Santa Clara is a city you explore on foot. The historic centre is compact and almost everything a traveller wants to see is less than a twenty-minute walk from Parque Vidal — which is also where we are: the house is on Colón Street, about 400 metres from the square.
1. Parque Vidal and its surroundings
Parque Leoncio Vidal has been the centre of city life since the 19th century. It is surrounded by buildings worth a full circuit: the Teatro La Caridad (1885), the José Martí Provincial Library, the Hotel Santa Clara Libre — which still bears bullet marks from the 1958 battle, unique in Cuba — and the Museum of Decorative Arts, whose collection is rivalled only in Havana.
On Sunday afternoons the retreta is still played in the bandstand, a tradition dating back to 1827.
Distance from the guesthouse: a 5-minute walk.
2. Che Guevara Memorial
Two kilometres west of the centre, in the Plaza de la Revolución, stands the memorial to Ernesto Che Guevara: a 6.7-metre bronze statue and the mausoleum where his remains rest alongside those of 29 fighters of Column 8. An eternal flame burns in front of the niches.
Getting there: a 30-minute walk or a short taxi ride. Note: closed on Mondays.
3. Armoured Train Monument
On 29 December 1958 a bulldozer from the Central University derailed the dictatorship's armoured train in barely ninety minutes of fighting. Today you can see the toppled carriages, the original bulldozer and panels explaining the battle.
It is one of the most visited sites in the city and one of the closest: about twelve minutes on foot from the guesthouse, heading down towards the river.
4. El Mejunje
The cultural centre founded by Ramón Silverio is probably the most interesting place in Santa Clara. It opened in 1985 and has been theatre, café, art gallery and concert hall ever since. On Thursdays the La Trovuntivitis peña takes place, a landmark of Cuban nueva trova since 1997.
It is also a pioneer in defending LGBTIQ+ rights in Cuba. It sits next to the cathedral, three minutes from the square.
5. Cigar Factory
At Maceo 181 you can visit a working cigar-rolling factory. Watching the torcedores at work and following the whole process — from leaf to finished cigar — is one of the most authentic experiences in the city.
6. Loma del Capiro
At 176 metres, this is the best viewpoint in Santa Clara and a key position in the December 1958 battle. The climb is short but steep; late afternoon is the best time.
7. The churches
The Cathedral of Santa Clara de Asís is five minutes from the square, and the 18th-century Parish of Our Lady of Carmen marks the site of the city's founding mass in 1689.