Learn more about our flexibility promise and our latest travel updates. Click here for more details.
Learn Spanish, Dance and Music in Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second city of Cuba and the undisputed home of traditional Cuban music and dance. Learn Spanish, dance and music in a relaxed, tropical atmosphere with professional teachers with plenty of opportunities to practise what you have been learning.
Our Spanish, dance and music lessons provide one to one tuition and the timetable is very flexible, all year round. The city boasts a good range of live music clubs and dance venues which offer different options every night of the week, and you can explore most of the city by foot. It is also easy to venture further afield to the Sierra Maestra mountains, nearby beaches and small islands.
Santiago de Cuba town hall and Parque Cespedes
Santiago de Cuba town hall and Parque Cespedes
Dance classes with professional dancers from Ballet Folklorico Cutumba
Dance classes with professional dancers from Ballet Folklorico Cutumba
Padre Pico Steps, Santiago de Cuba
Padre Pico Steps, Santiago de Cuba
Street musicians, Santiago de Cuba
Street musicians, Santiago de Cuba
Sala Dolores, Santiago de Cuba
Sala Dolores, Santiago de Cuba
Jose Marti Mausoleum, Santiago de Cuba
Jose Marti Mausoleum, Santiago de Cuba
Bob, Patty and Walt performing live with Septeto Tipico Tivoli at Patio de los Abuelos, Santiago de Cuba
Bob, Patty and Walt performing live with Septeto Tipico Tivoli at Patio de los Abuelos, Santiago de Cuba
El Sanctuario de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre
El Sanctuario de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre
Cayo Granma, Santiago de Cuba
Cayo Granma, Santiago de Cuba
“I had a fabulous time. Santiago was mad and brilliant. [My homestay hosts] lovely. Food amazing. My [Spanish] teacher was brilliant. I really liked her and would love to have her again when I go next time, which I will. Truly. A lot of fun was had. Would recommend it hugely”
NF, Dorset
Your lessons
Spanish, dance, percussion and music lessons all take place in the heart of the historic city centre, near the main square. Some rooms may have air-conditioning, whilst others have electric fans and large windows providing plenty of light.
Cultural Activities and Excursions
There is plenty to see and do in and around Santiago de Cuba and we can arrange any of the following activities or excursions on request. Please ask us for more details.
You may want to visit El Morro fortress at the mouth of Santiago Bay, an imposing castle with a piracy exhibition and wonderful views over the ocean; El Cobre, the most famous pilgrimage site in Cuba; the Jardin de los Helechos, a lovely fern and orchid garden; La Granjita, the farmhouse where Fidel and his men hid out before their ill fated assault on the Moncada Barracks; Gran Piedra, a huge stone in the national park in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra mountains with the nearby Isabelica coffee plantation (now a museum) and the famous Gran Piedra botanical garden with its bird of paradise flowers.
Interesting places to visit on your own in Santiago de Cuba include the Moncada Barracks which Fidel attacked as the first strike against the Batista dictatorship; the Carnival museum which takes you through the history of the colourful annual festival; the Bacardi museum, one of Cuba’s first museums and home to a valuable historical collection; the Resistance museum which houses memorabilia from the Revolution.
Public Holidays
1 January, 1 May, 26 July, 31 December 2024/5
No classes are held on public holidays. Any missed lessons cannot be rescheduled.
Transfers
We can arrange transfers to Santiago from either Holguin or Santiago airport or the Viazul bus station in Santiago. For transfers of 3+ passengers, please contact us.
From Santiago Airport / Viazul bus station – Santiago city centre: £35 for 1-2 persons
From Holguin Airport – Santiago city centre: £175 for 1 – 2 persons
Entry Visa
All visitors to Cuba require a visa to enter the country known as a tourist card. We can provide this at a cost of £30 including first class postage within the United Kingdom. The visa is valid for 90 days from the date you enter Cuba. Please note that your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from date of entry to Cuba. If you are flying from any US airport into Cuba, you will need to purchase a US approved travel visa issued by an authorised US based travel company. Ask us for more details.
Flights
Flights are not included in the cost of these holidays and should be booked independently. Just let us know when and where you are arriving so that we can organise your transfers on arrival and departure.
Courses are available all year round for a range of ages and levels.
Please click on one of the options below for more details:
Spanish Course
We offer one-to-one tuition in Santiago, taught by local, qualified Spanish teachers. Lesson content can be tailored to each individual’s needs and lessons may take place in the morning or afternoon on weekdays. Course materials are limited due to the lack of general resources in Cuba, so it is important that students take their own dictionary, pens and paper.
| Course duration: | 1 or more weeks |
| Consists of: | 15 individual lessons per week |
| Class timetable: | flexible (Mon-Fri) |
| Lesson duration: | 50 minutes |
| Maximum class size: | 1 student |
| Minimum language level: | beginner |
| Minimum age: | 18 years |
| Cost per week: | 1 week £225 / 2 weeks £450 |
| extra week £225 |
2024 Start dates:
Lessons may start on any weekday throughout the year and are available Monday – Friday. There are no Spanish lessons at weekends. It is possible to take just 10 Spanish lessons per week if you are also booking Cuban dance or music tuition, but otherwise the minimum is 15 lessons per week. 10 Spanish lessons per week would cost £150 (individual tuition).
Cuban Dance Lessons
Cuban dance lessons (Salsa, Son, Reggaeton, Merengue, Chachacha, Afro-Cuban, Orishas, Cuban Rumba, Bachata, Kizomba) can be taken with or without a Spanish course. You will be taught by an experienced and professional dance teacher on a 1:1 basis, i.e. individual tuition. Classes will be taught mainly in Spanish and are organised on weekdays.
| Course duration: | 1 or more weeks |
| Consists of: | see options below |
| Class timetable: | afternoons (Mon-Fri) |
| Lesson duration: | 60 minutes |
| Maximum class size: | 1 student |
| Minimum level: | beginner |
| Minimum age: | 18 years |
Cost:
10 individual Cuban dance lessons per week : £275 (this option can only be booked if taken along with Spanish lessons)
15 individual Cuban dance lessons per week : £415
Start dates:
Lessons may start throughout the year on any day of the week and are provided Monday – Friday. Please note that there are no lessons on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays. If you are interested in joining one of our small group dance holidays scheduled throughout the year in Santiago de Cuba, please have a look at this link for our Cuba Salsa Holidays.
If you are interested in learning Spanish or dance in Havana, please see the following link:
https://www.caledoniaworldwide.com/package/learn-spanish-dance-or-music-in-havana/
For small group dance holidays in Havana, please see this link for more details:https://www.caledoniaworldwide.com/package/havana-salsa-holiday/
Cuban Music Lessons
Cuban music lessons can be taken with or without a Spanish course, and take place on weekdays. Each student has their own professional Cuban music teacher, either a professional musician from the Ballet Folklorico Cutumba, one of Cuba’s top Cuban dance and music companies, or the Santiago de Cuba Conservatoire or another professional musician from one of Santiago’s top bands.
Music lessons can cover most instruments such as tres guitar, guitar, saxophone, flute, trumpet, congas and percussion. Singing lessons can also be arranged with professional vocalists. Please note that piano tuition is restricted although we may be able to organise electronic keyboard lessons. We recommend that students take their own instruments, if possible, and any other materials for music classes (such as sheet music, spare strings and reeds and a music stand if required) as not everything is readily available in Santiago de Cuba. We may be able to arrange for the hire of instruments at an extra cost, subject to availability.
| Course duration: | 1 or more weeks |
| Consists of: | see options below |
| Class timetable: | afternoons (Mon-Fri) |
| Lesson duration: | 60 minutes |
| Maximum class size: | 1 student |
| Minimum level: | beginner |
| Minimum age: | 18 years |
Cost:
15 individual Cuban Music lessons per week : £415
It is possible to take just 10 lessons per week if you are combining music with other classes such as Spanish or Cuban dance, but otherwise the minimum is 15 lessons per week.
Start dates:
Lessons may start throughout the year on any day of the week and are available Monday – Friday. Please note that there are no lessons on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays. If you are interested in joining one of our small group Cuban music holidays which are scheduled twice annually, please have a look at this link for our Cuba Music Holidays.
Accommodation is available in homestays or hotel accommodation, all year round, and runs from Sunday night until Saturday morning (1 week = 6 nights / 2 weeks = 13 nights). Extra nights are available on request.
Homestay
Homestay accommodation gives you the perfect opportunity to have an insight into Cuban life. We know each of our homestays very well, and can vouch for the quality and standard of the accommodation. Our homestay hosts are all very friendly and welcoming people and will ensure you are comfortable and that you feel right at home. You will not have your meals with your hosts, but you will always have someone to chat to if you want to practice your Spanish whilst eating. Homestay accommodation is very independent and you can come and go as you please. Another advantage of staying in our homestays is that they are all located right in the city centre, within easy walking distance of the main squares where you can find bars, cafes and restaurants.
We can organise single or double/twin rooms for 2 people booking together. Triple rooms may be available on request. All bedrooms are equipped with air-conditioning and often an electric fan as well, and guests will have their own private bathroom and access to a fridge. Some rooms will have a safe for valuables. Breakfast and evening meals are included, and the homestay hosts provide excellent home cooking. Special dietary requirements can be catered for without any problem as long as we know in advance.
| Single Room | Double/Twin Room* | |
| 1 week | £330 | £240 pp |
| 2 weeks | £715 | £520 pp |
| Extra week | £385 | £280 pp |
| Extra night | £55 | £40 pp |
*Only available for 2 people booking together. Prices per person.
Hotel accommodation
There are a number of hotels in Santiago ranging from 2 – 5* and we can book any hotel on request, subject to availability. Please contact us for more details.
Get the most out of your time in Santiago de Cuba and take one of our guided day tours to explore this wonderful city and its surrounding area, with our experienced and knowledgeable guides and private transport.
Please click on the plus sign (+) below for further tour details. Cost is dependent on the number of participants – please ask us for details,
Santiago de Cuba City Tour (half day)
Half day guided tour of Santiago de Cuba including one of the options below:
option 1: visit to the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery where the mausoleum of Fidel Castro and Jose Marti are located, as well as impressive tombs and graves of other famous people; El Morro Castle, a large fortress located at the mouth of Santiago Bay with wonderful views over the bay and the Sierra Maestra mountains.
option 2: visit to the Moncada Barracks, the site of Fidels first armed attack against the Batista government; historic San Juan Hill; Vista Alegre area which was the top residential area of the city pre-Revolution; the Alameda seafront promenade and port; the Museo de La Lucha Clandestina, a museum dedicated to the resistance movement during the Revolution.
Santiago de Cuba City Tour including El Morro Castle and boat trip Cayo Granma (full day)
Full day guided tour of Santiago de Cuba including visits to the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery where the mausoleum of Fidel Castro and Jose Marti can be found as well as the impressive tombs and graves of national heroes ; El Morro Castle, a fortress located at the mouth of Santiago Bay with impressive views over the bay; boat excursion to Cayo Granma, a former fisherman’s island in the middle of Santiago bay including lunch at a local restaurant on Cayo Granma.
Boat Excursion to Cayo Granma (half day)
Half day guided excursion to Cayo Granma, an island in the middle of Santiago bay which was formerly a fishing community – lunch included at a local restaurant on the island. Boat tickets included.
Jardin Los Helechos - Fern Garden (half day)
Half day guided visit to Jardin Los Helechos, a few kilometres from the centre of the city, a small but fascinating garden packed with all of the orchids and ferns of Cuba.
El Cobre, the most religious site in Cuba, and Cimarron Hill (half day)
El Cobre is the most important religious site in Cuba, with a basilica dedicated to El Virgen del Cobre. The trip includes time to visit the basilica and also a guided walk up Cimarrron Hill, locally significant for Santeria (the Afro-Cuban religion) and providing great views over the surrounding countryside.
Gran Piedra + botanic garden / Museo de la Isabelica / La Granjita Siboney + El Porvenir freshwater swimming pool (full day)
Full day guided excursion to the foothills of the Sierra Maestra mountains with time to relax at a fresh water swimming pool. We start today with a drive and short hike to Gran Piedra (the Great Rock) at the summit of a mountain with wonderful panoramic views over the Sierra Maestra mountains on a clear day, then have a visit to one of the following:
– Ave del Paraiso Botanic Garden where some of the most exotic tropical plants in Cuba can be found.
– Museo La Isabelica, an early 19th century coffee plantation recognised as a UNESCO site of cultural heritage, reflecting the rich history of coffee plantations in the Oriente region
– La Granjita Siboney, a farmhouse significant in the history of the Revolution and now a national museum
The afternoon is spent at La Finca El Porvenir, a lovely freshwater swimming pool which has a bar and restaurant where lunch and drinks can be bought. Return to Santiago late afternoon.
La Comandancia de la Plata, Fidel Castro's secret headquarters (full day)
Full day guided excursion to La Comandancia de la Plata in the Sierra Maestra mountains, to experience the natural beauty and tropical vegetation of the Sierra Maestra mountains and a guided visit to the fascinating site of La Comandancia, Fidel Castro’s secret headquarters in the lead-up to the Revolution. 3-4 hours hiking along a good trail, and a reasonable level of fitness required. Transport, picnic lunch and guide included.
Thank you so much for arranging dance classes in Santiago for me. The classes were really excellent. I was so delighted. I learnt loads.Your suggestion of a female teacher for an hour and a male teacher for the second hour each day worked really well. L and A were both excellent and the combination worked really well for me.
With L I worked on ladies styling in Son and rumba. She has a really good eye for detail and is really clear in showing what you have to do.
With A I focussed on partner work in Son and he was extremely helpful and patient as always.
I really can’t praise them enough. It’s such a privilege to be able to do private classes with such excellent dancers and teachers. I just hope that I can go back soon and do some more!!
K.L. Feb 2019
With regards to our trip to Cuba, we both had a fantastic time and agreed that we could never have fitted in so much without the help from you all at Caledonia.
In Santiago we stayed with G and R who were both fantastic hosts – very welcoming and friendly – and despite the language barrier I think we manage to communicate OK. We had the guided city tour by car there and the guide was very knowledgeable and informative and we had also a salsa lesson which was very enjoyable. As with everything else that you had arranged, the staff and dancers at the dance studio could not have been more accommodating to us.
After this we flew up to Havana and stayed in a hotel which was nice and central. You had arranged a walking tour of Havana for us and, as with all the other guides you arranged, the lady who took us round was very informative not only about about Havana but also also life in Cuba.
From there we moved up to Vinales and stayed with M and her family. Her son spoke perfect English, so communication was no problem. We both really enjoyed our time there and we visited the tobacco fields and the main sights.
All the transfers were perfect, the guides friendly and informative and the accommodation all really good with the exception of the hotel in Varadero which we did not like much. I don’t think I could pick out one highlight for you as we enjoyed the whole trip but especially Santiago de Cuba, Vinales and Havana. Thanks again for all your help!
DM, Edinburgh (Dec 2015)
“The location [of Spanish lessons] was perfect, just a few steps away from my homestay. My teacher was a really lovely person, made a big effort for me and was always well prepared for the lessons. Both my dance teachers were excellent, and I enjoyed every single lesson with them. I started to discover Son and fell in love with it, improved (hopefully) my salsa and also got introduced to rumba and reggaeton. The location was very close to my homestay which was very handy.”
JS, Slovakia (July 2014)
“I had a fabulous time. Santiago was mad and brilliant. [My homestay hosts] lovely. Food amazing. My [Spanish] teacher was brilliant. I really liked her and would love to have her again when I go next time, which I will. Truly. A lot of fun was had. Would recommend it hugely”
NF, Dorset (Feb 2014)
“My Spanish lessons were brilliant, I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher – she really took me under her wing. The lessons were well planned and also included trips which focused on the cultural aspect of learning.”
GH, London (Sep 2013)
With regards to our trip to Cuba, we both had a fantastic time and agreed that we could never have fitted in so much without the help from you all at Caledonia.
In Santiago we stayed with G and R who were both fantastic hosts – very welcoming and friendly – and despite the language barrier I think we manage to communicate OK. We had the guided city tour by car there and the guide was very knowledgeable and informative and we had also a salsa lesson which was very enjoyable. As with everything else that you had arranged, the staff and dancers at the dance studio could not have been more accommodating to us.
After this we flew up to Havana and stayed in a hotel which was nice and central. You had arranged a walking tour of Havana for us and, as with all the other guides you arranged, the lady who took us round was very informative not only about about Havana but also also life in Cuba.
From there we moved up to Vinales and stayed with M and her family. Her son spoke perfect English, so communication was no problem. We both really enjoyed our time there and we visited the tobacco fields and the main sights.
All the transfers were perfect, the guides friendly and informative and the accommodation all really good with the exception of the hotel in Varadero which we did not like much. I don’t think I could pick out one highlight for you as we enjoyed the whole trip but especially Santiago de Cuba, Vinales and Havana. Thanks again for all your help!
DM, Edinburgh (Dec 2015)
“The location [of Spanish lessons] was perfect, just a few steps away from my homestay. My teacher was a really lovely person, made a big effort for me and was always well prepared for the lessons. Both my dance teachers were excellent, and I enjoyed every single lesson with them. I started to discover Son and fell in love with it, improved (hopefully) my salsa and also got introduced to rumba and reggaeton. The location was very close to my homestay which was very handy.”
JS, Slovakia (July 2014)
“I had a fabulous time. Santiago was mad and brilliant. [My homestay hosts] lovely. Food amazing. My [Spanish] teacher was brilliant. I really liked her and would love to have her again when I go next time, which I will. Truly. A lot of fun was had. Would recommend it hugely”
NF, Dorset (Feb 2014)
“My Spanish lessons were brilliant, I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher – she really took me under her wing. The lessons were well planned and also included trips which focused on the cultural aspect of learning.”
GH, London (Sep 2013)
Caledonia News
