... short for San Juan de Los Remedios. Its historic centre, the eight city founded by the Spanish conquistadores on the island (1515), built by the rich settlers who then moved north to found Santa Clara. Remedios was declared a National Monument in 1980.

Only town to have two churches in its centre : Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje and the Parroquia Mayor. It is a really quite a beautiful town, full of cultural events, icons and memories from its rich past.

Each December 24 — after the childrens' own fireworks event earlier in the month —, the town explodes in folly during the annual Parrandas, a parade of huge floats from various barrios along with non-stop fireworks (100,000, some say) exploding during the whole night. Like Rio in the 30's.

The Museo de las Parrandas has moved, enlarged, to calle Alejandro del Rio, between casas Real Sociedad and Casona Cueto. Done with high quality material and exhibits, its staff is amicable and very knowledgeable of the local and regional parades and competitions between local barrios. An absolute must-visit.

DISTANCES Caibarién, 10 Camaguey, 257 Cayo Las Brujas, 58 Cayo Santa Maria, 73 Cienfuegos, 101 Holguin, 455 La Habana, 300 Moron, 107 Pinar del Rio, 439 Rancho Querete, 57 Sagua la Grande, 90 San José del Lago, 84 Santa Clara, 45 Trinidad, 158 Yaguajay, 46 (Museo Camilo Cienfuegos)

MAPS & LINKS

MAP - TOWN CENTER WITH PHOTOS

MAP - ARCHITECTURE AND LANSCAPE

List of wi-fi zones in province

Map - Coast, Cayeria Norte to Cayo Santa Maria

Map - Regular town map

Map - Cuba's three center provinces - Nelles

Map - Updated Cayeria Norte map

Remedios web pages on culture

Map - North Coast from Sagua to Cayo Santa Maria

Schedule - National train to Santa Clara

Schedule - Local train Santa Clara - Remedios

Schedule - Viazul to Santa Clara Ruta 24 & Ruta 16

Island-wide bus skeds : San Juan de los Remedios

Currency exchange rates

Las Parrandas (Xmas Fireworks Folly) in 2006

All that's natural in Villa Clara province

All the Web particuba.net

BUCKET LIST The four major museums : Museo de La Musica Caturla (superb patio), Museo Las Parrandas (newly re-reopened), Museo de Historia and Museo de Historia del Azucar (in Marcelo Salado, out of town). The town's quietest and least-known patio is in the Biblioteca Municipal on Maceo. Don't spread the word, browse the old books while the paper survives the humidity. The two churches : Iglesia Parroquial Mayor and Iglesia del Buen Viaje; the two theatres : Teatro Villena and Teatro Guinol; and two great evening cultural & cabaret venues : Las Leyendas and Casa de la Cultura.

TRANSPORT TO AND FRO The Cubatur taxis in Santa Clara run on a preset fare of 33cuc. Shared taxis to the end of the cayos cost 50cuc for the day (up to four passengers). Scooter rentals at Via rentacar by the Louvre start at 30cuc for 24 hours. National bus line Viazul busses from Havana to/from Santa Clara. The schedule of Rutas 16 and 24 — link above. Another Viazul route, Circuito Norte, Ruta 64, leaves daily from Trinidad at 0715 through Cienfuegos and Santa Clara and passes here on its way to the cayos. Conectando Cuba (Transtur) leaves from Havana Vieja and Vedado hotels to the cayo resorts. Still another service, Conectando Havana (Gaviota) also goes to and from the cayos through Remedios. Local private taxis run to/fro Santa Clara for 15 to 20cuc. Bus terminal for local routes is on Honorato Garcia at the end of Pi y Margall.

POPULATION 49,706 (2015) in regional township (Municipio)

RESTAURANTS / BARS / PALADARS
Near the Museo del Vapor, towards Caibarien, the Curujey in a farm setting; in town the Louvre serves pizzas till 10 pm, right on main square; the Taberna de Ave Maria in the Mascotte; its menu includes El Pollo Parrandero and the Ajiaco Lucumí considered by many as Cuba's national dish.

Its bar, La Fonda by a fountain is said to remind of a local tradition during the pirate era when the plunderers came here to quench their thirst; La Fe and Driver's Bar (in Cuban pesos: a salad, chicken leg with rice - all tasty - will set you back 2 bucks).

The new Los 7 Juanes, in front of the Mascotte, sells wine by the bottle not by the glass. Why? Go figure. It has a well-stocked wine cellar with Champagne and a 1000$+ bottle of aged rum. Ask the ubiquitous (he also works at the Louvre and the Real) gentleman-barman Javier to narrate the legend behind the name. He can also tell you about the weird goings-on in the main square on June 24. La Estancia serves dinners; so does La Paloma and La Casona Cueto

HOTELS
The Mascotte is the town's oldest. It has kept its bar and barman (José has 30 years experience), boasts a new restaurant and has 8 bedrooms. Since 2012, three other small hotels have opened : the Hotel Barcelona, the Camino del Principe and the Real with 24, 26 and 8 bedrooms, outnumbered by the 100 or so bedrooms in the 60 casas which now rent in town. Below, our suggestions of some of the finest, modern, classic and colonial casas in Remedios. Carpe Diem !

PARRANDAS
The exhuberant fiestas involving competitions between barrios with fireworks and costumed parades take place every year all over Villa Clara province, mostly from the end of November to the end of the year. Here's the list : Taguayabón on the 27th of Nov. (barrio El Gallo vs barrio el Gavilán) then others in December : Crecencio Valdés (El Toro vs el Caballo), Muelas quietas (La Loma vs la Marina), Placetas (Zaza vs Fortun), Carrillo (La Fama vs El Mango), Remedios (El Carmen vs San Salvador), Remate de Ariosa (La Loma vs La Marina), Calabazar de Sagua (Sapos vs Chivos), Sagua la Chica (La Loma y La Marina), Cótica (El Tiburón vs el Manatí), El Santo (Carraguao vs Pavo Real), Caibarién (La Loma vs La Marina) Quemado de Güines (La Puya vs el Perejil) all on the 24th and in Zuluetas on the 31st (Guanijibe vs la Loma).
 

List and map : 21 must-see places of architectural significance in Remedios.


Jose Marti's bust sits in middle of one of the loveliest town plazas in the country : Plaza Isabel II.


The Museo de Musica Alejandro Garcia Caturla, symbol of the town's vast cultural heritage © sogestour •]• Main " sit & enjoy" place in town, El Louvre does not show works of art but snacks and drinks © sogestour


A huge engineering feat, the Pedraplen de la Cayeria Norte or causeway is 48 kilometers long of asphalt crossing about 35 bridges over the Cayeria Norte including Las Brujas, Ensenachos and at its end, Cayo Santa Maria and Perla Blanca beach with two options : the Natural Reserve's Las Gaviotas beach (4cuc entrance) or Las Terrazas (shops, showers, lockers, beach for a 5-cuc fee). © Unseen Cuba / Marius Jovaisa


Steam train rides are offered from the old Marcelo Salado sugar mill nearby on the way to Caibarien; now a sugar museum ©


As the largest of the six such centers in Cuba, the Cayo Santa María dolphinarium has 6 pools measuring 35 by 70 meters, where12 dolphins and a sea lion are cared for. Their living environment is a priority for the trainers and vets in charge of the preservation of these mammals. © yisel martinez garcia, granma


The town was the 8th (Octava) town founded in Cuba by the Spanish Conquistadores in 1515, thus the moniker La Octava Villa © Unseen Cuba / Marius Jovaisa


Some Remedianos call it la "casa de vidria". Others, its rightful name "El Chalet". Any way you want it, the house is unique in Cuba, its style being Art Deco. Moon Guides have named it one of the Top 10 Casas on the island. We concur : it is first on our list. The patio is for its lucky guests. © sogestour


View of rooftops from atop the Campanario, the Saint-John the Baptist church steeple; on the horizon, mountain range divides road to Santa Clara at 45 km north © sogestour


What you see is what you get : a pool table atop a casa particular. Guests can play all night if they so wish at casa El Laberinto de Duarveras, where Jorge and spouse Maylet meet and greet weary viajeros and billiards aficionados. © sogestour

SEE.KNOW.DO
• Centro Histórico Urbano de la ciudad de Remedios : declared Cuban Monumento Nacional since 1980, the historical center spreads over 45 hectares and numbers some 64 blocks of which 29 have patrimonial value of the first order • Plaza Marti (Plaza Isabel II) is made up of three smaller placetas (Parque de la Libertad with a statue of marble imported from Carrara, Italia, Plaza de las Madres and Plaza de las Actividades). Right by, sits the famous Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Juan Bautista : stunning, filled with well-preserved gold icons, it is an absolute must-see. The house guide, a laid-back kinda guy can show the hyper-famosa (if closed, enter from the back) has been giving visits for at least 50 years. Please make a donation • Museo de Música Alejandro Garcia Caturla (Parque Marti No 5) dedicated to the memory of this extraordinary local persona (google it). Besides having been a great musician, he was a political reformer, criminal expert who was gunned down in 1940. Among his 11 children and numerous grand-childs, two attained music fame : Teresa with the Afro Cuban All Stars, Ibrahim Ferrer, etc and Fabian, bassist with Omara Portuondo and others.

SEE.KNOW.DO.MORE
• Museo Municipal Francisco Javier Balmaseda (calle Maceo 56) : its 9 show rooms are dedicated to the 480 years of local history from founding fathers to recent heroes • Museo de las Parrandas Remedianas (Maximo Goméz No 71), first museum dedicated to PopArt in Cuba, it tells all about the year-end, annual 185-year old parrandas • Galeria de Arte Carlos Enriquez (Parque Marti No 2) run by the FBC (Fondo de Bienes culturales) on main plaza central : paintings by local artists (Fernando Betancourt, Amaury García, Justo González, etc) and Cuban artists on tour • Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje • Museo del Vapor (halfway to Caibarien) dedicated to, as name says, the venerable steam locomotives; located in tiny village of Reforma where lies the Marcelo Salado sugar mill. One can visit and — with luck and enough cucs (5 or so) — take a short train ride from here in Remedios • Artex Boutique, near Hotel Mascotte has music, clothing, some books in English, souvenirs and — a nice new item available all over the country — shower curtains (7,50cuc) showing enlarged Cuban art work.

•} Find a bike, rent a scooter or get yourself a chauffeured 57 Chevy {•
Jinaguayabo (5 km) tiny town with a disused palace and 2.4 km further, the Campismo 2.4 km on seaside. Not for the beach but for the free pool and the (really) cheap food.	Buenavista (20 km) is a very well named (good view) village. From its motel, an vista unparalleled in all Cuba : an endless palm grove and the sugar factory of Zulueta.	Museo AA (7 km) a former sugar factory : best Cuban collection of steam locos. Top-notch guides. Go there by bike and put it on the train for the return to Remedios - included in price.	Museo CC in Yaguajay (45 km). CC for Camilo Cienfuegos (KMilo 100 Fuegos), chummy with the Che. Still no one knows where his body is. His soul is part of every Cuban.
Parque nacional Caguanes (97 km) spreads over land and sea for 2,249 hectares. Parts include Ciénaga de la Guayabera, the Sierra de Meneses y Cueto and the Cordillera del Nordeste de Las Villas. Its fauna includes 87 endemic species (found only in Cuba) and its flora some 233 types as varied in colour as in shapes.		A family lunch in Caibarien (8 km), just behind the Cupet (service station) at town entrance. The restaurant name is En Familia, the owner Emilia, portions are magnanimous and the reviews unanimous. Go downhill by bike. You will burn those calories going back up a false flat road to your Remedios casa.

EXCURSIONS
• Going North, take the 2-cuc pedraplen (13 km away after Caibarien) and drive over Buena Vista bay and its Cayo Cobos, Cayo Las Brujas, Cayo Borracho, Cayo Ensenachos and the last and largest, Cayo Santa Maria (beaches, all-inclusive hotels and fauna and flora refuges) Map here. • Going West, take the scenic, empty and lovely road called Costalera Norte to Yaguajay, site of the great Museo Camilo Cienfuegos. 80 bucolic km's there and back • Going East, discover, 57k away the nature of Sierra Guamuhaya where thermal waters and health treatments abound at Villa San Jose del Lago, 84 km east of here near Mayajigua — on lovely grounds around a small placid lake from 30 to 63cuc per person per day, with or without meals for the room, "treatments" extra; on the way there (46 km) or back, stop at the Camilo Cienfuegos Memorial in Yaguajay.• Going East also, travelers will enjoy to the max, the basins of Rancho Querete in Sierra Meneses in the nature reserve of Jobo Rosado, part of Parque Nacional Caguanes near Yaguajay, 57 km east of Remedios, past Meneses. Visitors will also find there La cueva de Valdez (grotto) and Las Solapas de Genaro (waterfalls - photo above). Access may be limited, better check with Ecotur (41) 55-4930 in Yaguajay or with your casa owner.

(RE-)NEW BUS SERVICE TO THE CAYOS
The very popular Circuito Norte bus circuit which originates daily in Trinidad and goes through Cienfuegos, Santa Clara and Remedios (passing here at 12:35 pm), then Caibarien has been restaured. Now (since 2015) it goes on to cayos Las Brujas, Ensenachos and Santa Maria. Sked here
 

PLAYAS
On the Cayeria Norte : Megano lies on Cayo Ensenachos, Las Brujas, which some say is the loveliest in Cuba [in slideshow above, seen from the hotel's lookout/bar; also, Perla Blanca (with the Las Terrazas, at the very end of the pedraplen), Santa Maria (details on that cayo's many beaches here). Best bet (and only choice, really) for enjoying a beach without going through an all-inclusive hotel (charging 25-35 cuc for the day) is to share a taxi (50cuc for 4 - casas can arrange this) to Las Gaviotas beach in the national park (4cuc fee) or Las Terrazas (shops, lockers, showers) and Playa Perla Blanca (5cuc fee).photo © sogestour

EL CHALET
Two ac br's, (one upstairs), ensuites, patio
Brigadier González 29, e/José A. Peña y Independencia, one block from main square, Plaza Isabel II. Tel. (42) 39-6538, cel. 58 09 77 15

CASA RICHARD
Three aircon br, ensuites, large patio, wifi
Maceo 52, e/ Fe del Valle y Cupertino Garcia, near the Museo Municipal, 3 blocks from main plaza. Tél. (42) 39-66-49 cell 52 94 02 85

LAS CHINITAS
Three aircon bedrooms, ensuite, terraces
Independencia 21, entre Brigadier y Maceo, about 50 m from Parque Marti and wifi zone. Tel. (42) 39-7116

NATALIA
Whole ground floor, one ac br, quiet
José Antonio Peña 83, town center, steps from main square, e/ Maceo y Carmen, across from casa Omara Carrillo. Cel. 54 35 27 70 Darya, the owner; tel. (42) 39-52-99 (Omara, her mother)

LA ESTANCIA + PALADAR
Four ac bedrooms with ensuites, patio
Camilo Cienfuegos No 34, town center, by the Villena Teatro. Tel. (42) 39-55-82 cel 51 40 47 10


 

LA KAROLYNA
One ac bedroom, ensuite, patio, terraces
Maceo 68, e/ Fe del Valle y Cupertino Garcia, two blocks from the main plaza - and wifi zone. Tél. (42) 39-6649 cell 53 59 33 03

VILLA COLONIAL FRANK y ARELIS
Six ac bedrooms with ensuites, patio, wifi
Antonio Maceo 43, entre Avenida General Carrillo y Fe del Valle, near the Museo Municipal, 150m from main plaza. Tel. (42) 39-62-74, cel. 52 47 57 26

BUEN VIAJE
Three ac bedrooms with ensuites, patio
Andrés del Rio, No. 20, e/ Enrique Malaret y Maximo Gomez, 150 m from Plaza Isabel II Tel. (42) 39-65-60 cel. 54 58 41 25

LA RUEDA
Two ac bedrooms with ensuites, patio
Independencia No. 35, entre Hermanos García y Antonia Romero Tel. (42) 39-59-15 cel. 55 40 11 87

CASA YOHN
Two aircon bedrooms, ensuites, patio
Independencia 24 entre calles Brigadier González y Gonzalo de Quesada, walking distance to Plaza Isabel II. Tel. (42) 39-52-40 cel. 52 47 47 55

LA PALOMA + PALADAR
Three aircon bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms
Balmaseda #4, e/ Ramiro Capablanca y Maximo Gomez, on Plaza Isabel II. Also a paladar (private restaurant). Tel. (42) 39-54-90 cel. 52 71 10 33

HOSTAL EL BALCON
Upstairs, two ac br's, ensuites, patio
Calle Jose A. Peña 20A, e/José Agustin y Prospero Perez, less than 300 m from Plaza Isabel. Tel. (42) 39-5874 cel 53 94 26 07

HOSTAL HILDA JyP V
Three ac bedrooms with ensuites, patio
Jesus Crespo 79 e/ Alejandro del Rio y Lagunas, steps from main square Plaza Isabel II. Tel. (42)

 

Content & photos © sogestour



Updated 07.06.2021