Discover Santiago de Cuba 2026

The fortress, built in the 17th century, sits dramatically on a cliff at the harbor entrance and once protected the city from pirate raids, while today, with a pirate museum and a spectacular view of the Caribbean, it ranks among the most visited buildings in eastern Cuba.

As one of Cuba's oldest and most important music venues, live bands perform daily traditional son and trova here, that melancholic guitar music from which salsa later emerged, in an intimate courtyard in the middle of the city considered the cradle of Cuban music.

The former military barracks was the site in 1953 of the failed attack by Fidel Castro and his comrades, considered the starting point of the Cuban Revolution, and today houses a museum documenting the bullet holes still visible on the façade.

Cuba's oldest and most colorful carnival transforms the streets in July into a festival of conga drum groups, elaborate costumes and dancing comparsas, and is considered by many Cubans even more authentic and vibrant than Havana's carnival.

Antonio Maceo Airport is located about 7 kilometers southwest of the center and is served from Havana several times daily with a flight time of about 1.5 hours. Alternatively, long-distance buses and night trains take about 12 to 15 hours from Havana.

The fortress, built in the 17th century, sits dramatically on a cliff at the harbor entrance and once protected the city from pirate raids, while today, with a pirate museum and a spectacular view of the Caribbean, it ranks among the most visited buildings in eastern Cuba.

As one of Cuba's oldest and most important music venues, live bands perform daily traditional son and trova here, that melancholic guitar music from which salsa later emerged, in an intimate courtyard in the middle of the city considered the cradle of Cuban music.

The former military barracks was the site in 1953 of the failed attack by Fidel Castro and his comrades, considered the starting point of the Cuban Revolution, and today houses a museum documenting the bullet holes still visible on the façade.