2 Best Sights in Cuba

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.

The Christopher Columbus Cemetery sprawls behind a huge ceremonial arch and is a repository for a great deal more than just the deceased. Founded in 1868 by Bishop Espada, it's a veritable pantheon of monuments commemorating poets, novelists, musicians, soldiers, statesmen, and rank-and-file citizens. Cuban novelist Cirilo Villaverde and Cervantes-laureate Alejo Carpentier are here, as are the martyrs of the Granma yacht landing, the students killed in the 1957 assault on the Palacio Presidencial, and Buena Vista Social Club member Ibrahim Ferrer Planas. This is also a place full of extraordinary legends, some of them macabre. You can learn all about them on a guided tour (highly recommended; you can arrange for one in English for a small fee at the hut just inside the grounds to the right). Be sure to ask about the story of La Milagrosa (The Miraculous).