Things to do — Varadero

Varadero is mainly organised around the beach and water activities. The central beach, freely accessible from Avenida Las Américas, is 20 km long — pick the stretch in front of your resort (km 14-20 generally the most beautiful). Water activities are included or available: kayak (free at most resorts), windsurfing, paddleboarding, sailing catamaran, parasailing (€30-40), jet ski (€50-70). Snorkelling and diving excursions are booked at your resort activities desk or at the marinas (Marina Gaviota, Marina Chapelín, Marina Acua).

Land excursions from Varadero let you escape the enclave. The most iconic is the day trip to Havana (€60-90 per person, depart 8am, return 10pm) — air-conditioned bus, 2h drive, guided visit of Habana Vieja (Plaza Vieja, Cathedral, Capitolio), lunch and free time. Condensed but gives a taste of the capital. The Cueva de Saturno (15 km, €5 entry) is a cave with a freshwater underground lake for swimming — popular and accessible by taxi (€20 return). Matanzas (30 km, provincial capital, cultural city with 19th-century pharmacies and the Sauto theatre) is a more authentic excursion. The Yumurí Valley (jeep or boat, €40-60) offers a dip into rural Cuba 1h from Varadero.

The marinas offer classic boat excursions: catamaran outing to Cayo Blanco with lobster lunch (€80-100, full day), glass-bottom boat to the reef (€40), deep-sea fishing (€250-400 for 4 people), discovery dive (€50-80 with 2 dives). Diving conditions are decent but no more — prefer Cayo Largo or Jardines de la Reina for world-class diving.

Evenings centre on resort entertainment (cabarets, themed nights, internal discotheques) and at Plaza América (shopping centre with restaurants, bars and the Mambo Club nightclub). The Casa de la Música Varadero also programmes Cuban salsa orchestras. The Cueva del Pirata Cabaret (€35 entry plus cocktails) is one of the peninsula's best-known cabaret shows.