Santa Clara is a medium-sized, relatively quiet city in the centre of the country. It is not particularly touristy or in any way the most visited city in Cuba. Most tourists tend to go to Vinales, Varadero, Trinidad, perhaps Cienfuegos and/or El Nicho, and Havana. Santa Clara is a rather unusual destination on a trip around Cuba.
But since I really wanted to visit a place that wasn’t touristy at all and had absolutely no desire to go to an overpriced beach area – Varadero – I made my way to Santa Clara.
Santa Clara doesn’t have a huge amount to see, but it’s a really cute, quiet and pretty town – especially the central square with its pavilion in the centre and the viewpoint (see post) 😊 It also played a decisive role in the history of Cuba’s independence, as Che Guevara’s most important victory was in Santa Clara (the road to Havana was “free” after the victory in Santa Clara). There are also several statues (see post) and a huge memorial (see post) commemorating this event. The house that was riddled with bullets during the battle for example is still riddled with bullet holes today in memory of the event.
Santa Clara may not be particularly ‘famous’, but it is really peaceful and quiet and… simply very authentically Cuban.

Go or not? Personally, I really liked Santa Clara. However, I would plan a visit depending on how much time you have and what you want to see. And if case you don’t have the time, just come back. Cuba has a lot to see and Havana alone is worth visiting several times. So why not make a little detour to Santa Clara on one of your visits? 😀