Santa Clara (Cuba)

For other places with the same name see Santa Clara

Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara.

Get in

Viazul [1] provides several buses a day to/from Camagüey, Havana, Sancti Spiritus, and Santiago de Cuba. There is also daily service to Varadero, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad.

There are several trains to and from Havana each day. Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba are served by a daily overnight train and a twice weekly daytime local train that runs west on Thursdays and Sundays and east on Mondays and Fridays. A local train may leave Cienfuegos for Santa Clara (very) early in the morning, returning in the evening. Another local train may travel from Sancti Spiritus to Cienfuegos via Santa Clara in the morning, returning in the afternoon. Check that the local trains are running in advance.

Santa Clara is served by Abel Santamaría Airport, located 11 kilometers to the north of the city. This airport is primarily used by tourists who are going to all inclusive resorts in Cayo Santa Maria. Air Canada, Air Transat, Sunwing, and WestJet provide regularly scheduled flights to cities in Canada, such as Toronto and Montreal. Copa Airlines provides service to Panama City, and Condor provides seasonal flights to Munich and Frankfurt, Germany. Cubana, Cuba's flag carrier, provides domestic flights to Havana and Santiago de Cuba, as well as international destinations Montreal and Paris.

Get around

Horse carriages operate in the centre of town and can take you to Che's mausoleum for around 1 CUC

See

Statue of Che Guevara above his mausoleum, Santa Clara.

• Santa Clara contains the mausoleum for the fallen of the Revolution. Included in this mausoleum is Che Guevara himself. In order to maintain the sanctity of the place, photography inside the mausoleum is strictly prohibited. Also, there are no souvenir-sellers to be found nearby. There is also a Che Guevara museum, as well as a huge square (Plaza de la Revolucion) overlooked by a large statue of Che. Americans are, unofficially at least, not allowed inside the museum and mausoleum, although the don't ask for ID; just where you're from, so mention that you're Canadian, Irish, etc. if you're American

• 5/10 minutes east of the center is the "Monumento a la Toma del Tren Blindado" - the site of one of the most important battles in Cuban history, where Che Guevara and his men ripped up the railway line, derailing an armoured train, and defeated the men inside. The site shows the actual bulldozer used, and a number of the actual train carriages in situ. Inside the carriages are exhibits, with accompanying text, in Spanish only.

Eat

• Dino's Pizza, Marta Abreu No. 10. Has decent pizza. Internet access 5 CUC  edit
• El Castillo. Peso-priced. Pork, chicken, salad, etc.  edit
• Big Bang, Buen Viaje # 70e/ Unión y Maceo, ☎ +5352488981. The owner is friendly and speaks very good English! You can find chicken /fish/ beef all at a great price!  edit

Drink

Cafes and cantinas are located in one section of 'Main Street' (listen for the live music) where the usual Cristal Cerveza, rum and cafe abound. In fact, a real treat is the ridiculously cheap and fantastically fresh and tasty espresso located on the strip.

Sleep

• Casa Amneris, E.P. Morales No. 60 (between Villuendas and Juan B. Zayas), ☎ 203270. 2 excellent rooms for rent. Optional breakfast and/or dinner.  edit

• Hostal Park, Leoncio Vidal 1 Altos, Entre Parque Y Maceo, Santa Clara 50100, Cuba, ☎ 219727. Beautiful old casa overlooking the central square in Santa Clara City. Welcoming family. Breakfast included, other meals available.  edit

• Isidro y Marta, Calle Maestra Nicolasas (Candelaria) No. 74 e/ Colon y Maceo, Santa Clara, Cuba, ☎ (53) 42-203813. Two rooms with private bath, hot water, air conditioning, meals available. Really nice family! The teenage boy and girl speak English 15 CUC.  edit

Get out

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