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Santiago de Cuba City

The most exotic city of Cuba, lots of different etnic groups have settled themselves in this city.
The second biggest city, after Havana.

Santiago de Cuba, a city full with history of the revolution, the fight against dictator Batista

The Capital of Santiago de Cuba Province, which has one of the first seven settlements that the Europeans founded in Cuba early in the 16th century, is one of the most pitoresque on the island.

The founding fathers made the most of its stunning settinga coastal terrace bordering and impressive purse-like bayand used the wood from the tall forest on the nearby mountain range to raise the first buildings of what would, for several years, be Cuba's first capital.

That excellent site close by the Caribbean sea, with a backdrop of mountains and terrain which determined that none of the city's street would be absolutely level is the setting of one of the most beautiful and joyous of Cuba's cities, filled with a mixture of architectural styles which run from the baroque to the neoclassical.

July is carnival time in Santiago de Cuba, and its carnivals are the most spectacular ones in the country just as it rum is the most popular.

Santiago de Cuba has many things of which to be proud. For example, it is the cradle of nearly all the music genres of Cuba, a country in which music expresses its soul and essence. However, it is the people of Santiago de Cuba who constitute is most unmistacable aspect. These joyous, proverbially hospitable people are self-willed, are capable of carrying out the greatest feats and embody great virtues.

They are proud to live in the only city in Cuba which has been officially declared to be heroic a title bestowed on it in recognation of the extraordinary contributions that its sons and daughters made to Cuba's Wars of independence.

This is why we recommend that you get to know Santiago de Cuba trough its people lives.

Explore its narrow, winding streets, that are filled with both history and music streets bordered by large windows and crowded balconies overflowing with flowers. This is a place where you have to get within touching distance and where you won't feel let down if you follow the golden rule that every minute of a vacation should have a surprise, something to admire or a goodplace to explore.

Santiago de Cuba has first-class hotels, not only in the city but also at its beaches and well-conserved natural settings.

Its hotel facilities provide a solid base for large-scale tourism, with many possibilities for developing specialized tourism of the most demanding kind.

Antonio Maceo International Airport, which can handle large planes used for long flights, is one of the best-equipped airports in the Caribbean, and the cruise ship terminal, on the bay, has excellent conditions for cruise ship tourism.

The provincial capital and the territory as a whole have experienced considerable socioenomic and cultural developement, which provides them with high levels of health and education.

Moreover, Santiago de Cuba city with the greatest Caribbean flavor and Cartagena, Colombia, are the only Latin American cities to have recieved the Golden Apple Award presented by the International Federation of Travel Writers and Journalists (FIJET) in recognation of their exceptionally high quality and excellent conditions as tourist destination.

The city has buildings in a wide architectual styles, and visitors are always given a warm welcome here. The water at its beaches remains at a pleasant temperature all year round, and theocean bed hosts a fascinating world of marine flora and fauna. Moreover, the scenery in the Sierra Maestra Mountains is truly Impressive. In addition to all this, Santiago de Cuba contains some places that are unique in Cuba.

Two of them are the fortress of San Pedro de la Roca del Morro and the Ruins of French coffee plantations in the mountains east of the city both of which UNESCO has declared to be a part of world cultural heritage.

Others include Troubadours' House; the Rum Museum; Santa Ifigenia Cementery where Jose Marti, Cuba's national hero, is burried and the Basilica of El Cobre Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity, the patron saint of Cuba, whom Pope John Paul II crowned during his visit to Cuba in January 1998.

But there are other actractions too: the shady parcs, which are always filled with people; the winding roads that go up and down; streets with steps cut in them; and the museums, theatres and other cultural institutions.

You really haven't seen Santiago de Cuba if you haven't visit Tivoli, a neighborhood of French-Haitian origins where the quadrille evolved into the danzon, whose popularity then swept all over the world; the San Juan Hill Historic-Military Park, scene of the last battles in the Spanish-Cuban-American War of 1898; and the former Moncada Garrison, which the young Fidel Castro and his comrades attacked on July 26, 1953, as the first action in the Revolution that brought Cuba complete independence on January 1, 1959.

Ideal for vacations filled with surprises, Santiago de Cuba offers visitors a complete infrastructure of facilities and services. Here, you will find not only comfort but also adventure and warm hospitality. Unquestionably, this province is one of the most interesting tourist destinations in Cuba.

CubanRhythm is based in Santiago, the very heart of Cuban dancing and music. Our teachers are local professionals who take pride in introducing visitors to their culture. As the organisation was set up by a Dutch woman living in Cuba, we are in the unique position of understanding what visitors to Cuba wish to get out of their holiday. Let us introduce you to the beat of Cuban life for a truly unforgettable holiday.

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For almost 5 centuries now, the busy Cespedes Park, the cozy, shade place that Santiago residents regularly visit in search of protection against the hot weather, or for a chat with friends about local, nayional or world events, has been both witness and protagonist of the most important events in the city. Young lovers come here to talkof the passion burning in them; parents and granparents to simply take their little one for a walk; and here and there, one can see groups of people, either sitting on the solid granite or wood benches, or standing in the middle of the park, engaged in heated discussions about the subject Cubans like to talk about the most: baseball, politics, music, invitations or love.

Formerly the parade square, main square and Constitution Square, this area is now called Cespedes Park and boasts a full-sized statue of Carlos Manuel Cespedes, the Father of his Country, on a marble pedestal. This is the best place in the city in which to stop for a few minutes and mix with the people. The park was given a facelift recently, but the tall trees which give it shade and the benches remain the same. Since it is located in the center of the city, important buildings such as the Town Hall, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba, the house where Diego Velazquez lived (now the Museum of Historical Ambience), the Municipal House of Culture (the old San Carlos Club, inaugurated in 1919) and the Casa Granda Hotel (which first opened its doors in 1914) front on it.

Near Cespedes Park, on the corner of Aguilera and Felix Pena Streets (best known by their former names of Marina and Santo Tomas), there stands an elegant, majestic, two-story building with a front that extends along half a block. On its lower floor, it is said, was the Crown's Forge and Contract Office, while Diego Velazquez used the upper floor as his residence.. Experts argue that in its backyard, which in the past led directly to the sea, there was a small fortress. Two letters by Don Diego to his Majesty Philip II as early as August 1519 mention the existence of this construction and that gold was being forged there.. Further evidence of this activity is provided by the remains of a furnace of the type used in forgery found on the corner of the house.

Concidered Cuba's, perhaps Americas', most ancient colonial building, today the house has a strong Moorish influence, with ashlars and richly decorated carved wood ceilings regarded as the city's most elaborate. Its reconstruction and recovery as a site of cultural heritage was entrusted to professor Francisco Prat Piug. Woek started in 1965, ending on November 30th, 1970. The house then poened as Museum of Cuban Historic Ambience; The complex includes a 19th century residence next door. The two exhibit items of the so-called "material culture" masterfully recreate the lifestyle of 16th and 19th century wealthy classes in Cuba.

The present limit of the city, which was declared a national monument on October 10, 1978, are the same as the end of the 19th century. This area which is bounded on the north by the Paseo de Marti, on the south by Avenida 24 de Febrero (Trocha Street), on the east by the 26th of July Monumental Group and on the west by the bay contains the most important examples of colonial Santiago de Cuba architecture and other interesting buildings dating from the Republican era, which began in 1902.

Musea

Trayler Ferreiro
Tienda Departamental
6 No. 409, esq. a 17,
Santiago de Cuba