222 Best Sights in Cuba

The restored San Francisco de Paula Church stands in a plaza at the edge of the harbor at the southern end of the Alameda de Paula. Built between 1730 and 1745 as part of what was then a hospital for women, its facade is described as "pre-Churrigueresque," meaning that it was done prior to the popular exuberant baroque style for which Spanish architect José Benito Churriguera is known. The church fell into disrepair in the 20th century, when the adjoining hospital was moved far from the uproarious port. Restored in early 2001 and filled with Cuban art (including a series of crosses by prominent contemporary painter Zaida del Río), the church is now often used as a concert hall and art gallery.

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).

The Asociación Cultural Yoruba provides a close look at African culture. The bigger-than-life orishas (Yoruban deities) on display are all identified and explained in English, French, and Spanish. It is also a place where people still come to pray and give offerings to the various orishas. Depending on the day, you may even get to witness a Santería ceremony or ritual here, which the public are welcome to attend. The association is near the Parque de la Fraternidad Americana, a shady space around a sacred ceiba tree planted in 1928 with soil from each of the free countries of the Americas.

Lying 18 km (11 miles) east of Havana, this tranquil crescent of sand surrounding a quiet lagoon is the first you'll come to along the Playas del Este. This is about as natural as they come, with a scattering of palm trees for shade and a few locals who will offer to catch some fresh fish and cook it for you or scale a tree to get you a coconut. Coral reefs and an 18th-century Spanish galleon lie far off shore, meaning that you'll occasionally see scuba-diving excursions here, too. Look for the Villa Bacuranao, hidden by rocks and trees, at one end of the beach, a quiet two-star resort with a swimming pool, restaurant, and inexpensive basic rooms to rent. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: solitude; swimming.

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.

Guardalavaca is part of the county of Banes (pronounced BAH-nays). Castro married his first wife at the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad on the town's Plaza Martí. Fulgencio Batista, the dictator Castro eventually toppled, was born here in 1901. But Banes is best known for its archaeological treasures, many of which are exhibited in its Museo Indocubano.

The Neoclassical Biblioteca, on Plaza Serafín Sánchez's southwest corner, is the most conspicuous edifice. Built in 1929 by the city's wealthiest citizens as an exclusive club, it became a public library following the Revolution, and was meticulously restored in 1998. On the second floor in the former ballroom, students now read beneath painted columns and crystal chandeliers. Be sure to check out the view from the balcony.

Along Plaza de la Revolución's northern edge is the National Library, which, with 2 million volumes, is Cuba's largest. You must call in advance to book tours of the building.

This newly opened café, housed in a beautiful old colonial building, complete with original tiles, is quickly becoming one of Havana's best coffeehouses. The rich coffee aromas waft halfway down the street, and inside the sound of bubbling percolators is complemented by cloth coffee bags, old coffee trade maps, and photos of coffee farmers covering the walls. As well as coffee anyway you want, the café also serves snacks such as sandwiches, ice creams, and salads.

This is a great place to buy some freshly roasted Cuban coffee beans to take back home with you.

Just east of Playa Girón, the sea has formed a series of natural pools by entering through underwater caves, creating the largest flooded cavern in Cuba. The bottom of sponge and coral is a polychromatic marvel, as are the many tropical fish. Experienced, well-equipped divers can follow a 25-meter (83-foot) tunnel through the limestone leading out to the sea. The on-site dive shop charges CUC$25 for a dive, including gear; and CUC$5 to rent snorkeling gear. There's no need for boats as the dive area is close. Night dives can also be arranged. The on-site restaurant is open until 5 and specializes in shrimp and lobster. There's a CUC$15 charge that includes lunch and drinks, and access to the natural pool. In spring, be prepared for roads covered with dead land crabs and their attendant vultures.

Down the hill behind the church is Calle El Llano, a steep, cobbled street lined with some of the city's oldest houses, most of which are private homes. At the bottom of the hill stands the Quinta Santa Elena, a former farmhouse that dates from 1719. It's now a restaurant, and its shaded front terrace has the best view of the 19th-century stone bridge that spans the Río Yayabo.

For several blocks south of the Plaza Serafín Sánchez, Calle Independencia is a pedestrian mall lined with an array of shops, a couple of banks, and the main post office. The mall ends in front of the 19th-century Colonia Español building, to the west of which is Sancti Spíritus's ancient church, the Iglesia Parroquial Mayor del Espíritu Santo.

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.

This neighborhood project, directed by and featuring the painting (note the vivid street murals) and sculpture of Salvador Gonzalez Escalona, is an ongoing Afro-Cuban educational and artistic event. All the quirky sculptures you see here have been made out of recycled materials---look for the story of Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince, which has been painted into an array of bathtubs at the far end of the street. Afro-Cuban music groups Rumbo Morena and Eroso Obba perform here every Sunday from noon to 3 pm, enthusiastically watched by locals and tourists alike.

At Parque José Martí's southwest corner stands the Palacio Ferrer, an elaborate mansion built in 1917 by Spanish businessman José Ferrer and now the Casa de Cultura. The corner room on the second floor was once used by Enrico Caruso, and a spiral staircase leads from here up to a tower that offers a nice view of the plaza. Local musicians and dancers often rehearse here.

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 house is named for the obra pía (pious work) with orphans that was carried out here in colonial times. Its elaborately wrought Baroque doorway is thought to have been carved in Cádiz around 1686. The architecture of the interior patio is based on North African fondouks (inns) and, later, of Spanish corralas (patios). There's much to see here: arches of different sizes and shapes, vases decorated with paintings by Spanish painter Ignacio Zuloaga, as well as a collection of old sewing machines and needlecraft paraphernalia.

The Alejo Carpentier artifacts (including the car he used in Paris) are still there, but locked up in a special room that you must get permission ahead of time to see.

The Casa Natal Calixto García contains some of the belongings of General Calixto García, a local patriot. It's worth a visit if you're an aficionado of Cuban history, and you can learn more about the Ten Years' War here.

This two-story house on the north side of Parque Céspedes is the birthplace of Céspedes himself. It has been a museum since 1968, the centennial anniversary of the signing of the Cuban Declaration of Independence, and is filled with period furniture and the belongings of the Cuban patriot. Also on display is the printing press on which Céspedes published Cuba's first independent newspaper.

This yellow colonial building with a high wooden balcony was probably one of the tallest structures in town when Ignacio Agramonte was born to a wealthy ranching family here in 1841. Agramonte grew to become a general in the Ten Years War. When he was killed in battle in 1873, popular acclamation elevated him to the rank of hero. Though only half of the original house remains, it has been restored and converted into a museum. Its courtyard has a tinajón in every corner, and upstairs rooms are furnished with period pieces or filled with displays about the wars for independence.

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").

On January 28, 1853, Cuba's padre de la patria (father of the nation), José Martí, was born of Spanish parents in this humble house. When a child he prophetically announced, "Five generations of slaves must be followed by a generation of martyrs." At age 15 he wrote a newspaper piece judged treasonous by the Spanish governors, and after time in a Havana prison followed by exile to the Isla de la Juventud, he was exiled to Spain, where he later studied law. Martí then spent 14 years in the United States, working as a newspaper reporter. Three volumes of poetry and several books of essays established him as the most brilliant Latin American writer and political analyst of his day.

Martí's words stirred both moral and financial support for Cuban independence. In mid-April 1895, as part of a revolutionary plan that was months in the making, Martí joined General Máximo Gómez on Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). The two set out for Eastern Cuba, where General Antonio Maceo awaited them. A month later, on May 19, 1895, Martí became one of the first casualties of the Second War of Independence, when he charged, mounted on a white steed, into a Spanish ambush during a battle at Dos Ríos. His lyrics in "Guantanamera," are premonitory: "Que no me entierran en lo oscuro / a morir como un traidor / yo soy bueno y como bueno / moriré de cara al sol." ("May they not bury me in darkness / to die like a traitor / I am good, and as a good man / I will die facing the sun.") The memorabilia in this museum range from locks of the young Martí's hair to the shackle he wore around his ankle as a prisoner to letters, books, and poetry. Look for the martyr's spurs and ammunition belt, a rare 1893 photograph of Martí with Máximo Gómez in New York, and another of the Manhattan office on Front Street where he worked on the Cuban independent newspaper Patria.

Above a fishing village overlooking the narrow entrance to the Bahía de Cienfuegos (35 km [21 miles] south of the historical center) is a Spanish fortress built in 1745 to keep out pirates who had grown accustomed to trading with locals. It's completely refurbished (even the drawbridge works) and has a historical museum with weapons and other antiques. The dungeon houses a bar and restaurant. On your way down, note the small chamber beneath the steps; prisoners were chained and tortured here.

If you're a woman, we suggest you not wear blue when you visit. Local legend holds that the site is haunted by the ghost of a mysterious female figure dressed in a blue gown; given the fort's notorious history, who can say for sure? We wouldn't want anyone to mistake you for her.

You have three ways to get here: take a taxi (or drive) the whole way, looping counterclockwise around the bay; travel overland directly south of Cienfuegos to the Hotel Pasacaballos at the entrance of the bay and take the short ferry that crosses back and forth to the fort all day long; or board the ferry at the south end of Calle 25 in Cienfuegos with departures at 8 am, 1 pm, and 5:30 pm and returns from the fort at 6:30 am, 10 am, and 3 pm.

Constructed in 1558 by order of Spanish king Felipe II three years after an earlier fortress was destroyed by the French pirate Jacques de Sores, this classic, moat-enclosed fortress was the residence of the local military commanders until 1762. The tower, added in 1632, is topped by the famous Giraldilla (weather vane), a nod to the one atop the Giralda minaret in Seville, the city whose Casa de Contratación (House of Trade) oversaw financial and shipping operations between Spain and its territories in the Americas. Havana's favorite symbol—it's even on the Havana Club rum label—the Giraldilla honors Doña Inés de Bobadilla, Cuba's lone woman governor, who replaced her husband, Hernando de Soto, when he left to conquer Florida (and search for the Fountain of Youth) in 1539. De Soto and his expedition went on to explore much of North America and were among the first white men to cross the Mississippi River. He died in 1542, but Doña Inés spent years scanning the horizon, awaiting his return. The current Giraldilla is a copy of an earlier bronze one toppled by a hurricane and now on display in the Museo de la Ciudad de La Habana. Today the museum houses an exhibition on Cuban navigation, dating from 1577 to today. On display are miniatures of the galleons that once passed through the island with gold coins, treasures, and documentation of maritime life over the centuries.

In 1762 Lord Albemarle took El Morro for the English after a 44-day siege. A year later, Carlos III recovered Cuba in exchange for Florida and promptly ordered the construction of what was then the largest fort in the Americas. Sprawling across the hill east of El Morro, the fortress was named for the Spanish king and for the typical Cuban cabanas or bohíos (cabins) that once occupied the site. With the capacity to house 1,000 troops, this immense bastion was said to be so big that Carlos was given a telescope with which to admire it from Madrid.

The infamous Foso de los Laureles (Graveyard of the Laurels) was the execution wall where hundreds died during the wars of independence. The 9 pm ceremonia del cañonazo (ceremony of the cannon shot) is a must-see event filled with nostalgia and mystery. First, a lamplighter lights the gas lanterns. Then, a crier (a recruit with a voice so good he's been signed on permanently even though his military service ended years ago) begins an eery plainsong chant that reverberates throughout the fortress and, when the wind is right, across the bay to La Punta: "Silencio; ha llegado la noche / Las luces están encendidas / Nuestro cañon se llama Capitolino / A las nueve sonará" ("Silence; night has fallen / The lanterns are lit / Our cannon is named Capitolino / At nine it will sound"). Finally, a detail of some half-dozen soldiers dressed in scarlet 18th-century uniforms marches in and loads and fires the cannon, which makes a deafening noise (cover your ears).

La Cabaña's two museums are of moderate interest. The Museo de la Cabaña documents Cuba's military history, and the Museo del Che is dedicated to the life of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who ranks alongside José Martí as one of Cuba's national martyrs.

On a point (hence, the name) directly across from El Morro, La Punta took 11 years to build (1589–1600), under the supervision of the same Italian military engineer—Juan Bautista Antonelli—responsible for its sister fortress. The two forts are so close, it's said that voice communication is possible in calm weather. In the early 17th century, a heavy chain was stretched between them, sealing the port at night and during attacks. Today the fortress has an even more romantic role in the city's unfolding drama: it's a favorite spot for lovers. At the time of writing, it was closed to the public due to ongoing renovations, but walking around the outside still makes for an impressive view.