Cuba Off The Beaten Path

  Our host brews us fresh Cuban coffee
by Babzz
 
  • Our host brews us fresh Cuban coffee
      Our host brews us fresh Cuban coffee
    by Babzz
  • Entrance to local home
      Entrance to local home
    by Babzz
  • Almost private beach
      Almost private beach
    by TOFFY
  • Two colliding cultures
      Two colliding cultures
    by TOFFY
  • Public library, Havana
      Public library, Havana
    by toonsarah
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Cuba

1.

Moped Rental   Holguín

Moped Rental, Holguín

 3 Reviews  We rented mopeds and drove to many villages nearby and met the local cubans. Had a tour of their homes and learned a bit about their culture and everyday life. With us we brought many gifts for young... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in Holguín

2.

Beaches   Santiago de Cuba

Beaches, Santiago de Cuba

 1 Review  Take the road from Santiago, east to Siboney Beach. On the way, you will pass twenty-six white monuments in memory of the heroes who died during the attack on the Moncada Barracks with Castro. At the... 

 See All 13 Off The Beaten Path in Santiago de Cuba

3.

Nature   Trinidad

Nature, Trinidad

 10 Reviews  Valle de los Ingenios, unesco world heritage site, also known as Valle de San Luis, on the road to Sancti Spiritus, east of Trinidad. We passed in this valley during our trip to Santa Clara, there is... 

 See All 20 Off The Beaten Path in Trinidad

4.

Beaches   Cienfuegos

Beaches, Cienfuegos

 2 Reviews  Before we reached Cienfuegos, we went for a nice relaxing swim. The water was beautiful and warm, the sand on the beach had a nice white colour. There was hardly anyone on the beach thus our tour... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in Cienfuegos

5.

Nature   Holguín

Nature, Holguín

 5 Reviews  Many Cuban houses and farms off the road resemble this one. Some of them do not have doors or windows as it is too hot. Around the house you will most likely see chicken, cats and dogs... feel free to... 

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6.

Nature   Santiago de Cuba

Nature, Santiago de Cuba

 4 Reviews  La Gran Piedra up in the Sierra Maestra is a splendit tropical rain forrest. From La Gran Piedra you can see all of Santiago de Cuba and on a clear day you can see as far out as Jamaica... 

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7.

Local Arts   Trinidad

Local Arts, Trinidad

 2 Reviews  A typical scenary in Trinidad - near the famous tower - making and selling handicrafts !! There is often a local market selling their products. To visit the tower itself - you have to pay a little fee... 

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8.

Nature/Eco tourism   Cienfuegos

Nature/Eco tourism, Cienfuegos

 5 Reviews  About 85 kms west of Cienfuegos is the town of Australia on the main highway. Turning south at that point takes you into the ZAPATA PENNISULA, three quarters of which is a swamp with lagoons and... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in Cienfuegos

9.

Religion in Cuba   Santiago de Cuba

Religion in Cuba, Santiago de Cuba

 1 Review  You will find some religious monuments in Santiago dated from the spanish period - like in the house of the former conqueror of this island - Diego Velasquez. But the actual religious situation is not... 

 See All 13 Off The Beaten Path in Santiago de Cuba

10.

About Cigars   Trinidad

About Cigars, Trinidad

 1 Review  Go and visit one of the tabacco farms. The local farmer will offer you a cup of coffee and .... a cigar - special and unique production. The skill of these craftsmen is remarkable. Smokers think that... 

 See All 20 Off The Beaten Path in Trinidad

11.

Malecon   Cienfuegos

Malecon, Cienfuegos

 5 Reviews  Next to the club another pearl of renovation and architecture in Cienfuegos Walking from the Hotel Jagua till the historical center of Cienfuegos will take about 45 minutes.But during day time you... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in Cienfuegos

12.

Local People   Trinidad

Local People, Trinidad

 1 Review  As usual in most of the cities - a "Casa de la Trova" to be visited - this time in Trinidad My second trip to this beautiful country was highlighted by visiting the local people - just a great... 

 See All 20 Off The Beaten Path in Trinidad

13.

Castillo de Jagua   Cienfuegos

Castillo de Jagua, Cienfuegos

 1 Review  One can take a ferry from Cienfuegos across the Bahia de Cienfuegos to the Castillo de Jagua opposite. The ferry point is near Av 46, between Calle 25 and Calle 27. The first ferry of the day departs... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in Cienfuegos

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Take a tour

by TravellingSpirit

I spent two of my three weeks in Cuba on a 'Meet the People' tour which is co-ordinated by Traidcraft, the UK based Fairtrade company, in conjunction with Multicolour Tours in Cuba. This is one of a series of worldwide tours aimed at allowing people to meet the producers of the various fairtrade products that Traidcraft markets. In Cuba these products are mostly fruit juices, so we had a few visits to different types of agricultural co-operatives, fruit growers and to the managerial part of the organisation, ANAP. We also visited organic farms and medicinal herb farms that are not part of ANAP, and there was some days where we simply visited some of the beautiful parts of Cuba.The itinerary included:- 4 days in Havana, which included time in ANAP head quarters learning how agricultural cooperatives function in Cuba, a tour around Old Havana and time to explore the rest of the city and a...

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Havana: the public library

by toonsarah

This may not be your usual tourist sight, but as a librarian I was curious to see inside one of Havana’s libraries. I had heard quite a bit about the Cuban library system, both positive and negative. The Communist regime sets great store by education (every child in the country receives a free place at school) and the libraries contribute to that, but there have been concerns in the wider library world about censorship, especially of the internet. So we popped inside this fairly large library near our hotel on the Plaza de Armas. It was certainly being well-used, with plenty of people studying at the many desks provided, but the shelves were pitifully empty of books and there was little sign of the computer provision that even at that time (2005) was becoming the norm in the UK. Later we passed another much smaller library – just one room opening directly on to the street somewhere in...

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hire a car and really explore Cuba

by lukulu21

Hiring a car in Cuba is expensive but worth paying for if you want to really explore the island. The motorways are virtually free of traffic so covering long distances is easy. You can pick up a car in one part of the country and drop it off in another, allowing you to fly back to your original pick up point. The main tourist area roads are good but beware roads that may appear as 'short cuts' on the map. Once you leave the motorway in rural areas the roads can deteriorate badly and you will need great skill and patience to maneovre your vehicle around potholes as big as craters, deep mud and a complete lack of roadsigns. If you persist on such roads you will end up in some godforsaken ramshackle crumbling town where the locals ARE ALL COVERED IN DUST and stare at you wide eyed in disbelief that you stupid gringos have somehow managed to blunder into the place......we locked the car...

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Hidden caves are an awesome find

by Carvers

While i was stationed in GTM Bay at the Naval Base we frequented the beaches. One of the beaches "Cable beach" was a bit secluded and surrounded by about 5 miles of rocky corral terrain. After some exploring of the area we found a great cliff about 70 ft up and we instantly began jumping off. We found several caves there that are partially submerged and totally awesome to check out. I will try to submit pics and vids later.

Old Cubans

by AnjaV

If you talk Spanish, talk to the old Cuban people, they are wise and can tell you alot of the history of Cuba ... Meet old people outside the touristical areas, just sit down on a bench at a square and have a chat ...One of the best things to do off the beaten path in Cuba!

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general tips: driving around Cuba

by abraxa

Driving around Cuba is an interesting, if not unique experience.On criminality end, Cuba is probably the most sicure destination in the whole of central and south America, and I would consider normal to travel anywere in safety, even for unaccompanied ladies. Simply do not leave objects in cars, or cars in dark side roads to avoid having to buy a side window or a wheel. But that is all.Road safety is a different matter. The roads network is almost anywere in plain bad conditions, and wether you are on a motorway or in a country lane, expect absolutely anything, short of aliens crafts landing. Police will espect from you, expecially in cities, an attentive observation of rules, but the rest of the road users, expecially in rural area, and that means bicicles and donkeys on motorway, will simply do what they please regardless of the basic survival behaviour. The road conditions become very...

Best Pina Coladas in Cuba

by SabrinaSummerville

As we drove from Varadero to the airport in Havana, our coach pulled into a roadside pit stop so that we could use the bathroom. As we dismounted the bus the guide said "Here is where you will get the best pina coladas in Cuba, because they make them fresh."Of course, at the mere mention of Pina Colada our tongues were already hanging out and nothing would do us but to try the legendary drink. We discovered what their real secret is - they allow you to add your own rum! Also, they don't use a pina colada mix as many bars do. Instead they do make the coconut and pineapple mixture right on the spot.Didine, divine.What a pity we only had time to swallow one.As well as the famous drink, this place has live music in the open air and it has a small craft/gift shop that's worth a look.Location-wise I can only say that it's on the left hand side of the road when driving from Varadero to Havana,...

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Gay friendly Las Tunas

by marklag

Hello my name is Gerard and I’m a single open minded man. I work as an English teacher for the university and live in the best part of Cuba, the city of Las Tunas. If you ever want to see the real Cuba and not just the tourist resorts I can help you. I can also accompany you as a guide/translator. Gay travellers looking for freedom and discretion are most welcome! Just send me a mail gerardlastunas@gmail.com and I will provide you with contact information

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VARADERO - VACATION RESORT

by LoriPori

Varadero began to be developed as a vacation Resort in the 1940"s, but in the last ten years, its network of hotels and facilities have diversified and grown. Its main attraction has always been its marvelous beaches and has exceptionally good conditions for scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, yachting and other water sports.VARADERO is part of a peninsula that juts out into the calm waters of the Atlantic. It's a 21 kilometre strip of fine white sand and is constantly cooled by tropical breezes. Average year-round water temperature is 24 - 26 degrees C.

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Hand-silkscreened film posters from ICAIC

by tomcarlson

if you're a film buff, there's (at least) two poster shops in vedado selling film posters from both cuban movies, as well as a number of foreign movies that have made it into cuba. the ICAIC (stand for, "Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos") has produced beautiful hand-silkscreened posters to advertize these films, and you can buy some of them for CUC 10. it seems the selection is limited to whatever they currently have in stock which, at the very least, will provide you with plenty to bring home.the two locations (that i know of):1) ICAIC office, next to the Chaplin cinema, Calle 23, 1155, entre 10 y 12, Vedado2) Shop next to Cine Yara, Calle L, entre 23 y 21, Vedado

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Unique Places in Cuba

Top 3 Hotels in Cuba

Villa Las Brujas  Cuba

 2 Reviews and 51 Opinions  I could have chosen Okay but some problems, but I still think it falls too short to express how... 

 Hotels in Cuba

NH Parque Central  Havana

 8 Reviews and 1262 Opinions  This is a jewel of a hotel, located just a block or two away from Old Havana, and the shops of Calle... 

 Hotels in Havana

Iberostar Varadero  Varadero

 5 Reviews and 1866 Opinions  great food gained 5 lbs on the french sauces whatch out for the car rental guy Frank , he takes the... 

 Hotels in Varadero

273 Hotels in Cuba
 
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Reviews and photos of Cuba attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Cuba sightseeing.

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Cuba
  1. Varadero Off The Beaten Path
  2. Havana Off The Beaten Path
  3. Holguín Off The Beaten Path
  4. Santiago de Cuba Off The Beaten Path
  5. Cayo Coco Off The Beaten Path
  6. Trinidad Off The Beaten Path
  7. Cienfuegos Off The Beaten Path
  8. Guardalavaca Off The Beaten Path
  9. Cayo Largo Off The Beaten Path
  10. Cayo Guillermo Off The Beaten Path
  11. Santa Clara Off The Beaten Path
  12. Viñales Off The Beaten Path
  13. Baracoa Off The Beaten Path
  14. Pinar del Río Off The Beaten Path
  15. Camagüey Off The Beaten Path
  16. Topes de Collantes Off The Beaten Path
  17. Matanzas Off The Beaten Path
  18. Banes Off The Beaten Path
  19. Santa María del Mar Off The Beaten Path
  20. Guantánamo Off The Beaten Path
  21. Manzanillo Off The Beaten Path
  22. Sancti Spíritus Off The Beaten Path
  23. Cárdenas Off The Beaten Path

More Cities in Cuba

 

Popular Regions in Cuba

Provincia de Matanzas Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Ciudad de La Habana Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Holguín Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Ciego de Ávila Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Santiago de Cuba Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Sancti Spíritus Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Cienfuegos Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Pinar del Río Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Camagüey Off The Beaten Path  Municipio Especial Isla de la Juventud Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Villa Clara Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de Guantánamo Off The Beaten Path  Provincia de La Habana Off The Beaten Path 

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Questions and Answers

Elgreco77 profile photo

Q:  We're hoping to do Eastern Cuba in December, we've already done the west. I'm trying to book flights, ideally from Manchester. I... 

gwened profile photo

A: flights domestically it is, aerocaribbean do it, as you are in Manchester check the Cuban tourist office http://www.travel2cuba.co.uk/ hope it helps cheers 

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