Cementerio la Reina

Cienfuegos


A listed national monument, the city's oldest cemetery was founded in 1837 and is lined with the graves of Spanish soldiers who died in the Wars of Independence. This is the only cemetery in Cuba where bodies are interred above ground (in the walls), due to the high groundwater levels. It's an evocative place if you're into graveyards (tours are available). Look for the marble statue called Bella Durmiente: a tribute to a 24-year-old woman who died in 1907 of a broken heart.

Approach is via the slum-like Av 50: a long, hot walk or horse-cart ride passing a sorry-looking collection of trains in the so-called Parque de Locomotivas en route.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cienfuegos attractions

1. Museo Histórico Naval Nacional

0.55 MILES

Close to the railway tracks, five blocks northwest of Parque José Martí, is this crenelated blue and white museum, dating from 1933. It's housed in the…

2. Palacio Ferrer – Museo de las Artes

0.64 MILES

On the western side of Parque José Martí, this riveting neoclassical building (1918) was lovingly restored in time for Cienfuegos' 200th anniversary in…

3. Arco de Triunfo

0.67 MILES

Prepare yourself: it's smaller than the one in Paris, but the Arch of Triumph on the western edge of Cienfuegos' serene central park catapults the plaza…

4. Museo Provincial

0.72 MILES

Poorly presented, slightly grubby museum on the south side of Parque José Martí that proffers a microcosm of Cienfuegos' history including a few…

5. Teatro Tomás Terry

0.74 MILES

Sharing French and Italian influences, this theater on the northern side of Parque José Martí is grand from the outside (look for the gold-leafed mosaics…

6. Palacio de Gobierno

0.74 MILES

Most of Parque José Martí's south side is dominated by this grandiose, silvery-gray building where the provincial government (Poder Popular Provincial)…

7. Casa del Fundador

0.75 MILES

On the southeastern corner of Parque José Martí stands the city's oldest building, once the residence of city founder Louis D'Clouet and now a souvenir…

8. Colegio San Lorenzo

0.76 MILES

On the east side of Teatro Café Tomás, this building with its striking colonnaded facade was constructed during the 1920s with funds left by wealthy city…