Trinidad Travel Guide, Cuba

Trinidad is perfect for a quick Cuban getaway, a town that conquers the visitor’s hearth the minute they lay eyes on it. Why? Well basically because it still looks like tens of years ago and modernity has not made its access in it yet, a truly unspoilt town that can take you back a century ago.

A good thing about it is that it has not been shaped up for tourism and genuine Cuban life can be experienced. The horse-drawn carts are the ones that impress tourists the most as you can’t see many cars around.

Its size does not match its importance and you should expect a tiny undeveloped town whose charm is difficult to express in words.

When you see it the first time it is quite striking (well that really depends on where you come from and what type of location you are used to, but if you come from a big metropolis this is the effect it will have on you). The cobbled streets and the old housed dating 19th century and even earlier give you a glimpse of what it was like to live then.

The town was founded in 1514 and its industry was sugar based. The city began to flourish in the 18th century because the sugar industry was going well, so well that lots of Africans were brought to work on the fields and new and imposing residences began to appear to match this industrial boom. This period did not last long though and soon collapse followed, but surprisingly the good thing about that was that it stopped developing and it remained in that state.

It is true that the benefits from this lack of development were to come much later in the 21st century, but never the less the fact that it was named a World Heritage Sight by Unesco comes as a reward after all those years of obscurity.

You can even consider it a live open museum where people and places are not an imitation of the real thing but quite the real thing. Of course there are museums within this large “museum” that can be visited. They are for many fields: architecture, history and archeology. But love has a special place in the residents’ hearth and so the town has also a Romantic museum called Museo Romantico hosting precious antiques.

Both the museum of architecture and the town itself has examples of a great heritage. There is the Great Parish church dating 1892, The Troubadours House, the Main Square which is full of beautiful buildings, the House of Music and many more, actually there are 1211 buildings crammed in a small palce of about 55 blocks. It does not take long to visit, you’ll see them all in a few hours. There’s no hassle, crowded spaces, you can sightsee in a calm and relaxed manner and picture yourself in colonial times, times that aer still lived by the residents of the town.

Among the major attractions are: Plaza Mayor, Piro Guinart Fábrica de Tabacos, Parque Cespedes, Plaza Santa Ana and Real Canal.

Plaza Mayor is a neo-baroque square renowned all around Cuba for its beauty. The houses, green spaces and sitting areas are combined in a way as to amaze visitors.

If you want more action there is the Topes de Collantes Natural Park just a few miles away. The flora and fauna is rich in plants, flowers, especially orchids while birds enchant the visitors with their singing. The waterfalls and springs complete the picture of a perfect paradise.

If you want more information on Trinidad’s glory days you can go to Suggarmill Valley where you cans see what’s left of the sugar plantations.

After you’ve visited Trinidad and the area you will come home culturally enriched, learned more about the history of the place and the colonial times and relaxed in beautiful natural surroundings.