World / Central America & the Caribbean / Cuba / Santiago de Cuba / City transport
Although a large city, Santiago is easy to negotiate, as much of what you'll want to see is compactly fitted into the historic core around Parque Céspedes. Even the furthest sights are no more than approximately 4km from Parque Céspedes, making Santiago an excellent city for exploring on foot. Taxis are the best way to reach outlying sights as the buses are overcrowded and irregular.
Metered taxis wait on the cathedral side of Parque Céspedes or around Plaza Marte and charge 40–80¢/km with a $1CUC surcharge, while the unmetered taxis parked up on San Pedro negotiate a rate for the whole journey – expect to pay about $3–4CUC to cross town. Touts skulk around the main streets but you will strike a slightly cheaper deal if you negotiate with drivers themselves. For state-registered taxis try Veracuba at Hotel Santiago de Cuba ( 22/68-7070), Cubataxi ( 22/65-1038) or Transtur ( 22/68-7000).
Renting a car can be handy for out-of-the-way places, and the city itself is easy to drive around in. There are Havanautos car rental offices at the airport ( 22/68-6161) and at Hotel Las Américas ( 22/68-7160). Transtur ( 22/62-3884) have desks in the basement of the Hotel Casa Granda, Hotel Libertad and Hotel Las Américas; Veracuba has a desk at Hotel Santiago de Cuba ( 22/68-7070) and Micar are situated in the Cubatur office at Heredia 701 esq. San Pedro ( 22/62-9194).
Find Cuba travel deals and offers