20 Best Sights in Eastern Cuba, Cuba

After a drive through the countryside west of Santiago you'll see the red-tile tower of La Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre—dedicated to Cuba's patron saint in 1926—before the turn-off to the copper mining town of El Cobre in which it is located. The story of the Virgin dates from the early 1600s, when three men in a boat first saw her floating on water during a storm; tradition holds that the Virgin saved the men from certain drowning. Records show that the statue was most likely brought from Spain on order of the then-governor of Cuba, but don't play iconoclast with the millions of faithful who take seriously the Virgin's reputed miraculous powers. (Her image has also been blended with that of Ochún, the orisha, or goddess, of love in the Santería religion.) Each September, pilgrims journey here—sometimes crawling uphill on their knees—on the Virgin's feast day (September 8) to pay homage to the image housed in a glass case high above the main altar. Her shrine is filled with gifts from the faithful, including Ernest Hemingway's 1954 Nobel Prize, which he won largely for his novel The Old Man and the Sea. The Nobel medal was stolen in 1986 but recovered. It is no longer on display, except during special occasions. A staircase at the back of the cathedral leads to the chapel containing the Virgin's wooden image. In front of the cathedral you'll find a plaque commemorating Pope John Paul II's visit here during his 1998 trip to Cuba. A taxi is the quickest way to get out here. Plan to pay CUC$30. Most area tours feature the basilica as a stop, too.

This well-kept cemetery is home to the majestic mausoleum of the great poet-patriot in the wars of independence, José Martí. The structure is true to Martí's wishes (expressed in one of his poems) that he be buried below the flag of Cuba and surrounded by roses. Marble steps lead to the tomb, above which is a domed tower. An honor guard keeps watch over Martí's tomb 24 hours a day and changes guard every 30 minutes in an eye-catching, goose-stepping ceremony. Fidel Castro also chose to be entombed here, his ashes encased inside a large rock adorned with a plaque that says simply FIDEL. Other highlights include a memorial to Cuban soldiers who have fallen in battle---many of the partisans who fought in Angola, in southern Africa, are buried here---and the tombs of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and those who died in the Moncada Barracks attack. While admission is technically free, you may enter only in the accompaniment of a guide, for which you must pay. You'll also be charged a hefty photo fee, whether taking stills or videos. The changing-of-the-guard ceremony is impressive enough that most visitors pony up and pay the photo fee.

If you have an interest in all things revolutionary, a visit to the Moncada Barracks is a must, because here's where it all started. On July 26, 1953, Castro and 100 men attempted to storm this former army barracks. It was carnival time in Santiago; the streets were full of revelers, and Castro had hoped that security would be lax. Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed, and the rebels were either killed or captured. Castro, who fled to the mountains, was eventually caught, tried, and imprisoned on the Isla de la Juventud off Western Cuba's southern coast. Although unsuccessful, the attack ignited the sparks of Castro's Revolution. He wrote his famous speech "La historia me absolverá" ("History will absolve me"), which was smuggled out of prison, printed, and distributed throughout the island. Although luck had not been on his side in 1953, it certainly was in 1955, when Batista granted many political prisoners their freedom. Castro left for the United States, where he began soliciting support for his 26th of July Movement (named in honor of the ill-fated barracks attack) to rid Cuba of Batista's regime. From there, he took his cause to Mexico. In 1956, just a year after being released from prison, Castro made his historic journey from Mexico to Cuba aboard the Granma.

Today the former stronghold of Batista's troops contains a grammar school and the Museo de 26 de Julio. The bullet holes surrounding the doorway to the museum are re-creations of those left after the original attack, which were quickly patched over by Batista's men. The exhibits here tell, in Spanish only, the entire story of the attack and the events that followed. They're among the nation's most comprehensive ones on revolutionary history. Take the guided tour (it's customary to tip docents CUC$1).

This ceramic-tiled terrace is all that remains of a fort once used by authorities to monitor boat traffic. It's a great place to linger while taking in views of both the city and the bay. Music shows and other events are often held here, particularly on weekend evenings.

The climb up the stone steps to this street will reward you with more than just dramatic views. It's part of the Tivoli neighborhood, where 18th-century French-colonial mansions sit side by side with 16th-century structures. Locals gather on its shady edges to gossip, play dominoes, or watch visitors like you make their ascent.

Constructed in 1516, this structure is reputed to be Cuba's oldest house, although many historians now doubt that claim. First or not, it is one of Santiago's top attractions. Diego Velázquez, the Spanish conquistador who founded the city and was the island's first governor, lived upstairs. Inside you'll find period beds, desks, chests, and other furniture. On the first floor is a gold foundry. Memorable are the star-shape Moorish carvings on the wooden windows and balconies, and the original interior patio with its well and rain-collecting tinajón vessel. An adjacent house is filled with antiques intended to convey the French and English decorative and architectural influences—such as the radial stained glass above the courtyard doors—in the late 19th-century.

This Spanish-colonial mansion was the birthplace of poet José María Heredia, who, because of his pro-independence writings, is considered Cuba's first national poet. Heredia died in 1839 at age 36 while exiled in Mexico. The house, now just a fraction of its original size, displays period furniture and some of the poet's works and belongings. The home's traditional interior patio is planted with trees and plants—including orange, myrtle, palm, and jasmine—associated with Heredia's verse. A marble plaque on the house's Calle Heredia facade excerpts one of the poet's most famous works, "Niágara" ("Ode to Niagara Falls").

The Spanish fortress known as El Morro, south of Santiago, was constructed between 1638 and 1700 and was designed by Giovanni Antonelli, the Italian architect and engineer responsible for fortresses bearing the same name in both Havana and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dominating a bluff at the entrance to the Bahía de Santiago de Cuba, El Morro was built to ward off pirates (and rebuilt after a 1662 attack by the English pirate Henry Morgan). Inside you'll find a museum with exhibits on, appropriately enough, pirates. Signage is in Spanish only, but English-speaking guides can lead you around. (Tip them, of course.) There are wonderful views from interior rooms, which have wooden floors and stone walls, as well as from various terraces. From the lowest terrace, the view of the fortress itself, formed from the sheer face of the bluff, is powerful. The way into the structure takes you down and then back up a 207-step staircase; a drawbridge over a moat leads to the entrance. You'll find little shade here; sunscreen and a brimmed hat are musts. Midday gets unbearably hot.

Visit early in the morning or late afternoon if your schedule permits.

An impressive flag-lowering, cannon-firing ceremony winds up the day, and that makes a good case for a late-afternoon visit.

The twin towers and central dome of Santiago's Neoclassical cathedral loom over the southern edge of Parque Céspedes. Because this area is atop a hill, the cathedral's profile is visible from afar and creates a recognizable silhouette. Although it was first built on this site in 1523, the current building dates primarily from 1922. Inside, the painted ceiling has been beautifully restored, and there are several noteworthy works of religious art, including a sculpture of Cuba's patron saint, La Virgen de la Caridad. A two-room museum near the east entrance displays objects relating to the history of the Catholic Church in Cuba.

Cuba's oldest rum distillery, the former Bacardí family enterprise, now makes the Caney, Santiago, and Varadero brand rums. The on-site shop—which has a bar, live music, and free samples—is the central attraction. Unfortunately, there are no factory tours.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Four blocks from Parque Céspedes, this long plaza—the city's former marketplace—is ringed with cafés, open-air restaurants, and 18th-century homes with noteworthy wooden balconies. It takes its name from the church overlooking its eastern end, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, which was renovated and turned into a concert hall. Several of the trees here were felled by Hurricane Sandy in 2012; it will be several years before the new plantings grow back.

Just about every city on the island has a Revolution Square, a vast expanse of space and perhaps every community's most prominent marker of Cuban socialism. This one in the Reparto Sueño neighborhood was the site of Pope John Paul II's Mass celebrated here in Santiago. Towering above the plaza is the dramatic monument to Major General Antonio Maceo, one of the heroes of the wars of independence. It shows the general on his horse, going down in a battlefield portrayed by 23 steel machetes that rise from the ground around him.

For a memorable photo, visit this park, Santiago's third largest, at the edge of the Old City. Children ride in colorful carts pulled by goats—a pleasure formerly enjoyed in Parque Céspedes. This relaxed square, filled with families and sweets vendors, captures the rhythm of Santiago life. Most of the trees here were uprooted by 2012's Hurricane Sandy. Replanting has begun, but it will be some time before the park achieves its cool shadiness once again.

This elegant neighborhood of mansions is a place of historical splendor. French-inspired plantation homes, stately Spanish-colonial mansions, even Art Deco gems are beautifully decaying amid riotous vegetation under the clear Caribbean sun. Chevy Bel Airs and Cadillacs from the late 1950s roll down the wide, quiet streets where time seems to have frozen four decades ago, just before the Revolution. The district, framed in bougainvillea and hibiscus, resembles Havana's Vedado and older residential neighborhoods in Miami.