10 Things To Do In Cienfuegos, Cuba

This was the final destination on our trip, Cienfuegos is only an hour from Trinidad and 2 hours 45 minutes from Havana. So it was an easy travel day. 

Hopping off the bus and getting our bearings we headed to our accommodation that was only 2 blocks away. However, my bearings weren’t right so it ended up about 4 blocks.

Our Airbnb hosts were amazing, very welcoming and our area of the house was upon the 3rd floor with great views of the city.  

This was where we were spending the next 3 nights, we made our plans for each day during the bus ride from Trinidad.

Gauging from how the kids were looking and feeling we knew we needed to be pretty flexible.

But with that in mind, we made sure to see all we needed to see in the city known as the ‘Pearl of the South’.  

Things to do and see in Cienfuegos

 

 

1. Punta Gorda  

We walked along the Malecon and into Punta Gorda, there is some interesting architecture here. Be sure to see Palacio de Valle, it’s a very unique building in Cuba built by an Italian architect.

It’s free to enter and it has a restaurant too.

We also visited Club Cienfuegos, once more entrance is free. We sat out on the balcony, overlooking the water, and the food and drinks here are very reasonable. It’s a great spot to watch the sunset.

2. Palacio Ferrer 

This building sits at one end of Parque José Martí. It’s hard to miss with its intense pale blue colour, you can enter for a couple of CUC and inside the architecture and interior is pretty amazing.

Just looking at the furniture, mosaic floors and the walls are worth the price. It has recently been renovated too. You can also climb to the top of the tower and get great views of the city. 

3. Parque José Martí

The centre of the city, lined with well preserved historical buildings. It’s a great place to relax, there are plenty of seats for you to soak in the surroundings.

With plenty of trees and flower beds, it really is a picturesque spot.

There are a few monuments throughout the Parque. The monument that stands out is the revolutionary philosopher and writer José Martí, dedicated to Cuban national hero.

At the western end of the park standings an arch gateway. This celebrates the independence of Cuba.

Look carefully for the compass on the ground, this is the central point of Cienfuegos.

4. Sunset Muelle Real

At the end of Santa Isabel Street is a wharf with a few seats and lights but plenty of space to sit around.

We grabbed a couple of drinks from the bar at the front and then joined the rest of the locals on the wharf watching the sunset. 

5. Santa Isabel Street – Markets

This appears to be one of Cienfuegos’ outside markets. I personally think it’s set up for tourists who arrive via cruise ships. However, if you are in need of a few souvenirs there is plenty of things to choose from.

6. Playa Rancho Luna

I had plans to take the family to Santa Clara however, the kids looked spent and they didn’t seem keen nor did Connie.

Instead it was decided that we would head to Playa Rancho Luna for a relaxing day on the beach. It’s about a 20 minutes drive from Cienfuegos.

It’s not the type of Cuban beach you would dream of but we enjoyed our day. The water was fine as to the beach, it wasn’t busy at all.

There were a few restaurants spread along the beach, each having their area. Our waiter was great bringing drinks and food whenever we needed it. Very reasonably priced too.

There were also a couple of locals wandering up and down the beach selling nut and honey bars, there were delicious so brought a few more. We got 5 bars for 3CUC. 

7. Paseo El Prado 

It’s a beautiful walk and leads you down to the Malecon, much like the Paseo el Prado in Havana. However, the Paseo el Prado in Cienfuegos is Cuba’s longest street, around 2km’s and is lined with seats, trees for shade and is a great place to people watch.

Here everyones going about their everyday life.

You will also find the statue of Benny More, a famous Cuban musician along with other sculptures and monuments.

There is plenty of restaurants and interesting building either side along the way. 

8. Laguna de la Cura

A picturesque lagoon full of old brightly paints boats and interesting put together docks. It’s a pleasant walk and something a little different.

9. Wander Around

Like most of the places we have visited in Cuba with our kids, we just love wandering around. There is plenty to see around every corner whether it’s the architecture or just people going about their everyday life.

You never get bored.

10. El Nicho Waterfalls

This is the one thing we missed during our stay.

We had heard it was pretty impressive so we were a little disappointed not to get to these natural pools and stunning waterfalls. El Nicho is about an hour away from Cienfuegos.

Entrance to the park costs 10CUC, there are various walks/hikes to reach different waterfalls or pools.

Make sure to take your swimwear.

A Place To Stay

We stayed with Sole and Freddy, a beautiful couple with an amazing history.

Their place was probably the best we stayed in. Their Casa Particular had 2 double beds, lounge area, balcony with views of the city and a clean bathroom.

It really is a home away from home. Sole makes a beautiful breakfast too and both her and Freddy were amazing with our boys.

Places To Eat

These were the best two for us. We ate at a few other spots but they were nothing to write home about.

Brisas Del Mar

Address: Calle 35

This is a restaurant set on the water, looks and feels like you are on a boat. The food here was perfect and filling.

The menu is wide and there was plenty for the kids to chose from too. Live music plays so remember to have a few CUC coins in your pocket to tip. 

A la My Love

Address: Calle 41 entre Avenida 54 y 52

We ate there the last 2 nights, we loved the food and the atmosphere it felt like we were eating in someones home.

The portions were filling and the price was very reasonable. Mains from around 8CUC towards. They also made special drinks for Lukas and kept Sawyer supplied with plenty of Chicharitas (banana chips).

Service here was very friendly too.