Cienfuegos Province

The "Pearl of the South" on Cuba's southern coast, with a French-style World Heritage city center and elegant bay scenery.

Cienfuegos Province lies in south-central Cuba, on the Caribbean Sea and Cienfuegos Bay. The provincial capital, Cienfuegos, was founded by French settlers in the early 19th century and has a tidy, planned layout; its historic center of neoclassical buildings is a World Heritage Site. The main sights are the Teatro Tomás Terry, Parque José Martí and the Palacio de Valle on the bay. The Castillo de Jagua guards the bay's entrance, and inland in the Escambray Mountains the El Nicho waterfalls are good for swimming and hiking. November to April is the best season, and Cienfuegos is often combined with a visit to Trinidad.

Destinations

• Cienfuegos
• Trinidad, Cuba

Itineraries

• Classic Western & Central Cuba – A loop from Havana covering the valley, Bay of Pigs, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Santa Clara.
• Havana, Central Colonial Towns & Varadero – Travel from Havana through three central towns, ending with the beaches of Varadero.