Trinidad, Cuba is about a 4 hour drive from Havana.
Trinidad is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
There are a few ways to get there, I found that a taxi collectivo was the most efficient. There are also buses, but they follow a schedule and I wanted to enjoy breakfast and my own schedule.
Taxi collectivos are similar to Uber pools. You share a taxi with others, who are either going to the same location or somewhere on the way. In this case, we were all heading to Trinidad.
Recommendations for the long car ride?
Snacks, I bought some cookies and crackers at the bus station to munch on so I didn’t get hangry.
Water…it’s important to stay hydrated
Headphones or a book to keep yourself entertained, although I enjoyed looking out the window and seeing the different sides of Cuba.
Comfy clothes, it’s a long ride.
Change and smaller bills. It’s just easier to travel around Cuba when you have smaller bills in case you want to buy things. Change isn’t always found everywhere.
On the way to Trinidad, we made 2 pit stops.
One of course the first stop was to drink a cafecito-I’m convinced Cubans drink coffee more than they drink water. Here one can also use the restroom-I highly recommend to travel with toilet paper or wipes, and hand sanitizer…especially in Cuba.
The second stop was to switch taxis in Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos is the half way point-this is only 2 hours away from Havana.
Why did we have to switch taxis? Certain taxi drivers are not licensed to drive into parts of Cuba, so we had to do a quick switch and off we went to Trinidad.
Trinidad is a lovely town. I was surprised with how touristy it was, but it is a laid back town that I enjoyed to check off my list.
I always recommend to stay at a Casa particular.
You can find some in Trinidad for as low as $12 a day. I absolutely loved the house I stayed at. It was shared with a family but it had its own entrance and the cutest little yard…it was pretty much their guest house with it’s own bathroom.
Breakfast was offered for $5 per person and that includes fresh fruit, eggs, toast, coffee, and a fresh juice smoothie.
The hospitality was amazing and I would totally stay here again.
Things to do in Trinidad :
Take a stroll around town, wear comfy shoes. It’s all mainly a cobblestone road.
Try the local drink: CANCHANCHARRA.
This drink is one of the oldest Cuban cocktails made with fermented Sugarcane juice aka Rum. And it’s mixed with honey and lime. Served with ice. It’s dangerously good.
Check out Topes de Collantes. It’s a hike to a beautiful waterfall. Definitely wear comfortable shoes and bring a backpack with a towel and some water.
Party at Disco Ayala. It’s a fun bar in a cave and who ever thought of it was a genius. Definitely was a tourist location, but it was eclectically mixed with locals who always dance and have a great time.
Have a cafecito at Don Pepe. They also have hot chocolate and tea and everything was yummy. I went in January and it was pretty cold so this warmed me up when I didn’t want to drink rum to stay warm.
Beach day at Playa Ancon. This was a beautiful beach about 20 minutes outside of Trinidad.
