Cuba - Lonely Planet [239]
Paradiso ( 99-64-86; General Lino Pérez No 306) Cultural and general tours in English, Spanish and French.
Dangers & Annoyances
Thefts, though still uncommon, are on the rise in Trinidad. Incidents usually occur late at night and the victims are, more often than not, inebriated. Be on your guard, particularly when returning to your hotel or casa after a night out on the drink.
Sights
In Trinidad, all roads lead to Plaza Mayor, the town’s remarkably peaceful main square, located at the heart of the casco histórico and ringed by a quartet of impressive buildings.
The showpiece museum here is the grandiose Museo Histórico Municipal ( 99-44-60; Simón Bolívar No 423; admission CUC$2; 9am-5pm Sat-Thu), just off Plaza Mayor, housed in a mansion that belonged to the Borrell family from 1827 to 1830. Later the building passed to a German planter named Kanter or Cantero, and it’s still called Casa Cantero. Reputedly Dr Justo Cantero acquired vast sugar estates by poisoning an old slave trader and marrying his widow, who also suffered an untimely death. Cantero’s ill-gotten wealth is well displayed in the stylish neoclassical decoration of the rooms. The view of Trinidad from the top of the tower alone is worth the price of admission. Visit before 11am, when the tour buses start rolling in.
Despite its rather unremarkable outer facade, the Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad ( 11am-12:30pm Mon-Sat), on the northeastern side of Plaza Mayor, graces countless Trinidad postcard views. Rebuilt in 1892 on the site of an earlier church destroyed in a storm, the church mixes 20th-century touch-ups with older artifacts from as far back as the 18th century, such as the venerated Christ of the True Cross (1713), which occupies the second altar from the front to the left. Your best chance of seeing it is during Mass at 8pm weekdays, 4pm Saturday, and 9am and 5pm Sunday.
Across Calle Simón Bolívar is the Museo Romántico ( 99-43-63; Echerri No 52; admission CUC$2; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) in the glittering Palacio Brunet. The ground floor was built in 1740, and the upstairs was added in 1808. In 1974 the mansion was converted into a museum with 19th-century furnishings, a fine collection of china and various other period pieces. Pushy museum staff will materialize out of the shadows for a tip. The shop adjacent has a good selection of photos and books in English.
Another public display of wealth is in the Museo de Arquitectura Trinitaria ( 99-32-08; Ripalda No 83; admission CUC$1; 9am-5pm Sat-Thu), on the southeastern side of Plaza Mayor, showcasing upper-class domestic architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum is housed in buildings erected in 1738 and 1785 that were joined together in 1819. It was once the residence of the wealthy Iznaga family.
On the northwestern side of Plaza Mayor is the Museo de Arqueología Guamuhaya ( 99-34-20; Simón Bolívar No 457; admission CUC$1; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat), an odd mix of stuffed animals, native bones, and vaguely incongruous 19th-century kitchen furniture. Don’t make it your first priority.
Admission is completely free at the 19th-century Palacio Ortiz, which today houses the Galería de Arte (cnr Rubén Martínez Villena & Simón Bolívar; 9am-5pm), on the southwestern side of Plaza Mayor. Worth a look for its quality local art, particularly the embroidery, pottery and jewelry; there’s also a pleasant courtyard.
No Santería museum can replicate the ethereal spiritual experience of Regla de Ocha, though the Casa Templo de Santería Yemayá (Rubén Martínez Villena No 59 btwn Simón Bolívar & Piro Guinart) has a try. Containing a Santería altar to Yemayá, Goddess of the Sea with myriad offerings of fruit, water and stones, the house is presided over by santeros (priests of the Afro-Cuban religion Santería) who’ll emerge from the back patio and surprise you with some well-rehearsed tourist spiel. On the saint’s anniversary, March 19, ceremonies are performed day and night.
Perhaps the most recognizable building in Trinidad is the withered pastel-yellow