Trinidad - 10 Things to See and Do in Cuba's Colorful Colonial Town

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Trinidad is a well-preserved colonial town and UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the south coast in central Cuba, between lush green mountains and the turquoise water of the Caribbean Sea. In its time, Trinidad was one of the most prosperous cities in Cuba thanks to the massive sugar production (and, unfortunately, slaves) in the nearby Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which was the sugar producing capital of the world.

With its colorful colonial old town, classic cars and cobblestone streets, a lot of Cubans and foreigners describe Trinidad as “authentic”, “stopped in time” and “just like how it was back in the day” (all of which can be said for the rest of Cuba too). For some reason, I equated all this with Trinidad being untouched by tourism, but I was gravely mistaken. While it is undeniably beautiful and worth a visit, Trinidad is very touristy. I spent about a day and a half in Trinidad with 3 other travelers I met in Havana.

TOP THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN TRINIDAD

WALK AROUND AND EXPLORE

The charming and colorful cobblestoned town is very small and walkable.

GO TO THE BEACH

12km south of Trinidad lies the white sand and turquoise water of Playa Ancón, which is considered the best beach on Cuba’s south coast. Take a taxi or rent a bike to get there.

EXPLORE THE WATERFALLS

To the northwest of Trinidad lies Topes de Collantes, which is a nature reserve park in Sierra del Escambray (Escambray Mountains) where you can find caves, rivers, waterfalls, grottos, canyons and natural pools amongst the lush greenery. Basically it’s a hiking and adventure playground oasis. My 3 new traveler friends and I chose to do one of the closer waterfalls, Javira, which has an easy, short walk to the waterfall where both locals and tourists go cliff jumping and swimming. The 4 of us took a taxi, which cost $30CUC roundtrip and the driver waited for us at the park. The entrance fee to the park is $9CUC. For more information on some of the different waterfalls and their corresponding hikes, see here.

CHECK OUT THE ARTS AND CRAFTS

Locals have stalls set up in the streets with paintings, handicrafts and souvenirs.

EAT AT TABERNA LA BOTIJA

This restaurant and tapas bar serves a mix of tapas, pizza, sandwiches, burgers, Cuban dishes and great drinks at reasonable prices. Happy hour is from 4-6pm with 25% off, they often have live music in the evenings and it’s open 24 hours. The food is actually mostly good! This is unusual in Cuba and therefore quite exciting. I ate at La Botija a few times. The burgers and the chorizo spaghetti are really good. The grilled chicken is a miss. The tavern is decorated with historical artifacts from the slave-trading days. Go early for happy hour and dinner because it fills quickly.

GO HORSEBACK RIDING

In the countryside in Valle de los Ingenios or to the waterfalls.

SEE THE VIEW FROM THE TOWER OF LA IGLESIA Y CONVENTO DE SAN FRANCISCO

The church is in the centre of town and it costs $1CUC to climb the stairs to get the bird’s-eye view of the tiled roofs of the colonial buildings in Trinidad.

HIKE TO THE RADIO TOWER FOR THE VIEW

You can see Trinidad and the sugar plantations in the Valle de los Ingenios. It’s about an easy 30-minute hike each way and it’s best to do early in the morning before it gets really hot, or later in the evening when it starts cooling down.

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY AT DISCO AYALA (aka La Cueva/The Cave)

Disco Ayala a club that’s 100ft underground in a cave, which is pretty unique and awesome. The $5CUC entrance includes one drink (CUC is on par with USD), which is served to you by bartenders wearing batman shirts. The entrance is at the top of a hill, which is an easy walk from the town. There are a bunch of pop-up drink stalls along the walk to the club with locals selling drinks for $1CUC. The club was even packed on a Sunday night. I met really great male and female locals. It was so much fun and it was my favorite memory of my short time in Trinidad and one of my favorite memories of my 11 days traveling Cuba.

DANCE SALSA AT CASA DE LA MUSICA

Or watch the locals dance because Cubans are amazing dancers. There seems to be a Casa de la Musica in every city in Cuba. They’re a staple and a classic in Cuba and you’ll always find tons of locals there, which is always a good sign. It’s $1CUC to enter the outdoor bar at the top of the steps in Plaza Mayor (the heart of the town and also where you will find wi-fi) and there’s live music every night. Or you can enjoy the music from the steps outside, where you can hang out and people will bring you drinks.

Trinidad Cuba

NEED TO KNOW

A taxi to or from Havana and Trinidad will cost $100-120CUC, depending on your bargaining skills, and it will take 5-6 hours. I took a taxi with 4 other people to split the cost. Or the bus is $25CUC and it takes 6.5 hours.

The bus to and from Varadero to Trinidad is $20CUC and it takes 6.5 hours.

As usual in Cuba, stay in a casa particular (which is like a homestay) for $20-25CUC per night.