Vinales Shopping and Districts

(Vinales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba)

The shopping options in Vinales are few and far between, with the town's streets being dotted with only a handful of small shops selling a range of souvenirs and local crafts. Beyond that, there really isn't much else to choose from in Vinales.

If you want to hit the Cuban markets and do some serious shopping, you will need to drive into nearby Pinar del Rio, where you can find a substantial shopping district. Otherwise, you'll be left to decide which colour you want your Che Guevara T-shirt, or how many bottles of Caribbean rum you think you can bring home.

When to Shop and Where

In Vinales, the best buy is undoubtedly Cuban cigars. Even if you don't take the tourist tour to view how tobacco is planted, harvested, cured and transformed into hand-rolled cigars, you should visit the famous cigar shop called El Estanco. Here, you can buy top quality Cuban cigars for practically nothing. Just make sure that you buy cigars labelled 'puros' or 'habanos', as these are the best of the best. Conversely, don't even bother buying cigars off the street from unlicensed vendors, as the quality is never as good as in the official shops.

Some of the shops along Vinales' main street, the Calle Salvador Cisneros, sell unique Cuban products such as CDs of local musicians. Of course, the music selection is always better at the state-run ARTex branches, which exist in nearly every town of note. ARTex is also a great place to pick up locally-made instruments, Cuban films and other cultural iconography. Locally-produced rum is another popular purchase.

Most of the shopping in the town of Vinales is state-controlled. The ubiquitous Caracol chain sells predictable souvenirs and handicrafts that seem to be repeated at each and every Cuban handicraft shop. It is unlikely you will find anything new or interesting here, especially if you've already visited Havana or Santiago de Cuba. Therefore, it is probably a better idea to save your shopping energy for one of Cuba's larger cities. Of note, nearly every shop in Cuba seems to be open from 09:00 to 17:00 seven days a week.