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It is comprised by 13 municipalities whose capital is the city of Santa Clara. Founded on July 15, 1689 by a group of families from Remedios, who settled in this area to get away from the attacks of pirates and celebrated their first mass under a tamarind tree. It is known as the “Ciudad del Ché”, on account of its most recent history linked to the actions of this internationalist fighter.

Capital: Santa Clara

Extension: 8 662 sq. km

Municipalities: Santa Clara, Corralillo, Quemado de Guiñes, Sagua la Grande, Santo Domingo, Ranchuelo, Cifuentes, Camajuaní, Encrucijada, Remedios, Caibarién, Placetas y Manicaragua

Denonym: villareño/a

Limits: it limits to the north with the Atlantic Ocean, to the east with the province of Sancti Spíritus, and to the west with the provinces of Cienfuegos and Matanzas

Access: The main accesses are by land via the Autopista Nacional (National Highway) and the Carretera Central (Central National Road), while by air it can be accessed through the airport located in the provincial capital and the airfield of Cayo Las Brujas. The territory is linked to the northern keys by a causeway.

Places of interest

Parque Leoncio Vidal

Marta Abreu, Rafael Tristá, Máximo Gómez, and Luis Estévez streets

Named in 1899 after the Villa Clara patriot Leoncio Vidal, by agreement of the City Council of Santa Clara, it was known until that moment with several names such as Plaza de Armas. Several remodelings have altered its appearance and surroundings, but it still retains some of its attributes such as the Obelisco inaugurated on July 15, 1886 to mark the 197 anniversary of the founding of the city. In the park there is also the Glorieta, built in 1911, the Fuente del Chico de la Bota Infortunada, among other monuments such as the Monument to Marta Abreu Estévez, heroine and village philosopher that promoted the cultural development of the city.

Teatro La Caridad 

Marta Abreu between Máximo Gómez and Lorda, Tel 042 20 5548

Opened on September 8, 1885 on the north side of the square, it was built on the initiative of the illustrious patriot Marta Abreu, to carry out charitable works with the profits of the shows and thus perpetuate the memory of their parents. It stands out for its decorative elements as well as for its murals that represent fragments of the works of Shakespeare and of Spanish authors.

Museo de Artes Decorativas 

Marta Abreu, between Luis Estévez and Lorda, Tel 042 20 53 68

Located in the center of the city, it occupies a house whose construction dates back to the XVIII century, it exhibits furniture, fans, costumes and sculptures from the 17th and 20th centuries, in particular, shows lingerie from the Martí-Bance family and some personal items from the poet Dulce María Loynaz.

Plaza del Carmen

Calle Máximo Gómez, between San Pablo and Concedo

Located on a hill, it is the site where the first mass of the founding ceremony of the city was held. Currently, it has as its main features the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, built in 1748, and the monument to the 18 families who founded the village in the shade of a tamarind. This monument is made up of a concrete colonnade lined with marble from the Isle of Youth.

Complejo Escultórico Memorial 

Comandante Ernesto Guevara (Sculptural Memorial Complex) 

Ave. de los Desfiles,

Tel 042 20 5985

Located on a hill overlooking Plaza de la Revolución, it was inaugurated on December 28, 1988, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Santa Clara. Designed by architect Jorge Cao Campos and sculptor José Delarra, the ensemble is made up of a museum and the mausoleum dedicated to Che, where, since October 17, 1997, his mortal remains and those of his comrades in Bolivia rest. 

Monumento al Tren Blindado (Monument)

Carretera Camajuaní, intersection with the Railroad,

Tel 042 20 2758

Designed by Cuban sculptor Jose Delarra, it recalls one of the most significant events of the last stage of the struggle against Batista´s government, led by Ernesto Guevara and his troops on December 29, 1958, the derailment and assault on an armored train. The monument is formed by 5 sculptural elements that symbolize the actions carried out by the Rebel Army, as well as 4 original wagons and the bulldozer used to lift the railway line.

Lago Artificial Hanabanilla (Artificial Lake)

The 32 sq. km Hanabanilla artificial lake, declared a Protected Natural Landscape, is the ideal site for practicing specialized photography, sport fishing, bird watching and hiking, including the El Nicho Trail that runs along the upper channel of Hanabanilla River and numerous waterfalls in succession in the heart of Villa Clara Escambray. The site has the Hotel Hanabanilla 

(042 20 8461).

Hotel Elguea

Corralillo, Tel 042 68 6298

Located about 10 km from the town of Corralillo, it has a thermal bath center with sodium chloride, sulphated low-radioactivity, hyper thermal waters and with a temperature ranging from 36 to 48 ° C, highly mineralized. The center also has mineral-medicinal sludge treatments. It has swimming pools for different treatments, as well as showers, sauna and medicinal baths.

Remedios

It was the eighth villa founded in 1515 by the Spaniards. It treasures one of the best preserved Historical Centers of the country. Remedios is known for its famous Parrandas and the celebration of San Juan.

Plaza Martí (Square)

Calles Máximo Gómez, Camilo Cienfuegos and Independencia streets

It is the Plaza Mayor (Main Square) of the city, with tall royal palms that provide shade to the environment and has iron and marble benches for rest and watching the surrounding landscape.

Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Juan Bautista (Church)

Camilo Cienfuegos No. 1692

The sober exterior hides the magnificence of its polychrome altar, sculpted in cedar and covered with 24-carat gold leaf, is the only one of its kind in the country. Its Moorish style roof has a vaulted mahogany skirt.

Museo de las Parrandas (Museum)

Máximo Gómez No. 71,

Tel 042 39 5677

It illustrates the past and present of the Parrandas, a distinctive element of the area, through photographs, musical instruments, costumes and decorative objects. According to tradition, an imaginary line divides the town square into two and have the neighborhoods of San Salvador and El Carmen face each other as contenders, represented by a rooster and a hawk respectively. Once the bells of the Parroquial Mayor toll for 9 p.m. on December 24, each side reveals, in a singular competition, the designs of floats, costumes and fireworks on which they worked throughout the year.

Cayos de Villa Clara

Connected to the mainland by a 48 km causeway over the sea are the three jewels of the Keys of Villa Clara, Las Brujas, Ensenachos and Cayo Santa María, the main sun and beach tourist destination of the region. In harmony with this natural setting, it has been built a modern hotel, an aerodrome for small and medium-sized aircrafts, as well as an international diving center and a dolphinarium. The varied tourist offer of different hotels and recreational centers combines sun and beach tourism with health tourism, sports and recreation in a unique environment, surrounded by its impressive flora and fauna.