The legacy of this short-lived sugar-boom wealth can be seen in the town's baroque church towers. The most impressive of all Trinidad's many museums must be Museo Histórico Municipal. Baracoa sits on a headland between two picturesque bays near Cuba's easternmost point, Cabo Maisí. Founded in 1512 by Diego Velázquez, this is Cuba's oldest European settlement. The town was accessible only by sea until the 1960s when a road finally connected it to the outside world. Things are pretty laid back in Baracoa and the abundance of palm trees along this coast give it a South Pacific feel. Go see the three impressive forts which evidence the fact that this was an important Spanish outpost: Fuerte Matachín, Fuerte de la Punta and El Castillo de Seboruco. Camagüey, in the centre of the island, was founded in the early 16th century and suffered many attacks by pirates. As a result, the inhabitants designed it differently. Where most colonial towns work on a grid system, in Camagüey no two roads run parallel, with the aim of confusing intruders in a maze of streets.

Naturalists will love Pinar del Río Province with two UNESCO biosphere reserves with some of the country's loveliest landscapes, including parts of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, a hiker's paradise. The province's limestone bedrock has been carved into the surreal and beautiful pincushion hills for which Viñales is famous, while the entire area is riddled with caves carved by underground rivers, some of which make for great diving. Soothe your sore muscles at San Diego de los Baños, a century-old Spanish spa and natural hot spring. After a relaxing soak, you just want to smoke a fine cigar under a palm tree. The province's pride and joy: the finest cigar tobacco in Cuba, hence the world, is grown with the sort of love and attention most people reserve for their own children. Cuba is famous for Varadero and offshore Cayos Largo and Coco, a spit of land stretching for miles with a sandy beach all along one side, which has attracted tourists since the beginning of the 20th century. However, visitors come away with the feeling that they have not seen Cuba. Some of Cuba's finest beaches are just outside Trinidad. Try also to the places where Cubans are not excluded, such as Guanabo, near Havana, or the beaches east of Santiago de Cuba. The little-visited Zapata Peninsula or the Bahia de Naranjo Nature Park offer the chance to swim with the dolphins.

The coral is in excellent condition, and there are also turtles, dolphins, grouper, whale sharks, moray eels, rays, barracuda and other large creatures to be seen Go scuba diving, deep sea fishing, bonefishing, windsurfing, sailing etc.. Wherever you go in Cuba you will be accompanied by music. There are musicians playing live in nearly every hotel or restaurant and their rhythms will leave a lasting impression. In nearly every town there is a Casa de la Trova, where you can hear the different styles of Cuban music for the price of a rum. The Cuban jazz, salsa and the son, the mamba and the rumba are internationally famous.You'll soon be swinging, swaying and a swishing to the sounds of Cuba.