Santiago de Cuba

Introduction

Santiago de Cuba

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Santiago de Cuba is a city located in the south east of the Cuba, about 870 kilometres from Havana, the capital. It is the second largest city with population of about half a million.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

• San Pedro de la Roca, the local citadel is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "the most complete, best-preserved example of Spanish-American military architecture, based on Italian and Renaissance design principles".
• Baconao Park is a large biosphere park, about 20 kilometres from the city

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Antonio Maceo Airport (SCU) serves Santiago de Cuba.
Domestic destinations include Havana, Holguin, Varadero, Caya Coco, Cayo Largo del Sur and Cienfuegos. International flights go to Montreal, Port-au-Prince, Santo Domingo, Toronto, Paris, Madrid and Ottawa.
There are scheduled charters to Miami as well.

By Train

Trains to Havana leave on a regular basis but are much slower than buses. They mostly take around 15-20 hours one way.

By Car

By Bus

Buses serve most cities throughout Cuba, including regular night services (12 hours) to Havana.

By Boat

Apart from the odd cruiseship, there are no scheduled services or other boats at all.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Correos de Cuba operates the Cuban postal service. They are generally quite slow, and delivery is never guaranteed. Mail is read by Cuba’s censors; avoid politically sensitive comments. Also, never send cash! Post offices (correos) usually are open weekdays 8:00am to 6:00pm and on Saturday 8:00am to 3:00pm, but hours can vary widely. Most tourist hotels accept mail for delivery as well, which might be a better option. International airmail (correo aereo) averages from at least 2 weeks to over one month, and even domestic posts might take 1-2 weeks. When mailing from Cuba, write at least the country destination in Spanish (as well). International postcards, cost CUC 0.50 to all destinations; letters cost CUC 0.80. Within Cuba, letters cost from 15 centavos (20 grams or less) to 2.05 pesos (up to 500 grams); postcards cost 10 centavos. Stamps are available in US dollars as well (if buying at hotels, this is actually your only option) and can be bought at hotels and blue and white kiosks labelled Correos de Cuba. Parcels from Cuba must be unwrapped for inspection. It is far better to send packages through an express courier service, like DHL or the Cuban local one (called EMS), although the same regulation applies.