Cuba - Lonely Planet [245]
Cine Romelio Cornelio ( 8pm Tue-Sun) This cinema, on the southwestern side of Parque Céspedes, shows films nightly.
Estadio Rolando Rodríguez (Eliope Paz; Oct-Apr) This stadium, at the southeastern end of Frank País, hosts baseball games.
Shopping
You can shop until you almost drop in Trinidad, at least at the open-air markets that are set up all over town. If you’re looking for good souvenirs you’ve come to the right place.
Arts & Crafts Market (Av Jesús Menéndez) This excellent open-air market situated in front of the Casa de la Trova is the place to buy souvenirs, especially textiles and crochet work – just avoid the black coral and turtle-shell items that are made from endangered species and are forbidden entry into many countries.
Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales (Simón Bolívar No 418; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat & Sun) Just down from Plaza Mayor, this store has a good selection of Cuban handicrafts.
You can see local painters at work – and you can buy their paintings too – at various points along Calles Francisco Toro, Valdés and Muñoz.
Other shopping options:
Palacio de la Artesanía (Piro Guinart No 221) This store, located opposite the bus station, also sells handicrafts.
Photo Service (José Martí No 192 btwn Camilo Cienfuegos & General Lino Pérez) Servicing all your photographic needs.
Taller Instrumentos Musicales (cnr Av Jesús Menéndez & Valdés Muñoz) Musical instruments are made here and sold in the adjacent shop.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Alberto Delgado Airport is 1km south of Trinidad, off the road to Casilda. Only Aerotaxi charters fly here.
BUS
The bus station ( 99-24-04; Piro Guinart No 224), runs provincial buses to Sancti Spíritus and Cienfuegos, though most foreigners use the more reliable Víazul service. Tickets are sold at a small window marked Taquilla Campo near the station entrance. Check the blackboard for the current schedule.
The Víazul ticket office ( 4448; 8-11:30am & 1-5pm) is further back in the station. It sells Víazul tickets to the following places (this office is well organized and you can usually book tickets a couple of days in advance).
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VíAZUL DEPARTURES
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The Varadero departures can deposit you in Jagüey Grande (CUC$15, three hours) with request stops in Jovellanos, Colesio and Cárdenas. The Santiago de Cuba departure goes through Sancti Spíritus (CUC$6, 1½ hours), Ciego de Ávila (CUC$9, two hours 40 minutes), Camagüey (CUC$15, five hours 20 minutes), Las Tunas (CUC$22, 7½ hours), Holguín (CUC$26, eight hours) and Bayamo (CUC$26, 10 hours). There are request stops in Jatibonico, Florida, Sibanicú, Guáimaro and Palma Soriano.
TRAIN
Train transport out of Trinidad is awful even by Cuban standards. The town hasn’t been connected to the main rail network since a hurricane in the early 1990s, meaning the only functioning line runs up the Valle de Ingenios, stopping in Iznaga (35 minutes) and terminating at Meyer (one hour 10 minutes). There are supposedly four trains a day, the most reliable leaving Trinidad at 9am and 1pm, but they often don’t run; always check ahead at the terminal ( 99-42-23) in a pink house across the train tracks on the western side of the station.
For information on train tours, Click here.
Getting Around
BICYCLE
You can hire bikes at Las Ruinas del Teatro Brunet (Antonio Maceo No 461 btwn Simón Bolívar & Zerquera; per day CUC$3) or you can ask around at your casa particular. These are fine for getting to Playa Ancón, but nowhere near adequate for the steep climbs up to Topes de Collantes.
TRINIDAD TOUR BUS
Trinidad now has a handy hop-on/hop-off minibus ( 99-64-54) similar to Havana and Viñales linking its outlying sights. It plies a route from outside the Cubatur office in Antonio Maceo to