TAKE A BREAK IN SANTA CLARA

Start your walk in the main square Parque Vidal. A large central park surrounded by restaurants and shops. The buildings have different architecture. It’s quite an original mix. Continue your visit by the Santa Clara pedestrian boulevard. The avenue is completely different from the rest of the city due to its many shops. A contrast with the rest of the city.
Marta Abreu street is, I think, the essential street if you want to go out. During the day there were many bars with musics. A good atmosphere. Walk to the Cathedral of Santa Clara de Asís to admire the interior with a huge statue at the entrance.
The city center is not very big. The tour can be done in one hour.

Santa Clara is best known for the Cuban Revolution led by Che Guevara and his men in the city. And you can see it when you go to Che Guevara Revolution Square (Plaza de la Revolución), there’s a huge statue in memory of Che! The statues next to it and the writings represent part of the history of this man in Cuba. The statues are actually on the roof of the museum about Che Guevara, and his mausoleum. To access it, you have to go around the building, the entrance is behind the statues. You must leave your backpack not far from the entrance, it’s free, but you can leave a tip if you wish. In the museum about the life of Che there are many exhibits, as well as photos. But there was little explanation about his life in general and what he did. It’s a shame because we leave without really knowing its history. In front of the museum there is the beautiful mausoleum of Che and some other people. But same thing, we don’t really know who they are, or why they are there.
To continue in the footsteps of Che, go to the monument of the armored train (Monumento al tren blindado). This refers to the attack of Che and his men in December 1958, which derailed trains carrying weapons and soldiers during the Cuban Revolution. Several trains are arranged there, with pictures inside. But as usual in Cuba, I couldn’t see inside because it was closed (even if it was supposed to be open of course). There are some explanations in Spanish but few.
In general, for Santa Clara, I really missed a guide. If you have the opportunity, try to see with your casa if they know one. There are few explanations in museums, and I left there without really knowing what I had just visited. That’s a shame.

Entrance to the Che museum and mausoleum: free
Entrance to the monument on the armored train: free