Holiday in Varadero

About Varadero

Varadero is Cuba's dream beach — a 20-kilometer-long peninsula with powdery white sand and turquoise blue water, jutting into the Straits of Florida and Cuba's most important beach holiday destination. Unlike the historic cities of Havana or Trinidad, Varadero combines Caribbean beach life with the unique Cuban flair: vintage cars by the roadside, salsa in hotel lobbies, and the ubiquitous scent of cigars and rum. Playa Varadero stretches the entire length of the peninsula and is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: The sand is so fine and white that it melts like powdered sugar between your fingers, and the sea shines in that surreal turquoise that can only be found in the Caribbean. The water temperature rarely drops below 24°C even in winter. The Cüva de Saturno, ten minutes from the beach, is a natural underwater cave with crystal-clear, turquoise freshwater: Stalactites hang from the cave ceiling while you swim in the 20-meter-deep pool and snorkel through underwater passages. It feels like swimming in a natural aquarium. The Parque Josone in the heart of Varadero is a green oasis with tropical gardens, an artificial lake, and restaurants under trees: The former villa of businessman Josone from the 1940s combines nature and Cuban lifestyle away from the beach. A day trip to Matanzas, the Athens of Cuba, shows the other side: A decaying yet charming colonial city with the oldest pharmacy museum in the Americas (Botica Francesa, 1882), the Bellamar cave, and a rumba tradition that is older than that in Havana.