Ampliare

Ampliare

The former Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe was founded on February 2, 1514 in an area of the northern coast near Nuevitas, and later in 1528 it was relocated in its current site. It has one of the best preserved Historical Centers of Cuba, the reason why in 2008 it was declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. Characterized by a complex layout of streets and a wide system of squares and numerous ancient churches, it has a great historical-cultural tradition as the birthplace of prominent intellectuals and patriots.
Capital: Camagüey
Extension: 15 615 sq. km
Municipalities: Camagüey, Esmeralda, Nuevitas, Guáimaro, Santa Cruz del Sur, Florida, Sierra de Cubitas, Minas, Sibanicú, Najasa, Vertientes, Jimaguayú and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.
Denonym: camagüeyano/a
Limits: it limits to the north with the Old Channel of Bahamas, to the east with the province of Las Tunas, to the south with the Caribbean Sea, and to the west with the province of Ciego de Ávila.
Access: by air it can be accessed through the “Ignacio Agramonte” International Airport, while by land the access is through the national road network. There is an aerodrome in operation in Santa Lucía capable of handling medium and small aircraft.

Places of interest
 Parque Agramonte (Park)
Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, Independencia, Martí and Luaces streets
It is an attractive square that has in its center the Monumento al Mayor General Ignacio Agramonte, a realistic bronze life-size statue that represents the hero of the independence of Cuba on horseback and machete in hand.
 Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria (Cathedral)
Tel 032 29 4965
Located on the southern side of the plaza, it was built in 1864 over the remains of its predecessor that had been built in 1530. In 1688, the pirate Henry Morgan locked up the nobility of the city in the church and once they revealed the hiding place of their riches he destroyed it.
Casa Natal de Nicolás Guillén
57 Hermanos Agüero between Cisneros and Príncipe,
Tel 032 29 3706
The place of birth of the Cuba`s National Poet, Nicolás Guillén, who was president of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba since its founding. The museum house exhibits personal objects of this nationalist poet, as well as a complete collection of his works in different editions.
Casa Natal de Carlos J. Finlay
5 Cristo, Tel 032 29 6745
The museum shows the original home of the famous Cuban scientist who discovered the carrier of yellow fever. In its halls, it exhibits part of the original furniture, as well as the instruments used by Finlay in his experiments.
 Plaza del Carmen (Square)
Hermanos Agüero, Honda and Carmen streets
It is an intimate and attractive square, adorned with life-size clay figures that recreate the spirit of the city: an old man pushing a cart, three women drinking coffee, two elderly lovers talking, and a statue of Norberto Subirat Betancourt reading a newspaper. The small square is surrounded by admirable pastel-colored buildings.
 Convento de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Convent)
Located on the west side of the square, it is the only church in the city that has two towers. It stands out for the beauty and simplicity of its style, as well as for the successful restoration of which it has been subjected to that has returned its original splendor.
 Plaza San Juan de Dios (Square)
San Juan de Dios and San Rafael streets
Its construction dates back to 1728, revealing itself as the city´s first architectural ensemble of importance. It is today the epicenter of the activity of the City´s Historian Office.
 Antiguo Hospital de San Juan de Dios, Museo de Arquitectura Colonial (Former Hospital and Currently a Museum)
Tel 032 29 1388
Its construction predates the establishment of the square in 1728 and was conceived as a military hospital. It currently houses the Museo de Arquitectura Colonial (Museum of Colonial Architecture) and it exhibits collections of art of the colonial period as well as pieces related to the local architecture.
 Iglesia San Juan de Dios (Church)
It stands out for the presence on its main altar of the Holy Trinity, the only anthropomorphic representation of the Holy Spirit on the Island.
 Plaza de los Trabajadores (Square)
Located three blocks north of Parque Agramonte, it is a small triangular square that stands out for having in its center a centennial ceiba tree, and for having on its east side the  Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Tel 032 29 2740), whose construction was concluded in 1748 and keeps numerous relics that the illustrious people of the city donated like offering. Its magnificent altar has beautiful murals and elaborate ornaments.
 Casa Natal Ignacio Agramonte
459 Ignacio Agramonte between Independencia and Cisneros, Tel 032 29 7116
Located in a building representative of the manorial mansions of the eighteenth century, the museum provides a vision of the domestic life of the Agramonte family and specifically of one of its most illustrious children, Major General Ignacio Agramonte, who was born in a room on the second floor of this house on December 23, 1841. It was inaugurated as a museum in 1973 and has seven rooms that display photostatic copies, documents, photos, furniture, and personal objects of their original owners.
 Teatro Principal (Theater)
64 Padre Valencia between Tatán Méndez and Lugareño streets, Tel 032 29 3048
Built in 1850, it currently houses the Ballet de Camagüey (Ballet Dancing Company of Camaguey,) and hosts, as well, important cultural events.
 Parque Casino Campestre (Park)
Known as the “green heart” of Camagüey, it can be accessed through the historic and monumental Puente Hatibonico, built of stone and metal in 1773. It has lush trees and statues and commemorative monuments, such as one that recalls the record set by aviators Mariano Barberán and Joaquín Collar in 1933 when flying in a sesquiplane from Seville to Camagüey. The park has, among its attractions, a small zoo with specimens of African fauna.
Área Protegida de Recursos Manejados Sierra del Chorrillo (Protected Area)
Located southeast of Camagüey, it has an area of highlands of about 4 115 hectares. The reserve has two well-defined areas with semi-desert lowlands and tropical mountain forests. It shelters 110 species of higher plants, a species of endemic cactus, hutias and at least 80 species of birds. It also has the only fossil forest on the Island, the Najasa Fossil Forest, with fallen petrified trunks.
Cangilones del Río Máximo (Natural Pools)
Considered one of the beauties of the province, the cangilones of the river Máximo form a pool of white calcareous rock that extends for more than 500 m on the course of the river. This place is considered one of the most unique on the planet, since its formation dates back to 28 million years ago. Due to its unique beauty, it was declared Monumento Nacional (National Monument.)
Playa Santa Lucía (Beach)
With white sands and crystalline turquoise waters, this beach is the ideal place to practice scuba diving due to its proximity to the second largest barrier reef on the planet. It is the main tourist destination of the region, and has a 20 km long beach with numerous diving sites along the reef that allow to admire wrecks of the 19th and 20th centuries while enjoying a curious show: experienced guides feed friendly bull sharks directly from their hands.
Cayo Sabinal
It is part of a protected area next to the Romano and Guajaba keys. With 335 square km of surface and about 30 km of pristine beaches, its main accesses are through a causeway or a catamaran from Playa Santa Lucia. Here you can visit the Faro de Colón built in 1850 and the Ruinas del Fuerte San Hilario built in 1831 to protect the entrance of the bay of Nuevitas. The islet is characterized by having, as part of its fauna, cattle, horses and wild deer, as well as hutias, iguanas and turtles that inhabit the extensive area of the keys where controlled hunting is allowed.

10 suggestions where to eat

Casa Italia
Calle San Ramón No. 11 e/ Astillero y General Gómez
Telf.: +53 5 2712654

Restaurante 1800
Plaza San Juan de Dios No.113
Telf.: +53 32 283619

Melange Restaurant
Calle Cisneros, Esq. San Clemente
Telf.: +53 5 4337688

Mesón del Príncipe
Calle Astilleros No.7 e/ San Ramón y Lugareño
Telf.: +53 5 2404598

El Carmen
Calle Maceo No. 6 e/ general Gómez y Plaza Maceo
Telf.: +53 32 287902
Café Ciudad
Calle José Martí esq. Cisneros

Restaurante El Patio
Calle República No. 379 e/Sta. Rita y San Martín
Telf.: +53 32 241435

Santa Teresa
Avenida de la Victoria No. 12, Alturas del Casino
Telf.: +53 32 297108

Casona Miralles
Carretera Central No. 455 e/  Ojo de Agua
Telf.: +53 32 288179

El Cambio
Calle Martín No. 152
Telf.: +53 32 286240