Varadero

Varadero is a popular resort town in Cuba, and one of the largest in the Caribbean. It is situated on a peninsula some 140 kilometres east of Havana. The peninsula is only 1.2 km wide at its widest point. It slopes to the northeast, where its tip Punta Hicacos is the northernmost point of Cuba.

Varadero is first and foremost a tourist resort, and boasts more than 20 kilometres of white sandy beaches. Tourism grew as Irenee Dupont Nemours, an American millionaire, in the early 1930's built her estate on the peninsula. But the first tourists arrived at Varadero already in the 1870's, and for years it was considered an elitist resort.

Varadero today is primarily visited by European and Canadian tourists, but also the number of American tourists is picking up. Varadero has the most important airport of the island after Havana.