Matanzas

PLAZA DE LA VIGÍA

Foundational ring of the city of Matanzas, where some of the best places to visit in the Athens of Cuba are found, such as the Sauto Theater and the Provincial Museum Palacio de Junco.

PLAZA DE LA LIBERTAD

It is currently the center of the social life of the city, around it are some of the sites of interest such as the Pharmaceutical Museum, the José White Room and the Velasco and the Louvre hotels.

ERMITA DE MONSERRAT

Known as the Hermitage of the Catalans, it is located at the climax of the well-known Simpson Heights, it offers an excellent view of the city in a peaceful environment.

CASTILLO DE SAN SEVERINO

It was the first and most important building of Matanzas, fortification of Renaissance style, currently houses the Slave Route Museum.

CIÉNAGA DE ZAPATA

Known for being the largest wetland in the insular Caribbean, it has sites of interest such as Playa Larga, Playa Girón, the Guamá Tourist Center and the Crocodile Zoo.

PENÍNSULA DE HICACOS

Seat of the second-best beach in the world, the spa of Varadero, among its attractions is the Josone Retreat Park, the Varadero Golf Club and the Plaza América Convention Center.

Founded in 1690, it is known as the "Atenas de Cuba” (The Athens of Cuba,) because of the intense cultural life it had since its foundation; and as "La Ciudad de los Puentes” (The City of Bridges,) because it is crossed by 4 rivers and has 29 bridges, 4 of them are centenarians and still in operation. The province displays an attractive tourist product that combines beach, nature, and nautical, urban and cultural tourism.

Capital: Matanzas

Extension: 11 798,02 sq. km

Municipalities: Matanzas, Uniòn de Reyes, Martí, Pedro Betancourt, Jovellanos, Jagüey Grande, Los Arabos, Perico, Colón, Cárdenas, Limonar, Calimete and Ciénaga de Zapata

Denonym: matancero/a

Limits: It is bounded on the north by the Florida Straits, to the northeast with the province of Villa Clara, to the southeast with the province of Cienfuegos, to the south with the Caribbean Sea, and to the west with the province of Mayabeque.

Access: Its main accesses by land are the Vìa Blanca from Havana, the Autopista Nacional and the Carretera Central. It has an international airport, Juan Gualberto Gómez, and by sea it can be accessed through any of the marinas located there.

PLACES OF INTEREST 1 PLAZA DE LA LIBERTAD (SQUARE)

Contreras and Santa Teresa streets, Matanzas

The former Plaza de Armas, is now the center of the social life of the city as a meeting place. At its front, it has a sculptural ensemble comprised by a representation of freedom personified by a woman breaking the chains in her hands, and crowned by a 4 m high bronze statue of Jose Martí.

2 PHARMACEUTICAL MUSEUM

49 and 51 Milanés, between Ayuntamiento and Santa Teresa streets, Matanzas.

Tel 045 243179 Established as a pharmacy and inaugurated in 1882, it was the property of Dr. Ernesto Triolet until January 1964, the year in which it was reopened as the first pharmaceutical museum in Latin America. In its shelves are kept jars, books and original utensils. Its collection is