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| Santiago de Cuba Travel Guide for backpackers |
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest and most Caribbean city of Cuba, with its laid-back lifestyle and rich mix of inhabitants. Set on a deep-water bay and cradled by mountains it offers you colonial buildings, different museums and revolutionary monuments. Afro-Cuban culture, with its music, myths and rituals, formed its roots here.
The arrangement of narrow streets around the colonial quarter rings night and day with the beat of drums and the toot of horns. Music is a way of life oozing from the most famous Casa de la Trova in the country, not to mention numerous impromptu gatherings.
Outside the city, you will find a variety of possibilities to hike, swim and visit.
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 DAILY BUDGET in SANTIAGO DE CUBA - For a Caribbean destination Santiago de Cuba is reasonably affordable. You can get by on a budget of US$45 per day, staying in private residences and eating at privately owned restaurants. If you want to stay in a hotel, sample more of the cuisine and explore more of the nightlife the city has to offer, expect to spend US$95 per day. |
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Parque Cespedes - boasts a full-sized statue of Carlos Manuel Cespedes, the Father of his Country, on a marble pedestal. This is the best place in the city in which to stop for a few minutes and mix with the people. The Town Hall, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba, the Diego Velazquez House and the Municipal House of Culture front on it.
Valle de la Prehistoria - an area with 170 concrete animals and people dating back to the prehistoric period. Some are 2 to 3 metres tall. It's just like being on a visit at the Flintstones, very comical and enjoyable.
Cementerio Santa Ifigenia - a famous cemetery which features the tombs of Jose Marti and Emilio Bacardi, as well as the graves from those who fought and died for the case of revolution.
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La Corona - an excellent bakery with an indoor cafe, serving up a wide variety of breads, sweets and pastries filled with custard or smothered in super-sticky meringue.
Coppelia - Freshly made ice cream at unbeatable prices in an outdoor cafe that looks like a crazy golf course. Very popular locally, so arrive early before the best flavours sell out.
La Maison - A restaurant in the La Maison fashion-house complex, serving good steaks, red snapper and seafood specialities including paella and "surf 'n' turf" grill.
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Casa de la Trova - A visit to the famous Casa de la Trova is the highlight of a trip to Santiago, with musicians playing day and night to an audience packed into the tiny room or hanging in through the window.
Bar Claqueta - a small but perfectly formed open-air club with excellent live music from the resident salsa group, Tierra Caliente.
July carnival- bands set up just about everywhere, with temporary stages in many of the open spaces, notably at the Guillermon Moncada Baseball Stadium on the Avenida de las Americas, and parks around the centre.
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