It is situated on the Hicacos Peninsula, between the Bay of Cárdenas and the Straits of Florida, some 140 km east of Havana, at the eastern end of the Via Blanca highway.

This spit of land extends more than 20 kilometers from the mainland in a northeasterly direction and its tip, Punta Hicacos, is the northernmost point of the island of Cuba.

Weather may change due to many factors such as exposure to hurricanes, windy tropical storms and by the cooling effect of the trade winds.

In 1910 the annual rowing regatta was started; five years later the first hotel, named Varadero, which later was renamed Club Nautico, was built.

Tourism grew in the early 1930s as Irénée du Pont, an American millionaire, built his estate on the peninsula (now Maison Xanadu or DuPont House).

[citation needed] As a symbol of the new integrated tourism for Cubans and foreign visitors of all social classes, the Park of the 8000 Cubicles (Parque de las 8000 Taquillas) was built in 1960.

Visitors could leave their belongings in the basement of the park, had access to sanitary installations and gastronomic services on the first floor, and could rent bathing articles and swimsuits.

As international tourism was opened up, the local population expanded with the arrival of people, some in key economic positions, from other parts of Cuba.

[citation needed] The central park, the cinema and various cultural meeting places were neglected in favor of a hotel-centred all-inclusive-tourism and finally closed.

[citation needed] In addition to the beach, Varadero has natural attractions such as caves and a chain of easily accessed virgin cays.

There are also cultural, historical and environmental attractions in the vicinity, such as the cities of Matanzas and Cárdenas, the Zapata Peninsula and the resort of San Miguel de los Baños.

Varadero, which is a free port, also possesses facilities for scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, yachting and other water sports.

Varadero hotels offer catamaran cruises with snorkeling and a visit to the dolphin center, Delfinario, a coral-rimmed lagoon located 400 meters east of Marina Chapelín.

[citation needed] Other attractions in the area include the amusement park Centro Todo En Uno, Puente Bacunayagua, and an electric-powered Hershey train.

[14] In 2007, the municipality of Varadero had a population of about 20,000 between the Hicacos peninsula (7,000) and the two incorporated localities of Santa Marta and Boca de Camarioca.

[22] The main road is Autopista Sur, which begins before crossing the bridge over Laguna Paso Malo and ends 19.4 kilometres (12.1 mi) at a cul de sac at Barceló Marina Palace.

Traffic from Vía Blanca and Carretera a into the Barceló Marina Palace merges into Varadero on this road near Kawama Airport.