Travel to Remedios Cuba

Remedios, is one of the oldest Cuban cities located 9 kilometers from the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Villa Clara. The exact date of its foundation is not known, though historians believe Remedios was founded sometime between 1513 and 1524 by Spanish nobleman Vazco Porcallo de Figueroa and was only preceded by Baracoa (1511) and Santiago de Cuba (1515). The reason for all this confusion could be that Vazco, in order to avoid tax payments to the crown, maintained the village a secret from the King of Spain as long as he could.  [more]

Remedios, is one of the oldest Cuban cities located 9 kilometers from the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Villa Clara. The exact date of its foundation is not known, though historians believe Remedios was founded sometime between 1513 and 1524 by Spanish nobleman Vazco Porcallo de Figueroa and was only preceded by Baracoa (1511) and Santiago de Cuba (1515). The reason for all this confusion could be that Vazco, in order to avoid tax payments to the crown, maintained the village a secret from the King of Spain as long as he could.

These days this lovely city has approximately 30,000 inhabitants. Its long history becomes evident during a stroll through the city center, declared a National Historic Monument in 1980, where 17th century Spanish architecture still can be found intact.

Remedios main attraction is Plaza Marti, partly restored in 1970, surrounded by colonial buildings, marvelous monuments and palm trees. The Parroquia de San Juan Bautista houses 13 beautifully gold decorated altars. Because the city was under constant siege by pirates the altars where covered with white paint. Only during a renovation effort, funded by the Cuban philanthropist Eutimio Falla Bonet between 1944 and 1954, the real gold underneath the white paint was discovered.

The spacious park in the middle of the plaza is a delight, with children playing around the pretty gazebo and plenty of benches to sit. Remedios is the only town in Cuba with two churches on its main square. Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Buen Viaje still needs to be renovated.

Each year between the 16th and 26th of December, Remedios changes from a quiet place into a full-out party town during the festivities known as "Las Parrandas de Remedios", one of the oldest festivities in Cuba.

If you wish to stay in Remedios during this time we recommend you’ll book your hotel well ahead of time. During the rest of the year the Museum of Parrandas displays photos, documents and hand-made objects linked to this unique tradition.  [less]