Cienfuegos
Every time I go to Cuba I seem to fall a little more in love.
After a few trips to different parts of Havana, I wanted to explore more of la Isla.
Cienfuegos was the next city on my list.
I’m in love with Cuba and the magic in the air….and I am not alone in feeling this, but while traveling in and around Havana, I started to realize how commercial and touristy it’s getting so it was time for a change of scenery.
In 2005, Cienfuegos was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The downtown area contains six buildings dated from 1819–1850.
327 buildings from 1851–1900, and 1188 buildings from the 20th century. There is no other place in the Caribbean which contains such a remarkable cluster of Neoclassical structures.
It’s about 3 hours to get to Cienfuegos from Havana.
I like to suggest carpooling or public transportation for the more economical and environmentally friendly route. Or you can book a tour.
Jess took a taxi collectivo for $20 with other local Cubanos.
Because I decided mid day to check out Cienfuegos, the next taxi collectivo with other locals left at 4pm, so I got to Cienfuegos around 7pm at night.
Just in time for the beautiful sunset.
I stayed in La Punta de Cienfuegos, which is close to the Palacio de Valle.
The sunset here was amazing.
It’s a quiet town, totally different than Havana.
There are more bikes and horses here...the air was fresh.
I ate dinner at a restaurant I found while walking on the main road. There aren’t as many restaurants as Havana because it’s not as touristy. I enjoyed this...
There is a nightlife here, but I was tired and wanted to take it down early.
The air bnb I stayed at was with a lovely Cuban family, they had a beautiful small home with the malecon as their backyard.
They were so welcoming and they offered homemade breakfast with fruits, cafe, eggs, and toast was $5. Breakfast is set up outside by the water, and it was awesome.
Now there are a few things to do in Cienfuegos , but my time was limited.
I only got to visit Milpa beach and eat fresh fish there.
I attempted to visit a beach that apparently I wasn’t allowed to visit, so I went to explore other parts of Cienfuegos.
I explored the city before finding a taxi back to Havana. I found an old man who makes homemade pineapple wine for $1. I bought 5 bottles and drank one in the taxi going back. It made the trip much faster!
Next time I got to Cienfuegos, I will visit El Nicho. If you are in the area please do yourself the favor and check it out!
I will attempt to go back to this “special beach” that I wasn’t allowed to visit because I was not a local.
For now this is my Cienfuegos post until I can add on to it 😘