Cuba - Lonely Planet [214]
Photo Service Jagua (Map; Av 54 No 3118 btwn Calles 31 & 33; 8am-10pm) is well stocked with digital cameras, lithium batteries and Agfa film.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Jaime González Airport, 5km northeast of Cienfuegos, receives weekly international flights from Toronto and Montreal. There are no connections to Havana.
BUS
The bus station ( 51-57-20) is on Calle 49 between Avs 56 and 58. There are Víazul buses to Havana twice a day (CUC$20, four to five hours, 9:10am and 4:30pm) and Trinidad twice a day (CUC$6, one hour 35 minutes, 1:20pm and 5:10pm). The 4:30pm Havana bus also stops at Playa Girón (just outside the Villa Playa Girón) at 6:15pm (CUC$12). To reach any other destinations you have to connect in Trinidad or Havana. Cienfuegos’ bus station is clean and well organized. It also offers cheap and safe luggage storage (CUC$1 per item). Bus tickets must be purchased from the jefe de turno (shift manager) downstairs.
For local buses to Rancho Luna (CUC$1) or Pasacaballo (CUC$1), check the blackboard on the lower level.
TRAIN
The train station ( 52-54-95; cnr Av 58 & Calle 49; ticket window 8am-3:30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-11:30am Sat) is across from the bus station. Trains are often canceled. When they do run, trains travel to Havana (CUC$9.50, 10 hours, daily), Santa Clara (CUC$2.10, two hours, two daily) and Sancti Spíritus (CUC$5.20, five hours, two daily).
Getting Around
BOAT
When there’s fuel, a 120-passenger ferry runs to the Castillo de Jagua (CUC$1, 40 minutes) from the Muelle Real (Map; cnr Av 46 & Calle 25). Take note – this is a Cuban commuter boat, not a sunset cruise. Check at the port for current schedules. It’s supposed to run three times a day in each direction. A better bet is the smaller ferry that makes the short hop between the Castillo and the Hotel Pasacaballo (right).
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DAY-TRIPPER
The settlement of Santa Isabel de las Lajas, a few kilometers west of Cruces on the Cienfuegos–Santa Clara road, was where Bartolomé (Benny) Moré was born on August 24, 1919 (see boxed text,). Easily accessible in a half-day trip from Cienfuegos, this pleasant village hosts the biannual Benny Moré International Music Festival every other September. Curiosities include a Municipal Museum with assorted Moré memorabilia and the Casino de los Congos, a music venue where you can view tambores (drums) and Santería rituals in the hallowed confines of where the self-styled Bárbaro del Ritmo (Barbarian of Rhythm) allegedly banged his first drum.
On the way back you may want to stop off briefly in the town of Cruces on the Santa Clara road. This settlement was the site of one of the most important battles of the Independence Wars in 1895 – the historic Battle of Mal Tiempo – in which Mambí generals Antonio Maceo and Máximo Gómez inflicted a crushing defeat on the Spanish forces. A needlelike obelisk in the middle of a pleasant colonial park commemorates the great battle. The park was declared a national monument in 1981.
Also worth a visit is Palmira, 8km north of Cienfuegos, a town famous for its Santería brotherhoods including the societies of Cristo, San Roque and Santa Barbara. Further information can be procured at the centrally located Museo Municipal de Palmira ( 54-45-33; admission CUC$1; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat).
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CAR & MOPED
Club Cienfuegos (Map; 52-65-10; Calle 37 btwn Avs 10 & 12) hires mopeds for CUC$24 per day. Cubacar (Hotel Rancho Luna Map; 54-80-26; Carretera de Rancho Luna Km 16; Hotel Unión Map; 55-16-45; cnr Av 51 & Calle 31; Punta Gorda Map; 55-20-14; Hotel Jagua) hires cars.
The Servi-Cupet gas station is on Calle 37 at the corner of Av 16, in Punta Gorda. There’s another station 5km northeast of Hotel Rancho Luna.
HORSE CARTS
Horse carts and bici-taxis ply Calle 37 charging Cubans one peso a ride, foreigners CUC$1 (though Spanish speakers might be able to ‘pass’ and pay a peso). It’s a pleasant way to travel between town and Punta Gorda.
TAXI
There are plenty of cabs in Cienfuegos. Most hang around