Trinidad is known as “the museum city of Cuba” for good reason. Not only does it contain a broad selection of Museums but essentially the whole city feels like a living museum. The scrupulously preserved town offers an insight into the past, from its expansive colonial palaces and plazas to the leftovers of sugar mills powered in there day by over 30,000 slaves who lived in types of military barracks close to each mill. There’s only one way to see this rich Spanish colonial architecture and that’s by taking a leisurely stroll through the quaint cobblestone streets while admiring building after building of properties owned by the past mill and landowners of the region.

Founded in 1514 Trinidad was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Many of its most prominent buildings, including the Museo Histórico Municipal and the Museo de Arquitectura Trinitaria, are loacted around Trinidad’s central civic square, called Plaza Mayor. A short excursion well worth seeing is the Valle de los Ingenios or Valley of the Sugar Mills where you will see the ruins of dozens of 19th century sugar mills which were based just outside of Trinidad’s main city confines.

Trinidad is a photographers dream, located between the Escambray Mountains and the picturesque Caribbean coast. The city offers an abundance of innate attractions. Hike the mountains of the adjacent Sierra del Escambray or take a day off at the astoundingly beautiful Ancón Beach. There’s even some freshwater bass fishing available at the Rio Zaza.