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Cuba Varadero and Matanzas Photo Gallery

Varadero is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, some 140 km east of Havana, boasting more than 20 km of white sandy beaches with clear turquoise warm water. In Matanzas, the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas 32 km from Varadero, the leafy main square Parque Libertad has a surprisingly interesting Pharmaceutical Museum, while the Plaza de la Vigia has some interesting buildings like the Teatro Sauto. The Bacunayagua Bridge to the west of Matanzas is the highest in Cuba, with a lovely valley view.

11 Cuba - Varadero - Sirenis La Selena resort We stayed at the all-inclusive Sirenis La Selena in Varadero.

11 Cuba - Varadero - Sirenis La Selena resort

12 Cuba - Varadero - Sirenis La Selena resort - Beach The beach in front of the Sirenis La Selena in Varadero has many activities like sailing and exercise classes.

12 Cuba - Varadero - Sirenis La Selena resort - Beach

13 Cuba - Varadero - Sunset Ahh, a beautiful sunset in Varadero.

13 Cuba - Varadero - Sunset

21 Cuba - Varadero - Plaza America shopping centre Plaza America in Varadero is a shopping mall where you can buy clothes, souvenirs, arts and crafts, groceries, cosmetics, and good food.

21 Cuba - Varadero - Plaza America shopping centre

22 Cuba - Varadero - Beach to Mansion Xanada The white sandy beach in front of Plaza America in Varadero leads to the Mansion Xanada.

22 Cuba - Varadero - Beach to Mansion Xanada

23 Cuba - Varadero - Beach to Mansion Xanada The Dupont family built a three-story mansion called Xanadu overlooking the Varadero coast and laid out a nine-hole golf course. Today the Mansion Xanadu sits next to Varadero's golf course, with a restaurant downstairs and a bar on the top floor.

23 Cuba - Varadero - Beach to Mansion Xanada

24 Cuba - Varadero - Mansion Xanada outside and top floor Bar The third floor of the Mansion Xanada in Varadero has the Casa Blanca Panoramic Bar, with great views. It features precious woods that were brought especially from Santiago de Cuba for the ceilings, stair rails and columns, while the floors and bathrooms were done in Cuban, Italian and Spanish marble.

24 Cuba - Varadero - Mansion Xanada outside and top floor Bar

25 Cuba - Varadero - Golf Course next to Mansion Xanada The golf course in Varadero sits next to the Mansion Xanadu.

25 Cuba - Varadero - Golf Course next to Mansion Xanada

26 Cuba - Varadero - Water Tower The tower located beside the Meson del Quijote in Varadero is actually a water tank owned by the Dupont family

26 Cuba - Varadero - Water Tower

31 Cuba - Matanzas - Puente Calixto Garcia Bridge The steel Puente Calixto Garcia (1899) bridge in Matanzas spans the Rio San Juan leading into Plaza de la Vigia from the south.

31 Cuba - Matanzas - Puente Calixto Garcia Bridge

32 Cuba - Matanzas - Rio San Juan River Matanzas is called the city of bridges, with bridges crossing the three rivers that traverse the city (Rio Yumuri, San Juan, and Canimar). Here is the Rio San Juan River from the Puente Calixto Garcia bridge.

32 Cuba - Matanzas - Rio San Juan River

33 Cuba - Matanzas - Plaza de la Vigia - Parque de los Bomberos - Matanzas fire brigade The Matanzas fire brigade has its headquarters in the 1897 neoclassical Parque de los Bomberos in Plaza de la Vigia in Matanzas. The Plaza de la Vigia is not really a plaza; it’s more like a traffic circle with a statue of a revolutionary leader in the middle.

33 Cuba - Matanzas - Plaza de la Vigia - Parque de los Bomberos - Matanzas fire brigade

34 Cuba - Matanzas - Plaza de la Vigia - Teatro Santo The Teatro Sauto in Plaza de la Vigía in Matanzas is one of Cuba's finest neoclassical buildings (1863) and famous for its superb acoustics.

34 Cuba - Matanzas - Plaza de la Vigia - Teatro Santo

35 Cuba - Matanzas - Plaza de la Vigia - Palacio de Justicia, Palace of Justice The Palacio de Justicia (Palace of Justice) in Plaza de la Vigia in Matanzas was first erected in 1826 and rebuilt between 1908 and 1911.

35 Cuba - Matanzas - Plaza de la Vigia - Palacio de Justicia, Palace of Justice

36 Cuba - Matanzas - Catedral de San Carlos Borromeo church The neoclassical Catedral de San Carlos Borromeo in Matanzas was constructed in 1693 and rebuilt in 1878.

36 Cuba - Matanzas - Catedral de San Carlos Borromeo church

41 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Jose Marti statue Parque Libertad in Matanzas has a bronze statue (1909) of Jose Marti in the centre.

41 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Jose Marti statue

42 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Museo Farmaceutico, Pharmacy Museum The Museo Farmaceutico (Pharmaceutical Museum) on the southwest corner of Parque Libertad in Matanzas was once the Botica La Francesa, founded in 1882 by the Triolett family.

42 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Museo Farmaceutico, Pharmacy Museum

43 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Museo Farmaceutico, Pharmacy Museum The Botica La Francesa continued to function as a pharmacy in Matanzas until it was turned into the Museo Farmaceutico (Pharmaceutical Museum) in 1964. It is crowded with all the odd bottles and instruments, porcelain jars and medical recipes used in the trade. Very fascinating.

43 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Museo Farmaceutico, Pharmacy Museum

44 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Casino Espanol On the northern side of Parque Libertad in Matanzas is the former Casino Espanol, now the Biblioteca Gener y Del Monte.

44 Cuba - Matanzas - Parque Libertad - Casino Espanol

51 Cuba - Matanzas - Iglesia de Monserrate church The ruined Iglesia de Monserrate church, dating from 1875, perched on a hill above Matanzas is currently being restored.

51 Cuba - Matanzas - Iglesia de Monserrate church

52 Cuba - Matanzas - Matanzas from Iglesia de Monserrate church There is a very good view of Matanzas on one side and the picturesque Valle del Yumurí on the other, from the Iglesia de Monserrate perched on a hill above Matanzas.

52 Cuba - Matanzas - Matanzas from Iglesia de Monserrate church

61 Cuba - Bacunayagua Bridge At 110m the Bacunayagua Bridge, 7km west of Matanzas, is the highest in Cuba, built over the Yumuri River between 1956 and 1960. The mirador offers a lovely view of the peaceful wooded valley below.

61 Cuba - Bacunayagua Bridge