This was my first visit to Santa Clara (other than the airport) The Mausoleum of Che is a huge monument, and well worth the visit.
This site was the first one visited as part of our 3 cities tour from Varadero. Our guide, Alexandro provided a lot of interesting information about how Ernesto - Che Guevara liberated the people from the oppression of the then ruling government. We stopped in front of the monument where we were allowed to take several photos. We were informed that cameras, handbags, etc. were not allowed inside the mausoleum/museum. We had to leave these on the bus which was watched by the drivers. Inside the actual mausoleum, a quiet hushed atmosphere prevailed. We saw the plaques marking the remains of Che and his supporters. It is a very sacred spot for the Cuban people. The eternal flame also is located here.Then we crossed over to the Museum where many artifacts from Che and his supporters are housed. It was pretty interesting! Note of caution - do not take a camera inside. A young woman from another group did and attempted to take a photo of her friend inside the museum. Her camera was taken. I do believe that she got it back, once the photos were all deleted.This site is very important to the people of Cuba and should be visited at least once. I am not sure what else there was in town, as we only had a short stop. It was our first stop on our 3 cities tour from Varadero to Trinidad ( a 14 hour trip). It was worth the stop.My only observation for improvement would be a washroom facility that was cleaner and had toilet paper, soap, etc. I had my own tissue and hand sanitizer. You could purchase tissue from the lady sitting by the door. The toilets did not seem to flush and it was pretty dirty, but to be on the safe side, one should always carry these extras when on a road trip in Cuba, or many other places, for that matter, just to be on the safe side.
The place combines the small and intimate mauseleo containing the mortal remains of Che and above a typically huge statue and vast open space. Whatever your political viewpoint, this place should be at the top of the list for anyone even remotely interested in the history of Cuba. A small museum (mostly Spanish only) helps explain a little more about Che the man.A very moving place.
We visited the Mausoleo on the way to Trinidad. It´s an important place to visit but...a bit disappointing. Big monument in the middle of nothing. It does explain Che´s journey in Cuba very well but watch out, only in Spanish.
The Cuban people have such a rich history and this stop on our way back to Varadero was well worth the sidetrip. The story and artifacts there are fascinating and there was so much I didn't realize about El Che. Stop here when you can.
Visit near the end of the day about fourish and catch the sunsetting on this amazing piece of architecture. The artifacts inside are comparatively few but incredibly interesting. The crypt is very atmospheric and poignant. Well worth the visit irrespective of your take on che and Cuban politics.
The museum has an excellent presentation of the history of Che Guevara. The museum and mausoleum does great justice to the man and the legend. It is a bit of an effort to get here but it is worth the travel. After visiting here you realize that the revolution would not have been won without him.
If in Santa Clara, visiting the Che monument and Mausoleum is a must do. It also gives an idea on how important Che was for the Cuban revolution and what kind of effort they went through to make this mausoleum possible.
The final resting place of the main hero of the Cuban revolution! His remnants brought back from Bolivia, buried with his comrades of arms in the revolution.More tasteful than other mausoleums I have visited.
One of the highlights of our stay in Santa Clara was spending the morning at the Che Guevara plaza. We were able to enjoy the May 1st celebrations and the youthful excitement.