East to West: Colonial Cuba, 13 Nts multicentre holiday: 3 Holguin, 2 Santiago de Cuba, 4 Havana, 3 Trinidad and 1 Havana.

Places of Interest:

Holguin:

Loma de la Cruz - There are marvellous, farreaching views from the top of the Loma de la cruz (Hill of the Cross). The engenieers who founded Holguin used this site to plan the layout of the town, but it was only much later (from 1927-50) that the 458-step stairway was built to the top.

Plaza de la Revolucion - Situated east of the city centre, behind Hotel Pernik, this vast square contains a monument to the heroes of Cuban independence, tha mausoleum of Calixto Garcia and a small monument to his mother. Tha square is tha main venue for political rallies and popular festivities.

Catedral de San Isidoro - Consecrated as a cathedral in 1979, San Isidoro was built in 1720 on the site of the first mass held to celebrate the city's founding: Parque Peralta. It is also know as Parque de Flores, because a flower market used to be held here. Tha church contains a copy of the popular Madonna of Caridad, the original of which is in the Basilica del Cobre near Santiago de Cuba.

Banes - Guardalavaca - This country town, 32 km (20 miles) southwest of Holguin, is located in the middle of a vast and rich excavation zone. Banes is the home of the Museo Indocubano Bani, Cuba's most important archaeological museum outside Havana.

Santiago de Cuba:

Parque Cespedes - The city centre spreads out in chaotic fashion around Parque Cespedes in a maze of alleys and narrows streets. Any visit to the historic centre of Santiago must start in Parque Cespedes, the main square. From here visitors are inevitably drawn along Calle Heredia, the most famous, popular and festive street in the town. Every house bears signs of the city's great passions: music, dancing, carnivals and poetry. At certain times, including the first half of July when the Festival del Caribe is held, this street becomes a stage for amateur artists.

Catedral de la Asuncion - The Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba has a basilica layout, wich a central nave and for aisles, an apse and a narthex or vestibule at the back. The church has been rebuilt several times over the centiries.

Cementerio de Santa Ifigenia - This monumental cementary(1868) is the second most important in Cuba after the Colon Cementary in Havana. It was originally laid out with a Latin cross plan and divided into courtyards, the most important of which were.

Castillo del Morro - At the entrance to the Bay of Santiago, 10km(6 miles) southwest of the city centre, stands an imposing castle, declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997. The Castillo del Morro combines medieval elements with a moderm sense of space, adhering nonetheless to classical Ranaissance principles of geometric forms and symmetry. The fortress was for the governor Pedro de la Roca, who wanted to defend the city against pirate raids.

Havana:

Castillo del Morro - Contruction of this fortress, wich was designed by the Italian military architec Giovanni Battista Antronelli, began in 1589 at the request of the governor, Juan de Texeda. The function of the Castillo de los Tres Reyes de Morro(its the full title) was to detect the approach of any enemy(pirates specially). Various treasures of the New World were periodically concentrated in the port when ships docked in Cuba on their voyage to Spain, and it was necesary to protect them.

Memorial Jose Marti - Work on this monument in the middle of the Plaza de La Revolucion began in 1953, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Cuba's national hero. Tha memorial was finished in 1958. It consists of a 109-m (358-ft) tower representing a five-pointed star and is built of grey marble from the Isla de la Juventud. At the foot stands a huge statue of Jose Marti in a meditative pose. The actual Marti Memorial is in the interior of the base, wich also houses the Sala de Actos, an auditorium used for concerts, lectures and poetry readings.

Tropicana - The most famous nightclub in Cuba, America and perhaps the world is located in the outskirts of Havana, in the Marianao district. many legendary figures of the 20th Century have performed here, including Josephine Baker, Bola de Nieve, Rita Montaner and Nat King Cole.

Capitolio - A symbol of the city, The Capitol(Capitolio) combines the elegance of Neo-Classicism with Art Deco elements. Inaugurated in 1929 by the dictator Gerardo Machado, it is a loose imitation of the Washington DC Capitol, but is even taller. It stands in an area once occupied by a botanical garden and later by the capital's first railway station. The home of government until 1959, police fired on a crowd gathered here during an anti-Machado demostration. Today the building houses the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Enviornment, but is open for tours, wich include the former government chambers and the magnificent library.

Trinidad:

Museo de Arquitectura Colonial - The front of the 18th-century mansion of the Sanchez Iznaga family, now the home of the Museum of Colonial Architecture, features a lovely portico with slim columns, a wrought-iron balustrade and wooden beams. Originally, the building consisted of two separete houses, both of wich belonged to sugar magnate Saturnino Sanchez Iznaga. The houses were joined during the 19th century. The museum, the onlu one of its kind in Cuba, covers the different architectural elements seen in Trinidad and illustrates the building techniques used during the Colonial period.

Casa de la Cultura Trinitaria - During the day, the spacious, well-lit vestibule is used as permanent exhibition space by local artists who sell their paintings. In the evening, performances of various kinds of enterteinment are held in the rear courtyard: theatre, dance, concerts and show for children.

Plaza de Santa Ana - A short walk from Plaza Mayor, in the eastern part of the city, this square is dominated by the 18th-century Iglesia de Santa Ana. It was partly rebuiltin 1800, and the bell tower was added 12 years later. The nowdecaying church is flanked by a royal poinciana tree. The square is a popular place to gather, thanks to the cultural centre in the former prision. Set around a lovely courtyard, the centre includes a restaurant, cafe and art gallery.

Palacio Brunet - Built in 1812 as the residence of the wealthy Borrell family, Palacio Brunet now contains The Museo Romantico. The decoration of the mansion blends in well with the objects on display, most of wich once belonged to Mariano Borrell, the family founder. They were inherited by Borrell's doughter, the wife of Count Nicolas de la Cruz y Brunet (hence the name Palacio Brunet) in 1830.

Note:
- All hotels are sold ON REQUEST which means that once you pay to us, we will request its confirmation. We are constantly revising the availability of Cuba hotels by loading stop sales reports whenever we receive them from hotels in Cuba but unfortunately this information is not 100% accurate. If the hotel(s) requested are fully booked, we will do our upmost best to find suitable alternative accommodation of equivalent standard and/or location. As per Booking Conditions, if we cannot provide the initially agreed accommodation, on top of offering you alternative accommodation, we will offer 100% your money back unless agreed otherwise in writing.
- Accommodation for infants (0-2 years old) is free when sharing room with 2 adults.
- Children (11 or less) enjoy a discount of 50% of the accommodation.