Introduction
Santa Clara is the capital of Villa Clara province, and it is located in central Cuba, about three-hours drive from Havana, 268 km through the National Highway, Santa Clara was founded in 1689 from the village Cubanacan, of ancient Indian.
With the population about 260 000, Santa Clara is a pleasant university city in the center of the island, an important commercial center for minerals, sugarcane, and livestock from the surrounding region. Industries include sugar and cigar factories. Since 1998, Santa Clara has drawn the interest of foreign visitors for two main events: the burial of the remains of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and the visit of Pope John Paul II's, in January 22, 1998.
The City has mostly Colonial style architecture with narrow streets. Despite poor illumination during the night, the city is safe to walk around at night, with remarkably warm and friendly people.
Monument of Che at the Plaza de la Revolucion Ernesto Guevara, with a huge bronze statue of Che, is one of the most visited attractions in Cuba by international tourists. The remains of Che and his comrades who fell in Bolivia have been interred at this site. The mausoleum is open to the public and there is no fee to pay to enter. Under the monument is a museum, "Museo Historico de la Revolucion" with good displays about Che's life and role in the revolution.
The next very interesting place is site of the last battle of the Cuban revolution. The capture of the train was the decisive factor in the triumph of the revolution and it is now a major tourist attraction. Batista was on the point of sending an armored train with military supplies and soldiers to Santiago de Cuba to counter attack revolutionaries. Che Guevara use American bulldogger to stop the train, now part of museum exposition. The soldiers on the train surrendered quickly and the fighting for the train was soon over.
There is a museum inside the wagons, shows weapons carried on train.
B E A C H E S O F V I L L A C L A R A P R O V I N C E: nearest hotel that can be found in this remote part of Cuba would be Elgue Hotel & Spa, a modest 3 star hotel in Corralillo, north of Villa Clara province, very near beautiful remote white sandy beaches with very few tourists, an hour and a half drive away from the city of Santa Clara.
Santa Clara's night entertainment: Santa Clara is well known for its vibrant night life, especially at week-ends and around the central square in the city center.
Cultural center " El Bosque" Disco and Cabaret opens Wednesday-Sunday 9pm to 1:30am. Patio Bar with disco music open 24 hours, Location: Caretera Central y Ave Sandino. Corner Bar at Vidal park, in Carida Theater offers live Cuban music at night.
Most popular discotheque is in hotel "Santa Clara Libre" Saturday -Sunday 11pm-4am, in Central Park "Parque Vidal". There are also numbers of restaurants and bars around the park, Fast food bar 30 m from the Theatre.
The corner bar has live Cuban " Salsa" music at night.
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