Trinidad (Cuba)
For other places with the same name see Trinidad (disambiguation)
Trinidad (sometimes called Trinidad de Cuba) is a city in Cuba. Trinidad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Travel to Trinidad_(Cuba), visa requirements
Rent a car from a nearby city, such as Havana or Santa Clara. The drive takes around 6 hours Watch out for pot holes and vultures on your way there.
Alternatively, you hire a private driver to take you there. The drive is amazing, as you go through a mountain region where tobacco is grown. It is a stunning drive and you could pick up some of the local people hitching - this is frowned upon by authorities but is generally safe and entertaining.
Viazul has a twice daily service from Havana stopping at Cienfuegos, and a daily service from Santiago de Cuba stopping at Holguin, Camagüey, and Sancti Spiritus. Astro also runs to Santa Clara.
There is no train service to Trinidad.
Get around
Street names may be difficult to find, although the town is very small. Once you wander around you can find every thing easily.
Trinidad_(Cuba) attractions and sightseeing
The waterfalls just outside of the town in the hills are beautiful. These is also salsa dancing in the square at night. Check out the colonial homes and furniture too, the houses are open and some of the antiquities are visible from the streets.
City tours
Walk around in the old colonial center.
Go to the beach on the Ancón peninsula, a 5-10 minute taxiride outside the city center. It is one of the few places in Cuba where you can access a great beach without staying at a resort hotel. Make sure you have mosquito repellent, especially if you intend to stay on the beach in the evening.
There is a museum just across from the cathedral in the old colonial center worth visiting. The museum itself is fairly standard but you can climb up a rickety wooden spiral staircase to a tower which has superb views across the whole town.
Also the market in the old colonial center which is nice to walk around and look at the handicrafts - drawn thread tableclothes and linens seem to be a speciality. The vendors are refreshingly laid back, you can look around and get virtually no hassle or pressure to buy.
Shopping, Trinidad_(Cuba) souvenirs
Before you go:
- Bug repellent
- Candles - power outages are common
- A powerful battery
- Strong sunblock if you are going in August.
Good restaurants and cheap meals
There is a pizzeria, which is refreshing due to the lack of variety of vegatarian food in Trinidad. There are many other amazing places to eat with much fish and chicken cooked in imaginative ways.
Many casa particulares offer dinner, for a fee, which are usually authentic dishes and very well prepared and well worth checking out.
Trinidad_(Cuba) nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
In the square at night, there are often events and there is a very good club open until the early hours. It is a lovely town with amazing visitors and inhabitants, and small enough for you to wander and choose your drinking hole. The Mojito's and rum cocktails are great.
There are also places where the locals hang-out and which serve quite decent beer at a very reasonable price. These places usually serve draught beer and stay open just as long as there is beer to serve. When the beer from one place has been drunk, then it's off to the next place or not. Many of the locals drink their beer outside on the street and Trinidad is so small so these place are easy to spot.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
There is a beautiful colonial hotel on the main causeway up to the square. It is a little expensive, but worth it as it has colonial rocking chairs and 2 four poster beds.
There are many casa particulares in Trinidad, It is an excellent way to meet the people of Trinidad and see how many live.
Get out
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