Trinidad, Cuba: A Cultural Immersion
The town of Trinidad is located in central Cuba, close to the south coast. It is known to be one of the most beautiful colonial cities, and one of the best preserved in Cuba. The city lies in the “Valle de los Ingenios,” where there had been a sugar empire fueled by slave labor in the 19th century. The main economic activities now are tourism, fishing and crops such as coffee and tobacco. We spent a week in Trinidad enjoying the benefits of a slow-paced city with a large cultural display and food scene.
Things to do in Trinidad:
Immerse in the music scene
Of the cities we visited in Cuba, Trinidad is where we saw the highest concentration of musicians performing in restaurants and streets. In most places the musicians perform for tourists with popular songs like “Besame Mucho,” but we also saw a great traditional band perform in “Casa de la Trova,” a music center in Trinidad’s downtown. We had to take turns going here since kids aren’t allowed.
Stroll through the streets
The town itself is a vibrant, colorful preserve of architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries. It has a main square surrounded by houses-turned-museums built by wealthy families during the sugar boom. There is a tower in the Museo Nacional Lucha Contra los Bandidos, whence you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the city.
Enjoy the variety of bars and restaurants
We visited Trinidad after spending a couple of weeks in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana and the town of Viñales where there wasn’t so much food variety, so we appreciated the relative gastronomic diversity of Trinidad. The most popular drink is “Canchanchara,” aguardiente with lime and honey. It’s said to help if you have a cold! You can’t miss eating lobster in Trinidad as it’s delicious and inexpensive. We found a favorite, funky cafe where we got many of our meals (Cafe El Mago).
Visit pristine beaches
We hired an electric tricycle that took us to Ancoa beach, about 20 minutes from Trinidad. With no crowds on a late November morning we had the beach mostly to ourselves. The water was turquoise, and the sand white-ish. It was easy to rent an umbrella (in Cuba beach umbrellas are permanent structures made out of coconut leaves) and beach chairs. It was a relaxing experience, especially for our daughter who is not into endless historic strolls in the sun (at least for now).
Visit natural parks
We traveled to Trinidad from Cienfuegos. Following our host’s recommendation there, we took a shared cab (colectivo) which stopped in “El Nicho.” This was one of our favorite activities in Cuba. We hadn’t looked into it ahead of time so we had the pleasant surprise of arriving in a place of abundant natural beauty with turquoise waterfalls where we could all swim. Plus, we got to share the cab with a French couple that we had met in our homestay in Viñales (we ended up bumping into few of the same people in our travels in Cuba).
Where did we stay?
We booked a stay at the house of a local ceramist and his family (parents, wife, kid and a dog named Scooby Doo. Our host has his workshop at home and during our stay I got to take a lesson with him. Through conversation I realized how difficult it is to be a ceramist in Cuba. Despite all the challenges he is passionate about his work, and about sharing his art with the guests.
Travel considerations with kids
Trinidad is a beautiful town with a lot of history. However, there are not many public parks for kids (there was only one in our visit and it was closed). For that reason we recommend mixing outdoor activities such as beach outings or hiking in nearby parks that have waterfalls or activities amenable for kids.
Trinidad on a nutshell:
Population: 77,000
Usual price for an Airbnb: $20-$50 USD
What we liked most: The ability to walk around and just stop in a corner or the door of a restaurant to listen to live Salsa or Son Cubano
What was challenging: There weren’t many spaces dedicated for kids, and/or kid activities.
