Romantic and quiet Trinidad is so different from energetic Havana! He captivated us: peasants on horseback, cobblestone pavements and bright toy houses - you should definitely go here. We tell you what to see, where to live, where to eat and how to get to Trinidad.
Provincial and a little sleepy, Trinidad, after noisy and gassed Havana, seemed to us like heaven on earth. The town froze in the 19th century: cobblestone pavements, peasants in cowboy boots on horse-drawn carts, retro cars and authentic steam locomotives in the depot. Multi-colored one-story houses like from Lego evoke thoughts of the glorious colonial past. The city looks so much like a movie set in places! All this is spiced with green mountains - such is the romantic portrait of Trinidad.
All this romance attracts tourists, which is, of course, good for the economy, but not very good for other tourists. We were preparing for the worst, but we found a half-empty city. How so? Where are all the tourists? It turned out that we were extremely lucky. We arrived at the best time you can get to Trinidad.
Top secret. Come to Trinidad for the New Year if you want to wander almost alone through the city, which has not changed for two centuries, and observe the life of the locals. From December 30 to January 1, sightseeing buses do not arrive here, so there are only a few independent tourists and locals in the city! Silence, peace, joyful New Year's chores. Locals are storming the shops, and Felicidad's congratulations are heard everywhere.
Trinidad landmarks
In fact, there are not so many attractions, you can manage it in two or three days for sure. The city, museums and viewing platforms will fit in one day, country trips - in the second and third. We lived here for five days, and it was too much for such a modest town.
Colonial architecture
Bright postcard houses of the 18-19th centuries are what we came to Trinidad for. The town is called an open-air museum - and it really is. Photos, like in Havana, are juicy! I understand why tourists come here in droves.
The center is the most partying place, so we came to Plaza Mayor until 8 am, while everyone was asleep. But walk a few blocks to the side, and even in the middle of the day you will only walk among the locals.
The most authentic part that will definitely take you back in time is in the area of the Plaza de las Tres Cruces. Come there before 8-9 in the morning: narrow pavements with colorful houses go into the green mountains in a semicircle, horses clatter loudly, locals sleepily look out of doors and windows. Beauty!
A place of attraction for all tourists is the main square, Plaza Mayor. It is surrounded by several significant museums, palaces and churches:
- Museum of History in the Palace of Cantero (Museo de História de Trinidad). Cute interiors in the palace, frescoes and perhaps the best view of the mountains and red tiled roofs from the bell tower! Entrance costs 2 CUC. Come from 9 am to 11 am, while there are no excursion groups.
- Iznaga Palace (under reconstruction)
- Museum of Archeology (Museo de Arqueología Guamuhaya)
- Museum of Romance (Museo Romántico). Located in an 18th century building - Palacio Brunet. Entrance 2 CUC.
- Museum of Architecture (Museo de Arquitectura). 18th century building, residence of the wealthy Iznaga family. Entrance - 1 CUC.
- The austere Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima church.
- Monastery of San Francisco de Asis. Now it houses a museum for fighting smugglers. Costs 1 CUC, you can climb the tower.
- Plazuela del Jigue.
- Plaza Santa Ana with a picturesque abandoned church.
People
Cubans are so textured and colorful that you want to take a picture of everyone! It is impossible to stop. I really enjoyed walking around Trinidad, observing everyday life and looking at the faces of the locals.
Nature and observation decks
Trinidad is surrounded by picturesque mountains that beautifully set off the vibrant colonial architecture of the city with greenery.
In Trinidad, we climbed the lookout Loma de la Vigia - there are views of the city and the mountains with the Ingenios valley (Valle de los Ingenios). There is a TV tower at the top of the mountain. The caretaker Noel led us into the forbidden territory and helped us climb to the roof of the building, from where you can contemplate the entire green valley. The caretaker has a dream job: you sit for yourself, listen to the birds, admire the mountains, and tourists come by themselves, and they even give money for a mini-excursion!
From the main square we walked to the observation deck no more than 30 minutes. The climb is very easy. On the way, we saw majestically soaring birds of prey so close that, it seems, reach out and grab it. Once there was a glimpse of a Cuban green hummingbird.
Another popular lookout is Mirador de la Loma del Puerto... Located on the road to Sancti Spiritus, 6 km from the city. Height - 192 m. You can't get there on your own two - take a transport or taxi for rent. If you are lucky, you will see a train going through the valley, leaving at 9 am from Trinidad.
There are also waterfalls in the vicinity, where they are taken by horse. According to reviews, the waterfalls are so-so - we did not go.
Ancon beach
Trinidad is hot and humid with almost no wind. We were exhausted and went to Ancon beach - quiet and serene. It's so nice to sit in the shade of a palm tree under the rhythmic lapping of waves and read! By the way, snorkeling and diving are popular here, because there is a reef nearby.
To Ancon Beach from Trinidad, there is an almost London double-decker - the Trinibus double-decker bus. Sit in the front seats on the 2nd floor - the road will be in full view! The fare is 5 CUC per person in both directions. There are several stops in the city: Cubacar, Cubatur, calle Boca. We sat down at the first stop. Here are its coordinates: 21.801116, -79.982861
Schedule from Trinidad to Ancon Beach (for Cubacar stop): 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, 5:00 pm.
Outside the city, the bus has 2 stops: Hoteles Peninsula and the final Coco Bar. Schedule back (with the final): 10:00, 12:30, 15:30, 18:00.
Manaca Iznaga and Ingenios Valley
From this place and emanates from slavery - in the 19th century there was a manor with sugarcane plantations. Sugar was produced on an industrial scale, and the slave trade was not the last in the economy.
The most photographed place is the 7-storey tower, where you can climb. The approach to it is occupied by merchants. Also, tourists are allowed into the estate.
Come here on a 1919 tourist steam train that departs Trinidad Depot at 9:30 am and travels throughout the Ingenios Valley. Back at 14:30. The tour costs $ 15 per person.
How to get to Trinidad
We came from Havana on the Viazul tour bus for $ 25 per person. Yes, very expensive, but the bus ticket for the locals (Omnibus Nacionale) was not sold to us. We drove for 6 hours with one 20-minute stop - to eat and go to the toilet. Nice for a distance of 300 km, right?
The thing is that the bus calls in on the way to the resorts and picks up tourists, plus it does not go along the main highway, which is why the speed is lower. In general, please be patient and grab some food, because in the cafe halfway the owners are very greedy, and the sandwich costs as much as 4 CUC!
How to buy a ticket. Buy on the official Viazul website in two weeks, because Trinidad is a megapopular destination. Be sure to print it. Then come half an hour or an hour before boarding and exchange it for a real ticket. He is discharged MANUALLY, so everything is very long.
If you buy at the checkout, take your passports and come early - the queues are impressive. Then, before boarding, this ticket must also be exchanged for a real ticket, that is, again stand in line. An amazing feature of Cubans is to create queues from scratch!
You can pay with cookies and pesos, or you can mix them - we accepted it this way, although officially you only need to pay in cookies.
As in other cities of Cuba - in Cadeca exchangers. Of course, you have to stand in line. :) We didn't manage to withdraw from the ATM, so we changed the euro.
There are plenty of cafes and restaurants. We have gone through almost everything, but we advise only one, where we ourselves constantly ate - Shango... Coordinates: 21.805569, -79.982783. It's inexpensive and tasty - mostly meals cost 3-5 CUC! Alcoholic cocktails - 1.5 CUC. The waiter is very courteous and nice.
Alternative - Restaurante Don Antonio (21.80476, -79.985916) next to the bus station. More expensive, but nothing too.
