Varadero is the most popular beach resort in Cuba. Varadero is a cozy beach resort in Cuba where you will relax and have fun.
A sympathetic holiday town favored by tourists
Varadero is a beach town of less than 30,000 inhabitants located on the Hicacos Peninsula on the north coast of Cuba . With year-round sunshine, long sandy beaches and a wide range of activities, you will enjoy Cuba’s most popular beach resort.
Varadero’s nickname Playa Azul , or the blue coast, refers to the area’s stunning natural conditions.
Built for tourists, it’s hard to find an authentic Cuban atmosphere, but a carefree beach vacation can easily be combined with, for example, a few days in Havana. It is also easy to take a trip from Varadero to the town of Cardenas, about 15 km away, where you will find an authentic local atmosphere.
Beach planing and activities
Traveling to Varadero is above all for a beach holiday: the city’s 20-kilometer-long sandy beach is the center of your holiday whether you want to laze on the hot sand or throw yourself into the Atlantic waves.
In Varadero, recreational opportunities are also concentrated by the water. Diving, fishing and boarding are popular activities in Cuba’s most popular beach resort. You can also explore the underwater world on a submarine.
Varadero also has Cuba’s first 18-hole golf course and the opportunity to try skydiving, for example.
Cuban flavors and rhythms
Cuban cuisine has a somewhat questionable reputation, but there are plenty of restaurants in Varadero. In the restaurants you can enjoy affordable meals if the hotel accommodation does not include meals. Typical Cuban cuisine is represented by rice and beans, served with chicken or pork, for example. Traditional local food is called comida criolla .
From dinner, the journey can continue to Varadero’s numerous discos, whose pulsating Caribbean rhythms lead the party to the right place. Many of the most popular places to go are located in hotels.
Although the shopping opportunities in Varadero are not very wonderful, you can still get well-known Cuban products such as rum, cigars and local souvenirs.
Good to know about Varadero
Varadero is perfect for a holidaymaker looking for an honest beach holiday, captivated by Caribbean exotics. However, following the typical Cuban way of life, it is not worth traveling to the destination, as it is one of the largest tourist centers in the country. Active holidaymakers and children will also enjoy Varadero’s many recreational opportunities.
Cuba’s tropical climate provides warmth all year round – the favorite time for Finns to travel to the Caribbean is winter, when the temperature fluctuates at a pleasant 25 degrees. In this case, package tours are also arranged.
In Cuba, the local currency, the peso, is used, but in Varadero, tourists can also use the euro or US dollars if they wish.
Varadero is a safe travel destination with little crime. Of course, normal caution should be exercised. The Cuban hurricane season runs from June to about mid-November – during these months the destination may be hit by a hurricane.
A Finnish citizen does not need a visa for a holiday trip to Cuba.
FLIGHTS, ACCOMMODATION AND MOVEMENT IN THE RESERVE
Package tours
The easiest way to travel to Varadero is with package tours offered by Finnish tour operators, which are organized during the winter months. Most leisure flights arrive directly at Varadero Airport, Cuba’s second largest airport.
A self-employed traveler can inquire about holiday flights from tour operators or book flights to Havana, from where the journey can be easily continued to Varadero. Round-trip flights usually cost around € 1,000.
All inclusive hotels popular
There are many all-inclusive hotels in Varadero, which also include meals and entertainment. As Cuba is not known for its restaurant culture, this type of accommodation is convenient.
There are dozens of quality hotels in Varadero, among which everyone will find what they like. Several hotels are located on the resort’s beautiful seafront.
Easy to move on foot
In Varadero you can easily get around on foot or by local buses. Taxis are also low-cost games and usually use taximeters – however, the price can still be checked before you set off.
A nice way to see the surrounding area is to rent a bicycle or moped. Car rental, on the other hand, is possible at almost all hotels in the area, but can be surprisingly expensive.
ATTRACTIONS OF THE RESERVE
Discover the history of the museum
The Museo Municipal de Varadero presents the history and development of the resort. Housed in a pretty wooden beach house, the museum also offers something for those who have had enough of a beach lounging. More interesting than the contents of the museum, however, is its outer shell: the gingerbread-like building is a great example of colonial-style construction in the Caribbean.
The eco-reserve is a popular destination
At the Varahicacos Eco Reserve, the tourist gets a glimpse of what the area was like before it became a popular resort. At the reserve you can take walks in the lush forests and explore the area’s main attractions, the hundreds-year-old cactus and the Cueva de Musalmanes cave.
Next to the Eco-Reserve is also one of the most interesting sites in Varadero, the Cueva de Ambrosio Cave.
To the park to relax
If you need variation in the beach scenery, you should look for it in Parque Josone Park. In the lush green park area with a lively city atmosphere, you can, for example, row on a small lake, listen to live music or enjoy a meal in the atmospheric restaurant. The park also has a swimming pool for cooling off.
THE BEST OF VARADERO
The best experiences of Varadero
- Enjoy beach life on the 20 km long sandy beach.
- Dive into Cuban rhythms at night in Varadero.
- Try water sports or golf.
- Rent a moped or bicycle and explore the surrounding area.
- Take an excursion to the neighboring town of Cardenas.
Disadvantages of the reserve difference
- There are a lot of tourists in Varadero – there is hardly any authentic Cuban atmosphere in the destination.
- Cuban food culture is quite modest.
- Hurricanes may occur in Cuba between June and November.
- The shopping opportunities in Varadero are quite limited.