Cienfuegos

Understand

thumb|350px|Parque Jose Martí, centre of Cienfuegos Cienfuegos is the only city in Cuba that was founded by the French. As a result, it feels a little different than other Cuban cities, with wider streets. There are two main areas of interest to tourists; Pueblo Nuevo, the city centre; and Punta Gorda, a peninsula with lots of 1950s homes. It's a nice place to visit for a day or two, but after that, you might run out of things to do.

Get around

Both the centre and Punta Gorda are easy of walk around, but are about 3 km apart. They are joined by Calle 37 (del Prado), which runs by the sea. If you don't fancy walking, the principal public transportation is coches or horse-drawn carts that seat 6 or 8 people. They go up and down Calle 37. The price is CUP1 for Cubans or CUC1 for tourists.

You can most likely easily arrange taxi at your place of stay, esp. if you'd like to visit one of the more remote parts (e.g. Playa Rancho Luna).

Buy

thumb|Pedestrian Street Boulevar in Cienfuegos

Sleep

Hotel Faro Luna. Staying at the Faro Luna is like being at your own villa, only 25-30 rooms a beautiful pool overlooking the Caribbean and attentive staff. Hotel Jagua. This is a large hotel to the south of the city, around 2 km from the city centre. The building itself is a square concrete block and fairly unattractive. However, the rooms and facilities are pretty good by Cuban standards. For cheap water and drinks, visit the shop outside the hotel, opposite the entrance, rather than the hotel shop itself and pay half the price. Hotel Pascacaballo. This is a big, modern resort-hotel at Rancho Luna, on the coast, opposite Castillo de Jagua. Lunch was awful, unless you like jello and canned vegetables. The hotel looked like it was maybe a quarter full.

Casa Particulares: Casa de Nadia Hernández Garcia. Ave 16 #4307 Altos (upstairs) e/ (between) calles 43 y 45 (streets). In Punta Gorda, big room with a refrigerator, air conditioner, and bathroom. Good food and laundry. CUC25, plus CUC4 for breakfast and CUC10 for dinner. Hostal Elena y Elio, Ave 62 #3107 e/ Calle 31 y 33, +53 43 593611, [email protected] helpful couple sometimes meet arriving buses and can arrange onward travel/tours, from CUC20 (double room).

Connect

5 Septiembre is the local periodical.

Stay safe

Since 2003, Cienfuegos has had some of the strictest anti-prostitution policing in Cuba. This has real consequences for innocent people — simply asking a local woman for directions after dark could result in her being detained. Cuban nationals face severe penalties: a third arrest within a year carries a four-year prison sentence. If you bring a Cuban guest to your casa particular, make sure they sign the guest book, as homeowners have lost their properties for failing to do so.

Go next

Santa Clara – Take a day trip to Santa Clara, ca. 1 hr away, to visit the museum and resting place of Che Guevara. Varadero