Santiago is packed with history and culture within a compact, walkable centre. The Cuartel Moncada, where Castro's revolution began in 1953, is now a school and museum with a vivid account of the attack. The Museo de la Lucha Clandestina, set in a former police headquarters above the old town, covers the urban underground that supported the guerrillas in the Sierra Maestra.
The Metropolitan Cathedral overlooks Parque Céspedes, the city's main square, alongside the Casa de Diego Velázquez — said to be the oldest house in Cuba. For music, the Casa de la Trova on Calle Heredia has hosted son musicians since the 1960s and still runs live sessions daily. Outside the city centre, the Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (El Morro) is a seventeenth-century fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site perched above the harbour entrance.