Fabrica de los Coches

Bayamo

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It's worth the jaunt to observe the goings-on at Cuba's only handcrafted coche (horse cart) production line. Most horse carts you'll see in Cuba are metal, but these are fashioned in wood and take far longer to produce (up to three months per cart).

You'll see horse carts in various stages of completion, meet the workers and be able to buy Bayamo's best souvenir: miniature model horse carts with incredible attention to detail. The big ones cost about 8000 pesos (CUC$325) and don't fit quite so well into a suitcase.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Comandancia de la Plata

    Comandancia de la Plata

    29.79 MILES

    Topping a crenelated mountain ridge amid thick cloud forest, this pioneering camp was established by Fidel Castro in 1958 after a year on the run in the…

  • Statue of Perucho Figueredo at the Cespedes Park at the Bayamo, Cuba. Perucho Figueredo was a poet, musician and revolutionary in the 19th century. He wrote the cuban national anthem in 1867.

    Parque Céspedes

    0.89 MILES

    One of Cuba's leafiest squares, Bayamo's central meeting point is surrounded by pedestrian-only streets, making it a rare and peaceful spot. In addition…

  • Santo Domingo

    Santo Domingo

    27.84 MILES

    This tiny village nestles in a deep green valley beside the deliciously clean Río Yara. Communally it provides a wonderful slice of peaceful Cuban…

  • Casa Natal de Carlos Manuel de Céspedes

    Casa Natal de Carlos Manuel de Céspedes

    0.93 MILES

    Birthplace of the 'father of the motherland,' this museum is where Céspedes was born (on April 18, 1819) and spent his first 12 years. Inside, Céspedes…

  • Jardín Botánico de Cupaynicu

    Jardín Botánico de Cupaynicu

    7.22 MILES

    For a floral appreciation of Bayamo's evergreen hinterland, head to this botanic garden about 16km outside the city off the Guisa road. It's on very few…

  • Alto del Naranjo

    Alto del Naranjo

    28.98 MILES

    All trips into the park begin at the end of the near-vertical, corrugated-concrete access road at Alto del Naranjo (after Villa Santo Domingo the road…

  • Paseo Bayamés

    Paseo Bayamés

    0.81 MILES

    Bayamo's main shopping street was pedestrianized in the 1990s and reconfigured with benches and funky artwork. At its southern end you'll find wax museum…

  • Museo de Cera

    Museo de Cera

    0.56 MILES

    The tiny Museo de Cera, Bayamo’s diminutive version of Madame Tussauds, has convincing waxworks of Cuban personalities such as Polo Montañez, Benny Moré…

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Nearby Bayamo attractions

1. Museo Ñico López

0.23 MILES

This museum is in the former officers' club of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes military barracks, 1km southeast of Parque Céspedes. On July 26, 1953, this…

2. Torre de San Juan Evangelista

0.3 MILES

A church dating from Bayamo's earliest years stood at this busy intersection until it was destroyed in the great fire of 1869. Later, the church's tower…

4. Museo de Cera

0.56 MILES

The tiny Museo de Cera, Bayamo’s diminutive version of Madame Tussauds, has convincing waxworks of Cuban personalities such as Polo Montañez, Benny Moré…

5. Plaza de la Patria

0.62 MILES

This square is where Fidel Castro gave his final, rousing public speech in July 2006 before being taken ill and stepping down as president. The monument…

6. Parque Chapuzón

0.63 MILES

Greenery beckons about a kilometer from Bayamo's center where the Bayamo River has carved a lush belt through the urban grid. Locals come to this blissful…

7. Casa de Estrada Palma

0.7 MILES

Cuba's first post-independence president, Tomás Estrada Palma, was born here in 1835. One-time friend of José Martí, Estrada Palma was disgraced post…

8. Ventana de Luz Vázquez

0.72 MILES

A forerunner of the national anthem, cowritten by Céspedes (and, confusingly, also called 'La Bayamesa') was first sung from here on March 27, 1851. A…