Santiago de Cuba Province · Cuba
Where to stay in Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is a city in Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba, home to about 506,000 people.
- Best months
- December to March
- Nearest airport
- SCU5 km · Antonio Maceo International Airport
- Currency
- CUPCuban peso
- Time zone
- America/Havana
- Language
- Spanish
About
About Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern arha of the island, some 870 km (540 mi) southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
Santiago is the second city of Cuba. Fidel Castro started the Cuban Revolution from here in the 1950s.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Santiago de Cuba
See
- Parque Céspedes
- Plaza de Marte
- Museo Provincial "Emilio Bacardí Moreau"
- Balcon de Velazquez
- San Juan Hill
- Castillo San Pedro de la Roca
- La Gran Piedra
- Valle de la Prehistoria
Do
- Casa de la Trova
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Santiago de Cuba to stay in
As of Jun 2015, AirBnB.com offers now peer-to-peer lodging, typically around US$35 per night. There are also many other AirBnB-like reservation websites, search for "casa particulares in Santiago". As is generally the case with booking casas in Cuba, do not assume the email works! It's often best to make a phone call once in Cuba.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Santiago de Cuba
14 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Santiago | 2.1 km | |
| Hotel Casa Granda | 1914 | 0.1 km |
| Casa Colonial 1893 | 0.2 km | |
| Casa Don Pedro | 0.4 km | |
| Fernandez Room Rentals | 0.5 km | |
| Hostal Casa Sol | 0.3 km | |
| Hostal Heredia | 0.7 km | |
| Hostal Raul y Kathy | 0.8 km | |
| Hostal Salgado | 0.2 km | |
| Isabel y Gerardo "El Cantones" | 0.7 km | |
| Las Americas | 2.2 km | |
| Libertad | 0.8 km | |
| Rex | 0.8 km | |
| Villa Gaviota Santiago de Cuba | 3.3 km |
All 14 hotels in Santiago de Cuba, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Santiago de Cuba
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Santiago de Cuba are December to March. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; May is the wettest, with about 218 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Santiago de Cuba: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Antonio Maceo International Airport (SCU), about 5.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Airport (BYM, 93 km) and Frank Pais International Airport (HOG, 99 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Viazul buses depart from the train station. Four daily Viazul buses run to/from Havana, three local and one express (stopping in Camagüey only). There is also a daily bus to Baracoa, another to Trinidad (which runs daytime to Santiago and overnight to Trinidad), and a daily overnight from Varadero. From Havana, the price is CUC51. The local Astrobus bus station is (too) relatively remote from the city center, so you will need a taxi to get to/from there. A fairly nice plaza right next to it can be used, if you need to spend a half hour or so.
Getting around
Most of the historical center is accessible by foot, in fact for tourists it's the only reasonable option. To get farther away, taxis in the city will "happily" take you for a ride for the whole day, for a price. Plenty of them can be found standing between Plaza de Marte and Parque Cespédes.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SCU · Antonio Maceo International Airport
BYM · Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Airport
HOG · Frank Pais International Airport
Questions
Santiago de Cuba: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Santiago de Cuba?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Santiago de Cuba are December to March. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; May is the wettest, with about 218 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Santiago de Cuba?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Antonio Maceo International Airport (SCU), about 5.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Airport (BYM, 93 km) and Frank Pais International Airport (HOG, 99 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Santiago de Cuba?
Cuban peso (CUP).
Nearby
Destinations near Santiago de Cuba
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.