CUBA

Havana steals the limelight with its vintage 'yank tank' Cadillacs, cobblestone streets, plazas and cathedrals, but this socialist state dancing to an Afro-Caribbean beat has pleasures at every point on the compass. To the north, accessible from the capital, Varadero is the main resort on a coastline of cays, coral reefs and sweeping white sands. To the south, the island’s first capital, Santiago de Cuba, has an imposing fortress, Spanish colonial domes and cupolas, and a vibrant music scene, while on the south coast Trinidad and Cienfuegos are the cultural centres of choice.

In the west, the countryside around Viñales unfolds in a series of fertile valleys dotted with palm trees, carpeted in tobacco fields and studded with rounded rock formations known as mogotes. Santa Clara, in the centre of the island, is where the Che Guevara Monument commemorates the Cuban Revolution of 1953-1959. The remains of Guevara and 29 comrades are buried in the adjoining mausoleum.