The East (Oriente)

Santiago de Cuba (510,000 inhabitants) is Cuba's "second capital" and the exact opposite of Havana: hotter, louder, Afro-Caribbean, musical, and less touristy. Founded in 1515, Santiago was Cuba's capital until 1556 and remains the island's cultural and musical heart to this day.

The city is amphitheatrically situated on a deep bay, surrounded by the Sierra Maestra — the streets are steep, the climate tropical-humid (3–5°C warmer than Havana). Here, you feel the African influence more strongly than anywhere else in Cuba: In the music (Son, Trova, Tumba francesa), in the religion (Santería is omnipresent), in the food, and in street life.

Sights

★★★ Parque Céspedes — Santiago's main square is Cuba's liveliest: the cathedral (1528), the Museo de Ambiente Histórico Cubano in Cuba's oldest house (Casa de Diego Velázquez, 1522, 2 €), the town hall, from whose balcony Fidel Castro proclaimed the victory of the revolution on January 1, 1959. Under the trees sit domino players, musicians, and schoolchildren.

★★★ Casa de la Trova — The mother house of Son Cubano. Since 1968, musicians have played here every day and night — some of the same ones for decades. In this small room with photos on the walls, you sit among 80-year-old maestros and young dancers. It is Cuba's most authentic music venue — not a tourist program, but a living tradition. Admission 1–3 €, quieter in the afternoon, lively in the evening.

★★ Castillo del Morro (San Pedro de la Roca) — The UNESCO World Heritage Fortress (1638) perches on a rocky outcrop at the entrance to the bay, 10 km southwest of the city. Three levels of fortifications with cannons, casemates, and a piracy museum. The view over the bay and the Sierra Maestra is breathtaking — especially at sunset. Admission 5 €. By taxi (8–10 €) or organized tour.

★★ Cementerio Santa Ifigenia — Cuba's most important cemetery. Here lies José Martí (national hero, in an imposing mausoleum) and Fidel Castro (since 2016, buried in a simple boulder — his wish). The daily changing of the guard at Martí's grave (every 30 minutes) is a solemn ceremony. Admission 3 €.

★★ Cuartel Moncada — On July 26, 1953, Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada barracks with 160 rebels — the starting shot of the revolution (although a military disaster). Today a school complex and museum with bullet holes in the facade. The exhibition documents the attack and the history of the revolution. Admission 2 €.

Baracoa is Cuba's most remote and magical place — a sleepy town at the far eastern end of the island, surrounded by rainforest, cocoa plantations, and wild rivers. Founded in 1511, it is the oldest city in Cuba and was accessible only by boat for centuries. It wasn't until 1965 that the revolution built the La Farola — a spectacular mountain road that winds in serpentine curves through the Sierra del Purial and connects Baracoa with the rest of Cuba.

This isolation has preserved Baracoa's unique character: The cuisine is different (coconut, cocoa, and banana instead of rice and beans), the music is different (Son changüí, Kiribá, and Nengón instead of Salsa), the landscape is different (rainforest instead of tobacco fields). Baracoa feels like another country — it is the Cuba before Cuba.

Sights

• El Yunque: The table-shaped mountain (575 m) used by Columbus as a landmark. Half-day hike (3–4 hours, guide required, 15 €) through dense rainforest with endemic plants, iguanas, and snails (the famous Polymita snail). From the summit: fantastic views over Baracoa and the coast.
• Río Toa: Cuba's most water-rich river. Boat tours (10 €) through tropical vegetation, swimming in natural pools, visit to a cocoa farm.
• Playa Maguana: The most beautiful beach in the region, 22 km northwest. Fine sand, calm water, deserted during the week. By taxi (10 €) or bicycle (2 hours, hilly).
• Museo Matachín: City museum in a Spanish fortress at the harbor entrance. Documents the history of the Taíno natives and the isolation of Baracoa. 3 €.
• Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt: UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site (since 2001), 40 km northwest. One of the most biologically diverse places in the Caribbean: endemic birds, frogs, bats, orchids. Guided hikes from 15 € (mandatory). Half-day.

Culinary Specialties

Baracoa is Cuba's cocoa capital: The region produces the best cocoa in the Caribbean. Must-try: Cucurucho (coconut-cocoa fudge wrapped in palm leaf), Chorote (hot cocoa with coconut milk, sugar, and spices, drunk like a smoothie), and Bacán (green banana with meat filling, cooked in banana leaf).

The Sierra Maestra is Cuba's highest and most historically significant mountain range — a 250 km long chain along the southern coast with the Pico Turquino (1,974 m), Cuba's highest peak. Here, Fidel Castro hid from 1956 to 1959 with his guerrillas and led the revolution from here.

Trekking to Pico Turquino

The two-day hike to the summit is Cuba's most challenging trek — and one of the most impressive. The trail starts at Las Cuevas (south coast) or Santo Domingo (north side) and leads through dense rainforest, past orchids and ferns, over cloud-covered ridges to the summit with Cuba's second-largest José Martí bust.

• Duration: 2 days (1 night at the Aguada de Joaquín mountain camp)
• Difficulty: Challenging — steep ascents and descents, 1,500 meters of elevation gain, often muddy
• Guide: Mandatory! Only bookable through the national park administration (office in Bayamo or Santo Domingo). 80–120 € per person including guide, permit, and accommodation
• Best time: November–April (dry season). Often closed during the rainy season

Comandancia de la Plata

Fidel Castro's guerrilla headquarters in the Sierra Maestra can be visited as a day hike from Santo Domingo (5 hours round trip). The wooden huts — Fidel's bedroom, Che's field hospital, the Radio Rebelde station — remain as they were in the 1950s. A fascinating place for history enthusiasts. Guide mandatory (30 € per person).

Camagüey (325,000 inhabitants) is Cuba's third-largest city and the most unusual: Its UNESCO-protected old town labyrinth (since 2008) was intentionally designed to be confusing — the winding, crisscrossing streets were meant to mislead pirates and invaders. Unlike the grid-like colonial cities, Camagüey is a maze where you can wonderfully lose yourself.

The city's landmark is the Tinajas — giant clay jars (up to 2 m high) that have been used for rainwater storage since colonial times and are found all over the city: in courtyards, in front of churches, on squares. A legend says that anyone who drinks from a Tinajón will return to Camagüey forever.

Sights

• Plaza de los Trabajadores: The main square with the Iglesia de la Merced (1748), whose interior impresses with elaborate frescoes and a silver altar decoration. The birthplace of the national poet Ignacio Agramonte is a museum (2 €).
• Plaza del Carmen: The most charming square with life-sized bronze statues of everyday people: a man reading a newspaper, a woman pushing a stroller, a couple whispering. Perfect photo opportunity.
• Plaza San Juan de Dios: Cuba's best-preserved colonial square — the yellow baroque church and the former hospital (1728, now a cultural center) form a picturesque ensemble.
• Calle República: The long pedestrian zone with shops, cafes, and street musicians. Cuba's liveliest shopping street.

Practical Information

Camagüey is halfway between Trinidad and Santiago (each about 4–5 hours by bus). Ideal as a stopover on the eastern route. Half a day to a full day is enough for the old town. Overnight in one of the excellent Casas (20–30 €), often in beautiful colonial houses with courtyards and Tinajón.

Holguín (350,000 inhabitants) is the "City of Parks" and the main transport hub in eastern Cuba. The city itself is not the main destination — but it has the second-largest international airport (Frank País, HOG) and serves as a gateway to the beaches of Guardalavaca and Playa Pesquero (60 km north).

Anyone spending a day in Holguín should climb the Loma de la Cruz — 458 steps lead to the top of a hill with the city's cross and a fantastic panorama. The climb is strenuous in the heat (morning or late afternoon). There is a small bar at the top.

The Plaza Calixto García is the main square with neoclassical buildings and the Museo Provincial (small collection with the famous "Hacha de Holguín" — a polished stone axe of the Taíno). The Cervecería Bucanero on the outskirts produces Cuba's most popular beer and occasionally offers tours.

Holguín is not a city where you need to stay long — but a nice half-day on the way to or from the beaches or as a transfer station near the airport.