The Cuban revolution revealed

Fidel Castro’s death coincides with a period of change for tourism on this Caribbean island, but as Claire Boobbyer reveals, the former dictator’s legacy still looms large

The news that Fidel Castro, Cuba’s comandante en jefe, had died aged 90 reverberated strongly around this outpost of Caribbean communism. Nine days of mourning has meant a shutdown of live music venues and merrymaking; drinks cabinets have been draped in black, as is the custom here during periods of national solemnity. Televisions have been re-broadcasting speeches of Castro exclaiming “Viva la Revolución Cubana”, but although the roads were deserted the day of Castro’s death, life for most people has been slowly returning to normal – albeit muted.

Fidel Castro and his fellow rebels swept to power in January 1959 after a campaign that began in the towns and mountains of Oriente province in November 1956. Fidel ruled Cuba until he fell seriously ill in the summer of 2006. His younger brother Raúl, 85, became president in 2008, his reforms heralding an era of increased private enterprise and improving diplomatic relations between Cuba and the US. On Monday, just three days after Castro’s death, the first direct flights to Havana were launched by American Airlines, heralding a new chapter in Cuba’s tourism history. Here is my selection of 10 sights associated the history of Cuba under Fidel Castro.

Finca Birán, Fidel Castro’s birthplace

Fidel Castro’s father, who came from Galicia in Spain, acquired the Finca Las Manacas plantation in Cuba’s eastern Oriente province. It was here that Fidel, one of seven children born to Angel Castro and his wife Lina Ruz González, was born on August 13 1926. The Sitio Histórico de Birán is now a museum and visitors can tour the complex which houses the former school, post office, bar, hotel and cockfighting arena. At the entrance to the farm are the graves of Fidel’s parents.

Near Loynaz Hecheverría, 40 miles south-west of Holguín in Cuba’s East (0053 24 286 102; open Tues-Sun, admission £8).

Moncada Barracks, Santiago de Cuba

In the early hours of July 26 1953, Fidel Castro and 140 rebels left a small farmhouse,

Presidio Modelo, Isle of Youth

Following the Moncada attacks, Fidel and Raúl Castro were imprisoned in the Presidio Modelo penitentiary on the Isla de la Juventud for trying to overthrow the government. This large island, 60 miles off the southern coast of Cuba, was where the brothers spent 19 months. Today, the four cells, backdropped by marble mountains, are part of a museum. Visitors tour the hospital ward where the rebels were incarcerated, and the huge dining hall known as the “Salon of the Silences” because the prisoners were not allowed to clink their cutlery. In 1955, Batista declared an amnesty and the Castros went into exile in Mexico. Isle of Youth (0053 46 325112; open Tues-Sun, admission £1.60). The island is included in a new round Cuba voyage with Celestyal Cruises (yourcubacruise.com).

Parque Nacional Desembarco del Granma

The Granma, overloaded with 82 rebels, ran aground on December 2 1956 near Playa Las Coloradas, at the foot of what is now Granma province in Cuba’s eastern region. Che Guevara described their arrival as “less a landing than a shipwreck”. The remote Parque Nacional Desembarco del Granma, which has a replica of the Granma and a long path to the spot where she ran aground, is open to the adventurous public.

Playa Las Coloradas (open daily, admission £4).

Comandancia de la Plata

After an ambush by Batista’s forces, only 19 of the Granma’s complement remained. The guerrillas regrouped in the nearby Sierra Maestra mountains, gaining support from Cuba’s peasants and amassing urban support through an underground network of campaigners. In spring 1958, Castro and his rebels set up the Comandancia de la Plata mountain camp, complete with a hospital hut, offices and radio network – Radio Rebelde – to consolidate plans. Walking to Castro’s mountain camp is possible on a day hike from the village of Santo Domingo, south of Bayamo city, organised by Ecotur (0053 23 487006; agencia@grm.ecotur.tur.cu).

Sierra Maestra National Park (open daily 8am-11am, admission £21.50 including walking guide; take your passport).

Santa Clara

From the Comandancia de la Plata, Castro sent out his commanders to lead columns up country. It was Che Guevara who took part in the decisive battle for Santa Clara in central Cuba. Guevara’s men had derailed an armoured train packed with Batista’s troops in late December 1958. On New Year’s Eve 1958, Batista fled Cuba and Fidel Castro announced victory from the town hall on Santiago de Cuba’s Parque Céspedes on January 1 1959. The derailed train features in a museum in Santa Clara,

A woman mourns the late Fidel Castro in Havana this week, left; his remains will be buried in Santiago de Cuba, right