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With the arrival of the railway in 1850 and the drift west of Cuban sugar growers after the First War of Independence, Cienfuegos’ fortunes grew exponentially. Basking in a period of relative economic prosperity, the local merchants pumped their fortunes into a dazzling array of eclectic architecture that harked back to the neoclassicism of their French forefathers.

D-Day in Cienfuegos’ history came in September 1957 when officers at the local naval base staged a revolt against the Batista dictatorship. The uprising was brutally crushed, but the city’s place in revolutionary history was sealed in infamy.

Modern-day Cienfuegos retains a slightly plusher and more polished look than many of its urban counterparts. And with some much-needed Unesco money now filtering through, the future for the city’s fine array of 19th-century architecture can only be bright.

Orientation

Despite its haphazard geography, the city is laid out in an easy-to-understand grid system with even-numbered Avenidas that run east–west and odd-numbered Calles running north–south. Downtown Cienfuegos, or Pueblo Nuevo, is the area bounded by Avs 46 and 62 and bisected by Calle 37 (popularly called El Prado). Avenida 54 is often called El Bulevar and is a pedestrian mall stretching from Calle 37 to Parque Martí. Calle 37 (or El Prado), meanwhile, runs 3km south to seaside Punta Gorda (where it’s called Malecón). Rancho Luna is 18km south of the city via Av 5 de Septiembre.

Information

BOOKSTORES

Librería Bohemia (Map; 52-51-63; Av 56 No 3318 btwn Calles 33 & 35)

Librería Dionisio San Román (Map; 52-55-92; Av 54 No 3526) Well-stocked, modern place on the corner of Calle 37.

EMERGENCY

Asistur (Map; 51-16-24; Av 54 No 3111 btwn Calles 32 & 34)

INTERNET ACCESS & TELEPHONE

Etecsa Telepunto (Map; 51-92-66; Calle 31 No 5402 btwn Avs 54 & 56; per hr CUC$6; 8:30am-7:30pm)

LIBRARIES

Biblioteca Roberto García Valdés (Calle 37 No 5615) Far more than just books; check out the cultural programs offered here.

MEDIA

Radio Ciudad del Mar 1350AM and 98.9 FM.

MEDICAL SERVICES

Clínica Internacional (Map; 55-16-22; Calle 37 No 202, Punta Gorda) Caters to foreigners, handles dental emergencies and has a 24-hour pharmacy.

Farmacia Principal Municipal (Map; 51-57-37; Av 54 No 3524 btwn Calles 35 & 37)

MONEY

Banco de Crédito y Comercio (Map; 51-57-47; cnr Av 56 & Calle 31)

Banco Financiero Internacional (Map; 55-16-57; cnr Av 54 & Calle 29)

Cadeca (Map; 45-22-82; Av 56 No 3316 btwn Calles 33 & 35)

POST

Post office cnr Av 56 & Calle 35 (Map; 51-82-84); Av 54 No 3514 (Map; btwn Calles 35 & 37)

TRAVEL AGENCIES

Cubanacán (Map; 55-16-80; Av 54 btwn Calles 29 & 31) Friendly and efficient service here in English.

Cubatur (Map; 55-12-42; Calle 37 No 5399 btwn Avs 54 & 56)

Havanatur (Map; 51-11-50; fax 55 13 70; Av 54 No 2906 btwn Calles 29 & 31)

Sights

PARQUE JOSé MARTí

Cienfuegos’ serene central park is notable for its Arco de Triunfo (Arch of Triumph), the only one of its kind in Cuba. Dedicated to Cuban independence, the Francophile monument on the park’s western edge ushers you through its gilded gateway toward a marble statue of José Martí.

Swapping French influences for Italian, the Teatro Tomás Terry (Map; 51-33-61; Av 56 No 270 btwn Calle 27 & 29; tours CUC$1; 9am-6pm), on the northern side of the Parque, is grand from the outside, but even grander within. Built between 1887 and 1889 to honor Venezuelan industrialist Tomás Terry, the 950-seat auditorium is embellished with Carrara marble, hand-carved Cuban hardwoods and whimsical ceiling frescoes. In 1895 the theater opened with a performance of Verdi’s Aïda and it has witnessed numerous landmarks in Cuban music and dance in the years since.

On the western side of Parque Martí is the former Palacio de Ferrer (1918), now the Casa de la Cultura Benjamin Duarte (Map; 51-65-84; Calle 25 No 5401; admission free; 8:30am-midnight), an eye-catching neoclassical building with Italian marble floors and – most noticeably