The Spanish Civil War had a profound impact on the local population, prompting the citizens of Almería to build underground bunkers and shelters in response to the bombings. Today, visitors have the opportunity to explore these historic bunkers, providing a glimpse into the era of the Civil War.

Housed inside a traditional Cuban wood villa, Varadero's Museo Municipal contains period furniture, old home decor items and various exhibits offering visitors insight into the resort town's pre-revolution history and ways of living. Guided tours available.

Further inland, in the southern part of the island, lie the so-called masticochoria (mastic villages). These well-preserved, fortified villages date from the 14th-16th centuries and were centres for the cultivation of mastic. Mastic is the sweet-tasting gum of the lentisk bush, which was exported all over the Mediterranean – and the area still produces around 300 tonnes of mastic every year. The most picturesque villages are Pyrgi, with its houses decorated in black and white geometric patterns called xysta Mesta, where towers and walls surround a baffling labyrinth of village streets as well as Olympoi and Vessa are all a worth a visit.

A green oasis in Varadero, Josone is a public park with multiple entertainment facilities, such as rental row boats and water bikes, a tourist train circulating around premises, multiple cafes and restaurants, as well as the on-site villa Retiro Josone, which once belonged to a couple of a local rum distillery owners and was expropriated after the revolution.