Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca del Morro

The San Pedro fort, which has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997, sits impregnably on a 60-meter-high rock at the entrance to Santiago bay, 10 kilometers southwest of the city. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved Spanish strongholds of the 17th century. The structure, perched on a cliff, took decades to complete and was ultimately finished at the end of the 17th century. The initial blueprints were developed by Italian architect Giovanni Battista Antonelli in 1587.

The Castillo de San Pedro del Morro was built to defend against pirate invasions, but it was also used as a jail in the late 1700s before being converted as a fortress. This beautiful fort is now available to the public and contains a small naval museum with exhibits on piracy and local history. The top terrace offers breathtaking views of Santiago's wild western shoreline, which is surrounded by the velvety Sierra Maestra. Following your tour of the fortress, dine on the roof and terrace restaurant, which offers stunning views of the bay. The best time to visit the fort is around an hour before sunset when you'll have plenty of time to tour the fort and take photographs before the sunset cannon firing ceremony