Santiago de Cuba Travel Guide

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Santiago de Cuba
Santiago at dusk © USA Cuba Travel
Santiago, the original capital of the island of Cuba, was founded in 1514, and is today the centre of the province of Santiago de Cuba in the southeast of the island, 485 miles (780km) from the present capital, Havana.

One of the most picturesque cities in Cuba, it is a hilly city with sloping streets, nestled between the coast and the Sierra Maestra mountain range. Santiago boasts some monuments and museums associated with Cuba's long struggle for national independence. Santiago also claims to have the oldest home in the Americas, the Case de Diego Velazquez, residence of the Spanish governor of old, which is a highlight of the city's historic quarter. Santiago is a diverse city, with many population groups in its neighbourhoods, including the French-Haitian district of Tivoli.

The city is also known for its annual carnival and its closely situated natural areas, including the 80,000-hectare (197,684-acre) Baconao Park, which begins in the city and ends in the lagoon of the same name. It is climatically the hottest part of Cuba, with average temperatures of 90°F (32°C).




Attractions

Bacardi © Caitlinator

Bacardi Museum

Bacardi, the world's largest privately held, family-owned spirits company, started producing rum in Santiago way back in 1862. The company's current production sales exceed 240 million bottles a year, in 170 countries, although the family fled Cuba after the revolution in 1959. Interestingly, it...  see full details



Castillo de San Pedro del Morro © Petrusbarbygere

Castillo de San Pedro del Morro (Morro Castle)

Santiago's most impressive structure is poised ominously atop the cliffs at the narrow entrance to Santiago Bay, about nine miles (14km) south of Santiago. This enormous piece of military architecture, a maze of stairways and dungeons, was begun in 1640. The Morro was rebuilt...  see full details



Moncada Barracks © Mark Scott Johnson

Moncada Barracks

The bullet-ridden Moncada Barracks and adjacent Parque Historico Abel Santamaria were part of important events in Cuba's history. In 1953, a group led by Fidel Castro attacked the barracks in an attempt to steal weapons and launch the revolution, but the plan failed and...  see full details



Santa Ifigenia Cemetery © Santiago de Cuba City

Santa Ifigenia Cemetery

The gateway to this cemetery is dominated by a memorial to Cuban soldiers who died fighting in Angola. From here, the visitor is led to the impressive tomb of Cuban national hero, revolutionary and writer Jose Marti. The tomb is in the form...  see full details



Excursions


Baconao Park

The large park region, which is a World Heritage Biosphere Reserve, is filled with attractions other than wildlife refuges and coffee plantations. It is possible to climb 459 stone steps to the summit of the huge rock, La Gran Piedra, and stand 4,049ft...  see full details

Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in the Cuban provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo, and features an impressive selection of flora and fauna, such as parrots, lizards and hummingbirds. The well-visited park is a firm favourite among young travellers to Cuba, and regularly...  see full details
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