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Pinar del Rio City

Capital of Pinar del Rio Province

Named after a pine-tree forest at the shore of the Río Guamá. First cigar factory was opened in 1760. The city has a huge amount of jineteros. Pinar is not a charming place, but for the real Cuba-Junky a must visit.

The city of Pinar del Río (Pop. 120,000) is the capitol of the province of the same name. The name, meaning "pine of the river," refers to the tall pines that grace river banks around the province, and especially flourish near in the extreme western side of the island.

The city of Pinar del Río is in fairly well upkeep by Cuban standards, especially considering the nationwide shortages of paint and construction materials. Like Havana, Pinar del Río features many beautiful pieces of beautiful architecture. Pinar del Río has a particular abundance of highly decorated, well maintained neoclassical buildings.

Historically, the city of Pinar del Río the and surrounding area have been important in tobacco production. In the 18th century, smugglers seeking to evade the Spanish' monopoly on the tobacco trade chose this area because of its distance from the government in Havana, as well as the prime soil and conditions.

As sugar cane became Cuba's primary cash crop, and single greatest source of economic income, however, the importance of Pinar del Río's tobacco crop fell and the city suffered from administrative neglect. Today, Pinar del Río manufactures some of Cuba's finest cigars, using tobacco leaves grown near the city. Pinar del Río is still considered an unimportant city by many Cubans, despite its size and economic significance relative to the rest of the towns in the province.

Pinar del Río is home to many topnotch education and health care facilities, including the University of Pinar del Río, various vocational schools, and a well-respected nurses' academy.
Pinar del Río is not a top tourist destination in its own right, but as the area's largest city, plenty of tourists pass through for a day or two.

Among the unique attractions offered in this city are cigar factory tours and gift shops, la Casa de la Culture (the House of Culture), and the beautifully restored Milanes Theater.

To do in Pinar del Rio City

Carnaval

Yearly event early July

Casa Natal de Antonio Guiteras Holmes

Maceo Oeste #52 e/ Ormani Arenano, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

About revolutionary mans life in 1930

Casa Taller

Marti #160, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

Art workshop gallery of Pedro Pablo Olivia to promote and encourage creative talent in Pinar del Rio. You can just walk in at daytime.

Cathedral de San Rosendo

Maceo este #3 / Gerardo Medina, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

Built 1883
Church officially not open for touristic siteseeing but you can go in at the Sunday morning service

Centro Provincial de Artes Plastiacs Galeria

Antonio Guiteras
Open: Mon - Sat 8am - 9pm

Local art exhibitions

Estadio Capitan San Luis

Baseball Stadium
Tel: +53 753895

Matches from October to April Tu - Thu - Sat 7pm and Sun 4pm

Reviews about Baseball in Pinar del Rio

Name: doug (Redbull)
country: Canada

We stayed at a casa particular in the city for 4 days in early March 2011, we enjoyed most of the local sites, but the highlight of our vacation was watching 3 baseball games, the local team won all three! Our casa owners were #1 in regards to a clean,secure room with excellent food. Rodrigo y Tania Colon 167 tel. 757556 an easy walk to their home, just around the corner from the bus station. Rodrigo can and will show you the real Cuba, just ask! Check out cubabaseball.com to see if the schedule matches your stay. Pinar del Rio is a friendly, relaxed, clean city, we plan on returning later this year.

doug (Redbull)

Fabricia de Tabacos Francisco Donatien

Cigar Factory
Maceo Oeste #157, Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Tel: +53 82753424

The principal attraction in town is Fábrica de Tabacos Francisco Donatién, Calle Antonio Maceo, just off the Plaza de la Independencia. Several fine brands are rolled at this renowned cigar factory.

You can walk through the timeless rolling station, where a caller reads news and short stories to keep the rollers interested. You'll also visit rooms where the final selection and grading, labeling, and boxing take place. You can buy some of the wares here, or at the well-stocked Casa del Habano across the street. The factory is open Monday through Friday from 9am to noon and 1 to 4pm, Saturday from 9am to noon. Admission is $5, and includes a guided tour that lasts around 15 to 20 minutes.

Reviews Fabricia de tabacos Francisco Donatien

Name: Alain
Country: Belgium

You can visit the factory and get an excellent idea of the making of a good quality cigar. It’s a very interesting visit.

You see the cigar getting form from leave to a finished and controlled cigar. The first persons start with the leaves and rolling them and you see how the cigar gets form and in the end they pass the finished cigar to the people who inspect them and sort them in length, thickness and quality. These cigars end up in the factory store where you can buy them.

One remark, the Cubans who work there can smoke as much cigars as they can, but they cannot take cigars with them outside the factory. So if you decide to buy a cigar on the street, be careful and make sure that you buy the good ones.

Fabrica de Bebidas Casa Garay

Brandy factory
Isabel Rubio Sur #189, e/ Ceferino Fernandez y Frank Pais, Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Tel: +53 82752966

The other main attraction in Pinar del Río is the Casa Garay Fábrica de Guayabitas del Pinar, Calle Isabel Rubio, 3 1/2 blocks south of Calle Martí.

This little factory produces the town's signature Guayabita del Pinar liquor. They produce two types, dulce (sweet) and seco (dry). Both are cane liquors distilled with the fruit berries of a local bush. I like the seco quite a bit. It's a good quality sipping liquor that, if you stretch your imagination, is almost brandy like. The factory is open during the same hours as Fábrica de Tabacos Francisco Donatién. Admission is $1, and usually includes a quick guided tour and a stop at the tasting room. Bottles of Guayabita are on sale for around $4.

More about Guayabita de Pinar

Museo de Ciencias Naturales Sandalio de Noda

Local flora and fauna
Marti Este #202, e/ Av Pinares, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

Museo Memorial

“Antonio Guiteras Holmes”
Maceo #52, Pinar del Río, Cuba

Museo Provincial de Historia

History (local) from Indian till now
Marti Este #58, e/ Colon y Isabel Rubio, Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Open: Mon - Fri 8:30am - 6:30pm Sat 9am - 1pm

Museo de Ciencias Naturales

Naturales “Tranquilino Sandalio de Noda”
Martí #202, esq. a , Ave. Comandante Pinares, Pinar del Río, Cuba
Open: Mo - Fri 9am - 5pm, Sun to 1pm

Palacio de Guash (de loes Matrimonios0

Martí, e/ Rafael Morales Y Plaza de Indepencia, Comandante, Pinares y Hnos. Saíz, Pinar del Río, Cuba

Teatro José Jacinto Milanés

Martí #160, e/ Isabel Rubio y Colon, Pinar del Río, Cuba

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