The Cathedral "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción", arises at the beginning of the XVI century in the village of Baracoa. At that time this church was known with the name of La Iglesia Parroquial de la Villa de Baracoa. The church is best known for preserving the Cruz de la Parra that Columbus supposedly used when he came ashore in 1492 to claim Cuba for Spain and Christianity. Indeed, carbon dating has confirmed that the cross was fashioned in the late 1400s and is old enough to have been brought by the explorer. It can be stated with certainty that this is one of oldest crosses (perhaps the oldest) in the New World. 

Baracoa's third fortress, Fuerte de la Punta, was built in 1803 on a spit of land over the entrance to the bay. During the pseudorepublic it housed a radio telegraph office. The fortress now contains the Restaurante La Punta.

An ideal place in the countryside to experience nature, the rural lifestyle and the fascinating world of cocoa, an opportunity to learn in depth about Baracoa's deeply rooted cocoa. A tour takes you past mango and coconut trees as well as coffee and cocoa crops. There are educational trails where the plants of cocoa are displayed and the entire traditional growing, harvesting and processing methods used by local farmers are shown. You'll also visit a typical bohío, or peasant's hut, where staff members actually live. A rustic restaurant serves typical dishes from the Baracoan cuisine and chocolate based preparations. 

In the Main Square is a bust of Hatuey, the brave Indian leader who resisted early conquistadores until he was caught by the Spanish and burned at the stake. There’s also a very lively Casa de la Trova here. It is worth wandering along the Malecón, the seaside avenue, from the snug Fuerte Matachín (an early 19th-century fort that has a small but informative municipal museum inside) to the Hotel La Rusa, which is named after a legendary Russian émigrée who over the years hosted celebrities such as Che Guevara and Errol Flynn.