The Charm of a City off the Cuban Caribbean

Santiago de Cuba is a unique city, a melting pot of different races, customs and traditions; a village with nearly 500 years of history, which is annually visited by Cubans and people from other latitudes. This city is proud of its rich cultural heritage, cradle of Trova, Guaracha, Bolero and Son, and it was declared Cultural Heritage of the Cuban nation.

This is where Light Rum was created back in 1862, an undisputable seasoning of this irrepressible land and the culture and personality of its people. Two elements stand out as soon as you arrive in this territory: the heat of the region, where summer prevails throughout the year, and the kindness and hospitability of its people, recognized as the most hospitable Cuban city.

Those who visit this destination find places, events and traditions and try to make the most of them in order to get to know the true Santiago, since they represent the purest characteristics of an unrivalled region in the Caribbean, unrepeatable for both its people and visitors.

You have to walk its crowded streets, seat at Céspedes Park, the heart of our historic core, and enjoy the authentic Cuban music played by minstrels and bohemians that liven up that important square.

Taste a Mojito or coffee at Casa Granda Hotel’s Roof garden, a privileged balcony with the best sights of the bay, city and its mountains.

You can’t miss the opportunity to visit the oldest house in Cuba and one of the oldest in America, which presently stands as a museum of colonial art, a place the treasures significant relics.

There are emblematic neighborhoods in the city, a reflection of its history, such as Tivolí, of French origin, which features Cuba’s most famous layered street; aristocratic Vista Alegre, Punta Gorda, around the bay, just to mention some.

You can’t miss the opportunity to dance a conga during its noisy and infectious carnival or the Caribbean Festival, and feel the intense human warmth during these festivities. Walk along its boulevard and drink rum - Santiago or Caney – at Barrita del Ron, next to the rum factory with over 100 years of history.

Santiago, the one and only because of its history, is proud to have the mortal remains of National Hero José Martí in its territory, at Santa Ifigenia cemetery, National Monument, along with other outstanding figures of Cuba’s history and culture.

Every corner, street or square has an anecdote or legend to tell, as this is the only Hero City in the country. The former Moncada barracks are the current 26 de Julio School City, a name that pays tribute to the events that took place in the morning of Santa Ana.

San Juan Hill is a mute witness of the history, since it was there where the last battle of the Hispanic-Cuban-North American war was carried out and marked the end of an age. The man who later became president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, led a company during this action. That’s the only place in Cuba with a monument to the North American soldier.

But there is nothing like San Pedro de la Roca Castle or Morro Castle, the popular fortress that was declared World’s Heritage by UNESCO in 1997.
There are many reasons to visit the Sanctuary of Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, the patron saint of all Cubans, a place that every September 8 – a date that recalls the finding of the miraculous virgin – is the venue of the most significant religious event in the country, where thousands of pilgrims from around the world come to thank or ask favors from the venerated saint.

Santiago de Cuba is also privileged by its natural environment. Its mountains are a distinctive element and characterize its landscape, as they can be seen from any spot of the city: wherever you stand, you are either going up or down its undulating geography.

Santiago is a polychromatic illustration, a unique merge of different cultures – Spanish, African, French, Haitian, Chinese and many others – that have had an impact in the birth of the idiosyncrasy and culture of its people.

The people of Santiago have music in their blood, as it’s the cradle of boldfaces of Cuban traditional music: Pepe Sánchez author of the first bolero, Sindo Garay, Miguel Matamoros, Ñico Saquito, Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, among many other.

When it comes to talking about music in Santiago there is nothing better than visiting the Cathedral of Cuban music: Pepe Sánchez Trova House, the first of its kind in the country and a place that houses the magnificent pages of the island’s musical history.

This Caribbean and emblematic city is characterized by many attributes, with plenty of history, music, rhythm and color. It welcomes you with limitless hospitality and gives unforgettable memories to those who decide to write a pleasant experience in the book of their lives: getting to know and feeling Santiago de Cuba and its people.