Cuban Revolution Tour

Cuban Revolution Tour

"We were born in a free country that our parents bequeathed to us, and the Island will first sink into the sea before we consent to be the slaves of anyone". These remarkable words spoken by Fidel Castro encapsulate the spirit of the Cuban Revolution that he conducted back in the 1950s. We'll set off on a tour to experience for ourselves the history of this movement, one of the most studied historic events of the 20th century.

The tour will commence in front of the Casa Granda Hotel in Céspedes Park. From there, we'll admire the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba for a moment before boarding a classic vintage car. The vehicle will take us to a key place to understand the politics of the city in the mid-twentieth century: the Palace of the Provincial Government, the current location of the Emilio Bacardi Museum.

We'll continue the route at the Moncada Barracks. This military base was attacked on July 26, 1953, by guerrillas against the Batista regime. The operation was led by Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl, and Abel Santamaría. Although the assault was unsuccessful, this uprising provoked the 26th of July Movement, whose fundamental role during the following years allowed for the ultimate triumph of the Cuban Revolution in Havana on January 1, 1960.

In this same place, we'll visit the 26th of July History Museum, whose permanent exhibition will allow us to contextualize both the history of the barracks and the Revolution itself. After the visit to the museum, we'll board a horse-drawn carriage that will take us to the Santa Ifigenia cemetery.

Once we enter the cemetery, we'll stop at the tomb of Fidel Castro, located next to the mausoleum of José Martí. Finally, we'll again hop in the vintage car and drive back to the historic center of Santiago de Cuba.