Sancti Spiritus is a natural stopping point on tours between Havana and the eastern part of the country. It was the fourth of the first seven settlements that the Spaniards founded on the island and the only one to be given a Latin name. A city of narrow streets and colonial architecture, it has hundreds of well-preserved old buildings and its people like to combine legend and reality.

The settlement of Espíritu Santo -now Sancti Spiritus- is the birthplace of troubadours and one of the Cuban cities where it is easiest to enjoy Nature. It is in the center of the island, near Lake Zaza, and has important tobacco-growing areas and the mountains.

Its symbol is the Yayabo Bridge, which spans the Yayabo River, on whose banks the old city sprawls. From the bridge, you can see lovely colonial mansions, including the Santa Elena Manor, the epitome of serenity. The Parroquial Mayor (Great Parish) Church is the pride of the townspeople, for it is proof of the antiquity of the settlement, which became a city by a royal decree in 1867. Strolling along the city streets, you will be enfolded in a sense of great peace, the same timeless feeling of calm which museums and public squares bestow.