Varadero City Map Poster

About Varadero

Varadero is also home to the Cárdenas Biosphere Reserve. Varadero was founded in 1887 by José Manuel Meneu, a wealthy landowner who had bought the property from its original owner, Juan Bautista Pérez Castañeda. The town's name comes from Varaderos (Guardians) of Hacienda La Isabelica de Varadero and it became an important tourist destination after being connected to Havana via rail in 1900. After 1959 Cuban Revolution, tourism declined sharply as foreign tourists stopped visiting Cuba; however it recovered during 1970s and 1980s as Fidel Castro allowed citizens with relatives abroad to visit them on their summer holidays.[2] In 1994 tourism surpassed sugarcane as the most important source of income for Matanzas Province.[3] The city has many hotels including Meliá Habana Hotel & Resort which opened in 2006,[4][5] and Gran Caribe Baconao which opened in 2007.