Cuba

Bounded by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands. Undoubtedly its biggest attraction is the capital, Havana, where the old quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of crumbling magnificence and restored beauty, where narrow, atmospheric streets radiate from elegant plazas, and immaculate colonial buildings line sweeping boulevards. Two hours to the east along the coast, are the white sand beaches of Varadero and its enticing offshore cays.

To the south of the island is the beautiful colonial city of Trinidad whose prosperity stemmed from the 18th/19th century sugar boom. The legacy of this is another World Heritage Site of fine palaces and cobbled streets that are a delight to explore. Just along the coast on the Bahia de Cienfuegos where Columbus landed in 1494 is the historic town of Cienfuegos, or the ‘Pearl of the South’. It is also renowned for its fine 19th century buildings, including the impressive Teatro Tomás and the Palacio de Ferrer.

The western reaches of the island are blessed with an exotic landscape of lush mountains, forested nature reserves and tobacco plantations. The Viñales Valley, a UNESCO World Cultural Landscape, is the region’s most notable attraction where steep-sided limestone mountains, or mogotes, formed by erosion some 160 million years ago, rise dramatically from fertile valleys where farmers cultivate tobacco, fruits and vegetables.

Read our travel blog:  Discovering Cuba