Sancti Spiritus

Introduction

Cuba/Sancti Spiritus

© marlis

Sancti Spiritus is the capital of the Sancti Spiritus Province in the central part of Cuba and has around 145,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest Cuban European settlements, Sancti Spíritus is the genitive case of Latin Sanctus Spiritus ("Holy Spirit").

Sights and Activities

• The bridge over the Rio Yayabo, built by the Spanish in 1815
• Museo de Arte Colonial, just north of the bridge, which displays 19th Century furniture in a huge house that once belonged to the Valle-Iznaga family
• Street market along Calle Llano, which is paved with cobblestones (just east of the museo de Arte Colonial)
• Fundacion de la Naturaleza y El Hombre, located off the Parque Maceo in the northern part of the city centre, which documents the 17,422-km canoe trip from Equador to Barbados led by Cuban writer Antonio Nunez Jimenez in 1987.

Getting There

By Train

There is an overnight train to/from Havana on alternate days, and there may be a (very) early morning train to Santa Clara and Cienfuegos that returns in the afternoon. Sancti Spiritus is not on the main line. Check that the trains are running in advance.

By Bus

Viazul provides several buses a day from Camagüey, Havana, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba. There is also service to Trinidad and Varadero.

Sleep

There are two hotels in Sancti Spiritus -- the Hostal del Rijo off the Plaza Honorato and the Hotel Plaza off the Parque Serafin Sanchez. Both are in historical colonial buildings.

There are about two dozen casa particulares to choose from. Touts will meet all incoming buses and happily escort you to a casa.

Keep Connected

Internet

In many cities the only way for tourists to access the internet is through the government's communications centers. Look for buildings bearing the name "ETECSA", which stands for Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. ETECSA also has internet stations in some of the larger government hotels and resorts. The connection speed is comparable to analog dial-up speed in Havana or slower in smaller locations, at a cost of 6 CUC/hour. This is payable by purchasing a prepaid scratch card with a PIN code granting you access for one hour. The same card can be used throughout the country at any ETECSA terminal, allowing you to disconnect after your session and use the remaining time on the card further at the next hotel/city you go to.

WI-FI in hotels and restaurants is certainly uncommon if not non-existent and tourists should not rely on this being available when planning their means of communication.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Cuba is 53. To make an international call from Cuba, the code is 119. The emergency number is 116 and information number 113.

GSM cell phones will work in Cuba (900 MHz). Cuba is one of the most expensive countries in which to communicate. When bringing your own cellphone, incoming phonecalls to Cuba cost about $1/minute. Outgoing calls from Cuba are similarly expensive, and can be as high as $5 per minute for making international when roaming with your cellphone from overseas.

A better way is to rent cellphones, which is possible at several stores in Havana, including one in the airport. The rates are 9 CUC per day (6 CUC for the phone and 3 CUC for the SIM card), plus about 36 cents a minute for prepaid cards. If you bring an unlocked GSM phone operating at 900 MHz (or quad-band world phone) you can buy a SIM card for 111 CUC, plus your prepaid minutes. If you're staying two weeks or more it makes sense to bring a cheap phone, buy a SIM card and prepaid minutes, then give the phone to a Cuban friend when you leave. Cellphones are among the most desired items for Cubans (bring a case for the phone too, Cubans are very fussy about keeping their phones scratch-free). You will have to go to a cellphone store with your friend and sign a paper to give the phone to your friend.

Post

Correos de Cuba operates the Cuban postal service. They are generally quite slow, and delivery is never guaranteed. Mail is read by Cuba’s censors; avoid politically sensitive comments. Also, never send cash! Post offices (correos) usually are open weekdays 8:00am to 6:00pm and on Saturday 8:00am to 3:00pm, but hours can vary widely. Most tourist hotels accept mail for delivery as well, which might be a better option. International airmail (correo aereo) averages from at least 2 weeks to over one month, and even domestic posts might take 1-2 weeks. When mailing from Cuba, write at least the country destination in Spanish (as well). International postcards, cost CUC 0.50 to all destinations; letters cost CUC 0.80. Within Cuba, letters cost from 15 centavos (20 grams or less) to 2.05 pesos (up to 500 grams); postcards cost 10 centavos. Stamps are available in US dollars as well (if buying at hotels, this is actually your only option) and can be bought at hotels and blue and white kiosks labelled Correos de Cuba. Parcels from Cuba must be unwrapped for inspection. It is far better to send packages through an express courier service, like DHL or the Cuban local one (called EMS), although the same regulation applies.

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