The first time I came in this city I thought:"I can make 5000 pics in this place ...
Beautiful historical center with red roofs and streets of little bricks
This city is full of the hirtory of colonial Cuba.
The old historical center of Trinidad is the best to see by feet, cars aren't alowed anyway, you can park your car at Calle Antonio Maceo
Thousands of slaves got trade from this city to other islands of the Caribbean
In 1988 UNESCO declared Trinidad "World Monument"

UNESCO declared Trinidad (founded in 1514, the third Spanish settlement in Cuba) to be a part of world cultural heritage because of its colonial architecture, which dates from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. The oldest part of the city (55 blocks in size, with 1211 buildings) is one of its greatest attractions.

It contains beautiful churches (such as the Great Parish Church, a neoclassical edifice built in 1892) and public squares, the most important of which is Main Square-surrounded by buildings of great beauty and historic and architectural interest and considered the second most important square in the country, after Havana's Cathedral Square.

Trinidad has several museums: the Romantic Museum and the Museum of Architecture, Archeology, History and the Struggle against Counterrevolutionaries. One Mansion, built in 1723 sells souvenirs and special drinks typical of the city: canchancharas (for which the house is named), a cocktail made of honey, Lime juice and high wine. The city also has a Troubadours House (Casa de la Trova) and a House of Music (Casa de la Musica). In the evening, there's a discoteque, several bars and folkdance performances.

Beach
In addition to its lush natural surroundings and colonial appearance, Trinidad is graced by the sea, which gave it two excellent beaches: Ancon and Maria Aguilar, both of which are very close by and are among the best beaches on the southern coast of Cuba. Ancon Beach is just a little over 7 miles (12 km) from the city. It is two and a half miles (4 km) long, with white sand and green-blue water. Its seabed is ideal for scuba diving and spearfishing.

The Ancon Peninsula is bordered by a narrow shelf of sandy bottom, with colorful patches of coral, ridges up to 16 and a half feet (5 meters) high, tunnels and other features. It has 21 scuba-diving sites, where you can see concentrations of Black Coral (Antipathes spp.), a wide varietay of spnges, gorgonians, Common Sea Fans (Gorgonia spp.) and many kinds of colorfull fish.

Location and How to Get There
The Ancon Peninsula is slightly over 7.5 miles (12 km) from Trinidad (232.5, or 375 km, east of Havana, in the middle of the country). Modern roads link the city to the city of Sancti Spiritus, capitol of the province of the same name, and to the city of Cienfuegos (25 miles, or 40 km, away). A large part of the road to Cienfuegos hugs the coast and offers some beautiful views. There are three national airports in Sancti Spiritus Province. The one serving Trinidad handles the most flights-of small and medium sized planes-and links that city with other important tourist resorts in the country.

Activities include lazing in the sun, swimming, snorkling, scuba diving and other water sports; seafaris and excursions to nearby cays; deep-sea and bottom fishing; tours of the oldest part of Trinidad and of its surrounding area, including Sugarmill Valley and Topes de Collantes, in a large area of parks and natural preserves; excursions to Cienfuegos; visits to beaches along the road to that city; and trips to other tourist resorts in the archipelago.
For evening entertainment, there are many recreational options which can be combined with the offers in Trinidad.

Accomodation and Facilities
There are 3 hotels on the Ancon Peninsula: the 3-star, All-Inclusive, Club Gran Caribe Ancon; and the 3-star Horizontes Costasur; The 4 star Brisas Trinidad del Mar. All three are on the beach, with a total of over 500 airconditioned rooms, each with satelite TV. The hotels also have swimming pools, restaurants, gyms, bars, tennis courts, discoteques and a family atmosphere.

Hotels in Trinidad

In Trinidad , there are at least six other urban and rural hotels and villas, plus an international clinic. A scuba diving center on on the Ancon Peninsula will fit you out with the equipment you need for enjoying this beautiful caribbean beach to the full.

The Ancon Peninsula also has a marina with scuba diving equipment. It offers seafaris to cays in the area; bottom, trolling and deep-sea fishing; and services for living on board in the Jardines de la Reina Archipelago: mooring services, anchorages, drinking water, electricity, commissary service, fuel, bathrooms with showers, and a bar-restaurant.

Scuba Diving Trinidad

Nature
A few miles from Trinidad, going up a steep mountain road, you'll come up to Topes de Collantes Natural Park. Some 2625 feet (800 meters) above sea level, up in the mountains, it has a cool microclimate. The streams and rivers in its valleys go underground to drain, and dozens of species of plants and animals live here. They include colorful birds, ferns, precious-wood trees and orchids, many of which are endemic. Here, too, you'll find beautiful waterfalls-such as Caburni Falls, which drops from a height of nearly 200 feet (60 meters) into a pool fed by several springs.

There is a 4-star tourist complex, the Escambray Kurhotel, with more than 200 rooms, a gym, a heated swimming pool and other facilities, an ideal base for all who love hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, swimming in crystal clear rivers, spelunking and visiting sites which combine nature with farm traditions and delicious Cuban cuisine.

Sugarmill Valley-which UNESCO also declared to be a part of world hertiage- is just a few minutes drive frim Trinidad. Here, you can see ruins of sugarcane plantations dating from the 19th century, with sugar pans, towers, wheels (gear wheels) and even some of the mansions built by the aristicracy of that era, such as the "big house" at the Guaimaro Sugar Mill, which has Italian frescoes, wooden balustrades and round-arched windows. The tower of the Manaca Iznaga Sugar Mill, known as Iznagna Tower, is still standing. It has seven levels and is nearly 143 feet (43.5 meters) high. Then take another mountain road to reach El Nicho Park, with its impressive waterfalls, endemic flora and birds, caves and pools where the swimming is great.

Escambray Mountains / Topes de Collantes
More To Do in Trinidad

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