Santa Clara

Introduction

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Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. It is located in the central part of the country and has about 250,000 inhabitants. The main reason visitors come to Santa Clara, is the mausoleum of Che Guevara, but there are many more interesting landmarks and the city is full of colonial architecture, making it a great place to just wander around and soak up the atmosphere.

Neighbourhoods

The municipality is divided into the barrios of Báez, Carmen, Egidos, Hoyo, Loma Cruz, Manajanabo, Manicaragua, Mata, Parroquia, Pastora, Provincial, Puente, Quemado Hilario, Raúl Sancho, San Gil and Seibabo.

Sights and Activities

• Parque Vidal and the Marta Abreau Statue
• Teatro de la Caridad
• Che Guavara Mausoleum
• Parque del Carmen
• Catedral de Santa Clara de Asis
• Parque de los Martires

Events and Festivals

Weather

Santa Clara has a tropical climate, but with slightly more variation in temperature as it's near the northern end of the tropics. The warmer and wetter period is from May to October, when temperatures frequently soar above 30 °C. Rains and thunderstorms are common and humidity is high. Sometimes, a hurricane can also hit inland Santa Clara though years can go by without any. November to March is the driest time of the year with pleasantly warm weather and generally clear and sunny conditions.

Getting There

By Plane

Abel Santamaría Airport (SNU) is an international airport. Services include flights with Air Canada to Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, Air Transat to Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City, CanJet to Toronto, Quebec City, Montreal and Halifax, Cubana de Aviacion to Havana, Montreal, Santiago de Cuba and Toronto, Livingston to Milan, Sunwing Airlines to Winnipeg and Thomas Cook Airlines to Manchester.

By Train

Santa Clara is along the main train line that runs between Havana and Santiago de Cuba. There are several trains to/from Havana each day. Camaguey and Santiago de Cuba are served by a daily overnight train and two trains a week also travel during the day in each direction: west on Thursdays and Sundays and east on Mondays and Fridays.

By Car

By Bus

Viazul has regular buses to Camaguey, Havana, Sancti Spiritus, and Santiago de Cuba. There is also daily service to Varadero, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Correos de Cuba operates the Cuban postal service. They are generally quite slow, and delivery is never guaranteed. Mail is read by Cuba’s censors; avoid politically sensitive comments. Also, never send cash! Post offices (correos) usually are open weekdays 8:00am to 6:00pm and on Saturday 8:00am to 3:00pm, but hours can vary widely. Most tourist hotels accept mail for delivery as well, which might be a better option. International airmail (correo aereo) averages from at least 2 weeks to over one month, and even domestic posts might take 1-2 weeks. When mailing from Cuba, write at least the country destination in Spanish (as well). International postcards, cost CUC 0.50 to all destinations; letters cost CUC 0.80. Within Cuba, letters cost from 15 centavos (20 grams or less) to 2.05 pesos (up to 500 grams); postcards cost 10 centavos. Stamps are available in US dollars as well (if buying at hotels, this is actually your only option) and can be bought at hotels and blue and white kiosks labelled Correos de Cuba. Parcels from Cuba must be unwrapped for inspection. It is far better to send packages through an express courier service, like DHL or the Cuban local one (called EMS), although the same regulation applies.