Cuba: Cultural and Tourist Options



The Cuban archipelago, a fast-growing tourist destination in the Caribbean region, offers unique attractions for everyone.

Cuba complements the beauty of its coasts and its exuberant nature with the wealth of its culture and traditions, which are essential components of the country's tourist product.

Fusions of races and customs, a process that lasted several centuries, resulted in a unique culture that shows African, aboriginal, Chinese, French and, of course, Spanish features, in a unique mixture and an enormous wealth at the same time.

Precisely, that rich cultural heritage, forged over many years, is a major reason for thousands of visitors who bet every year for Cuba to spend their vacations.

This way, the tourists who arrive in Cuba are motivated by the colonial architecture of its cities, the preserved heritage and the busy agenda of cultural events, which includes festivals, seminars, workshops and academic courses.

In this environment, music, cinema, dance, and plastic and performing arts are the best way to discover the Cuban roots that gave rise to such a rich heritage.

Popular festivities are also included in the country's cultural agenda for tourists, with a special weight for the traditional summer carnivals in the capital and eastern Cuba, whose origin dates back to the colonial period.

Some of these popular festivities are the so-called parrandas (carnivals) of Remedios (with a history of almost 180 years) and Bejucal (in Havana), which involve the entire population in those towns.

Cuba also has some120 art galleries, antique shops and art galleries, together with almost 260 museums of the most varied manifestations, as well as more than 80 multipurpose theaters.

Cuba's cultural agenda also includes several meetings, workshops, festivals, congresses and specialized courses, which are designed for everyone's interests and on the most diverse artistic expressions.

Among them are the annual meetings of Ballet Academies, the festivals The Spanish Imprint, Golden Boleros, Cubadisco, Ibero-American Culture and Jazz Plaza, as well as the Fire Festival, which is the link par excellence with the Caribbean and is traditionally held in eastern Cuba.

The country's cultural center is Havana, where its historic heart holds much of the cultural heritage closely linked to the colonial period, with some 33,000 buildings mostly constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Coupled with this, several hotels are linked to cultural activities, including Telegrafo, Ambos Mundos, Armadores de Santander, Raquel and Inglaterra.