WHERE  
 

Facing Santiago's bay, an ancient natural port used by the Spanish, Santiago de Cuba is Cuba's second largest town, capital of the Oriente province and has very little to envy to the capital, in terms of politics and culture; the Universidad de Oriente is one of the most famous in the country. The near French colony of Haiti has enriched the mix of races in this province - Haitians, Africans and Spanish - giving it a real Caribbean taste.

Here you won't find the typical american art-deco buildings you'll see in habana and the town centre has a strong Spanish colonial connotation. The most touristic zone, with hotels and clubs, is Porto Alegre. The centre, where you'll find the majority of colonial buildings, is between Parque Cespedes and Plaza de Dolore, parallel to Calle Josè Saco. The old residential areas north and south of the town centre are also worth a visit.

  
     
  TO VISIT  
 
The town centre is around Parque Cespedes, the old Plaza de Armas; here a bronze statue remembers Carlos Manuel de Cespedes that claimed independence from Spanish power with his work: the Grito de Yara. Many building, like the Ayuntamiento, the town-hall from which Castro declared the victory of th Revolution on the 1st of January 1959, the house of Diego Velasquez, town's founder, and the Catedrale de Nuestra Senora de Asuncion are all sitting around the Plaza; the church was bult to replace the most ancient cathedral in Cuba and Diego Velasquez is buried there.
 
 

Two blocks eastwards, the Museo Municipal Emilio Bacardi Moreau, first mayor of town and rum producer, hosts a collection of objects from the Independence war, weapons and paintings in a neo-classical style building. The Moncada Army Barrack, symbol of the revolutionary rebellion against Batist's government, is in Avenida Moncada and even if is now a school, it has a small museum about the history of Cuba, from discovery to nowadays.

  
 
 
The Castle of San Pedro del Morro, on a small rock at the bay's entrance, has been declared World's Heritage by UNESCO. A visit to the rum Bacardi plant, in front of the train station, should not be missed; Bacardi family fled to Puerto Rico after the Revolution and today Matusalem, Varadero and Santino rum are produced for local consumption. There is a bar for rum tasting.
 
     
 

AROUND SANTIAGO

  
 
Playa Siboney
This rocky beach, 19 km from Santiago, is very crowded by Cubans during weekends, but is very relaxed throughout the week. Here the American troops landed in 1898 to support the independence war against the Spanish.
|
Parque Baconao
It is an area of 800 sq km declared Biosphere reserve by UNESCO. You can discover the natural beauties of Jardin de Cactus, Laguna Baconao and Valle de Rio Baconao; moreover there are activities suitable fro children like the Valle de la Prehistoria, with full scale concrete dinosaurs, and the Mundo de fantasia, a sort of mini-Disneyland. In the park area you can watch rodeos at the Fiesta Guajira Rodeo, visit the Baconao Acquarium or dive at the Club Bucanero.
|
El Cobre
20 km north-east of Santiago are the El Cobre mines and the Church of Nuestra Senore del Cobre, home to the wooden statue of the Virgin, found in the seas by three fihermen in 1606. The church is the major pilgrimage spot in Cuba; the Virgin was designated protector of Cuba by Pope Benedetto XV e crowned by Pope John Paul II in 1998. The statue is brought to the streets on the 8th of September.
|
Pico Turquino
The excursion on the Pico Turquino, part of the Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Mestra, needs a whole day and it is mandatory to go there with a guide. It is very hard and will reach 4 mountain tops, but is possible to camp near natural water-pools, where is possible to swim and drink. Excursions usually start from Las Cuevas, around 4 a.m.
 
 

 

  
  HISTORY  
 
Founded in 1514 by Diego Velasquez, had as first governor Hernàn Cortez, the future conqueror of Mexico on behalf of the Spanish crown. Santiago was declared capital until 1607, but never suffered from power loss from a political, economic and cultural point of view. Capital of the Oriente Province, it saw the economic decline when all the gold from its mines ended; it also has to face a massive migrants flow from Haiti, when former-slaves moved in the area, establishing cotton and coffee plantations.
 
 
Due to the lack of road network, Santiago developed independently from the Capital and was for many years the entry point for black slaves, replacing Indios for works in the fields and mines; that's why, still today, the Oriente Province has the majority of black and mixed Cubans. During the Independence War, Santiago was scene to many battles; after the victory on the Spanish, obtained with the help of the US, there was a period of strong American influence on its politics.
 
 
 

Under Batista's dictatorship a group of rebels, led by Fidél Castro, tried to overturn the government, attacking the Moncada Army Barrak; the attempt ended in a bloodbath for the insurgents and many of them where sent to jail. But in this town Fidél announced publicly the victory of the Revolution; for its behavior during all the wars and battles, Santiago has been appointed Heroic Town of the Republic of Cuba.

 
 

 

  
  MAIN EVENTS  
 

The Fiesta de San Juan, with street parades of Conga dancers, takes place on the 24th of June, while the Caribbean Culture Festival takes place in July, with exibitions, songs and dances. The Carnival is held during the last 2 weeks of July, along Avenida Garzon, and is the most colorful and noisy Carnival on the island.

 
 

 

  
  NIGHT OUT  
 

It is possible to listen to traditional Cuban music of the oriente Province at the Casa de la Trova, the Casa del Estudiante or at the Patio Los dos Abuelos, all in the central Heredià zone. Folk traditional dances, like the Tumba Francesa, the Gagà, the Tajona or the Congo Oriental, can be seen at the Oriente theatre in Calle Saco, on Saturdays and Sundays. In clubs like the Tropicana Santiago on the Circunvalacion and the Cabaret San Pedro del Mar - Carretera del Morro - you can find glittering dancers in pailletes dresses.

The most popula discos are the Club Iris - Calle Aguilera - the Espana Sueno, at the Santiago Hotel Santiago, and the Melipona, on a terrace near the Hotel las Americas. The Ciroa and the Club Turey are crowded mainly by locals. There is also a good choice of bars: the Club 300 is a luxury bar not far from Parque Cespedes, the Bar del Marues is part of the Restaurant Don Antonio, in Plaza de Dolores, while the Bar Terrazza Mirador is on the roof of the Venus Hotel.

 
 

 

  
  EAT OUT  
 

There is a good choice of Paladares, but also many state-run restaurants, where the price you pay is not worth the quality of food and service; at least one dinner should be consumed at the house where you're staying to enjoy Cuban's hospitality.

 
 

|
DONA NELLY - Calle Rosade 412 - 7/10 USD
LAS GALLEGAS - Calle Bartolomè Maso 305 - 7/10 USD
GILDA - Calle San Basilio 116 - 5/10 USD
DONA CRISTY - Lino Boza 8 - 8/11 USD Ristoranti Statali
SANTIAGO 1900 - Calle Bartolomè Maso 354 - medio livello
TABERNA DE DOLORES - Calle Aguilera 468 - economico e caratteristico
DON ANTONIO - Sulla plaza Dolores - buon livello
ZANZUN - Avenida Manduley - elegante
HOTEL CASA GRANDA - Plaza Cespedes - buon livello

 
 
 

 

  
  WHERE TO SLEEP  
 

The best way - and the most flexible and cheap - to enjoy the real Santiago and its atmosphere is to rent a house, a Casa Particular, a fully licensed house for tourist rental - similar to Bed & Breakfast - offering night stay at very competitive prices. You can choose a house shared with the Cuban family or full privacy option. Use our search-engine or search by map-locator to find a house in Santiago that better satisfies your needs: browse our directory of casas!