Cuba - Lonely Planet [256]
GROCERIES
Mercado agropecuario (Chicho Valdés Oeste btwn Agramonte & Fernando Callejas) There is a vegetable market located in a blemished part of town below the overpass.
Supermercado Cruz Verde (cnr Independencia & Marcial Gómez; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun) Sells groceries in one of Ciego’s grandest fin de siècle buildings.
For bread, look no further than Panadería Doña Neli (Doce Plantas, cnr Honorato del Castillo & Libertad), which also displays tempting sweet pastries.
Drinking
La Confronta (cnr Marcial Gómez & Joaquín Agüero) Amid the well-worn bar stools and Benny Moré paraphernalia you can sample 25 different varieties of cocktail and all the prices are in Cuban pesos, a tempting proposition for a Convertible-loaded traveler. There’s also a limited food menu.
La Fontana ( 20-21-79; cnr Independencia & Antonio Maceo; 6am-2pm & 3-11pm) Ciego’s famous coffee institution has lost its shine since a recent renovation failed to evoke the atmosphere of yore. For the caffeine-starved, it’s OK – if you don’t mind drinking your coffee in a thick fog of cigarette smoke.
Entertainment
For traditional music it’s a dice-roll. Casa de la Trova Miguel Angel Luna (Libertad No 130) has Thursday night regional trovadores, the Casa de la Cultura ( 22-39-74; Independencia No 76 btwn Antonio Maceo & Honorato del Castillo) has a Wednesday danzón club, and the Patio de ARTex (Libertad btwn Antonio Maceo & Honorato del Castillo; admission 5 pesos) has a bit of everything; check the cartelera (culture calendar) out front.
For total spontaneity hit the streets on a Saturday night for the wonderful Noches Avileñas spread over various venues including the main park and Museo de Artes Decorativas. Every Sunday morning at 10am a brass band plays in Parque Martí.
If you’re in the mood to catch a film, try Cine Carmen ( 22-33-87; Antonio Maceo No 51), on the corner of Calle Libertad, with big-screen and video offerings daily (don’t miss the big movie projector spilling film on the Libertad side of the building), or Cine Iriondo ( 22-33-04; cnr Joaquín Agüero Oeste & Antonio Maceo).
Slightly tacky discos haunt the hotels: there’s La Macarena ( 22-56-03; Independencia Oeste No 57 btwn Antonio Maceo & Honorato del Castillo) in the Cuban-only Hotel Sevilla and the El Batanga (admission per couple CUC$3; 10pm-2am) in the Hotel Ciego de Ávila Click here. If you have delusions of stardom, head straight for the karaoke scene at Discoteca Colibrí ( 26-62-19; cnr Máximo Gómez & Honorato del Castillo; admission CUC$1; 10pm-3am).
Shopping
Vide Cuba (Independencia No 171 btwn Agramonte & Simón Reyes; 8:30am-8:30pm, closed Sun) This store will service all your basic camera needs.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Ciego de Ávila’s Máximo Gómez Airport (airport code AVI; 26-66-26; Carretera a Virginia) is 10km northwest of Ceballos, 23km north of Ciego de Ávila and 23km south of Morón. Cubana ( 33-25-31; Chicho Valdés No 83 btwn Honorato del Castillo & Antonio Maceo) has weekly flights to Havana (CUC$78 one way, 1½ hours).
International flights arrive daily from Canada, Argentina, France, the UK and Italy and visitors are bussed off to Cayo Coco.
BUS
The bus station ( 22-24-07; Carretera Central), situated about 1.5km east of the center, has daily Víazul services.
The Santiago de Cuba departure also stops at Camagüey (CUC$6, one hour 35 minutes), Las Tunas (CUC$13, four hours 25 minutes), Holguín (CUC$17, five hours 40 minutes) and Bayamo (CUC$17, seven hours). The Havana bus stops at Sancti Spíritus (CUC$6, two hours) and Santa Clara (CUC$9, three hours 20 minutes). For Víazul tickets, see the jefe de turno (shift manager); the office is right near the normal ticket window.
TRAIN
The train station ( 22-33-13) is located six blocks southwest of the center. Ciego de Ávila is on the main Havana–Santiago railway line. There are nightly trains to Bayamo (CUC$11, seven hours), Camagüey (CUC$3, two hours 10 minutes), Guantánamo (CUC$17, 9½ hours), Havana (CUC$16, 7½ hours), Holguín (CUC$11, seven hours), Manzanillo