This once-elegant, arched bridge over the Yumurí Estuary used to set a Parisian, Seine-like scene. Built in 1878, with two imposing carved columns at each end, it connected the barrio of Versalles, named for resident wealthy French coffee planters, and the city. Although it's currently in sad shape, it's still one of the most striking pieces of Matanzas architecture. The Cuban government used to give replicas of the columns as official gifts to visiting dignitaries

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.

Founded on April 6, 1863, it is one of the most renowned cultural institutions of Latin America. On the Plaza de la Vigia, the massive, white Teatro Sauto is one of Cuba's finest and best-preserved neoclassical structures. Nationally and internationally renowned figures have performed in the ballets, operas, musical comedies, concerts, variety shows and plays that have been presented on its stage. This magnificent building has excellent acoustics and was declared a National Monument.

This museum is a perfectly preserved 19th-century natural-medicine pharmacy that looks out onto the Parque de Libertad through large stained glass windows. The pharmacy closed its doors in 1964, and has been preserved exactly as it was on that day, down to the huge, ornate cash register; the log book with handwritten recipes for each prescription; the rolls of brown paper to wrap the glass bottles that were individually filled and labeled; and the ceiling-high, handsome wood-and-glass cases holding hundreds of decorative porcelain jars. There are guided tours to the distillery behind the shop, where the pharmacists manufactured their world-famous trademark syrups and tonics.