Casa Particular / B&B Familia Linares Julio Jover #32 altos e/Luis Estevez y Maximo Gomez Santa Clara Villa Clara Phone: (+53) (42) 22 58 00 Mobile: (+53) 53 50 10 43 Price: 20 - 25 CUC (15 CUC in the low season, that means in april, may, june and september) Description: Colonial house in the center of the city, near the Parque Vida. Huge room for two or three persons. Bathroom (hot and cold water), air conditioning, big terrace with view over the city. There you can have your meals (e.g. breakfast or dinner) if wanted. Of course you can also use the big living room. A very nice family, renting rooms since years, now in the heart of the city - a very good place! Reservation: by phone or also by e-Mail (Spanish or English) Casa Particular / B&B Santiago y Lidia Calle R.G. Garofalo (San Pablo) #19 e/Máximo Gomes y Luis Esteves Santa Clara Villa Clara Phone: +53 (42) 22 77 04 Mobile: +53 53 25 16 74 Price: 20 - 25 CUC (20 CUC in low-season (may/june and octubre/novembre. Aditional fee if more than 2 personas per room) Description: Santiago and Lidia rent three rooms in the downtown, about 500 meters from Parque Vidal. One room has its private entrance through a hall and at the end of it the room is situated in front of a garden and a terrace. It is a big bedroom with two double beds and a single one, for a capacity of five persons. There is a private bathroom in the room with hot and cold water, air conditioning, fan, refrigerator and television. The other two rooms are in another floor. One room has two double beds for housing up to four persons and the second room has a double bed for two persons. There is a share bathroom between the two rooms with shower (hot and cold water), air conditioning, fan, freezer and TV. Besides, the apartment has a living room, terrace and an equipped kitchen for cooking. Lidia and Santiago are long-experienced hosts that surely will help in whatever you need. They prepare breakfast and supper, wash clothes and arrange taxis. Reservation: by phone or also by e-Mail (Spanish or English)

Santa Clara is specially a city everybody should visit; even those who are not lovers of the most famous guerilla of the world, Ernesto Ché Guevara. This city keeps his remains in a mausoleum, together with some other revolutionaries who change or try to change the Latin America reality. Besides this revolutionary atmosphere, Santa Clara is today a city with an important University offering a wide cultural life. In its two theaters they present classic and contemporary works as well. Furthermore you will find, mainly around Parque Vidal, a very interesting architecture. From Santa Clara you´ll be able to visit several important places such as: the dam of Hanabanilla or the small colonial town of Remedios.

In the city

• In fact, you don´t have to take note of it, since most people goes to Santa Clara with this purpose: an important visit to Monumento al Ché in Plaza de la Revolución and the Museum.

• Monumento al tren blindado. This is an important site for persons interested in Cuban history. The rebel army fought dictator Batista´s troops here in Santa Clara. The armored train had to carry Batista´s troops to the core of the battle, but the rebels derailed the train to obtain victory. This monument is situated at the en of the pedestrian zone called El Boulevard. It is easy to get there walking from downtown.

• El Parque Vidal marks the center of the city. Around this park there are quite impressive buildings. Once here, it´s worthy sitting under a shadow and having a look at the urban daily life, and then you might visit one of the theaters.

• Santa Clara is one of the few cities of Cuba having a pedestrian zone. In El Boulevard you find several shops, restaurants and bars; a good place indeed to see and observe…As soon as shops close people vanish; so you better visit this site while shops are open.

• A ten minute walk from El Parque Vidal will take you to the center El Bosque; here is a cabaret where you can enjoy dancing shows from Wednesday to Sunday, always at 21:00. Then you may have a drink and keep dancing till dawn in the bar El Patio. Apart from these nocturnal entertainments, in this place there are a swimming pool and hammocks under the palms shadow. For a ticket of 2 CUC per capita you´ll spend a relaxing afternoon here.

• Another place to visit might be Mercado Sandino, near the baseball stadium; a place to buy fruits and vegetables. Sunday mornings before 2 pm is the best time to visit this market; when there is music on and there are many stands with foods and handmade goods.

• About two kilometers from the city you can enjoy facilities such as: swimming pools, bars and restaurants of hotels Los Caneyes and La Granjita.

Excursions

• Colonial architecture lovers must visit the small city of Remedios. This city located about 40 Km from Santa Clara may be compared to Trinidad, concerning architecture; though in Remedios there is low tourism flow. One may go there in a collective taxi (30-40 CUC per capita), in a tourist taxi (30 CUC round-trip and waiting) and by train from Santa Clara to Caibarién with a stop in Remedios. Of course, this small city is a perfect place to stay, enjoy the atmosphere and do excursions from there to near keys: Las Brujas and Santa María.

• The keys Las Brujas and Santa María are two small islands connected by an embankment that makes it easier getting fast to their unforgettable beaches. At the embankment entrance there is a check point where only persons with passport and foreign residence are admitted to the islands. You have to enter in a tourist taxi or rented car. From Santa Clara a tourist taxi costs around 80 CUC (round-trip and waiting). You might combine this journey to the keys with a short stop at Remedios; though I think you would need more time to know this small city. When there are enough people interested on an excursion to the keys, in Santa Clara Havanatur, as well, offers travels to Las Brujas and Santa María. Specially when travelling alone this is a good option to arrive very cheaply at the keys, since they charge about 20 CUC per capita. I advice you get better informed at Havanatur in Santa Clara, esquina Máximo Gómez e Independencia. Tel: 20 40 02. For further information on the keys read too page on Caibarién.
  If you want to stay one or more nights at one of the various hotels on the islands you can travel also by Viazul. Some months ago Viazul opened a new line conecting Trinidad and Cienfuegos with Santa Clara, Remedios and Caibarién and the three islands: Cayo las Brujas, Cayo Ensenachos and Cayo Santa Maria. There's one bus per day in both direcions. Here you find the actual timetable.

• About 50 kilometers from Santa Clara is Presa Hanabanilla, surrounded by a beautiful rural landscape of Sierra del Escambray. There is a small hotel here with poor service. However, it´s important knowing that at 11:00 am a ship departs from Hotel Hanabanilla to a site called Río Negro, where is a small restaurant in the middle of a very enchanting landscape. This restaurant offers several Cuban traditional dishes, while a local musical group brightens up with traditional music. Near the restaurant there is a waterfall one could visit. From Hotel Hanabanilla to Río Negro the ship costs 3 CUC per capita (round-trip). In this hotel one can eat light food at good prices and rent oar boats for individual rides in the damp. From Santa Clara a taxi costs from 30 to 40 CUC (round-trip). When many people are interested on this trip, Havanatur in Santa Clara arranges this excursion; again an option for persons travelling alone. I suggest you get informed at Havanatur in Santa Clara, esquina Máximo Gómez e Independencia. Tel: 20 40 02.

Arrival and departure

• Viazul connects Santa Clara thrice a day to Havana, four times to Santiago de Cuba, and once to Varadero, Cienfuegos and Trinidad. Check also the actual timetable.

• Trains. Santa Clara city is connected to main line of Ferrocarriles de Cuba (Cuban Railways) and so all trains from Havana to the east (Guantánamo/Santiago de Cuba/Bayamo) has to pass through Santa Clara. In addition there are local trains to Cienfuegos, Santi Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila/Morón and Sagua la Grande. In fact, Santa Clara is a place where one might easily travel by train.

• Trucks. There are also connections by trucks among surrounding villages and towns.

• Collective taxis: Cities near Santa Clara have collective taxi connections, for example: Cienfuegos, Havana and Remedios.

- Recommendable Taxi-drivers in Santa Clara

Fariñas Company: private with taxi-licence Languages: Spanish, English (basic) Car: Pontiac,1956 (complet restoration 2014) Capacity: 6 Details: Fariñas in 2014 made a complete restoration (during 8 months) of his 1956 Pontiac. His taxi has a lot of style. Fariñas is a good and trustful taxi driver. I recommend him when travelling to Santa Clara in round-trip. He´s also good when travelling from Santa Clara to Remedios and the keys (Cayo Las Brujas/Cayo Ensenachos/Cayo Santa Maria) Contactt: Cell-phone (+53) 53 503 067

More useful phone numbers: Cubataxi (Telf. 222 555) Omnibus Astro and Viazul Phone: 29 21 14 Estación FC pizarra (Railway station - information) Phone: 20 28 95 Railway station ticket sale Phone.: 20 08 54