Monserrat Heights is a pleasant park that's also the site of La Ermita de Monserrat, a handsome, Colonial-Spanish style church. Built in 1875, the church is a shrine to the patron saint of Catalonians who immigrated to Cuba. This viewpoint has a spectacular view of the city and the bay, and the opposite direction is of the Yumuri River valley. There is also a snack bar in the park where you can refresh yourself.

This nightspot under the stars, modelled on the famous Tropicana cabaret in Havana, is just 20 minutes' drive from Varadero. An attractive option for enjoying the finest Cuban cocktails and a wide range of music.

A little overwhelmed by passing traffic, this landmark square is the cultural hub of Matanzas, with the Matanzas Provincial Museum on one corner and the magnificent, neoclassical Sauto Theater taking up a whole side. In the middle of the square is the marble statue of an anonymous independence fighter known as El Soldado Desconocido (The Unknown Soldier). A couple of cafés face the theater and there's a modern art gallery to browse.

This exquisite, neoclassical concert hall is named after a 19th-century violinist/composer who was exiled for his nationalist leanings. It was the first place that danzón, Cuba's national dance, was performed.