Cespedes Park
The Parque Cespedes is made up of Constitution Square, the parade area and the former main square, and is home to a life-sized bronze image of the Father of Cuba, Carlos Manuel Cespedes. A favourite meeting place for locals, Parque Cespedes is surrounded by the city's finest colonial mansions and is a very appealing place to hang out, sit on a bench and enjoy the traditional Cuban street life passing by. Notable landmarks around the Parque Cespedes include the Casa de la Cultura Miguel Matamoros, the Casa de Diego Velazquez and the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion.

Cespedes Park
View of Parque Cespedes from the balcony of our casa. Lots of tourist shops line this park. During the Festival of Carribean Culture this is also the focal point of music, dance and art exhibits

“Just a tiny little square ”
Actually nothing special, no need to stay there more than 10 minutes. So nothing more to say about it. Have a look at the houses around, that's why we came there

“Not bad but nothing special ”
A lot of beggars around-mostly women- and the square cannot be compared with the other Plazas of havana and Trinidad. Drink a coffee in the hotel facing the square if it is evening and heads elswhere.

“A must visit ”
This square contains most of the main tourist attractions in Santiago. Unfortunately the cathedral was undergoing renovations at the time of our visit. However, there were still enough attractions around the park to make our visit worthwhile.

“Historic centre square ”
Small square in the historical centre surrounded by well preserved colonial mansions , hotels and the Cathedral.Opposite the Cathedral is the house from where Fidel made his first speech after the success of the revolution.A favourite spot for local people to hang out and socialize as they say! The big trees were destroyed by the hurricane Sandy as well as... More 

“Interesting square ”
With some impressive buildings around it .This is the main square so it's worth a walk around to see Cuban life .

“Beautifully restored square ”
The heart of the city of Santiago. The Parque Cespedes is surrounded by buildings that have been beautifully done up. Especially the ayuntamiento looks lovely in it's bright white with blue woodwork finishings. When in Santiago you will no doubt visit this centre of the town.

“Central Santiago ”
The square is the heart of historic Santiago.The area is very lively and a good area to talk to the santiagueros and santiagueras. They may expect a contribution.

“A social centre ”
Liked the Cuban families and their friends who would gather at the park to sit in the sun or socialize. Liked the professional bands with dancers in costume. Disliked the beggars and the incessant drumming a few people did on tin pots which became quite irritating after a few hours!

“Sunny and quiet ”
An excellent view over Santiago and a historical place where American and Cuban soldiers defeated the Spanish and ended four centuries of Spanish dominance in the Latin Americas.

“Lots of History Here ”
We had a great time exploring the city and enjoyed visiting this main square. Lots of historical buildings to see and the streets lead down to the water where you can explore the market areas and buy some of the nice Cuban woodworking items. At the end of our tour we visited a nice old hotel in the square and... More