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Trinidad
Trinidad is one of the most popular towns in Cuba; with a magical colonial atmosphere the town contains quaint cobbled streets, tranquil plazas, wooden shuttered buildings and colourful red tiled roofs. Bicycles and horse-drawn carts bump along streets lined with untidy pastel-coloured houses, where open doors afford brief views of folk on rocking chairs and wooden birdcages, and the strains of salsa music drift out from cool courtyards where the intricate steps of the dance are practiced.
Trinidad retains its colonial heritage and remains unspoilt by modern tourism, due to being a World Heritage Site since 1988. Surrounded by sugarcane plantations, and situated between the Topes de Collantes mountains and the Caribbean Sea, Trinidad's location also provides easy access to the beach, mountains and the beautiful surrounding countryside, where vestiges from the 18th and 19th centuries in the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) testify to a time of prosperity during the sugarcane boom.
Museo Romántico
One of the many colonial museums in Trinidad is the exquisitely restored Museo Romántico, which is home to many spectacular exhibitions and artworks and is situated in the main square of Plaza Mayor. Originally the paintings, decorative furniture and porcelain belonged to the wealthy Brunet family in the 1830s.
Address: Calle Echerri 52; Telephone: 419 4363; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm; Admission: 2 CUCs; extra for cameras
Museo Histórico Municipal
A former palace belonging to German sugarcane plantation owner Justo Cantero, the museum displays examples of his wealth in the cool, stylish rooms as well as some exhibits relating to the sugar industry and history of Trinidad. A stairway leads to a tower from which a superb view of Trinidad and the Escambray mountains can be seen.
Address: Calle Simón Bolívar 423; Telephone: 419 4460; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm; Admission: 2 CUCs
Playa Ancon
The softly sanded beach of Playa Ancon offers a popular excursion from Trinidad, with warm Caribbean waters and palm trees dotted along its sun kissed shores. Situated at the end of the peninsula, seven miles (12km) south of Trinidad, Playa Ancon also offers water sports and some good offshore snorkelling and diving sites.
Transport: A taxi from Trinidad costs around 8 CUCs
Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills)
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the lush green valleys of the Valle de los Ingenio were the centre of the sugar trade industry and wealthy plantations in Trinidad. Today the ruins of estates, sugar mills and other remnants are visited by tourists who are attracted by the history of slavery and the beauty of the valley. The main site is the Manaca Iznaga, a striking 144ft (44m) high tower that was used by plantation owner and one of the wealthiest men in Cuba, Pedro Iznaga, to keep watch over his slaves working in the fields. Visitors can climb the tower (1 CUC) for impressive views over the countryside. Horse riding tours to the valley are a popular way to see the sights from Trinidad.
Santa Clara
The city of Santa Clara is just fifty miles from Trinidad and is home to the Plaza de la Revolución, the Che Memorial and many more Cuban Revolution related monuments. The train monument (Monumento a la Toma del Tren Blindado) marks the spot where Che attacked the train carrying Batista's troops to Santiago de Cuba to counter attack the revolutionaries and the battle was the final decisive factor in the victory of the revolution. There is a museum inside the wagons. The Ernesto Che Guevara Monument was built to pay homage to the memory of Che and his comrades who fought with him in Bolivia, and the enormous monument incorporates a huge statue of Che with his famous phrase Hasta la Victoria Siempre (Forever Onwards Towards Victory), as well as representations of many aspects of his revolutionary life. To one side of the statue a huge stone block has been inscribed in full with his farewell letter to Fidel Castro. The monument also includes a chilled mausoleum where the remains of Che and his comrades have been interred, and a museum with displays about his life and involvement in the revolution.
Address: Train monument: Calle Indepencia; Che monument: Av de los Desfiles; Opening time: Train monument: Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 6pm (until 12pm on Sundays); Che monument: daily 8am to 9pm (until 6pm on Sundays); Admission: Train monument: 1 CUC; Che monument: free
Sancti Spiritus
Sancti Spiritus is an enchantingly colonial city, which remains unspoilt by tourism and is home to gracious and friendly inhabitants, a labyrinth of cobblestone streets and absolutely beautiful architecture. Located in the centre of Cuba and 43 miles (70km) east of Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus lies on the banks of the Yayabo River, exuding charm, affability and authenticity. The old town has been declared a National Monument, filled with picturesque, colourful little houses with uneven red tiled roofs and weathered colonial homes. Streets are crammed with horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, scooters and pedestrians licking at guava ice creams, a fruit which grows along the banks of the river. Spanning the river is the Puente Yayabo, an arched brick bridge built by the Spanish in 1815, and the city's most famous sight.
