Copa Airlines’ Destinations in the Americas Tour: Cuba
Moving south of the Bahamas, we find Cuba. Its capital city, Havana, was the first destination of Copa Airlines in the country. Havana is the largest city of Cuba and the 4th largest in the Caribbean. Founded by the Spanish in the 16th century, Havana served as a strategic point for the explorers and conquerors to colonize the Americas.
During the Republican period from 1902 until 1959, Havana experienced a fast economic growth and social development. Things changed with the Cuban Revolution and the rise of Fidel Castro to power, despite the improvements made to the city, the expropriations by the Communist government and the subsequent US embargo, hit financially Havana as well as Cuba overall. It wasn’t until recent years when Cuba started to open to tourism, which brought some stability back to the Cuban economy. Copa Airlines flies to José Martí International Airport for their flights to Havana.
Some places you can visit at Havana are:
- Old Havana
- Cuban Capitol
- El Morro
- Columbus Cemetery
- Plaza de la Revolución
About 261km east of Havana, lies the town of Santa Clara, in the province of Villa Clara. This city is the 5th largest in Cuba and also a Copa Airlines destination. Just like Havana, Santa Clara was a flourishing city back in the days and an important stop point for travelers.
The city became much modern during the early 1900s thanks to Marta Abreu de Estévez, a Santa Clara native who promoted numerous projects to revitalize it through philanthropy. Santa Clara was also the place of the last battle of the Cuban Revolution, that toppled the government of Fulgencio Batista and enabled the victory of Castro’s troops and the raise to power of Fidel Castro himself. It’s also the burial site of revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara, a prominent figure of the Cuban Revolution. Copa Airlines operates at Abel Santamaría Airport (SNU/MUSC) for their flights to Santa Clara.
Some places to visit in Santa Clara, besides the monuments dedicated to the revolution and its leaders are:
- Parque Leoncio Vidal
- La Caridad Theater
- Loma del Capiro
- El Mejunje
- Museo de Artes Decorativas
Finally we arrive at the town of Holguín, the capital of the province of the same name and Cuba’s 4th largest city. The city is named after the Spanish military captain Francisco García Holguín, one of the men under the command of Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, also a Spanish conquistador and the first colonial governor of Cuba.
Holguín’s economy is based on mechanical industry, automotive workshops and more recently on tourism. It’s also home of Cervecería Bucanero (Buccaneer Brewery), which produces 3 beer brands: Bucanero, Mayabe and Cristal. Copa Airlines operated at Frank País Airport (HOG/MUHG) for their flights to Holguín. This route hasn’t been resumed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides the wonderful beaches near Holguín, you can also visit this places downtown:
- Museo Provincial La Periquera
- Parque Calixto García
- Loma de la Cruz
- Plaza de La Marqueta
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