The Cuban archipelago, full of tourist attractions, combines urban tourism and nature, including traditional sun and beach options.

The Cuban archipelago also offers more than 70,000 square kilometers of insular platform and some 5,000 kilometers of coasts, which are bathed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and are excellent for scuba diving and snorkeling.

In addition, nearly 6,500 varieties of fish, crustaceans, sponges and mollusks, and an 850-kilometer coral reef in perfect state of preservation turn the island into one of the best-preserved underwater ecosystems in the region.

Three dozens of specialized dive center operate throughout the country, where vacationers can take initiation courses and dive in coral reefs and caverns, under strict international standards for that activity.

In western Matanzas province, the world-famous Varadero beach, which runs along 22 kilometers on the Hicacos peninsula, is one of the most visited destinations by foreign vacationers.

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 province, a causeway over the sea connects the main island with Cayo Santa María (13 kilometers long and two kilometers wide), where visitors can practice several nautical sports, including scuba diving and snorkeling.

Santa Lucía, one of the world's most beautiful beaches, is in Camagüey. It is protected by the second largest coral reef on earth and is inhabited by large colonies of pink flamingos.

Santa Lucía is also an excellent place for scuba diving and snorkeling, as it offers 35 dive sites, some of which keep the remains of 27 sunken ships from the Spanish colonial period and World War II.

Natural and biosphere reserves, natural landscapes and protected areas make up a wide range of offers that are well preserved and are unique in the region.

The island nation has also inherited the Spanish architectural wealth and the European influence that followed the colonial period.

Precisely, that element turns the Cuban capital, one of the first seven villages founded by the Spanish conquistadors and initially called San Cristóbal de La Habana, and especially its historic heart, into a key element in many tourist programs.

Havana's historic heart, declared Humankind's Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), holds most of the city's museums, churches, cultural centers and buildings from the Spanish colonial period. Old Havana covers an area of 4.5 square kilometers and has a rich colonial architecture and centuries-old customs and traditions.

The heart of the Cuban capital consists of a series of castles, fortresses and highly valuable buildings constructed around a system of squares, monasteries and temples.