Cuba
Varadero
Cuba's longest and most famous stretch of white sand, on a peninsula built for doing very little.
Varadero is Cuba's biggest beach resort, a narrow strip of the Hicacos Peninsula in Matanzas province where Varadero Beach runs for some 20 km of fine white sand and shallow turquoise water. It is the country's all-inclusive heartland, an easy base for snorkelling, catamaran trips and day runs to Havana and Matanzas.
Suggested stay
5–7 days
Language
Spanish
Currency
CUP
Timezone
UTC-4
Why you'll love Varadero
The beach Varadero Beach is a near-unbroken 20 km ribbon of soft white sand with calm, clear, shallow water.
Easy reef time Catamaran and snorkel trips to the offshore cays show off coral in some of the clearest water in Cuba.
Low effort The all-inclusive model means flights, transfers, meals and drinks are sorted, ideal for a pure switch-off week.
Beyond the sand Colonial Matanzas, the El Nicho waterfalls and Havana's old town are all within day-trip reach.
Best time to visit
Nov-Apr
27-32° days
23.150° N, 81.260° W
UTC-4 · America/Havana
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Weather & when to go to Varadero
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Nov-Apr
Watch for Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk · Jun monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Varadero
June is the soggy, sticky start of the wet and hurricane season (which peaks Sep-Oct), and Cuba's 2024-2026 grid blackouts and food shortages mean resorts often run on generators, so bring essentials and patience.
Top things to do in Varadero
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Varadero Beach - walk the 20 km of Hicacos sand
scenic 👍 PopularThe whole Hicacos Peninsula is one unbroken white-sand beach with shallow turquoise water, with kayaking, sailing and Hobie Cat rentals in front of most hotels. Head east past the big resorts toward the tip for the quietest stretches, and walk the sand after a storm, when the swell drops shells and fossils into the tide pools.
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Playa Coral and Cueva de Saturno - snorkel the reef, then swim in a cave
nature wildlife adventure ⭐ Highly recommendedPlaya Coral, about 20 km west of town, has reef in a protected area right off the beach (seahorses are sometimes spotted), and Cueva de Saturno near the airport is a cave with a deep, clear freshwater swimming hole. A combined tour starts around CUP 22,500 (charged as USD 45 at the Banco Central de Cuba official floating rate of roughly CUP 500 per USD); tour and entry prices are charged in foreign currency.
-
Cayo Blanco - catamaran day sail with snorkelling
scenic nature wildlife 👍 PopularThe classic Varadero excursion: a full-day catamaran from the peninsula's marinas to the white sand of Cayo Blanco, with a snorkel stop, open bar and lobster or seafood lunch. Expect from about CUP 37,500 per adult (charged as USD 75 at the official floating rate of roughly CUP 500 per USD), shorter 3-hour sails run nearer CUP 34,500 (USD 69).
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Cayo Piedras del Norte - dive the scuttled wreck park
adventure nature wildlifeAbout an hour's boat ride north, this underwater park has deliberately sunk ships and military hardware sitting around 30 m down, plus reef sites like Las Mandarinas with eels and groupers closer in. Dives are booked through the peninsula's dive centres and paid in foreign currency.
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Cueva de Ambrosio and Varahicacos Reserve - pre-Columbian cave art
history nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedNear the tip of the peninsula, the small Varahicacos Ecological Reserve has short trails through cactus scrub and coastal forest, and Cueva de Ambrosio, a lit cave of interconnected galleries with pre-Columbian drawings and a resident bat colony. A cool escape from the midday sun; a small entry fee is charged in foreign currency.
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Mansion Xanadu - Du Pont's 1930 clifftop house
history scenicBuilt for the American industrialist Irenee Du Pont, the hacienda-style mansion is now a small hotel, restaurant and clubhouse for the Varadero Golf Club, Cuba's only 18-hole course. Go for a sunset drink in the top-floor bar with sea views on three sides, or a tour of the original interiors.
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Parque Josone - gardens, ponds and rowboats in town
scenicA shaded park in central Varadero with lawns, a lake, rowboat and paddle-boat rental and a couple of restaurants, the most local-feeling green space on the strip. Entry is free.
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Casa del Ron and paladares - eat and drink your way around Varadero
foodTaste Cuban rums before you buy at Casa del Ron and pick up cigars at the official Casa del Habano rather than from street sellers. For food, skip the resort buffet for a night and walk to the privately run paladares in the town end of the peninsula for grilled lobster, ropa vieja and fresh fish; bills are usually quoted in USD or EUR.
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Avenida Primera craft markets - shop for handmade crochet and carvings
shopping culture artsArtisan stalls in town sell crochet dresses, hand-carved wood, paintings and leather, and are one of the few places on the peninsula to chat with local Cubans. Bring cash; sellers often price in foreign currency but take CUP.
Best areas to stay in Varadero
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Downtown Varadero (town end)
Independent travellers $Walkable grid of casas, paladares and beach
Explore hotels in Downtown Varadero (town end) →
Central resort strip
Families and package holidays $$Big all-inclusives lining the white sand
Explore hotels in Central resort strip →
Punta Hicacos (eastern tip)
Couples seeking seclusion $$$Remote luxury resorts near Varahicacos reserve
Explore hotels in Punta Hicacos (eastern tip) →
Santa Marta
Budget travellers $Everyday Cuban neighbourhood off the peninsula
Explore hotels in Santa Marta →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Varadero
Getting to & around Varadero
Getting there
Fly into VRA, 30-40 min by taxi to the hotel strip
Flight
Juan Gualberto Gomez International Airport (VRA)
About 25 km west of the hotel strip; a taxi takes 30-40 min for roughly CUP 12500-17500 (charged as USD 25-35 at about CUP 500 per USD, agree the fare first), and pre-booked agency or package transfers run about CUP 4000-10000 per person.
Coach
Viazul terminal, Calle 36 y Autopista Sur
Viazul from Havana takes about 3 hr with two to four daily departures, roughly CUP 6500-10000 (charged as USD 13-20 at about CUP 500 per USD); book ahead in high season.
Drive
From Havana (or HAV airport) a shared colectivo taxi runs about CUP 12500-17500 per person (USD 25-35) and a private taxi about CUP 47500-60000 per car (USD 95-120), around 2-2.5 hr along the coast road.
Getting around
Hop-on hop-off bus
Open-top Varadero Beach Tour runs the peninsula roughly every 30 min with 40-plus stops at hotels and shops.
CUP 2500 day ticket (charged as USD 5)
Taxi
Any hop within Varadero; meters are rarely used, so fix the price before you get in.
CUP 2500-5000 (USD 5-10)
Classic car
Chauffeured vintage American convertibles for a short ride or town tour.
CUP 7500-15000 (USD 15-30)
Horse carriage
Coches de caballo do slow town loops along Avenida Primera.
CUP 5000 per person (USD 10)
Day trips from Varadero
Havana
Full dayColonial capital
Hotel tour desks run Havana days covering Old Havana's plazas, the Capitolio and a classic-car spin along the Malecon; it is a long day, so many visitors prefer a night or two in the city instead.
Getting there
tour | car
2-2.5 hr by tour coach or private car
Matanzas
Half dayCity of bridges
The nearby provincial capital of rivers and bridges, with the 300,000-year-old Bellamar Caves on its edge and boat trips up the Canimar River.
Getting there
car | bus
35-45 min by taxi or Viazul bus
Saturno Cave
Half daySwimmable cenote
A freshwater cave pool of turquoise water under rock formations, usually paired with snorkelling at Playa Coral or a Canimar River jeep safari.
Getting there
car | tour
20-25 min by taxi or tour
Bay of Pigs
Full dayHistory and reefs
Stops at Boca de Guama's crocodile farm and Treasure Lagoon in the Zapata wetlands, then Playa Larga and Playa Giron for the 1961 invasion museum and reef snorkelling.
Getting there
tour | car
2.5 hr by tour or car
A little history of Varadero
Varadero sits on the Hicacos Peninsula, a narrow spit off Cuba's north coast whose tip, Punta Hicacos, is the island's northernmost point. The name is usually traced to the Spanish verb varar, to beach a boat, because the gentle shore suited ship repairs, and salt works on the peninsula supplied Spanish fleets for centuries.
The town itself began in 1887 as a summer retreat for families from neighbouring Cardenas. Wealthy Cubans and Americans followed in the early 20th century, most famously Irenee du Pont, whose Xanadu mansion still stands above the beach, and after 1959 the grand private houses passed to the state as the strip was steadily turned into Cuba's main resort coast.
First recorded mention of Varadero; the peninsula's salt works go on to supply Spanish fleets.
Town founded on 5 December when ten Cardenas families win permission to build summer homes and approve the first street plan.
The annual Varadero rowing regatta begins, cementing the beach as a society summer resort.
Irenee du Pont buys land on the peninsula and builds Xanadu, a four-storey clifftop mansion with its own dock.
After the Cuban Revolution the peninsula's private mansions are expropriated; Xanadu reopens as a restaurant in 1963.
What Varadero costs
Per person, per day · converted from CUP
Shoestring
$22,500–35,000 CUP /day
Most tourist spending is charged in USD or EUR; figures converted at the Banco Central de Cuba official floating rate, about CUP 500 per USD. Covers a casa particular double near the bus station (Calle 36 and Avenida Primera, around CUP 13000-17500), casa breakfast (about CUP 2500), cheap paladar or street meals and the hop-on beach bus.
Midrange
$50,000–90,000 CUP /day
Most tourist spending is charged in USD or EUR; converted at about CUP 500 per USD. A better casa or 3-star hotel (around CUP 40000-60000), sit-down paladar meals with cocktails, taxis along the peninsula and a catamaran or snorkel excursion now and then.
Comfort
$100,000–200,000 CUP /day
All-inclusive resorts along the eastern peninsula, per person per day with meals, drinks and non-motorised water sports included. Most tourist spending is charged in USD or EUR; converted at about CUP 500 per USD. Top-end adults-only resorts run higher.
Prices are planning estimates.
Know before you go
Payment
Cash only
English
Limited
Wifi
Limited
~5 Mbps
Power
Type A / B
120 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+53
Bring cash. Foreign cards and ATMs are unreliable to unusable here, so plan on carrying what the trip needs and changing money on arrival.
Cyclones & hurricanes risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
Monsoon flooding risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Varadero
▸ When is the best time to visit Varadero?
November-April is the sweet spot, with dry, sunny days, warm sea and lower humidity, and January-April plus November-December are the standout months. May and July-October still work for a beach holiday but are hotter, wetter and fall inside the Atlantic hurricane season (June-November, with the highest risk usually August-October), so book flexible fares and insurance. June is the month to avoid, as the rainy season peaks.
▸ How many days do you need in Varadero?
Most visitors stay 4-7 days, which is enough for beach time, a catamaran trip out to the cays and a day trip to Havana or Matanzas. Two or three nights works as a beach add-on to a wider Cuba trip.
▸ Is Varadero safe for tourists, and what about power cuts?
Varadero is one of the most visitor-focused places in Cuba and violent crime against tourists is rare; petty theft from beaches and rooms is the main thing to guard against. The bigger issue is infrastructure: Cuba has suffered long, unpredictable nationwide blackouts and fuel shortages, including a full grid collapse in October 2024. Large resorts generally run generators and were prioritised for reconnection, but private rentals and restaurants may lose power or water, so pack a torch and power bank and check your government's advisory and your airline's Cuba updates before travel.
▸ Do I need a visa or tourist card for Varadero?
Most visitors need Cuba's electronic visa, which replaced the paper tourist card from July 2025; old paper cards are no longer accepted for entry from 1 January 2026. You also need a passport valid for six months, travel insurance with medical cover, and the D'Viajeros online form completed before arrival. US citizens face separate US rules: plain tourism is not permitted, so travel must fit one of the 12 authorised categories, most often Support for the Cuban People, which involves using private lodging and businesses rather than state-run resorts. Check official Cuban e-visa and US Treasury guidance before booking.
▸ What money should I bring to Varadero, and do cards work?
Cuba's only official currency is the Cuban peso (CUP); the old convertible peso was withdrawn in 2021. Bring cash in euros, Canadian dollars or pounds, which change most easily, and exchange at official CADECA booths, banks or hotels. US-issued cards do not work at all, non-US cards are hit-and-miss outside big hotels, and ATMs are unreliable, so carry enough cash for taxis, tips and private restaurants. Foreign currency equivalent to USD 5,000 or more must be declared on arrival.
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