It has a vast natural, cultural and heritage wealth, as it has 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 14 large natural parks and 6 biosphere reserves. With more than 10 million inhabitants, this country seems to be frozen in time, due to the antiquity of its buildings and cars.
Copa Airlines takes you to destinations like Havana and Santa Clara so you can enjoy exclusive trips with world-class service. On this occasion, we share with you the reasons why you should visit Cuba and discover all the charms offered by this Caribbean country, which stands out for providing hospitality and warmth to its visitors.
Enjoy Havana and its culture
With more than 2 million inhabitants, Havana is the capital and largest city in Cuba. Since 2014, it has been considered one of the new seven wonder cities of the world, attracting thousands of tourists. On your tour of this city, we recommend visiting iconic places such as the National Capitol; the Grand Theatre of Havana, home of the internationally recognized Cuban National Ballet; the Havana Cathedral; the National Palace of Fine Arts; and the historic center of Old Havana, with its colonial buildings and squares that seem frozen in time. This historic center was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
The city is also famous for its music and dance, with Cuban son and salsa resonating in every corner, giving you a vibrant and authentic experience. If you want to learn how to dance these musical genres, there are countless dance schools where you can enroll to take classes with expert instructors and become a star dancer.
Without a doubt, one of the places you should not miss when you visit this destination is the Malecón in Havana, which comprises a wide six-lane avenue and a long wall that extends along the northern coast of the city for eight kilometers. Here you can take postcard-perfect photos, as you will see the most beautiful sunsets and classic cars straight out of a movie. As a curious fact, Cuba has one of the oldest car parks in the world.
Discover Santa Clara and a little of its history
Three and a half hours by car from Havana you will find Santa Clara. With more than 200 thousand inhabitants and located in the center of the country, this city is known for being a producer and marketer of tobacco. In the 19th century, Santa Clara was the largest and most populated city compared to the rest of the cities in the center of the country, which is why it became the capital of the province of Villa Clara.
Founded in 1689, this destination stands out for its colonial architecture. Among the places you can't miss are the Cathedral of Santa Clara; the Museum of Decorative Arts; the Provincial Palace; and the Leoncio Vidal Park, a cultural symbol of the city that received its name in honor of the Cuban patriot, Leoncio Vidal y Caro. Other recommended places are the La Caridad Theater; the Municipal Palace; and the Che Guevara Plaza, built in 1987. Here, you will also find the Che Guevara Mausoleum, inaugurated in 1997, which houses the remains of Ernesto Guevara and twenty-nine of his fellow combatants who died in 1967 during an armed uprising in Bolivia.
The city offers a warm climate, so tourism is experienced throughout the year. If you want to enjoy the beach, we suggest you visit Cayo Conuco, located 1 hour by car from Santa Clara. This key is the closest to Villa Clara, where you can go camping or stay in rustic cabins equipped with everything you need. On this key, you can explore and have more direct contact with nature, enjoying the sea and lush vegetation, with beautiful sunsets.
If you want to have superior travel experiences, Copa Airlines offers Business Class on all flights. On some planes, you can count on Business Class Dreams, with reclining bed-like seats for dream trips.
In addition to this, you can consider Panama Stopover, a program that allows you to make a stopover in Panama between one and six nights, with the same ticket and at no additional cost on the airfare, even if your final destination is another. Recently, Copa Airlines announced new measures to strengthen and improve the Program. Among the new features you can enjoy is the alliance with hotels, restaurants and local attractions, as well as the renovation of the website that provides you with more interactive planning tools for your stay in Panama, during the ticket reservation process.
To visit these paradisiacal cities in the Caribbean, Copa Airlines offers you the best connectivity to reach Cuba through the Hub of the Americas® in Panama, enjoying 25 weekly frequencies* to Havana and 3 weekly frequencies* to Santa Clara. Copa Airlines continuously works to provide you with fascinating travel experiences with world-class service.
For more information on available flights, visit copa.com.