Things To Do in Trinidad, Cuba

Unquestionably, the greatest attraction in Trinidad is the town itself, which constitutes one of the finest colonial centers in the Americas and, justifiably, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety. The town's cobblestone streets contain a treasure-trove of small and grand colonial homes, churches, and quiet squares. Walking aimlessly about the curving streets of the old town is unmatched in Cuba for tranquillity and charm. About the only feature not authentically colonial is the neon cross that crowns the church on Plaza Mayor. Remarkably, as quaint as it is, Trinidad feels like a real town where Cubans live and work, rather than the film set it first appears to be.

A good way to get your bearings in Trinidad is to trace a path from the Plaza Mayor, the heart of the old town, heading west on Echerri and then down Piro Guinart to Plazuela El Jigüe, a quiet and pretty little square. Then head down Peña to Simón Bolívar and east on Antonio Maceo, the closest thing there is to a main drag in Trinidad.

A couple blocks south of here, along Lino Pérez, is Parque Céspedes, the focal point of the "new" town (though newer than the colonial core of Trinidad, it remains anything but shiny and modern).

Northeast of the old town, following Fernando H. Echerri to José Mendoza for several blocks, you'll reach Plaza Santa Ana and the ruins of Iglesia Santa Ana, which looks ancient, but dates only to 1812. On the square is a former 19th-century prison, Real Cárcel, which today houses a touristy restaurant and souvenir shop.

Around the Plaza Mayor

The neo-baroque, 19th-century Plaza Mayor, elaborately adorned with serene sitting areas, statuary, towering palm trees, and gardens enclosed by white wrought-iron fences, is one of Cuba's most beautiful plazas. It's ringed by magnificent palaces and pastel-colored houses with red-tile roofs and wood shutters. On the northwest corner is the cathedral, Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad, which most locals refer to as La Parroquial Mayor. The cathedral, completed in 1892, replaced the original 17th-century church that was destroyed in 1812 by a hurricane. The new construction, completed at the end of the 19th century, is rather simple on the outside, but the restored interior reveals a Gothic vaulted ceiling and nearly a dozen attractive carved altars. The cathedral can be visited Monday through Saturday from 10:30am to 1pm. Mass is at 9am on Sunday.

The highlight of the Plaza Mayor, and the most evocative reminder of Trinidad's glory days, is the lovingly restored Palacio Brunet, Fernando H. Echerri 52 at the corner of Simón Bolívar. The colonial mansion dates to 1704 (the second floor was built in 1808) and houses the Museo Romántico (tel. 41/99-4363). Its splendid collection of period antiques culled from a number of old Trinitario families convincingly evokes the life of a local sugar baron in the 1800s. Don't miss the enormous kitchen, covered in azulejo (glazed ceramic tiles), with a wood-burning stove. The views from upstairs are marvelous. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Admission is CUC$2; allow about 45 minutes for your visit.

In a pale yellow colonial building on the west side of the main square, Museo de Arqueología (tel. 41/99-3420) features a collection that encompasses natural sciences and pre-Columbian Cuba. It's mostly an uninspired hodgepodge of exhibits, though; you'll find bones of Indian natives and slaves, glass-enclosed stuffed animals, and a 19th-century kitchen, which, though interesting, is hard to classify as either archaeology or natural science. It is currently closed and has no scheduled reopening date.

On the east side of the Plaza Mayor, in a squat, sky-blue mansion once belonging to the Sánchez Iznaga family, the Museo de Arquitectura Colonial (tel. 41/99-3208) features moderately interesting exhibits that trace the development of Trinidad, including examples of woodwork and ironwork, maps, models, and photographs. What is on display, though, can hardly compare to the real-life exhibits beyond the museum's doors. It's open Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Admission is CUC$1.

The former Palacio Cantero, an 1830 palatial residence built by a noted sugar baron, houses the Museo Histórico Municipal, Simón Bolívar 423 between Peña and Gustavo Izquierdo (tel. 41/99-4460). In addition to antiques and 19th-century furnishings, there are bits and pieces of slave history, old bank notes, and exhibits of revolutionary Cuba. For many visitors, though, the highlight is the climb up the narrow and rickety wooden stairs to the tower, which has terrific bird's-eye views of Trinidad and the surrounding area. The museum is open Saturday through Thursday from 9am to 5pm; admission is CUC$2. Allow about an hour for your visit, a bit longer if you want to linger over the views.

The second of Trinidad's two major towers is the picturesque, yellow-and-white domed bell tower belonging to the former 18th-century Convento de San Francisco (Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi), Fernando H. Echerri at Piro Guinart. Today the building hosts the dogmatic, but rather fascinating Museo de la Lucha Contra Bandidos (tel. 41/99-4121), which focuses on revolutionary Cuba and the continuing "struggle against bandits." Exhibits document Fidel's battles against counterrevolutionaries -- the bandidos in question -- who sought to overturn the regime's ideals by winning support among guajiros (poor rural farmers) and fighting in the Sierra del Escambray in the 1960s. In addition to newspaper reports, you'll find machine guns, military maps, a CIA radio, and photos of the ragtag principals who finally, and quite extraordinarily, overthrew the Batista government in 1959. As is the case with the Museo Histórico, though, the biggest draw may be the panoramic views from atop the bell tower. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm; admission is CUC$1. Allow 45 minutes or so, including the visit to the tower.

Trinidad, given its starring role on the tourist circuit, is one of the better shopping towns in central and eastern Cuba (though far from a shopper's paradise). In addition to the requisite cigar and music shops, several of Trinidad's atmospheric, cobblestone streets are converted daily into street markets featuring handicrafts, lace, and clothing items. While lace and clothing are the main attractions, you can also find interesting woodcarvings, musical instruments, masks, and a host of ceramic works. The street with the most variety tends to be Peña, near the Museo Municipal de Historia tower, while most of the lace and textile merchants, who occasionally have good guayabera shirts (simple, short-sleeved cotton shirt, with pockets and pleats, worn by men), tend to cluster on the small streets just east of the Plaza Mayor.

The art gallery on the south side of the Plaza Mayor, Galería de Arte ARTex, has two floors of contemporary art, much of it very accessible, and the traditional souvenir renderings of Trinidad.

The place for cigars and tobacco paraphernalia in town, La Casa del Tabaco, has two branches and carries all the finest Cuban cigars, carefully stored. The shop at Lino Pérez 296 (at the corner of José Martí) is open daily from 10am to 6pm; the branch on Francisco Javier Zerquera (at the corner of Maceo), is open daily from 10am to 6pm.

Many of the ceramic wares you'll see for sale around Trinidad are produced by the Santander family, whose history in this art form goes back generations. You can visit their small factory, El Alfarero Casa Chichi, Andrés Berro 51, between Abel Santamaría and Pepito Tey (tel. 41/99-3146), although it's best to call in advance and tell them you're coming.

The most complete Cuban CD store in town, ARTex, is annexed to the Casa de Música on Fernando H. Echerri, where you'll find nightly performances of live music. The clerks will usually play just about anything you want to hear.

While most of Trinidad's old-town streets are coffin-quiet after dark, several joints bop with live Cuban music nightly. One of the best spots to sit outside, have a mojito or beer, and hear good traditional bands is the small plaza midway up the steps leading to the Casa de la Música. The dance floor is usually a good mix of polished, semiprofessional locals and foreigners whose hips are somewhat less smoothly oiled. The steps are often overflowing with people checking out some free music under the stars from 8:30pm until midnight. Inside the Casa de la Música, a more raucous environment prevails until the wee hours for a cover charge of CUC$1. Just around the corner on Fernando H. Echerri, Palenque de los Congos Reales has an open-air stage where you can sometimes catch Grupo Folclórico performing Afro-Cuban music and dance (performances aren't regularly scheduled). At other times, there may be a standard trova or son group playing. It's open daily from 10am to 1am, and until 10pm on Saturday. The Casa de la Trova, Fernando H. Echerri 29, a block east of the Plaza Mayor, is the traditional spot to listen to Cuban bands and try out a few dance steps; it's open daily from 10am to 1am, and there's a cover charge of CUC$1. A similar spot is Casa Fisher (ARTex), on Lino Pérez 306 between José Martí and Francisco Cadahía, but the scene here can be hit-or-miss.

The Ruinas del Teatro Brunet, Maceo between Zerquera and Simón Bolívar, puts on a nightly Afro-Cuban cabaret-style show in the spacious courtyard of the ruins of the city's first theater. Another bar set in a delightful open-air courtyard in the ostensible ruins of a colonial home, the Ruinas de Segarte, Jesús Menéndez s/n between Callejón Gado and Juan Manuel Marquéz, is an intimate affair and open from 10:30am to 1:30am daily, and also has live music most nights.

La Canchánchara, Rubén Martínez Villena at Pablo P. Girón, sometimes has a few musicians assembled, but it's mostly just a little open-air courtyard bar in an atmospheric colonial house, a good place to kick back in old wooden chairs and have a mojito or the eponymous house drink, made with aguardiente (firewater), lime, and honey. It's open daily from 8:30am to 2am (but no food is served).

Club Amigos de la Parranda, Rubén Martínez Villena 59 (Patio del Templo de Santeria Yemaya) is home to a group of older guys who play traditional music and accept suggestions from the public. Donations are, obviously, gratefully received. It's open daily 10am-midnight.

One of the most unusual nightspots in Cuba has to be the dance club carved out of a deep two-level cave, Discoteca Ayala, also called La Cueva (tel. 41/99-6133). Though it can be deadly hot, and the kitsch factor is undeniable, it's still pretty cool to dance to blasting disco-salsa tunes as colored lights bounce off stalactites. The crowd on weekends is largely Cuban. Now if they could only install air-conditioning to go with the lights and sound system, nocturnal spelunking would be even more appetizing. To get there, you can either walk up a path leading directly behind the cathedral, off Juan Manuel Márquez, or take the longer route from Hotel Las Cuevas (it's not actually on the premises of the hotel, though it's under the same management). It's open Tuesday to Sunday 10pm to 2am (later Fri-Sat); admission is CUC$3.