Holguin travel guide

Holguin, Cuba

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Holguin

Introduction

Holguín is a city in Cuba, and one of the country's larger urban centres, following Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camagüey in size. It is organised as a municipality-city, so the urban core and the surrounding municipal area are administered together.

Getting there

You can fly into Aeropuerto Internacional Frank País, located southwest of the city, which handles both international and domestic traffic. Direct international flights connect with Miami, Manchester, Cancun, London, Frankfurt, Montréal and Toronto, while domestic services link Holguín with Havana and Moa. The international routes are largely filled by package holidaymakers, so if you are flexible with your dates you can sometimes find a bargain, as tour companies do not always sell all of their packages. The airport has two terminals, one international and one small domestic. Arriving by train brings you to Holguín railway station.

Getting around

Holguín's day-to-day transport is modest and local in character, built around three options: buses, bicitaxis and taxis. Buses are the main form of local transport used by residents and are the practical way to cover longer stretches of the city, but treat them as a local service rather than a tourist-oriented one. No ticket types, passes or fares are described, so plan to pay on board and ask locally about current arrangements rather than relying on a pre-purchased pass. Taxis are the most straightforward choice for a direct, door-to-door trip, while bicitaxis — pedal-powered tricycle taxis — suit short hops around the centre, where the main sights are clustered. Since no fares or booking systems are specified, agree the price before you set off and carry small notes.

The central area is compact enough to explore on foot. The downtown revolves around Calixto García park, and within easy reach you will find the galleries Centro Provincial de Arte and Bayado, a library, the club Casa de la Trova, the Martí cinema, the Theatre Eddy Suñol, the Province Museum La Periquera, a science museum and a history museum. Several smaller parks — Parque Infantil, Parque San José, Parque San Isidoro (Las Flores) and Parque Martí — are also in the city. The Loma de la Cruz is climbed via a long flight of stairs and rewards you with a view over the whole city, so build it into a walking day rather than trying to reach it by vehicle. Holguín has a railway station serving train arrivals into the city, but there is no metro or tram network, so local journeys are road-based. Frank País Airport lies southwest of the city with an international terminal and a small domestic terminal; no dedicated airport bus, shuttle or rail link is described, so the practical options into town are the same taxis and buses that serve the city. Arrange your onward transport on arrival, and if you are heading to a hotel or a casa particular, confirm the transfer with your accommodation in advance where possible.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Holguín is concentrated in the beach resorts along the coast rather than in the city itself. Options include the Playa Pesquero Hotel, the Sol Rio de Lunas y Mares Resort, Rio de Oro, and El Pernik.

Food & drink

Holguín's eating options are limited, with a handful of named restaurants to look out for. In the city itself you'll find 1720 Restaurant, while out towards the coast Colombus Restaurant sits at Cayo Bariay and Los Flamboyanes serves the Guardalavaca area.

For drinking, the action is concentrated around Guardalavaca, where both Los Flamboyanes and La Roca offer somewhere to stop for a drink.

What to see and do

Holguín province offers some of the richest scenery in Cuba, where high mountains, fertile plains and fine-sand beaches alternate across the landscape. The beaches here are among the most picturesque in the Caribbean, framed by vegetation whose intense green contrasts with the white-gold sand and the blue sea. Several all-inclusive resorts sit along the beach areas of Playa Pesquero, Playa Yuraguanal (Turquesa), Playa Esmeralda and Playa Guardalavaca. Beyond the coast, the capital city and Gibara are both worth visiting, as are Banes, Bahía de Naranjo, Cayo Saetía and Pinares de Mayarí. This is the area where Christopher Columbus landed, at Bariay, now marked by Parque Monumento Nacional Bariay. You can also head to Cayo Saetía Island and Cayo Bariay. In the city itself, St. Isidore Cathedral (Catedral de San Isidoro) on Libertad was completed in 1820.

Three days in Holguin

Day one: Base yourself around the city's main squares, where much of Holguín's daily life unfolds. Start at Parque Calixto García, the central hub, then walk to Parque Mart for its colonial atmosphere and the surrounding streets. Nearby you'll find the Province Museum La Periquera, housed in a distinctive building, and the Theatre Eddy Suñol, a landmark for performances. In the evening, head toward the Casa de la Trova for live music, or take in a show at the Centro Provincial de Arte.

Day two: Explore the city's smaller parks and neighbourhood character. Wander through Parque San José, Parque San Isidoro and Parque Infantil, each with its own local feel. Browse the Bayado area and the Las Flores district for a sense of everyday Holguín. If you want a view over the city, make your way up to the Loma de la Cruz, the hill that overlooks the streets below.

Day three: Use Holguín as a springboard for the wider province. Buses and taxis can connect you to nearby towns, and Moa lies within reach if you want to see another side of the region. If you're departing, Aeropuerto Internacional Frank País handles flights, with direct connections to destinations such as Havana, Santiago, Camagüey, Miami, Cancun, Montréal, Toronto, Manchester, London and Frankfurt. Arriving or leaving, the city makes a practical and pleasant base in eastern Cuba.

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