Santiago de Cuba

A HISTORIC BUT VERY MODERN VIEWPOINT


Santiago de Cuba is on the southern and eastern coast of the biggest island of the Antilles, the second city of the country in population and economy. It was founded in 1515 by the Spanish colonizer Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, who was the first governor of Cuba. Precisely to this important figure of the past of the island, the best viewpoint of Santiago de Cuba is dedicated...el Balcón de Velázquez (Velazquez´s Balcony).


In the central Corona Street, we will find a crenellated building inviting us to cross its floor across three elegant arches. After doing so, an impressive terrace is shown in front of us watching the city of Santiago and its bay. It is the Balcón de Velázquez, a high viewpoint over an historic point of the city. Completely adapted to the topography of the city, this viewpoint stands about eight meters over the street level, letting us enjoy superb views on the roofs of the city and its bay in the background.


The building we admire today has gone through different transformations along its history. It was built at the middle of the XVI century as a first defense bastion of the city, with the finality to scan the maritime traffic and avoid surprise attacks by pirates. Still kept are the rest of its original walls, which foundational stones can be seen and touched, completely integrated in the present construction. Among the functions it had in the past also highlights that of barracks at the beginning of the XX century and, thanks to preserved documents, we know its aspect was defensive, even with loopholes.


In 1950, the idea came to transform the military building in a viewpoint dedicated to the Spanish conqueror taking his name. And so, in 1953, the Balcón de Velázquez was inaugurated, an extensive terrace overlooking the city taking advantage of its high location and decorated with an exquisite collection of shields, lamp posts and carved blacksmith. Also, for homage to Santiago ´s past, the construction has big bronze medallions representing important figures of its history such as the Indian Guamá, Hernán Cortés or Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar himself.


Nowadays, this restored viewpoint receives many visitors daily who want to enjoy the incredible views it offers. Underneath its terrasse, the whole amphitheater of Santiago extends, its roofs dyed in red, blue of the Caribbean Sea and green of its sierras. Also, during the last years, it has hosted cultural events such as plays, concerts or fashion shows. The Balcón de Velázquez, a whole historical viewpoint actualized for the present!


Balcón de Velázquez
Confluence of Corona and Bartolomé Masó (ancient San Basilio Street) streets
Santiago de Cuba

THE BEST ICE CREAMS OF THE WORLD


It is said Santiago de Cuba is like a big fire factory where heat is elaborated to be exported to the rest of the island. It is so that in this city winters are warm and summers are veeeeery warm...If Cuba is pure warmth, Santiago is pure fire!


But don´t worry, as in these lines we are going to propose a great way to mitigate Santiago´s canicula. You will like our proposal so much that you will like to repeat, and even do it a third time…! Come with us to taste " the best ice creams of the world"!


There is a chain of ice cream shops in Cuba called Coppelia, very popular among Cubans and very well known by tourists. Its fame is due to how delicious their ice creams are, the great variety of tastes and designs offered and more than anything else, to how cheap they are. To give you an idea, a scoop of ice cream costs about 20 cents of an euro…


All started in 1966, the year the first ice cream shop Coppelia was founded in La Habana. It was always known that Fidel Castro was a gastronomy´s lover, mainly with everything related to dairy products. For this reason, the commander brought the best machinery to make ice creams of all Europe to Cuba to manufacture the Coppelia´s ice creams.


Ice creams of that establishment became so very, very good that their fame grew and grew. Over the years, different branches of Coppelia were opened all around the island, and of course, one of its ice cream shops opened in Santiago. Cubans always have said they "are the best ice creams of the world", a sentence which is a little bit exaggerated, and that is finished with the joke…" if you have not tasted others before"..., but the truth is that they are very delicious, very varied and (we repeat) veeeery cheap. Keeping in mind how warm Santiago is, they are mandatory!


The Coppelia ice cream shop is located in the city, very near the Plaza de Marte. Following the best ice cream experts, the Coppelia shop of Santiago is the one making the best ice creams of the island. Also, in the year 2000, it was completely remodeled and since then, it offers twice as many places. This way we don´t have to wait so long to get a table to enjoy our scoops of ice cream. We have to add also that the new establishment is a real jewel of modernism worth visiting.


Two chocolate balls with sponge cake coming up! And three strawberry ones!


Ice Cream Shop Coppelia La Arboleda
Avenida Victoriano Garzón
Santiago de Cuba 90100

A STREET WITH A LOT OF BRANCHES


Santiago´s artery par excellence is Jose Antonio Saco. We will find it on the maps with this name, but absolutely everyone knows it as Calle Enramadas (street of the branches). This promenade and its adjacent streets constantly hold great activities, justified by the huge quantity of shops, markets and restaurants concentrated in this area. Let´s walk together on Santiago´s most famous street!


Enramadas is the longest street of Santiago de Cuba, almost three kilometers long. Its most commercial and popular part starts in Paseo Marítimo and, crossing the city, it arrives at Plaza de Marte. All a route full of life and a constant movement of people of Santiago and visitors invited to join this seductive coming and going. Walking this colourful artery, we can know the city while making all the shopping we need.


Although being the most crowded and populous, this street provokes a sensation of amplitude thanks to its width of five meters, with extensive pedestrian areas. It is all a pleasure to walk by Entramadas while enjoying the magical ambience created by its shops, its cinemas, its markets, its banks, its hotels and its restaurants. Its renewed beautiful buildings with colonial aspect merge with more daring modern constructions.


Along its history, this street had many different official names, but no one could compete with its nickname Enramadas. This popular name, having survived till the present, has its origin in the great quantity of palm and coconut branches that covered its floor during the Catholic Procession of Corpus Christi, leaving its driveway "full of branches".
Parallel to Enramadas, there is another pedestrian street of mandatory visit also with plenty of shops and ambience. It is the street Tamayo Fleites, known as the Callejón del Carmen, whose charm resides in the fact that it is covered by a great quantity of colorful umbrellas, that aside from providing a good shadow, give it a photogenic aspect.


Inside the shops of the area surrounding Enramadas, we cannot forget one of the most iconic shops of Santiago de Cuba. Entering the book shop La Escalera is a mandatory appointment for many visitors who want to soak up on the world of the Revolution. It is a small corner totally invaded by the scent of old books where we can find all kinds of publications about the history of Cuba, especially the Revolution. This particular shop, full of books and nostalgic posters, is the perfect place to finish our "enramada" shopping tour.


Calle Jose Antonio Saco (Calle Enramadas)
Santiago de Cuba


Calle Tamayo Fleites (Callejón del Carmen)
Santiago de Cuba


Book Shop La Escalera
264 Calle Heredia
Santiago de Cuba

THE HISTORIC EPICENTER OF THE CITY


If there is a place in Santiago de Cuba full of iconic buildings to photograph, it is Parque Céspedes, one of the main spaces of the city, declared also a National Historic Monument. Surrounded by important historic constructions, this park is a constant meeting point for the people of Santiago and tourists, so much during the day as well as by night. It is the perfect place to take a good part of the history of Cuba portrayed through immortal photographs.


This wide park of quadrangular plants has low walls with bars acting as benches at its perimeter and also in its center. These helpful sites are a perfect place to take a small rest while we breathe the great historic charge still flowing from the buildings surrounding the street.


To complete the historical power of the park, we will start watching the City Council, a white building with blue balconies and red roofs, reproducing with simplicity the colours of the Cuban flag. The simplicity of its construction should not deceive us, as its simple architecture was the scene of one of the most important events of the country. From its main balcony, Fidel Castro proclaimed the victory of the Revolution and the beginning of a new era for Cuba through a proclamation of victory that took place the first of January 1959, constituting the first speech of the commander. He even declared Santiago the provisional capital of Cuba. With this fact we prove that Santiago de Cuba was a fundamental part of the Cuban Revolution, remembered in the many museums of the city.


Speaking about museums, to the left of the City Council, we find a beautiful building of Andalusian style. It is the house of the founder of the city, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. Built in the year 1522, it is the oldest house of Cuba still standing. Nowadays, it hosts the Museum of Historical Cuban Environment, exhibiting treasures of the history of furniture in Cuba.


Presiding the square, its great jewel is waiting for us, the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. The present temple is from the beginning of the XIX century, and its magnificent aspect is due to a restoration that took place in 2014. The most spectacular detail of this Cathedral are its two neoclassic towers flanking a magnificent angel which seems to protect us from high above with his opened wings. By the way, it is permitted to visit the bell tower, and the views are excellent…
A balcony with plenty of revolutionary history, the oldest house in Cuba, a protective angel, a belltower with views...how many protagonists to photograph in Parque Céspedes!


Parqe Céspedes
Santiago de Cuba


City Hall of Santiago de Cuba
Francisco Vicente Aguilera Street
Santiago de Cuba


Cuban Historical Environment Museum/ House of Don Diego Velázquez
Francisco Vicente Aguilera Street
Santiago de Cuba


Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Our Lady of Assumption)
Santo Tomás Street
Santiago de Cuba

THE APOTHEOSIS OF PLAZA DE LA REVOLUCIÓN (SQUARE OF THE REVOLUTION)


"Colossal". This is the first word coming to the mind of the visitor seeing the Revolution Square of Santiago de Cuba for the first time. This is due to, really, everything in this square is colossal, both for the dimensions of its esplanade as for the size of its main statue. Both are giant!!!


The Square of the Revolution is placed in the Northern entrance of the city of Santiago de Cuba, very near from the faculties. It was inaugurated in 1991 by Fidel Castro, who ordered the construction of the most relevant monumental work erected in Santiago during the XX century.


It has two completely different spaces. One is exterior, destined to hold great gatherings of people, and the other one is interior, with halls for multiple activities. Let´s tour these two spaces to know them better. Prepare yourself to know something different!


The extensive exterior space has in itself different areas and each one is more spectacular than the others. It has an esplanade with capacity to embrace about 150,000 people. At one side we find a wide staircase, on top of which the three clue and most iconic monuments of Plaza de la Revolución stand. They are pure apotheosis!


From the three monuments, the one that impresses the most for its deliriant size is an equestrian statue of General Antonio Macedo. It measures 16 meters high! To further highlight the power, the horse is elevated only on his two rear legs...It is imposing! This colossal statue, called the "Bronze Titan", is the biggest of the country paying homage to one of the most important Cuban heroes. This general rose against the Spanish army during the insurgence known as Baraguá Protest, that took place in 1878. Honouring this uprising, we find 23 huge "machetes” surrounding the great statue emanating from the ground symbolizing the Cuban independent spirit. There is also the "Everlasting Flame", always lit in memory of the martyrs who fell during the fight. A giant tribune, place of important parades and political acts, completes the external monumental set.


In the underground area of Plaza de la Revolución are a few exhibition halls, including the Salón del Protocolo (Protocol Room), used for cultural and scientific activities. This room allocates a space for the Holographic Exhibition, showing tridimensional optical images of objects related with the Revolution and General Maceo.


This magnificent square offers the perfect opportunity to go deeper in the very important Cuban history while checking the magnificence of the apotheosis homages the Cuban nation gives to its heroes.


Plaza de la Revolución (Complejo Monumental General Antonio Macedo Grajales)
Avenida de las Américas with Calle 9.

GETTING LOST IN THE STREETS OF BARRIO DEL TÍVOLI (TIVOLI´S NEIGHBOURHOOD)


On top of a hill looking towards Santiago´s bay is Barrio del Tívoli (Tívoli´s Neighbourhood), the perfect place to dive into Santiago´s essence and enjoy excellent views on the roadstead. We encourage you to get lost in the steep streets of this neighbourhood facing the sea. Walking by its hills and enjoying its relaxed atmosphere, you will know the real spirit of Santiago. We can check how, camouflaged in its alleys and its peoples, the real soul of the city resides. In fact, the emblematic Barrio del Tívoli is the most authentic and traditional of Santiago de Cuba.


The origins of Barrio del Tívoli date from the beginning of the XVII century and its first inhabitants were Spanish with low resources and creoles newcomers to the city. At the end of the XVIII century, it was inhabited by a great number of Gallic settlers and slaves who arrived escaping the neighbouring island of Haiti due to the breakdown of the first slave´s uprising in Haiti. From there comes the great French influence this neighbourhood has, which is still perceived in its architecture. It is the traditions of its inhabitants which is even in the name...as the name comes from a café-concert that the French opened in the area called "Le Tivoli", which was spread later on to the whole neighbourhood.


The most iconic way to access to Barrio Tívoli is by climbing the famous Padre Picos´ staircase, and after making this small effort, we will enter the "puerta de entrada" (entrance gate) to the neighbourhood. The staircase has the name of a cleric who helped a lot of poor people in the XVIII century. Its wide steps are an ideal place to enjoy the sunset with the sound of music of the many artists meeting every afternoon there, Compay Segundo being one of them, which already disappeared many years ago.


After climbing the staircase, the immersion to the essence of the neighbourhood starts. Soon after, we will feel the hospitality of its neighbours and the interesting mixture of cultures existing. This amalgam of customs defines its folks and is the reason why during its carnival celebrations, African pagan costumes still coexist with French ballroom dances. In fact, this colourful neighbourhood is the crib of the important Carnival of Santiago!


Between its streets we will also find the Casa-Museo de Fidel Castro (House-Museum of Fidel Castro), where he lived for two years as a student, and also the Museo de la Lucha Clandestina (Museum of Clandestine Fight), extolling the fight against the dictator Batista. We can finish the tour of the neighbourhood in the Casa de las Tradiciones (House of Traditions) and vibrate with the music of real Cuban artists.


Walk without fear through these streets that saw the naissance of so many musicians, go up and down through its secure streets with lively sidewalks, enjoy its views and its relaxed atmosphere... After this, we can really say we have succumbed to Santiago´s soul! Do you dare to feel it so near…?


Escalinata de Padre Pico
Calle Hospital
Santiago de Cuba


Museo de la Lucha Clandestina
Calle Santa Rita
Santiago de Cuba


Casa-Museo de Fidel Castro
Calle General Jesús Ravi
Santiago de Cuba


Casa de las Tradiciones
Calle General Jesús Ravi
Santiago de Cuba

A ROMAN GOD IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA?


Santiago de Cuba was the first capital of the colonial territory of the Spanish Crown. This importance accompanied the city along all its history and many of its original buildings and spaces were impregnated on this relevance. Among the many places reflecting Santiago de Cuba´s important past, a square marking its urban landscape from the XVIII century highlights. In one of the highest points of Santiago de Cuba rests Plaza de Marte (Mars Square), a beautiful space which is perfect for present meetings, but keeping important facts of its past with a great social impact.
From the moment it was created on top of a promontory, Plaza de Marte was the limit of the original old villa and the new city growing along the time. But the most important fact of its past resides in the issue that it was the chosen place for Spanish troops to do their military training. This is the reason explaining that "Campo de Marte" was the first name of the space, honouring the Roman god of war. Following the old Roman customs to baptize spaces with names of their gods, this camp for war exercises took this denomination it still has today, although it is not a military place anymore.


With the passing of time, the original military training camp changed its configuration and the functions for what it was used for. During the XIX century, this space lived one of its darker times as it was the place where the Spanish executed people prosecuted for insurrection...It impresses to know these facts happened in such a pleasant place today.


From 1899, its official nomenclature is Parque de la Libertad (Freedom Park), but this changing of name was totally useless. Due to the strong, popular rooting from all the people of Santiago, this space is and will always be Plaza de Marte. Even in the tourist guides and in the maps, it appears as Plaza de Marte!


Nowadays, it encompasses a space of 5,000 square meters where important Santiago´s avenues converge. An imposing obelisk twenty meters high presides over the square, guarded by four bronze cannons. It is the Columna de los Veteranos (Column of the Veterans), homage to all those who fought against the Spanish army to get the independence of Cuba. The sculptural integration of this square is completed with some statues of historical figures and with great colonnades. All this is surrounded by many benches, six gardens and lush trees providing rest, freshness and shadow.


With a hard history in its past, Plaza de Marte is much more than a pleasant place to rest within the city...It is the symbol of its independence!


Plaza de Marte (Plaza de la Libertad)
Calle Pérez Carbó angle with Calle Francisco Vucente Aguilera.
Santiago de Cuba.

THE PIER OF SANTIAGO


In the year 2015, the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Santiago de Cuba was celebrated. To celebrate such an important event many reforms were done all around the city. These changes were not only a great progress for the infrastructures and architecture of the city, but they also brought a change in the mentality and customs of the people of Santiago.


No doubt, the most important transformation that took place in Santiago as a result of the fifth centenary of its foundation was the opening of the city to the sea.
We might think of it as a lie today but the city known as the "Capital of the Caribbean´´ lived with its back to its roadstead although it was a seafaring city. People from Santiago almost didn´t know or enjoy their bay. This made not much sense, so it was decided to turn this situation around totally. How did they get it done? With the construction of a magnificent promenade that bordered the area of the city looking to the bay and so, the "Paseo Marítimo de la Alameda" (Alameda Promenade) was born!


The official inauguration of Santiago´s Promenade took place during the celebrations of the 500th Anniversary. From then on, this promenade is made to enjoy the satiety as well as it beautifies the bay and the city.


The works of the Promenade not only were centered in its own boulevard, but also neighbouring areas were urbanized and improved, which were part of a forgotten historic area almost bordering decrepitude. A new spirit of progress and improvement impregnated all the area. The final result was formidable, getting the people of Santiago to reconcile with their bay. Its creation got to wear a new shine to an area that was previously cut off.


Nowadays, it is a recreation place for many people from Santiago and tourists. It is perfect to take a walk to see the boats, to enjoy the Caribbean sunset or to relax having something in the breweries and in the restaurants we will find around.


Santiago´s Promenade has recreation areas, gardens, benches and also the yellow letters forming the word "Cuba", the perfect frame for a picture. It also has a small wall facing the sea, a reason why many people call this Promenade the pier of Santiago. But it has nothing to do with the pier of La Habana, as the small wall of Santiago is totally secondary and the importance of the place resides in the Promenade itself and in the park making it up, a place always full of life and joy.


Breathe the Caribbean breeze touring Santiago´s Promenade, a place created for everyone to enjoy, whose construction was a success for tourism and above all for the people of Santiago.


Alameda Promenade
Santiago de Cuba.

A FRESH ORCHARD


Very near from Parque Céspedes, we will find a perfect small square to take a rest during our city tour and on the way, to dive into its Santiago atmosphere. Fresh, cozy and very popular. So is Plaza de Dolores (De Dolores square), whose origins go back to the beginning of the XVII century. Surrounded by buildings as old as the same square, this space was designed to hold religious activities as it was in front of the ancient Hermit of Santa Ana. Later on, it became a point to sell agricultural products, becoming the first market of the city.
After the later creation of Mercado de la Concha (La Concha Marquet), De Dolores Square ended up being used as a place to sell and became a space for leisure and recreation for the people of Santiago. Around it, the elegant aristocracy of the time started to build luxurious homes, and the area was filled with businesses.


Nowadays, it is the second square in relevance of the city after Parque Céspedes. After undergoing many renovations, today it is an elongated narrow space perfect for a fresh moment of relaxation. This park is waiting for us with its numerous iron and wooden benches and its lush vegetation. Great examples of yellow flamboyant give a marvelous and fresh shadow delighting people of Santiago and tourists. These trees, considered one of the species with flowers most beautiful in nature, turn this square into a green and refreshing orchard to escape from canicula. Bush gardens, lampposts of colonial style and floors with ceramic tiles finish to conform this park, where today, homage is paid to General Francisco Vicente Aguilera, great Cuban patriot present in the square thanks to the imposing monument in his honor.


Around Plaza de Dolores we find buildings with colonial traces and also eclectic style, highlighting the ancient church of Nuestra Señora de Dolores (Our Lady of the Pains). This temple, built over the ruins of the Hermit of Santa Ana, suffered a devastating fire in 1970, after which, and taking advantage of the spectacular acoustics it offers, it was transformed into the Dolores Concert Hall.


But music is not only listened to in the ancient church. De Dolores Square has a very picturesque atmosphere generated by people from Santiago sharing here their music with visitors, and among all of them, a kind spell is created overflying the square with Cuban sun. Shadow, great atmosphere and music in the same park!


Plaza de Dolores
Francisco Vicente Aguilera Street
Santiago de Cuba