Cuba’s heritage cities, a vast cultural wealth

Cuba boasts 230 national monuments and 9 out of the 20 World Heritage Sites UNESCO has declared in the region. Cuba’s heritage cities are one of the greatest allures of this Caribbean destination.

Founded in 1519, Havana is the nation’s capital. Its Historic Center and the fortification system, including the Morro-Cabaña fortress were declared World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO back in 1982.

Matanzas is another seaside city whose well-rooted cultural traditions have given it the name of Cuba’s Athens. The burg is run through by several rivers and that makes it a very peculiar city. It’s the capital of the name-like province, home to well-known Varadero Beach and the Zapata Peninsula, a major natural reserve.

Remedios is a National Monument and the eighth village founded by the Spaniards in Cuba in the first quarter of the 1600s. It’s perched on the north of the Villa Clara province and is home to some famous street parties known as Parrandas, known nationwide for the colorfulness and tradition. The provincial capital, Santa Clara, harbors the Ernest Che Guevara Memorial.

Founded in 1819 by the French, Cienfuegos features a perfect urban layout and outstanding neoclassic beauty that still remains intact on the first blocks of the city’s initial core. This settlement has grown elegantly into these times and its known as the Pearl of the South.

On the other hand, Trinidad is very colonial and well preserved. It is widely recognized all around the world for being a genuine living museum. A tremendous artisan tradition also singles out this village founded in 1514. This burg and the nearby Valley of Mills are now World Cultural Heritage Sites.

Camaguey is an immense urban layout teeming with sightseeing spots that came into being in 1515. It’s packed with squares, 18th and 19th century churches, crisscrossing cobblestone streets and other allures that make it a one-of-a-kind experience. Its best summary is the San Juan de Dios Square, penciled in as one of the best-preserved colonial sites of Latin America.

In Bayamo, you will find the city where the National Anthem was sung for the first time on October 20, 1868, ten days following the breakout of the first independence war under the leadership of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban Founding Father. The house where he was born is now a museum. This is no doubt one of Cuba’s finest and most typical cities whose history began back in 1513.

Santiago de Cuba is the homeland of great musicians, good rums and the country’s best carnival celebrations. It’s marked by major developments in the history of the nation, a reason why it’s known as the Hero City. Founded in 1515, the city fitted into a layered relieve that rises from the bay area and puts a special spin on a burg with a backdrop of mountains from the Sierra Maestra range and the Caribbean sea.

Founded in 1511, Baracoa was Cuba’s first-ever village. It’s also known as the Landscape City due to the presence of rivers, lavish foliage and exotic beaches. Here you will discover a natural world of eye-popping beauty that opens up before your eyes as you drive out of town. A flat-top mountain called El Yunque (the Anvil) and the famous Cruz de la Parra (Vine Cross), the only one out of 29 the Columbus placed in the New World that still prevails, are distinctive tokens.