Cuba - Lonely Planet [195]
Taller de Cerámica Artística (Map; 9am-7pm) Next door to Galería de Arte Varadero, here you can buy fine artistic pottery (they’re made on the premises). Most items are in the CUC$200 to CUC$250 range.
Bazar Varadero Publicigraf (Map; cnr Av 1 & Calle 44; 9am-7pm) In Parque Central. It’s a good place for ceramics, reproductions of famous paintings, artistic postcards, dolls, wall hangings, T-shirts and books. A clothing boutique is adjacent.
Kawama Sport (Map; cnr Av 1 & Calle 60; 9am-8pm) Forgot your swimming trucks, snorkel, running shoes? Look no further.
Centro Todo en Uno (Map; cnr Autopista Sur & Calle 54) A medium-sized mall with a bowling alley and amusements for kids.
Photo Service (Map; 66-72-91; Calle 63 btwn Avs 2 & 3; 9am-10pm) Come here for all your photo needs.
A small flea market opposite the Hotel Acuazul, ARTex Handicraft Market (Map; cnr Av 1 & Calle 12; 9am-9pm) has an excellent selection of CDs, cassettes, T-shirts and even a few musical instruments. Also check out the proper ARTex store (Map; Av 1 between Calles 46 and 47).
For a hint of American-style consumerism and the shape of things to come, head to Plaza América (Map), Varadero’s and Cuba’s largest shopping complex. Here you’ll find fancy boutiques, music shops, cigar store, bars, restaurants, a bank, a post office, a minimarket ( 10am-8:30pm), car rental desks, absolutely everything – oh, and the Varadero Convention Center.
Caracol shops in the main hotels sell souvenirs, postcards, T-shirts, clothes, alcohol and some snack foods. The prices are usually as good as those elsewhere.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport (airport code VRA; Map; 61-30-16) is 20km from central Varadero toward Matanzas and another 4km off the main highway. Airlines here include Cubana from Buenos Aires and Toronto; LTU International Airways from Düsseldorf and four other German cities; Martinair from Amsterdam; and Air Transat and Skyservice from various Canadian cities. The check-in time at Varadero is 90 minutes before flight time.
Note that there are no domestic flights into Varadero.
BUS
Terminal de Ómnibus (Map; 61-26-26; cnr Calle 36 & Autopista Sur) has daily air-con Víazul ( 61-48-86; 7am-noon & 1-7pm) buses to a few destinations.
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BUS TIMETABLE
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All Havana buses stop at Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport (CUC$6, 25 minutes) and Matanzas (CUC$6, one hour). The Trinidad bus calls in at Santa Clara and Cienfuegos (CUC$17, four hours 30 minutes). The Santiago bus stops in Cárdenas (CUC$6, 20 minutes), Colón (CUC$6, one hour 30 minutes), Santa Clara, Sancti Spíritus (CUC$17, five hours), Ciego de Ávila (CUC$19, six hours 15 minutes), Camagüey (CUC$25), Las Tunas (CUC$33), Holguín (CUC$38) and Bayamo (CUC$41).
If you have the time, you can get to Havana by catching the Víazul bus to Matanzas and taking the Hershey Railway from there.
Aside from the new 9:25pm Víazul bus to Cárdenas, you can go local on bus 236, which departs every hour or so from next to a small tunnel marked ‘Ómnibus de Cárdenas’ outside the main bus station. You can also catch this bus at the corner of Av 1 and Calle 13 (CUC$1).
Another easy way to get to Havana is on one of the regular tour buses booked through the tour desk at your hotel or at any Havanatur/Cubanacán office. It’s possible to buy just transport between Varadero and Havana for CUC$25/30 for one way/round-trip. These buses collect passengers right at the hotel door, so you’ll save money on taxi links.
CAR
You can hire a car from practically every hotel in town and prices are pretty generic between the different makes and models. Once you’ve factored in fuel and insurance, a standard car will cost you approximately CUC$80 a day – not cheap!
Aside from the hotel reps, you can