22 Best Sights in 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.

Cuba's Cervantes Prize–winning novelist, Alejo Carpentier, may have borrowed from St. Augustine when he described the city's cathedral as "music made into stone," but the words—like the bells in the structure they describe—ring true and clear. Work on the church was begun by the Jesuits in 1748, who weren't around to see it finished in 1777. (King Carlos III of Spain expelled the Jesuits from the New World in 1767). The facade is simultaneously intimate and imposing, and one of the two towers is visibly larger, creating an asymmetry that seems totally natural. The two bells in the taller, thicker tower are said to have been cast with gold and silver mixed into the bronze, giving them their sweet tone. In Our Man in Havana, Graham Greene describes the statue of Columbus that once stood in the square as looking "as though it had been formed through the centuries underwater, like a coral reef, by the action of insects." This is, in fact, exactly the case: coral, cut and hauled from the edge of the sea by slaves, was used to build many of Havana's churches. Look carefully and you'll see fossils of marine flora and fauna in the stone of the cathedral.

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.

Havana's famous Malecón, sheltered by a sea wall, runs west for 7 km (4 miles) from La Punta (where it's also known as Avenida Antonio Maceo) and the harbor's entrance to the Santa Dorotea de Luna de la Chorrera fortress, near the mouth of the Río Almendares. Although it was designed in 1857 by a Cuban engineer, it wasn't built until 1902, thanks, in part, to the American capital that flowed to the island after the Spanish-American War. Once an opulent promenade flanked by brightly painted houses, the Malecón today is dark and dilapidated, the houses crumbling, and the wide limestone walkway broken and eroded. Yet it still has its charms. As it faces north, it offers spectacular views of both sunrise and sunset—perhaps accounting for the belief that there's not a single habanero who hasn't professed love eternal here at one time or another. Crashing waves and the rainbows created from their spray and the sun adds to the Malecón's magic.

As you walk, look for rectangles carved into the stone. These were once (and are still used as) sea baths, which fill at high tide and allowed people to splash about, safe from both currents and sharks. Just west of the Hotel Nacional you'll come to Monumento alMaine, honoring the 260 American sailors killed in the 1898 explosion of that U.S. warship, which was visiting Havana in a display of American might. The event lead to what the United States calls the Spanish-American War (for Cubans this was the final stage of their War of Independence, which began in 1868) followed by a period of heavy U.S. involvement in Cuban affairs. A plaque dedicated by the Castro government here reads: "To the victims of the Maine, who were sacrificed by imperialist voracity in its eagerness to seize the island of Cuba."

Even those convinced that they've outgrown their thirst for Hemingway will feel a flutter of youthful romanticism on a visit to Finca Vigía (Lookout Farm), the American Nobel Prize–winner's home from 1939 to 1961. The excellent guides will show you his weight charts—faithfully kept on the bathroom wall and never varying much from 242.5 pounds—a first edition of Kenneth Tynan's Bull Fever by the toilet; the lizard preserved in formaldehyde and honored for having "died well" in a battle with one of Hemingway's five-dozen cats; the pool where Ava Gardner swam naked; Hemingway's favorite chair (ask about what happened to people who dared sit in it); his sleek powerboat, El Pilar; and much, much more.

Originally erected in 1748, this church was reconstructed in 1848, repaired after a fire in 1906, and renovated yet again in 1998. The clock on its facade was the city's first public timepiece, made in Barcelona in 1773; its current machinery was imported from the United States in 1901. The church's interior has massive square columns and a vaulted ceiling decorated with faded art nouveau frescoes dating from 1915. The painted wooden altar was made in 1909 to replace one destroyed by the 1906 fire, but the paintings on the walls around it date from the 18th and 19th centuries. To the right of the altar is the Santo Sepulcro (Holy Sepulchre): a Christ figure in a glass casket that was made in 1762 using the silver from 23,000 Mexican coins donated by parishioners. It's carried out of the cathedral and back every Good Friday in a religious procession that was prohibited for nearly four decades. The crypts beneath the altar have been partially excavated and converted into a tiny museum of tombs, icons, and other antiquities; it's not for the claustrophobic. If the church is closed, enter through the convent next door.

Covering 35,000 square meters, this hillside botanical garden is a wild tangle of flowering vines, fragrant gingers, waist-high begonias and epiphyte-laden trees growing out of rocks. The centerpiece is a tidy greenhouse filled with blooming orchids. Back in the 1940s, a wealthy Havana lawyer and orchid fancier hired a Japanese gardener to design this glorious garden in his daughter's memory. Stone pathways bordered by plant-covered rocky outcroppings wind uphill to a lookout. The footing is a little precarious and the garden is quite wild, but beautiful. Birds abound, so be sure to bring along binoculars. The garden is also a study center for budding botanists and there is an expert guide on hand.

East of town lie Cienfuegos's expansive botanical gardens covering 94 hectares (232 acres) and containing more than 2,000 plant species, most of which are not native to Cuba. Created at the turn of the last century by U.S. sugar farmer Edwin Atkins, the garden was administered by Harvard University until 1961, when it was taken over by the Cuban Academy of Science. It includes palms, bamboos, and other tropical trees as well as medicinal plants and a forest reserve that's home to many native animals. Signage could be better here; a guide can point out what you're seeing, although not all speak English.

Tips are greatly appreciated.

If you're up to the ascent, exactly 456 steps lead up to the Loma de la Cruz, a hill named for the large white cross that has graced it since 1790.

Pace yourself—you'll find landings every 50 steps or so—and bring water. The climb up can get hot.

From here you have a lovely view of Holguín and the surrounding limestone hills. There are also artisan shops and a snack bar.

No matter what your politics, a visit to Santa Clara's most famous attraction is a must if you wish to understand modern Cuba's complex history. A massive bronze sculpture of iconic revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara looms over a site containing his tomb and a museum dedicated to his life. Exhibits under the statue—the entrance is around the back—chronicle Che's eventful life, from his happy childhood in Argentina, to his life-changing 1950's journey through South America chronicled in his own journals and the 2004 film The Motorcycle Diaries, to his 1967 assassination in Bolivia. Exhibits here primarily concentrate on his involvement in the Cuban Revolution. The cave-like mausoleum next door holds the remains of Che and 16 others who fought and died with him in the mountains of Bolivia—they weren't discovered and identified by forensic anthropologists until 1997, and the remains didn't arrive in Cuba until 1998.

This is hallowed ground to the lines of Cubans who file through, and proper hushed decorum is required.

Photography is permitted outside the complex but not inside.

Installed in a fantastical Moorish palace, dripping with carved stone griffins, this museum is even more fascinating for its outlandish architecture and quaint, old-fashioned displays than for its hodgepodge, natural history collection. Built by a wealthy doctor in 1909, this private residence was known as the Guasch Palace. After the Revolution, the doctor's son "gifted" the building to the state and it was officially renamed after a self-taught, 19th-century Cuban scientist named Tranquilino Sandalio de Noda. The exhibits include dusty dioramas of desiccated stuffed specimens, from antelope to zebra, plus an array of mounted animal heads on the walls. There's a room dedicated to butterfly and moth collections, and a shell collection is displayed in showcases held up by carved seahorses. The delightful surprise here is the interior garden where, amid Art Nouveau painted floor tiles, intricately carved wooden doors and tropical plants, a giant concrete model of a demonically grinning tyrannosaurus Rex reigns.

Pay the extra to bring in your camera; there are photo ops everywhere you look.

Across the street from the museum there are two side-by-side, brightly colored restaurants competing for lunch business.

This mouthful of a name translates as the "Museum of the Fight Against Bandits." Those so-called bandits were fighters who waged guerrilla warfare—with a little help from their friends at the CIA—from the Sierra de Escambray for the first six years of Castro's Revolutionary government. The museum documents that struggle and their defeat. Doctrinaire exhibits aside, this is Trinidad's most famous landmark, and it adorns postcards, brochures, and T-shirts. The tall, yellow bell tower is all that remains of the original 18th-century Convento de San Francisco, a Franciscan monastery. You can climb the tower for a sweeping view of the city.

Batista's Palacio Presidencial, unsuccessfully attacked by students on March 13, 1957, was converted into the Museum of the Revolution after Castro's 1959 victory. The Russian tank outside was used by Cuban forces to repel the Bay of Pigs invasion. The marble staircase and the magnificent upstairs ceiling mural tell one story, while galleries with displays of items from colonial times to the present tell another; the contrast is effective. Photographs of tortured revolutionaries, maps tracing the progress of the war, the bloodstained uniforms of rebels who fell in the 1953 Santiago de Cuba Moncada Barracks attack, and photos of Fidel and Che complete a comprehensive tour of the Revolution's history.

Don't miss Cretin's Corner for a look at some familiar faces.

Housed in an elegant 18th-century mansion, this is one of Havana's best museums. A stop here provides a look at the history of Cuba's sugar industry, as well as the insides of a rum distillery—including a model central (sugar mill) with miniature steam engines—and the craftsmen (such as the coopers, or barrel makers) who were a part of it. Your ticket includes a guided tour, rum tastings, and the opportunity to take photos. The Havana Club shop is a good place to stock up on a few bottles, while the attached bar is great for an after-tour mojito.

The city's main, not-to-be-missed sight is this perfectly preserved, 19th-century natural-medicine pharmacy. Established in 1882 by Ernesto Triolet and his son-in-law, Juan Fermín de Figueroa, this gorgeous emporium looks out onto the Parque de Libertad through large stained glass windows. The pharmacy closed its doors in 1964, and has been preserved exactly as it was on that day, down to the huge, ornate cash register; the log book with handwritten recipes for each prescription; the rolls of brown paper to wrap the glass bottles that were individually filled and labeled; and the ceiling-high, handsome wood-and-glass cases holding hundreds of decorative porcelain jars. Guided tours take you to the distillery behind the shop, where the pharmacists manufactured their world-famous trademark syrups and tonics. Medicine bottles, embossed with the pharmacy's name, were made in Philadelphia and shipped to Cuba. Don't miss the bronze crocodile used to compress and calibrate the corks that, before the screw-top, sealed vials. The tour continues upstairs in the lavish living quarters of the owners—natural medicine was obviously a profitable business. An art gallery on the mezzanine floor showcases stained glass works—including small glass bird mobiles for sale—made by a studio that occupies the top floor.

Havana's fine-arts museum occupies two separate buildings, each of which deserves careful exploration. The original location on Calle Trocadero, finished in 1954, occupies the site of what was once a market. Designed by Alfonso Rodríguez Pichardo, the building, a compact prism with a large central courtyard, seems to breathe light. It now contains a varied and exciting Cuban collection. The third floor has 16th- to 19th-century colonial religious paintings, portraits, landscapes, and street scenes. Rooms 3 and 4 follow the 1927–38 beginning and consolidation of Cuban modern art. On the second floor, in rooms 5–8, are works by artists from the 1950s to 1990s. The power, color density, and intensity of Cuban painting is extraordinary, as is the rush through 500 years of history—from Armando Menocal's chained Columbus embarking for Spain in 1493 to Servando Cabrera Moreno's Guernica-like depiction of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and beyond to more contemporary pieces. Paintings to look for include the sensual El Rapto de las Mulatas by Carlos Enríquez, Gitana Tropical (sometimes known as the "Cuban Mona Lisa") by Victor Manuel Garcia, Maternidad by Wifredo Lam, Recibido en Mal Estado by Zaida del Río, and Mundo Sonádo by Tonel (Antonio Eligio Fernandez).

This beautifully restored museum, housed in an elegant, colonnaded 1918 building, is worth a visit for its wide-ranging exhibits on everything from archeology to ethnology to numismatics to colonial weaponry. Perhaps most interesting is the re-creation of the original exhibition space, as it would have been presented 100 years ago, in a high-ceilinged hall with an upper, wooden gallery. Lots of natural light illuminates the quirky, Victorian-era potpourri of natural-history exhibits, from bugs, butterflies, polymitas (snails with multicolored shells), to preserved fleas in nuptial dress, viewed under a magnifying glass. Antique buttons and buckles, pen nibs, death masks, a Masonic lodge throne in the shape of a peacock—you never know what oddity you will come across. On the historical side, there are the usual photographs of Cárdenas heroes of the wars of independence and the Revolution and a gruesome reminder of the risks rebels took, in the form of the garotte used to strangle victims to death. The museum has a beautiful, bright inner courtyard displaying some lovely, early 19th-century furniture, as well as an ornate horse-drawn hearse.

The most impressive of Punta Gorda's mansions is the Palacio de Valle, which was built in 1917 by the sugar baron Asisclo del Valle. It's a stunning, sumptuous structure full of ornate relief work, crystal chandeliers, hand-painted tiles, Italian-marble columns, French windows, and carved Cuban hardwoods. Though the mansion's design is eclectic, its foremost inspiration was the Alhambra—the Moorish palace in southern Spain. It now houses the city's best restaurant on the ground floor and a rooftop bar that's the perfect spot from which to watch the sun set.

Bird-watchers from all over the world flock to this national park in hopes of feasting their eyes on some 190 bird species, including 21 endemic species. Even if you're not a passionate birder, you can still enjoy watching a mass of wading birds—flamingos, wood storks, sandhill cranes—feeding here. The park forms about half of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that also includes the Las Salinas Wildlife Sanctuary. The combined reserve covers 4,520 sq km (1,641 sq miles) encompassing mangroves, cactus, dry woods, savannahs, salt pans and forest, providing habitat for reptiles, mammals, and all those birds. It's a mecca for fly-fishermen and hikers, as well. Bird-watching platforms on the way out to Las Salinas offer a chance to see some of the endemic species, such as the eponymous Zapata Rail and Zapata Wren, along with the red, white, and blue tocororo—Cuba's national bird and the zunzuncito (Bee Hummingbird), the smallest bird in the world. The main access to the park is via Playa Larga at the head of the Bahía de los Cochinos. Check in at the park office in Playa Largo a day before you plan to visit the vast park, to plan which area you want to explore, pay your entrance fee (CUC$10), and make arrangements for hiring a guide (CUC$10).

This plaza in upper Vedado may seem grandiose and soulless, but it has several monuments with a lot of heart. Since the Revolutionary victory of 1959, it has been the official parade ground for events ranging from the annual May Day celebration to masses celebrated by Popes John Paul, Benedict, and Francis. A political, administrative, and cultural hub, the square is surrounded by army, police, Communist Party, and other ministries. In better days Castro's whereabouts, which were always a mystery, included visits to these government centers, though he was just as likely to be coaching the national baseball team, resting in one of his many secret Havana residences, or off fishing on the Península de Zapata. It's hard to miss the giant etching of Che Guevara on the Ministerio del Interior (Ministry of the Interior) at the plaza's northwestern edge. It bears the words "hasta la victoria siempre" ("always onward to victory"). On the square's western edge, across Avenida Carlos Manual de Céspedes, is the Teatro Nacional, Cuba's most important theater. Other highlights of the Plaza de la Revolución include the Museo Memorial José Martí at its center, the Museo Postal Cubano around the corner from the Ministerio de Comunicaciones (Communications Ministry), and along Plaza de la Revolución's northern edge is the Biblioteca Nacional José Martí, Cuba's largest library.