This is one of the continent's oldest cathedrals, the seat of the fourth bishopric of America, although the building that it currently occupies was built in 1922, thus reflecting the eclectic style of architecture. One of its sides houses the Ecclesiastical Museum, with a valuable collection of furniture, paintings and sacred artefacts

This museum is located in the former Moncada Barracks, a military fortification which came under attack on 26 July 1953 by a group of young revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro Ruz. Moncada was the second military fort of the country, occupied by about a thousand men under the command of Fulgencio Batista. Unfortunately, the rebels were either killed or captured. Although unsuccessful, the attack ignited the sparks of Cuban Revolution. Fidel wrote his famous speech "La historia me absolverá" ("History will absolve me"), which was smuggled out of prison, printed, and distributed throughout the island. This event launched the final stage of the struggle for the country's freedom. After the victory of the revolution Moncada Barrack was transformed into a school, and a space was devoted to Museum. The museum exhibits some of the revolutionaries' personal belongings, some of the weaponry used and photographs of the historical event, as well as a valuable coin collection.

One of Santiago’s most delightful people-watching spots is Plaza Dolores, a shady plaza lined with colonial-era homes (several now house restaurants). Avenida José A. Saco (more commonly known as Enramada) is Santiago’s main shopping thoroughfare. Its faded 1950s neon signs and ostentatious buildings recall more prosperous times. Cobbled Calle Bartolomé Masó (also known as San Basilio), just behind Heredia and the cathedral, is a delightful street that leads down to the picturesque Tivolí district.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the Patron Saint of Cuba, can be found 27 km from the city centre, in a mining town founded in 1830. The Basilica stands on a gentle hill and contains display cases with items such as the medal received by the writer Ernest Hemingway on being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. The story of the Virgin dates from the early 1600s, when three men in a boat first saw her floating on water during a storm; tradition holds that the Virgin saved the men from certain drowning. Records show that the statue was most likely brought from Spain on order of the then-governor of Cuba, but don't play iconoclast with the millions of faithful who take seriously the Virgin's reputed miraculous powers. Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre was crowned by Pope John Paul II in 1998, during his visit to Cuba. Every 8th of September, her feast day, thousands of pilgrims come here to give thanks and beg favours of the blessed virgin.