10 Best Sights in Matanzas, Western Cuba

The city's main, not-to-be-missed sight is this perfectly preserved, 19th-century natural-medicine pharmacy. Established in 1882 by Ernesto Triolet and his son-in-law, Juan Fermín de Figueroa, this gorgeous emporium looks out onto the Parque de Libertad through large stained glass windows. The pharmacy closed its doors in 1964, and has been preserved exactly as it was on that day, down to the huge, ornate cash register; the log book with handwritten recipes for each prescription; the rolls of brown paper to wrap the glass bottles that were individually filled and labeled; and the ceiling-high, handsome wood-and-glass cases holding hundreds of decorative porcelain jars. Guided tours take you to the distillery behind the shop, where the pharmacists manufactured their world-famous trademark syrups and tonics. Medicine bottles, embossed with the pharmacy's name, were made in Philadelphia and shipped to Cuba. Don't miss the bronze crocodile used to compress and calibrate the corks that, before the screw-top, sealed vials. The tour continues upstairs in the lavish living quarters of the owners—natural medicine was obviously a profitable business. An art gallery on the mezzanine floor showcases stained glass works—including small glass bird mobiles for sale—made by a studio that occupies the top floor.

Recently restored on the outside, this massive, Neoclassical church with two ornate towers is famous for its interior frescoes. In front of the church, there is a huge ceiba tree with a heavy, metal bell hanging from one of the branches, commemorating the bells that were rung to call in slaves from the sugar plantations. On the ground below lies a large, antique metal gear from a sugar mill.

Once the property of the Hershey chocolate barons, Cuba's first electric railway was built in 1917 to haul sugarcane and workers to the sugar refinery. Now the quaint electric engine slowly pulls three passenger cars with wooden benches to a picturesque station in Matanzas, making many stops along the way. The ride usually takes about three to four hours to travel 95 km (60 miles). It's an interesting trip, but you can't be on a tight schedule, because the train isn't always on time and sometimes doesn't even get from Havana to Matanzas on the same day. The best train to take is the 12:21 pm train from the Casablanca station in Havana, or the 12:09 from Matanzas, but always check the most current schedule first. You buy the tickets on the train.

This architecturally eclectic church was built in 1870 by architect Daniel Delaglio, who also designed the city's emblematic Teatro Sauto. The church's Neoclassical symmetry is broken by a jumble of towers, turrets, domes, and cupolas. The bright yellow interior has rich, fluted columns behind the main altar.

This distinctive, slate-blue building with two tiers of graceful arcades recalls the city's mid-19th-century heyday. It was built in 1838 for the wealthy del Junco family and since 1980 has housed a collection of artifacts, photographs, memorabilia and tools—some of them gruesome—chronicling the sugar and slave industries, on which the city's wealth was built. For an extra CUC$5 you can take photos.

This attractive, leafy square is the heart of the city. A bronze statue of 19th-century liberal revolutionary leader José Martí presides over the plaza, accompanied by a startling sculpture of a screaming, bare-breasted woman representing Cuba breaking free from her chains. Around the square are beautifully restored Neoclassical buildings, including the Museo Farmaceútico Triolet, the restored Sala de Conciertos José White, and the magnificently refurbished Velasco Hotel, next door to the handsome Velasco Theater. Nearby bookshops and cafés are bustling, and there's almost always some music or street theater going on in the square.

A little overwhelmed by passing traffic, this landmark square is the cultural hub of Matanzas, with the Matanzas Provincial Museum on one corner and the magnificent, neoclassical Sauto Theater (currently closed for restoration) taking up a whole side. In the middle of the square is the marble statue of an anonymous independence fighter known as El Soldado Desconocido (The Unknown Soldier). A couple of cafés face the theater and there's a modern art gallery (free) to browse.

This once-elegant, arched bridge over the Yumurí Estuary used to set a Parisian, Seine-like scene. Built in 1878, with two imposing carved columns at each end, it connected the barrio of Versalles, named for resident wealthy French coffee planters, and the city. Although it's currently in sad shape, it's still one of the most striking pieces of Matanzas architecture. The Cuban government used to give replicas of the columns as official gifts to visiting dignitaries.

On the Plaza de la Vigia, the massive, white Teatro Sauto is one of Cuba's finest and best-preserved Neoclassical structures. Also known as the Teatro Antillano, or Theater of the Antilles, it was built in 1863 at the peak of the city's prosperity. The theater is currently undergoing a major restoration and is closed indefinitely, but you can't miss seeing this landmark building.