rivers and exuberant vegetation.

The name of the village, Baracoa, comes from an aboriginal word meaning "presence of sea", a frank allusion to the presence of a marine atmosphere everywhere you go, in contrast with the mountains and rivers. The natural landscape is complemented by a 575-meter-high flattop mountain known as Yunque de Baracoa, or Baracoa's Anvil, which takes its name because of its similarity with that tool used by ironsmiths. Several rivers run through Baracoa, including the Toa, Cuba's biggest river, which has several waterfalls, being the 17-meter-high El Saltadero the most famous.

Santiago de Cuba
The most exotic city of Cuba, lots of different etnic groups have settled themselves in this city. The second biggest city, after Havana.Santiago de Cuba, a city full with history of the revolution, the fight against dictator Batista.
Santiago de Cuba has many things of which to be proud. For example, it is the cradle of nearly all the music genres of Cuba, a country in which music expresses its soul and essence. However, it is the people of Santiago de Cuba who constitute is most unmistacable aspect. These joyous, proverbially hospitable people are self-willed, are capable of carrying out the greatest feats and embody great virtues.