Matanzas, "City of the Bridges" was declared Cuba’s Athens in l860, due to the splendor its culture achieved in those times. Varadero is only 30 minutes away, and it joins the poetic breath of the city. City of musicians and poets, Matanzas is also site of emigrants who set their everlasting marks: from the Canary Islands, Catalan, Italian, French and specially African who brought with them their religious rites, music, dance; it’s presently venue of the Museum of the Slave’s Mark in Cuba.

This city’s natural beauties are the perfect environment for art and literature development; that’s how Bacunayagua, one of the north littoral region’s characteristic parks, 18 km away from the province capital, mixes its ecotouristic path with the Viewpoint and its majestic bridge, one of Cuba’s seven wonders on constructive engineering and entry door to Yumuri Valley, with splendid and typical landscape, which made the Russian prince Alejo exclaim: “it only needs Adam and Eve to be in heaven”. Bellamar Caves are located out of the city, caves where the wonder of nature are expressed as stalactites and stalagmites getting curious forms; it’s the beginning of the most important Cave Park in the country all over the shoreline.

Canimar river is next to the city with its monumental arch bridge, with a park where nature and history are linked with an interesting product formed by esplanade, trekking, the most relevant aboriginal graveyard in the country, horse riding, etc.; exceptional site with legends and Matanzas’s TROPICANA cabaret in one side as well as CANIMAO hotel. Vigia Square stands out in the center of the city with SAUTO theater, National Monument and one of the acoustics wonders in the continent; also in the middle of the city you’ll find Dr. Triolet’s French Drugstore, one-of-a-kind in the world, among many other remarkable institutions.

Matanzas is the cradle of rhythms such as danzon, danzonete and rumba. Upon arriving in this province, you’ll fall into a special atmosphere, the same that inspired artists and writers who turned Matanzas into Cuba’s Athens.