Eastern Cuba
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Eastern Cuba - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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21. Loma de San Juan
Made famous by Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, San Juan Hill marks the sight of the decisive July 1, 1898 battle in the Spanish-American War. (The conflict is known here as the Guerra hispano-cubano-norteamericana, or Spanish-Cuban-American War.) Today it's a park, in the Reparto San Juan neighborhood, covered by monuments left by U.S. and Cuban militaries, dedicated to the battle fought here during the Spanish-American War. It's a lovely spot, with amusements for small children in the Parque de Diversiones—identifiable by its large Ferris wheel—at the base of the hill.
Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, 90100, Cuba -
22. Monumento Celia
To reach the Monumento Celia, a monument to revolutionary hero Celia Sánchez, a longtime confidante of Fidel Castro, you climb a beautiful staircase lined with Moorish-style residences.
Calle Caridad y Calle Martí, Manzanillo, Granma, 87510, Cuba -
23. Museo de la Historia Natural Carlos de la Torre
This museum, a Moorish-style structure with beautiful ceramic tile work, contains a decent natural-history collection with preserved specimens of 11 Cuban ecosystems. Be sure to check out the Polymita snail-shell collection from Baracoa.
Calle Maceo 129, Holguín, Holguín, 80100, Cuba2442–3935Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$1, Tues.–Sat. 9–noon and 1–5, Sun. 9–noon -
24. Museo de la Lucha Clandestina
Every Cuban city of any size has a museum dedicated to the Revolution. To be frank, most begin to blur together after awhile. This so-called Museum of the Clandestine Struggle is one of the country's better such facilities. It is housed in a 19th-century building that was once the city's police headquarters. It was attacked and burned by Frank País and a band of rebels on November 30, 1958. Displays in this now-restored structure give you a complete overview of the struggle, and the architecture and bay views are as compelling as the exhibits.
Calle General Jesús Rabí 1, Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, 90100, Cuba2262–4689Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$1, Tues.–Sat. 9–5, Sun. 9–noon -
25. Museo del Carnaval
The spirit of one of the Caribbean's most vibrant street parties, Santiago's annual July carnival, is recalled in photos and newspaper clippings, floats, costumes, and musical instruments. To be honest, the artifacts here are rather ho-hum and do not justify the added camera fee on top of the admission price. Late afternoons here give a better sense of what carnival is like; stop by at 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday for a performance by music and dance troupes.The short spectacle of colorful costume, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and stirring song might justify the photo fee and might have you planning your next trip to coincide with the main event. The performers are always grateful for tips.
Calle Heredia 303, Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, 90100, Cuba2262–6955Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$1; CUC$5 for photos, Tues.–Sat. 9–5, Sun. 9–1 -
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26. Museo del Ron
Exhibits here take you through the rum-making process. You'll also find displays of antique rum paraphernalia and bottles, as well as exhibits documenting the history of the former Bacardí factory. The Bacardís, one of Santiago's oldest families, initially supported Castro's revolutionary goals but left Cuba for Puerto Rico when their installations were nationalized. In the same building (but accessible only through an entrance around the corner) is the Taberna del Ron, which sells rum products and gifts.
Calle Bartolomé Masó (San Basilio) 358, Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, 90100, Cuba2662--3737Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$1, Tues.–Sun. 9–6 -
27. Museo Historia Provincial
The museum, in the former Casino Español at the plaza's northern end, contains an exhibit of pre-Columbian artifacts as well as displays on the Revolution and the province's role in it. Locally, the redbrick building is known as La Periquera ("the Parrot Cage"), because brightly dressed Spanish officers peered through its barred windows while the city was under siege by General García's troops in 1868.
Calle Frexes 198, Holguín, Holguín, 80100, Cuba2446–3395Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$1, Tues.–Sat. 9–4:30, Sun. 9–noon -
28. Museo Histórico Municipal
The museum has displays on local history and popular culture. One exhibit is dedicated to Taty Labernia, who was so famous for her renditions of boleros (traditional Cuban songs descended from troubadour ballads) that she was known as "La Reina del Bolero" (The Queen of the Bolero).
Calle Bartolomé Masó, Manzanillo, Granma, 87510, Cuba2355--2053Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$1, Tues.–Sat. 9–5 -
29. Museo Indocubano
The museum has one of Cuba's largest collections of such indigenous artifacts (20,000 of them) as pottery, jewelry, and tools. There are also murals depicting indigenous life.
Calle General Maceo 305, Guardalavaca, Holguín, Cuba2448–2487Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$2, Tues.–Sat. 9–5, Sun. 8–noon -
30. Museo Provincial
This eclectic museum is housed in the birthplace of composer and violinist Manuel Muñoz Cedeño (1813–95). There are exhibits on the region's colonial history and its geography.
Calle Maceo 55, Bayamo, Granma, 85100, Cuba2442–4125Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$1, Weekdays 9–5, weekends 10–1, and Sat. 7–9 pm -
31. Museo Provincial Bacardí Moreau
Cuba's oldest museum was founded in 1899 by Emilio Bacardí Moreau, the former Santiago mayor whose rum-making family fled to Puerto Rico after the Revolution. Although the Neoclassical structure's interior was horrendously remodeled in 1968—destroying many elegant details and cutting off air circulation—the collection it contains is fantastic. The basement, which you enter from the side of the building, has artifacts—including mummies and a shrunken head—from indigenous cultures throughout the Americas. In the first-floor displays of colonial objects, the antique weapons and brutal relics of the slave trade are especially thought-provoking. Step outside a door to a cobblestone alley, along which are houses from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Around the corner is a traditional colonial patio. The second-floor art gallery has works from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the museum bears the Bacardí name, this is not Santiago's rum museum. That's the Museo del Ron, two blocks away.
Calle Pío Rosado (Carnicería) y Calle Aguilera, Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, 90100, Cuba2262–8402Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$2, Mon. 1–4:30, Tues.–Sat. 9–4:30, Sun. 9–12:30 -
32. Parque Céspedes
At times it seems that Santiago's main activity is the curious stare-down that takes place in Parque Céspedes between mojito-sipping tourists at the Hotel Casa Granda's café and white-hatted locals, who sit across the way. Long the central meeting place for santiagueros, this large plaza buzzes with sound and movement day and night. Musicians wander past and around its shady benches, which are occupied from early in the morning to late in the evening. At the park's center is a large bronze statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, whose Grito de Yara declared Cuba's independence from Spain in 1868 and began the Ten Years' War. Hurricane Sandy uprooted most of the park's trees in 2012; residents here patiently wait for the vegetation to grow back.
Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, 90100, Cuba -
33. Parque Céspedes
The main plaza, Parque Céspedes, is the best place to experience Manzanillo's unique sense of style. It's dominated by a central bandstand, with colorful, intricately painted tiles and a domed top. Many of the fine buildings surrounding the plaza are Moorish-inspired. You'll also find a café, an art gallery, shops, and the Casa de la Cultura, which has art exhibits, live-music shows, and other cultural events.
Manzanillo, Granma, 87510, Cuba -
34. Parque Céspedes
Bayamo's central park is a charming square with large trees and long marble benches. It's still the center of local life, and a good place to drink in the rhythms of a quiet Cuban town. Horse-drawn carriage rides are available from here. At the square's center is the granite-and-bronze statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the hero of the Ten Years' War. He wrote the famous "Grito de Yara" ("Shout of Yara")—the declaration of independence from Spain—which he read aloud on October 10, 1868, after freeing his slaves. Look also for the statue of Perucho Figueredo, who wrote Cuba's national anthem; its words describe the valor of the local townspeople: Run to the battle, Bayamenses / Let the motherland proudly watch you / Don't fear death / To die for the motherland is to live. On the east side of the square is the Ayuntamiento, the old town hall where Céspedes abolished slavery after founding an independent republic briefly in 1868.
Maceo at General García, Bayamo, Granma, 85100, Cuba -
35. Parque de Recreación Bartolomé Masó
Wandering the bay-side malecón and exploring its adjacent Parque de Recreación Bartolomé Masó is a great way to spend an afternoon. This small park features rides and snack vendors in a shady clearing on the shore. It's lit up at night and is particularly lively on weekends.
Manzanillo, Granma, 87510, Cuba -
36. Parque Independencia
This park forms Baracoa's historic heart; local people refer to the triangle-shaped park as "Parque Central." Note the large bust of indigenous leader Hatuey—Cuba's first rebel—who fought against the Spanish and was burned at the stake for his audacity in 1512.
Félix Ruene at Antonio Maceo, Baracoa, Guantánamo, 97310, Cuba -
37. Parque Nacional Turquino
Cuban history and majesty are preserved in Turquino National Park. Santo Domingo, on the banks of the Río Yara and in a valley between two steep mountainsides, is a hub for visitors. The village has restaurants, accommodations, and shops with provisions. You can hire a guide (they're obligatory, but charge only about CUC$5 per person per day) and buy a CUC$10-permit to enter the park at the Villa Santo Domingo hotel. Whether you need that permit or not depends on who’s talking. Some guides are able to finagle entrance without the permit. It's best to call ahead to find out what you need and to make sure that the park is open; if the Cuban National Institute of Science or another agency is conducting research, the park may be closed to visitors. It's a steep 5-km (3-mile) ascent from Santo Domingo village to the Alto del Naranjo—a parking lot with beautiful views—which marks the entrance to the park. If you haven't hired a guide in Santo Domingo, you can do so at the visitor center here.The Comandancia de la Plata, the headquarters of the Revolution, is just 3 km (2 miles) west of the entrance to the park. A relaxing, one-hour walk on a clearly marked trail along a ridge brings you to a remote forest clearing. Here you'll find Castro's command post, hospital, and residence—built with an escape route into an adjacent creek. This is the perfect trek if you have limited time: you can get a taste of the region in the morning and return to the lowlands by early afternoon.If you’re feeling truly intrepid, the summit of Pico Turquino, Cuba's highest peak at 1,974 meters (6,476 feet), beckons, some 13 km (8 miles) from the Comandancia de la Plata. A journey here involves a night of camping, typically at a tent camp at the mountain's base. Cooks are sometimes available, but you have to bring your own food. Showers and fog alternate with sun and daytime heat, and humidity alternates with chilly windy nights, so in addition to good hiking boots, you need clothing that you can layer and a lightweight rain jacket.
Municipio Bartolomé Masó, 88000, CubaSight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$10, Daily 7--4 -
38. Playa Baragua
East of town lies Playa Baragua, one of the area's few light-sand beaches. Not far from here, the road passes beneath a natural arch called the Túnel de los Alemanes (Germans' Tunnel) before ending 25 km (16 miles) east of Baracoa, at the Río Yumurí and the adjacent village of the same name. The river tumbles out of a steep canyon. Boats ferry passengers across the river and up into the canyon for nominal fees. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.
Baracoa, Guantánamo, 97310, Cuba -
39. Playa Esmeralda
West of Playa Guardalavaca, heading back toward Holguín along the main road, is Playa Esmeralda, a beach that the Spanish chain Meliá has claimed as its own with two all-inclusive hotels: the Paradisus Río de Oro Resort & Spa and the Sol Río de Luna y Mares. (All beaches in Cuba are public, of course, so no one can technically do that.) Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: sunrise; swimming; walking.
Guardalavaca, Holguín, 82300, Cuba -
40. Playa Maguana
West of town, you'll find the lovely, dark-sand Playa Maguana, site of the Gaviota Villa Maguana hotel. Amenities: food and drink; parking; water sports. Best for: sunrise; swimming; walking.
Baracoa, Guantánamo, 97310, Cuba
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