Matanzas Province · Cuba
Matanzas travel guide
Matanzas is a city in Matanzas Province, Cuba, home to about 152,000 people.
- Best months
- November to March
- Nearest airport
- VRA14 km · Juan Gualberto Gomez International Airport
- Currency
- CUPCuban peso
- Time zone
- America/Havana
- Language
- Spanish
About
About Matanzas
Matanzas developed around sugar plantations. This led to the area having a large slave presence to work the plantations, which is why there is a large large Afro-Cuban presence in Matanzas to this day. The area's African heritage can be experienced in the city's Afro-Cuban music scene and the practice of Santeria (the Afro-Cuban flavor of Yoruba religion from what is now Nigeria and Benin). As a result of a sugar boom in the 19th century, the city was nicknamed the Athens of Cuba, a monicker that can still be seen around the city today.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Matanzas
See
- Cuevas de Bellemar
- Saturno Cave
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Matanzas to stay in
The city has plenty of casa particulars, which can be found by walking around the city center (from the theater up to and around the parque de libertad).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Matanzas
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Matanzas are November to March. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; September is the wettest, with about 208 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Matanzas: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Juan Gualberto Gomez International Airport (VRA), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; José Martí International Airport (HAV, 86 km) is also within reach.
Getting in
Viazul runs buses from Havana and Varadero three times a day. The cost from Havana is ~US$7. There are several trains to Havana, Santa Clara and Camagüey, as well as overnight service on alternate days to Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus and Santiago de Cuba. The Hershey electric trains between Matanzas and Havana stopped running in the middle of 2017. For drivers/cyclists, the Via Blanca comes into Matanzas from Havana and Varadero.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
VRA · Juan Gualberto Gomez International Airport
HAV · José Martí International Airport
Questions
Matanzas: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Matanzas?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Matanzas are November to March. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; September is the wettest, with about 208 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Matanzas?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Juan Gualberto Gomez International Airport (VRA), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; José Martí International Airport (HAV, 86 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Matanzas?
Cuban peso (CUP).
Nearby
Destinations near Matanzas
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.