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Travel Guides: Trinidad
General Information
One of the most visited towns in Cuba, Trinidad maintains a charming colonial atmosphere with its uneven cobbled streets, quiet plazas, churches, red-tiled roofs, wooden shutters and wrought-iron grilles. Bicycles and horse-drawn carts bump along streets lined with untidy pastel-coloured houses, where open doors afford brief views of folk on rocking chairs and wooden birdcages, and the strains of salsa music drift out from cool courtyards where the intricate steps of the dance are practiced.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, Trinidad has escaped the modern tourist infrastructure and large hotels usually accorded a popular destination, and retains its welcoming and tranquil atmosphere. Surrounded by sugarcane plantations, and situated between the Topes de Collantes mountains and the Caribbean Sea, Trinidad's location also provides easy access to the beach, the mountains and the beautiful surrounding countryside, where vestiges from the 18th and 19th centuries in the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) testify to a time of prosperity during the sugarcane boom.
Getting Around
Trinidad is relatively easy to negotiate on foot and most attractions are in the historic hub, centred around the Plaza Mayor. Playa Ancón's beaches are serviced by Cubatur minibuses, usually from 8am to the evenings, running along Maceo. Taxis are available, as are car rental agencies, though streets can be somewhat confusing and are known by different names. A novel way to explore the area is on the Rumbos steam train, dating back to 1907, that travels to Valle de los Ingenios. The train leaves at 9.30am and returns at 2pm.
Activities
Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), Trinidad
This picturesque emerald valley was once the centre of the sugar trade industry, and home to the plantations that brought wealth and prosperity to Trinidad in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the ruins of estates, sugar mills and other remnants are visited by tourists who are attracted by the beauty of the valley, and the historical significance of the slave trade that operated during the valley's boom years. The main site is the Manaca Iznaga, a striking 144ft (44m) high tower that was used by plantation owner and one of the wealthiest men in Cuba, Pedro Iznaga, to keep watch over his slaves working in the fields. Visitors can climb the tower for impressive views over the countryside. Horse riding tours to the valley, departing from Trinidad, are a popular way to see the sights.
Ancón Beach, Trinidad
The soft sand and still, warm waters backed by palm trees make the beach at Playa Ancón a popular trip from Trinidad. Situated at the end of the peninsula, seven miles (12km) south of Trinidad, Playa Ancón also offers watersports and some good offshore snorkelling and diving sites.
Museo Histórico Municipal, Trinidad
A former palace belonging to German sugarcane plantation owner Justo Cantero, the museum displays examples of his wealth in the cool, stylish rooms, as well as some exhibits relating to the sugar industry and history of Trinidad. A stairway leads to a tower from which a superb view of Trinidad, and the Escambray mountains can be seen.
Opening Times:
Open Saturday to Thursday, from 9am to
5pm
Admission:
CUC$2
Museo Romántico, Trinidad
Trinidad has a number of museums in colonial mansions, but one of the best is the beautifully renovated Museo Romántico overlooking the main square, Plaza Mayor. The Museo Romántico boasts an excellent exhibition of the paintings, decorative furniture and porcelain that belonged to the wealthy Brunet family in the 1830s.
Opening Times:
Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to
4.45pm
Admission:
CUC$2; extra for cameras
Sancti Spiritus, Trinidad
The beautiful colonial city of Sancti Spiritus, with its gracious people, delightful architecture and maze of narrow, winding cobblestone streets remains almost completely unassuming and detached from tourism. Located in the centre of Cuba, 43 miles (70km) east of Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus lies on the banks of the Yayabo River, exuding charm, affability and authenticity. The old town has been declared a National Monument, filled with picturesque, colourful little houses with uneven red-tiled roofs and weathered colonial homes. Streets are crammed with horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, scooters and pedestrians licking at ice-creams flavoured with a fruit which grows along the banks of the river. Spanning the river is the Puente Yayabo, an arched brick bridge built by the Spanish in 1815, and the city's most famous sight.
Santa Clara, Trinidad
Located 55 miles (88km) north of Trinidad, the city of Santa Clara is best known for its Che Memorial at the Plaza de la Revolución, and monuments relating to the Cuban Revolution. The armoured train monument (Monumento a la Toma del Tren Blindado) marks the spot where Che attacked the train sending Batista's troops to Santiago de Cuba, a battle which was a decisive factor in the victory of the revolutionaries. The Ernesto Che Guevara Monument was built to pay homage to the memory of Che and his comrades who fought with him in Bolivia, and the enormous monument incorporates a huge statue of Che with his famous phrase Hasta la Victoria Siempre(Forever Onwards Towards Victory), as well as representations of many aspects of his revolutionary life. To one side of the statue, a huge stone block has been inscribed in full with his farewell letter to Fidel Castro. The monument also includes a chilled mausoleum where the remains of Che and his comrades have been interred, and a museum with displays about his life and involvement in the revolution.
Opening Times:
Train monument: Tuesday to Sunday, from 8am to 6pm
(until 12pm on Sundays). Che Guevara monument: Open daily, from 8am
to 9pm (until 6pm on Sundays)
Admission:
Train monument: CUC$1. Che Guevara monument:
Free
