Insight Guides Pocket Cuba (Travel Guide eBook)

By Insight Guides

Insight Pocket Guides: ideal itineraries and top travel tips in a pocket-sized package.



Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do and see in Cuba, from top attractions like Havana and Trinidad, to hidden gems.



· Compact, concise, and packed with essential information about Where to Go and What to Do, this is an ideal on-the-move companion when you're exploring Cuba

· Covers Top Ten Attractions, including El Morro (Santiago), Baracoa and Plaza de la Catedral (Havana) and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions

· Offers an insightful overview of landscape, history and culturek

· Inspirational colour photography throughout

· Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience



About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789192957

Insight Guides

Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Cuba, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Cuba, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Cuba are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Cuba. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Cuba’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Day In Havana

Introduction

Legacy of the Revolution

Cuban Reality

Paradise Island

A Brief History

Piracy and trade

The road to independence

False independence

The road to revolution

Fidel’s Cuba

The Special Period

A new era

Historical landmarks

Where To Go

Havana (La Habana)

Old Havana (La Habana Vieja)

Plaza de la Catedral

Plaza de Armas

Calle Obispo

Plaza Vieja

Capitolio

The Prado

Havana’s forts

New Havana

Centro

Vedado

Plaza de la Revolución

Miramar

Havana’s outskirts

Pinar del Río Province

Pinar del Río

Viñales

Islands north & south

Matanzas Province

Varadero

Matanzas and Cárdenas

Zapata Peninsula

Central Cuba

Cienfuegos

Trinidad

Around Trinidad

Sierra del Escambray

Sancti Spíritus

Santa Clara

Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo

Camagüey

Playa Santa Lucía

Oriente: The East

Holguín Province

Santiago de Cuba

Old Santiago

Around Santiago

Guantánamo Province

Baracoa

What To Do

Entertainment

Live music performances

Cabaret

Dance

Discos

Bars and cafés

Classical repertoire

Shopping

Souvenirs to buy

Sports

Watersports

Spectator sports

Cuba for children

Calendar of events

Eating Out

Where to eat

What to eat

What to drink

Reading the Menu

To help you order…

…And read the menu

Restaurants

Old Havana

Centro, Vedado and Miramar

Viñales

Varadero

Cienfuegos

Trinidad

Camagüey

Guardalavaca

Santiago de Cuba

Baracoa

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Airports (see Getting there)

B

Bicycle hire

Budgeting for your trip

C

Camping

Car hire

Climate

Clothing

Crime and safety (see also Emergencies and Police)

D

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies

Emergencies (see also Health and medical care and Police)

G

Getting there (see also Airports)

Guides and tours

H

Health and medical care (see also Emergencies)

Hitch-hiking

L

Language

LGBTQ travellers

M

Maps

Media

Money

O

Opening hours

P

Police

Post offices

Public holidays

R

Religion

T

Telephones

Time zones

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist information

Transport

V

Visas and entry requirements

W

Websites

Recommended Hotels

Havana

Old Havana

Vedado

Pinar del Río Province

Isla de la Juventud

Cayo Largo

Matanzas Province

Varadero

Zapata Peninsula

Central Cuba

Cienfuegos

Trinidad

Cayo Coco

Cayo Guillermo

Camagüey

Playa Santa Lucía

Oriente: The East

Guardalavaca

Santiago de Cuba

Baracoa

Casas Particulares (Private Lodgings)

Havana

Trinidad

Santiago de Cuba

Viñales

Santa Clara

Baracoa

Cuba’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Shutterstock

Music

In various traditional styles, live music can be heard all over the island. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

iStock

Baracoa

A picturesque coastal town in the far east of Cuba. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #3

iStock

Plaza de la Catedral

An impressive stage set at the heart of the Old City of Havana. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #4

Dreamstime

Beaches

Beautiful white-sand beaches abound, from Varadero to Playa Esmeralda, Playa Ancón to Cayo Largo.

Top Attraction #5

Shutterstock

Casa Museo de Ernest Hemingway

Where things remain just as the author left them. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #6

Dreamstime

El Morro

Santiago’s well-preserved fort. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications

Camagüey

The streets and squares of Cuba’s third city have been restored to their former glory. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

Getty Images

The Prado

Grand old buildings flank the loveliest avenue in Old Havana. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications

Trinidad

Frozen in time, this city is an enchanting colonial gem and a World Heritage Site. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications

Viñales Valley

Visit tobacco fields and mogotes. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Day In Havana

8.00am

Breakfast

Fortify yourself for the day ahead with a good breakfast at your hotel or casa particular. Tuck into tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya or guava, sliced or juiced, followed by eggs, bread and local honey or jam.

9.00am

Parque Central and Capitolio

Start your day at the centre around the Parque. Admire the magnificent Gran Teatro, the Hotel Inglaterra and the imposing Capitolio. Pop into the Museo Nacional Palacio de Bellas Artes to see Latin America’s largest collection of antiquities, as well as works by Goya, Rubens and Turner.

11.00am

Cathedral

Visit the Cathedral where Columbus’ bones once resided and have coffee at El Patio restaurant in the Plaza, a magnificent colonial square with street entertainers.

11.30am

Plaza de Armas to Plaza Vieja

Walk to the Plaza de Armas, stroll round the second-hand book market and visit the Museo de la Ciudad. Head down Calle Oficios, taking in the car museum, to Plaza San Francisco and on to the beautifully restored Plaza Vieja.

1.00pm

Lunch

On the southwestern corner of Plaza Vieja is a restaurant and bar, Cervecería Taberna de la Muralla, which has its own organic microbrewery. A cold beer here is very refreshing and you can sit outside in the square to enjoy the view or relax inside and admire the copper brewing tanks.

2.00pm

Bus tour

Return to the Parque Central to hop on the HabanaBusTour, which runs all day. One route travels from the Avenue del Puerto to Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución and Miramar (T1), while another takes you out past the fortresses to Playas del Este (T3). You can get off at any stop and rejoin another bus later.

4.00pm

Casa de la Música Galiano

From the Parque Central, walk five blocks down Neptuno to Galiano, where you’ll be able to catch a performance (5–10pm) at this live-music venue, with bars, a huge dance floor and a well-stocked music shop.

8.00pm

Dinner

While in Centro Habana, you can get a memorable meal at one of several paladares, such as La Guarida (for more information, click here), advance booking essential. Service is leisurely, enabling you to linger until the nightlife gets going.

10.00pm

On the town

Get a taxi to Vedado for a great evening of jazz. At La Zorra y el Cuervo, Avenida 23, between N and O streets, the entrance is through a red British telephone box. If you want a table, get there before 11pm when things start to hot up. This is a popular place with top-class jazz musicians and the crowd shows its appreciation.

Introduction

The largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba is blessed with pristine beaches, fascinating old cities with myriad architectural styles, Latin music all with hip-swivelling rhythms, a surfeit of rum and the world’s finest hand-rolled cigars.

For much of the 20th century, Cuba occupied a leading role on the world stage wholly disproportionate to its small size and lack of economic clout. From the overthrow of the dictator Fulgencio Batista at the