Cardenas

Cárdenas, The city where most people live who work in Varadero. Famous about its name "La Ciudad del Cangrejos" (city of the crabs). Narrow streets full of horse-drawn carriages, and not anymore what it was used to be in the earlier years

Famous city of Elian Gonzalez 20 km south of Varadero next to the oil platforms "Bahia de Cardenas" A city with about 75.000 inhabitants If you take a close look at the Cardenas map you will find out that this city is well structured. Lots of foreigners are living in this city, and a lot of the people of Cardenas are working in tourism in Varadero.

Cardenas is known as the Flag city. On May 19th, 1850, the Cuban national flag waved here for the first time, atop the building of the La Dominica Hotel.

Barely 15 km from Varadero Cardenas, a small harbor town founded on March 8th, 1828, which is also the site of the first statue built in honor of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, in 1826. Cardenas' pioneering condition also extends to electric public light, as the city was the first to use this utillity in Cuba, in 1889. Cardenas has a long railway tradition, and is also known for its deep rooted love for horse drawn coaches and bicycles. The long straight, tidy city streets are lined with buildings of several architectural styles, even some of the early 19th century military fortresses that made up then the city's defense ring.

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To Do Cardenas

Parque Colon

Av de Cespedes e/ Calle 8 y 9, Cardenas, Cuba

The site where the city's official founding took place. Since 1962 it features the Columbus Monument, modeled by Spanish sculptor Jose Piquer, and forged in bronze in marseille, France. Near it is the building where for the first time the Cuban national flag was hoisted

Plaza Molocoff

Av 3 Oeste y Calle 12, Cardenas, Cuba

Interesting place to visit is the "Plaza Molocoff "
A daily local vegetable market

Arrechabala Rum Factory

Fábrica Arrechabala: To the northwest of Cárdenas, Matanzas is this rum factory where Varadero and Bucanero rums are distilled. The Havana Club rum company was founded here in 1878.

Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion

If you are lucky its open
The Parroquial (Parish) Church It is considered to be Cardenas' first neoclassical building, and dates back from 1846, when it opened under the advocacy of the most Holy Virgin of Conception

Museo Casa Natal de Jose Antonio Echeverria

Av 4 Este #560, Cardenas, Cuba

Home of Cuban student leader Jose Antonio Echevarria, who was assassinated on March 13th, 1957 by the repressive of dictator Fulgencio Batista. Built in 1873, the house also stands out for its state of preservation and its architectural values.

Museo de Oscar de Maria Rojas

The nature historical "Museo de Oscar de Maria Rojas" Calzada de Vives Parque Echeverria at Av 4 Este y Calle 12 - An ancient institution that houses several very complete, valuable collections in the fields of history, arts, natural scienes, archeology, numismatics, and colonial weaponry.

Restaurants in Cardenas

Cubanitas Cárdenas
Comidas ligeras
Calzada y Ruiz, Cárdenas
Tel:+53 45 2145

Nightlife in Cardenas

The nightlife of Cardenas is very simple for most Cardeneses, just at home playing domino or watching TV. For the younger people there are 1 or 2 bars to have fun.

Reviews Cardenas

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Cardenas reviews at TripAdvisor

Name: Maybel
Country: Canada

I look forward to one day visiting and staying there. I met a few cubans working varadero who are from Cardenas... they were extremely nice, generous, happy, and spoke english very well! so i look forward to one day spending some time there-if there are casa particulares of course!

Name: yvette
Country: Quebec, Canada

Bonjour, je m'excuse si j'écris en français mais c'est plus facile pour moi. Cela fait 10 ans que je vais à Cardenas et je suis tombé en amour avec cette ville. Elle me rappelle ma jeunesse ou tous les gens s'asseoient sur le seuil de la porte et te salue. La chaleur humaine de ces gens est très agréable, la ville bouge sans arrêt, c'est très sécuritaire, beaucoup de parcs et d'architecture qui te font apprécier cette ville. Je pourrais en parler longuement mais tout ça pour vous dire que cela vaut la peine de la visiter et d'y vivre. J'adore y vivre

Name: Pan
Country: Canada

Nice city, very friendly people, kids are polite, only stayed for a few hours

Name: Jeanette
Country: Canada

Had a beautiful guided tour of Cardenas. Very interesting city. Make sure to see cemetery. Amazing!

Name: yves
Country: canada

best place on earth wow, nice people, relax place, funny place, would move there today if i could

Name: evelyn
Country: USA

Absolutely beautiful! Well, you MUST see beyond the rundown buildings and dirty streets. You can tell that it was a beautiful in its days. Architecture is beautiful. It’s also to see how amazing the people are. They have NOTHING and yet are so generous!! I loved our visit. Lol...we actually went when it was mosquito season--(May/June) besides that, we will return!

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