On Cuba’s spectacular Caribbean coast, sandwiched between the pristine white sand beaches of Player Ancon and the towering Sierra Escambray mountain, lies the impossibly pretty town of Trinidad. This perfectly preserved Spanish colonial town is centred around the bustling Plaza Mayor, a historic plaza and an open-air museum of colonial architecture. The city’s charming old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring a glorious maze of narrow cobbled streets lined with pastel-coloured houses and impressive colonial-era edifices such as the Santísima Trinidad Cathedral and Convento de San Francisco. Visitors can look forward to exploring the glittering Palacio Brunet which houses the impressive Museo Romantico; browsing the lovely artisan street markets; or discovering the breathtaking wildlife and waterfalls of Topes de Collantes, an enormous nature reserve just beyond the city.
Playa Larga is a low-key beach village on the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs), about 13 km south of Boca de Guamá, where the forested edge of Ciénaga de Zapata meets a broad, uncrowded arc of sand. Simple, family-run casas particulares and small paladares line the shoreline, giving the town an easygoing, local feel that suits its setting on Cuba’s great wetland.
The surrounding landscape is rich in wildlife and water: mangroves and marshes shelter endemics such as the bee hummingbird and Zapata wren, while nearby limestone sinkholes and clear, near-shore reefs are renowned for their visibility and marine life. Traces of 1961 Bay of Pigs history linger along the coast, but the rhythm here is unhurried—sea, marsh, and village life in close conversation.
Havana is Cuba’s capital and its living archive - colonial plazas, Art Deco theaters, mid-century landmarks, and post-Revolution institutions overlooking the Caribbean. In Old Havana (Habana Vieja), a UNESCO World Heritage site, restored squares connect to blocks still in progress; former convents host government offices, and once-grand mansions now house families, studios, and small businesses. Classic convertibles share the streets with modern taxis, while the Malecón doubles as the city’s front porch.
What makes Havana compelling is its vitality. Community-led restoration, independent paladares, and artist cooperatives breath new life into historic neighborhoods without erasing their character. The result is an authentic, working city where the past and present meet at street level—in live music, in markets and galleries, and in conversations with Habaneros who shape their city every day. This layered, resilient Havana is the one we explore: engaging with people and place to understand the history, creativity, and culture that define it.
