The Cuban archipelago, which has a privileged geographic location in the Caribbean region, offers a perfect combination of summer activities at the country's excellent beaches and a tropical climate that invites you to take a refreshing swim.

Cuba, whose average temperature is 24.6 degrees Celsius (76.2 degrees Fahrenheit), welcomes thousands of foreign tourists every year in summertime who, along with Cubans, spend their vacations at dozens of beaches throughout the country.

Summer is the favorite season for Cubans, as it coincides with school and work vacations and an array of cultural activities and festivities are held all over the Caribbean Island.

Even the 500-year-old Cuban capital, full of cultural and historic charms, benefits from the beaches of the so-called Blue Circuit, which runs along more than 15 kilometers of coastline, where Santa María del Mar is the most famous beach.

In neighboring Havana province, Jibacoa attracts thousands of tourists every year who enjoy its crystal-clear waters and peculiar shape, flanked by hills that are up to 100 meters high and run parallel to the coast, providing a pleasant sense of privacy.

The world-famous beach resort of Varadero stands out in western Cuba, running along 22 kilometers of white-sand beaches on the Hicacos Peninsula.

In the central region of the island is the Ancón Peninsula, which boasts one of the best beaches in Cuba's south coast, offering divers breathtakingly beautiful sea bottoms and large colonies of black corals.

In Villa Clara, Cayo Santa María offers 13 kilometers of pristine beaches to please the most demanding vacationers.

Eastern Cuba also has excellent beaches, mainly in Holguín, where Bariay, the place where Admiral Christopher Columbus first landed in Cuba in 1492 is located. Other world-famous beaches in the region are Guardalavaca, Esmeralda and Pesquero.

Summer is also a season for plans, including meetings with friends, going to the theater and the movies, visiting nightclubs such as the internationally renowned Tropicana cabaret, or just walking the streets to enjoy the cities' night life.

Many visitors prefer to enjoy a good dinner at any of many restaurants serving Cuban and international food, where customers can taste excellent local dishes.