Best Things To Do in Trinidad Cuba

Trinidad is the best preserved colonial town in Cuba, and was my personal favorite place during our 10 day Cuba itinerary. Discover the best things to do in Trinidad Cuba, from the colonial pastel washed streets to day trips from Trinidad to stunning beaches and nature reserves. 

Visiting Cuba is like stepping into a time warp, replete with colonial architecture, classic cars and a distinct lack of mod cons. Trinidad is no exception, and is perhaps even more of a throwback than the rest of Cuba. You’ll time travel all the way back to 1850s style architecture with colourful single storied buildings, mixed with (relatively!) more modern 1950s American cars. The town is filled with the ever-present melody of Cuban street music, and is framed by dramatic mountain ranges and sandy crystal beaches. Read on to discover what to do in Trinidad Cuba!

What to do in Trinidad Cuba 

1. Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor is the main town plaza or town square in Trinidad Cuba, and is the bustling heart of Trinidad’s old town. The Plaza  is as pretty as a picture, and will look familiar if you’ve researched Trinidad. In fact, its iconic bell tower (2 below) is the most photographed spot in Trinidad, and features on many a postcard. Oh, and it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site – not surprising to those who have visited!

The Plaza is surrounded by gorgeous buildings in all shades of pastel and small museums to explore. However, Plaza Mayor really comes to life at night, when the square fills with tourists and locals imbibing, taking in live music … and checking their phones (although the wifi connection is a little spotty!).

You can pay 1CUC to enter the plaza bar with live music, or grab a drink at one of the many other bars and sit on the steps to take in the music and atmosphere. Expect to pay around 1.5 CUC for a cocktail, or up to 5 CUC if you’re craving a vino.

2. Convento de San Fransisco de Asis – Trinidad Bell Tower

Convento de San Fransisco de Asis is the picturesque yellow bell tower in Trinidad’s Plaza Mayor. While it’s the prettiest from the outside, you can pay 1CUC to visit the museum and climb the bell tower.

The museum has some interesting photos depicting Cuban history, but is mainly in Spanish. It’s worth paying the entry fee to climb roughly 120 steps to the top of the bell tower for panoramic views over Trinidad, all the way out to the beach.

3. Church of the Holy Trinity 

The Church of the Holy Trinity is a lovely church in Plaza Mayor. (Lovely, pretty, picturesque … running out of adjectives to describe just how gorgeous Trinidad is!). It was constructed in the 19th century, after the previous 17th century church was destroyed in a cyclone.

The Church has a light yellow neoclassical facade, and wooden interiors including a much revered 18th century wooden statue of Christ. The statue found its home in Trinidad after being destined for Mexico on a ship, but forced back to Trinidad three times by bad weather.

4. Trinidad Walking Tour

The main joy in visiting Trinidad is to meander aimlessly around the streets, admire the architecture, duck into little museums and find a perch for a cold beer or mojito. We roughly followed the route in our Lonely Planet Cuba guidebook, but frequently got distracted by yet more pretty cobbled streets. If you want a more structured approach to exploring Trinidad, join a free Trinidad walking tour.

As well as central area around Plaza Mayor, wander up towards Plaza Santa Ana (6 below). One of my favourite streets around here was Calle Santa Ana (Calle Jose Mendoza).

Read More: If you love small walkable towns, don’t miss Santa Clara Cuba, the geographical and revolutionary heart of Cuba.

5. Plaza Carillo 

Plaza Carrillo is another town square with a courtyard and nice church, near the rather fancy pants Iberostar Hotel. The Plaza had a good wifi connection when we visited (wifi card required).

6. Plaza Santa Ana + Santa Ana Church

Plaza Santa Ana is a pleasant small plaza on the outskirts of the Trinidad old town. The highlight is Santa Ana Church, an old ruined church with hollowed out interiors and an eerie feel.

Pop into Factoria Santa Ana for a cold bevvie, a large restaurant / bar in the big yellow building across the road. When we visited, music was pouring through the downstairs courtyard and locals were taking part in a very passionate karaoke session upstairs.

7. Trinidad Restaurants and Bars

I had fairly low expectations of Cuban food, and was pleasantly surprised to find that Trinidad has a range restaurants with pretty solid food, live music and a buzzing atmosphere (and of course good cocktails!).

I loved Terazza Trinidad Colonial (photo above), where you can dine on the terrace under the shade of a carpet of bougainvillea, listen to live music wafting up from the streets below and admire the views to the Trinidad bell tower.

Another favourite was Los Conspiradores Trinidad, with its excellent location on the edge of Plaza Mayor. Grab a perch on the balcony above Plaza Mayor, the perfect spot for people watching and gorgeous sunsets. The restaurant was also filled with vibrant bougainvillea, and seemed to be a favourite Instagram spot in Trinidad (excellent entertainment watching people trying to snap the perfect shot)!

Day Trips from Trinidad Cuba

8. Playa Ancon and La Boca 

Playa Ancon is a tropical beach on the footsteps of Trinidad, only 12km from the old town. Grab a taxi for around 8 CUC, or if you’re feeling energetic hire a bike and pedal down. You can combine Playa Ancon with La Boca, a small nearby fishing village.

We loved Grill Caribe right on the beach at the start of Playa Ancon. Caribe Grill is a laid back beach bar with a local feel, small seafood menu, good drinks, and stunning sunsets. Taxis back to Trinidad can be hard to come by, so organise for your taxi driver to pick you up again at the end of the day.

9. Parque Natural Topes de Collantes Trinidad

Parque Natural Topes de Collantes is a mountain range and nature reserve park 30 minutes to 1 hour or so from Trinidad, depending on what part of the park you’re visiting. The highlights of Topes de Collantes are the beautiful waterfalls and clear swimming holes which you can reach after a short hike through the forest. The park also has some small towns, with a couple of hotels and restaurants.

Topes de Collantes can be visited by group tour, private tour or independently with a taxi. We took a Topes de Collantes tour with Trinidad Travels, an excellent local Trinidad tour operator. Our day included the viewpoint over Parque Guanyara, an easy 3km walk to the waterfalls and swimming hole, and a visit to a coffee plantation.

Love natural wonders? Don’t miss the stunning Vinales Valley in Cuba’s idyllic countryside.

10. Valle de los Igenios – Valley of the Sugar Mills

The Valley of the Sugar Mills is another easy day trip from Trinidad. Here you can take an old steam train ride or horseback through the scenic valley and visit old sugar mills. The train isn’t always running, so check with your Trinidad casa partiuclar first.

Unfortunately, we only spent two nights in Trinidad, so didn’t have time for Valle de los Igenios, but did admire its beauty driving past. If I had my time again, I would happily have spent 3 (or even 5!) nights in Trinidad. The picturesque small town and surrounding natural beauty were right up my street.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these fun Trinidad Cuba things to do. If you’re looking for a great Trinidad Cuba casa particular, check out BR&Casa Elio Ramos. Elio Ramos is a lovely restored colonial home, with comfortable guest rooms with private bathrooms and outdoor terraces. The casa is only a few hundred metres from Plaza Mayor.

Read More: When visiting Cuba, you can’t miss vibrant Havana, an evocative and slightly chaotic city packed with dilapidated but beautiful buildings, opulent palaces, historic forts, and lively music. Check out this post on 30 awesome things to do in Havana Cuba.

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