Sancti Spíritus Province is uniquely endowed. No visit to Cuba is complete without a visit to Trinidad—Cuba’s best-preserved colonial city. Its unique combination of quintessentially 18th-century architecture, breeze-swept hillside setting, and pickled-in-aspic way of life is irresistibly charming.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site lies both in the lee of the Sierra Escambray and within a 10-minute drive of Playa Ancón—the most beautiful beach along the southern shore.

Although the Sierra Escambray lies mainly within the provinces of Cienfuegos and Santa Clara, most of the trails and accessible sites of interest lie within Sancti Spíritus’s Gran Parque Natural Topes de Collantes, most easily accessed from Trinidad.

The town also boasts the broadest range of casas particulares in Cuba and happens to be a leading center of santería and Afro-Cuban culture, with a tremendous nightlife. Trinidad grew to colonial wealth from sugar, and the nearby and scenic Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) recalls that era.

The eponymous provincial capital struggles to compete. To the north, rolling hills flow down towards the coastal plains, farmed in sugarcane and without beaches of noted appeal. The southern coastal plains are mostly inhospitably marshy, with few villages or roads, although bird-watchers, anglers, and nature lovers are served by a number of wetland reserves.

The Best of Sancti Spíritus Province

• Trinidad’s Plaza Mayor
• Complejo Histórico Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos
• La Boca and Península de Ancón
• Valle de los Ingenios
• Gran Parque Natural Topes de Collantes