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The national park starts just outside the city and features some great views and many hikes, some of which leading to waterfalls, rivers or ponds. The closest park area is El Cubano and it’s possible to even walk there (4-5km one way), yet the park areas further up the hill (around the village of Topes de Collantes) have a greater variety in plants and more of a jungle feeling. The parks are accessible either by car, by taxi (expect about US$30-40 for the car to drive there including pick up in the evening) or by taking one of the day tours offered by Cubatur. (The local bus service to Topes de Collantes has not run in years.)
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Behind the waterfall is a cave you can swim into. In summer times, it is recommended to take a swim in the water fall. Usually, also an improvised pub with few drinks is available.
Climb the hill behind the town to get a great view. As you walk up the hill you go through poorer neighbourhoods. You may be asked for clothes or trinkets by the local kids. Seems pretty safe during the day but be careful at night. As you exit the city you’ll also pass by the Disco Ayala, a discothèque in a cave near the top of this hill.
Lucha Contra Bandidos
The museum is in a former convent close to the cathedral near the Plaza Mayor in the old colonial center. The War Against the Bandits was the 1961-1969 fought against U.S.-sponsored counterrevolutionaries, who hid out in the nearby mountains. If you do not read Spanish, the displays may be difficult to understand, but the piece of the American U-2 spy plane shot down speaks for itself. Also well worth the entrance fee is the mirador (view) from the convent's tower, reached by several flights of wooden stairs, which has superb views across the whole town.
The cathedral is beautiful inside and has a tower you can climb for a view.
A museum of mostly furniture from the colonial times.