Weekend Excursions Around Havana

20 minutes, 15 kilometres from Havana is the seaside town of San Francisco de Paula where Ernest Hemingway lived, fished, drank and worked for 20 years. His villa, Finca la Vigia is now the Museo Hemingway, its articles preserved till date just as they were on his last day there. Visitors are not allowed into the house, but the wide-open windows allow a good view into the life of the great writer. You can walk in the house's lawns and admire El Pilar, Hemingway's fishing boat. The museum is open between 9 am and 4 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and between 9 am and noon on Sundays. There is an entry fee.

The beaches outside Havana lie to the east of the city. Only 20 to 25 minutes by car from central Havana, the beaches of Santa Maria del Mar, Guanabo, Boca Ciega, Megano and Bacuranao are favourites. There're the expected white sands, blue sea, warm sun, and then there are beach shack restaurants from where spill out the aroma of good cooking and the strains of groovy music.

The Vinales Valley 180 kilometres (112 miles) from Havana was befittingly declared a UNESCO world natural heritage site in 1999. The green valley in juxtaposition with the white limestone hills that rise from it is a stunning sight. Seasoned climbers and cavers will tell you that this is one of Cuba's biggest attractions and besides a tough climb, you might find fossils dating back to the Jurassic era, and tremendous biodiversity. This is also tobacco country and the cigar factories here sell their ware at rates considerably lower than international prices.

Cuba's best beach resort, Varadero, is a 2 ½ hours' drive from Havana. This is classic Caribbean; a narrow 20 kilometre peninsular outstretch of land into the Atlantic, Varadero is all sand, surf and sun. Here's the best of scuba Cuba for you.