Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor
4.5
Full view
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
98 within 3 miles
Attractions
30 within 6 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,919 reviews
Excellent
1,799
Very good
945
Average
157
Poor
14
Terrible
4
Rowan H
Cairns, Australia1,332 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
Although of great historical significance we found the Plaza Mayor to be a typical central Latin American square without any particularly memorable features. It was also a bit exposed and devoid of shade making it quite unpleasant to walk in during the day.
It’s best feature is undoubtingly the Casa de la musica which is an open air concert area located on the stairs beside the Iglesia Parroquial (church). You can take a seat here and enjoy music and some drinks.
Being a public area you can access ETECSA public wifi if you have a ETECSA wifi prepaid card. It is however only really available near the steps listed above and not in the main square itself.
It’s best feature is undoubtingly the Casa de la musica which is an open air concert area located on the stairs beside the Iglesia Parroquial (church). You can take a seat here and enjoy music and some drinks.
Being a public area you can access ETECSA public wifi if you have a ETECSA wifi prepaid card. It is however only really available near the steps listed above and not in the main square itself.
Written September 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Georges V
Antwerp, Belgium289 contributions
Oct 2022
The little plaza and the streets around the square are a little gem and a must to visit in Cuba.
The 16th century houses give a very good impression what the city must have looked like in the slave era.
The majestic houses were build by plantation owners whose wealth was extracted from slave labour.
The streets are still made with the original cobblestones.
The facades could do with a lick of paint, but that makes it a bit more authentic.
Have a walk around and have drink in one of the bars
The 16th century houses give a very good impression what the city must have looked like in the slave era.
The majestic houses were build by plantation owners whose wealth was extracted from slave labour.
The streets are still made with the original cobblestones.
The facades could do with a lick of paint, but that makes it a bit more authentic.
Have a walk around and have drink in one of the bars
Written January 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
windswept361
Sudbury, Canada261 contributions
Apr 2022
Plaza Mayor is in the heart of Trinidad and is surrounded by beautiful buildings of Spanish Colonial architecture. A great spot to sit and relax and take in one's surroundings. However best to do that in morning and evening as afternoons can be quite warm and there is little shade to get out of the sun.
Written May 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Bidule05
France1,476 contributions
May 2020
In Trinidad, all streets lead to the Plaza Mayor, which is the historic center of Trinidad!!!
Plaza Mayor has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. We were impressed by the stunning warm colorourful colonial houses that surround the centre of this palce. These beautiful houses were built by rich owners in the 18th and 19th century. These beautiful houses have been restored , and these houses these houses have become museums.
Trinidad is an authentic and wonderful small town!!!
Plaza Mayor has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. We were impressed by the stunning warm colorourful colonial houses that surround the centre of this palce. These beautiful houses were built by rich owners in the 18th and 19th century. These beautiful houses have been restored , and these houses these houses have become museums.
Trinidad is an authentic and wonderful small town!!!
Written April 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Butch E
Nashville, TN656 contributions
Feb 2020
This is a beautiful plaza that has two museums nearby. The first is an "architectural" museum that shows how the houses were built by the sugar barons back in the 1800's. The next is an actual house from that period that has been restored to its original glory, including furniture in every room. You really get to see how the elite class used to live!
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
dinatrep
Montreal1 contribution
we were looking forward to seeing Trnidad and underwent a four hour bus ride to do so. Un
fortunalely we had a bad experience and retreated to the bus after 30 minutes. When we got close to the beautiful Plaza mayor a woman holding a baby came to me,I had in my bag a pretty dress just fit for her baby and a doll.I decided to give her the dress and opened my bag.She saw the doll and gestured that she wanted it. I gestured that I'd give her the dress instead,she snatched it and proceeded to snatch the doll also.Then I would say 8 to 10 cuban people zoomed in on us and verbalized quite agressively their need for things.We tried to get free of them only to see ourselves ingulfed in a sea of angry cubans. We were 4 mature women.Finally a policeman came and broke the crowd. Quite flustered we soon got back to the bus only to find one of the women waiting for us!!!
I now understand why it is a bad idea to bring gifts to cubans and I will never do it again.
Also in the city's myseum,in every room,one employee would beg for pesos. I choose to find it amusing...
fortunalely we had a bad experience and retreated to the bus after 30 minutes. When we got close to the beautiful Plaza mayor a woman holding a baby came to me,I had in my bag a pretty dress just fit for her baby and a doll.I decided to give her the dress and opened my bag.She saw the doll and gestured that she wanted it. I gestured that I'd give her the dress instead,she snatched it and proceeded to snatch the doll also.Then I would say 8 to 10 cuban people zoomed in on us and verbalized quite agressively their need for things.We tried to get free of them only to see ourselves ingulfed in a sea of angry cubans. We were 4 mature women.Finally a policeman came and broke the crowd. Quite flustered we soon got back to the bus only to find one of the women waiting for us!!!
I now understand why it is a bad idea to bring gifts to cubans and I will never do it again.
Also in the city's myseum,in every room,one employee would beg for pesos. I choose to find it amusing...
Written February 24, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
EmmoLondon
London, UK367 contributions
The Plaza Mayor is Trinidad is so tropical and laid-back compared to similar town centres in Santa Clara and Havana. The palm tree and flora dominate the square and walking through, you'll find there's always something going on... although its always pretty quiet. One day, it seemed to play host to a waitressing school, another day there was a band playing. There's always plenty of old Trinidadians (if that's what they're called....???) sitting around, chatting, smoking cigars and generally people watching. The steps leading off the square up to the Casa de La Musica have several bars and restaurants on the way up and you'll find great entertainment most nights - music and dancing. Trinidad is an amazing place to spend a few days and is much safer than Havana.
Written March 8, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
leon b
Rotterdam, The Netherlands85 contributions
Apr 2015
Plaza Mayor is a nice square in the center of trinida. nothing more nothing less. around the corner of the square, and that's really interesting, you'll the real heart of Trinidad. a bustling square with terraces, restaurants and live music every night. nice for a swinging evening in the beautiful Trinidad.
Written February 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
marqoos_pl
Dublin, Ireland8,585 contributions
Apr 2011
I have to say, that from the first minute I was stunned with the Plaza Mayor in Trinidad... It was so different than Havana’s squares or streets. I stayed in the casa (Casa Carlos Sotolongo) just on the square and I have seen this place few times during my short trip. It is elegant, colourful place with small kids around and some locals. From time to time you can see groups of tourists and then it’s getting more busy. This is centre of old town, with Iglesia de Santisima Trinidad (Holy Trinity Church) overlooking the square. Palm trees, flowers, some sculptures and strong sun could easily move you to different world... It’s good to sit down on the corners, disappear for few minutes and just watch people around.
Being honest I didn’t have bad experience with locals. OK, they asked me for some stuff or some money (I didn’t give any), but all of them were really polite. Of course, you can not open your bag with everything you have there and you have to remember that this is extremely poor place. I always had some lollipops for kids (in my pocket, not to open bag every single time) or some soap/shampoo/cream samples with me and I gave it to people when somebody asked me. All these people I met there were polite and they didn’t impose themselves.
As a location, Plaza Mayor and surrounding streets were amazing, but again, it is just not right and fair I think to show-up. You have to respect local people and their privacy. Just nearby the church there are large stairs with few bars and restaurants. Prices for the drinks are acceptable and staff friendly enough. From time to time there is live music played. I love to sit with a can of beer or mojito on the stairs and just watch... You can order some snacks, for example some sandwiches. Be prepared, that even this is touristic place there is not that many shops (actually there are no shops, just few corners below) and it is not that easy to buy anything. Not far from there is local market with quite a lot of souvenirs. Don’t forget to take cash to Trinidad as there are few banks, but closed during the weekend and there are no ATM’s.
Overall, Plaza Mayor and the area is amazing place and great experience. Worth to be there, but you need to have a distance to everything. If you are really sensitive that could be shock for you. Quite a lot of ruined houses, beaten dusty tracks instead of clean streets, large families living in old houses, hard working people and small kids playing with simple toys (stick, carton box, piece of paper and some broken crayons...)... That’s real Trinidad and PM area.
Being honest I didn’t have bad experience with locals. OK, they asked me for some stuff or some money (I didn’t give any), but all of them were really polite. Of course, you can not open your bag with everything you have there and you have to remember that this is extremely poor place. I always had some lollipops for kids (in my pocket, not to open bag every single time) or some soap/shampoo/cream samples with me and I gave it to people when somebody asked me. All these people I met there were polite and they didn’t impose themselves.
As a location, Plaza Mayor and surrounding streets were amazing, but again, it is just not right and fair I think to show-up. You have to respect local people and their privacy. Just nearby the church there are large stairs with few bars and restaurants. Prices for the drinks are acceptable and staff friendly enough. From time to time there is live music played. I love to sit with a can of beer or mojito on the stairs and just watch... You can order some snacks, for example some sandwiches. Be prepared, that even this is touristic place there is not that many shops (actually there are no shops, just few corners below) and it is not that easy to buy anything. Not far from there is local market with quite a lot of souvenirs. Don’t forget to take cash to Trinidad as there are few banks, but closed during the weekend and there are no ATM’s.
Overall, Plaza Mayor and the area is amazing place and great experience. Worth to be there, but you need to have a distance to everything. If you are really sensitive that could be shock for you. Quite a lot of ruined houses, beaten dusty tracks instead of clean streets, large families living in old houses, hard working people and small kids playing with simple toys (stick, carton box, piece of paper and some broken crayons...)... That’s real Trinidad and PM area.
Written May 14, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
AmeliaAirheart
Long Beach, CA992 contributions
Feb 2014 • Solo
The buildings were so colorful, the sky was gorgeous, the cobblestone streets were charming. I wish I'd looked closer at other reviews of things to see in this area before my trip. I had a wonderful time with what I saw in our tour group, and what I saw on my own. However, later I learned there were other places of interest right there, that I would have looked for had I known about them. A trip to Trinidad de Cuba is well worth the long ride from where ever you start.
Written September 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
lovesimply
Ashland, OR19 contributions
Your experienced opinion would be much appreciated. We, a small group of us over 50 will have 3 days in Havana then we have 2 nights to spend someplace else then we return to havana to leave the next day.
We want to see the process of tobacco growing and we want to go to Trinidad as well.
Options:
1. Travel 2.5 hours to Vinales in the afternoon. Stay the night and do a tobacco farm tour early in the morning. Rent horses? Depends on heat and prices.
2. Travel to Vinales after breakfast do a coffee farm tour and return to Havana.
3. Spend one night in Vinales- return to Havana and the next morning go to Trinidad (maybe too much traveling)
4. Spend two nights in Trinidad and only visit Vinales for a day.
Does it make sense to return to havana between trips to Vinales and Trinidad? Thank so much ahead of time.
mickknap
North Yorkshire, UK6,019 contributions
Hello . Hmm you really want to see a lot in such a short time . I wouldnt go back to Havana inbetween you are wasting a lot of time . Vinales is a beautiful area and Trinadad is also a great place to visit . You really need more time in Trinidad . Vinales you could do in one day . A good tour round the countryside and farms is a really nice day out . Trinidad is more colonial and to far for 1 day . Hope you decide well and enjoy .
claire b
Metz-Tessy, France25 contributions
Hey, my husband and I have planned to stay in Trinidad for a few days in March. We love salsa and would like to improve throughout lessons. Do you have any contact of good teachers there (we speak french and english but sorry not spanish)?
Thanks
Claire
loretoparra
Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile72 contributions
hi Claire, dont know about lessons, but salsa its in every corner so, you can dance in everywhere and you can finde cuban dancers in places call "house of music". Its a very small town but with so much music..... dont worry about idiom, many cubans speak english and french, in trinidad almost all the turist are european.
Bhau
Mumbai, India68 contributions
how safe is it for 2 female travellers ? Also if going back into US with an Indian passport after traveling into cuba will pose any problems?
koonlan1955
Manchester, UK115 contributions
I travelled solo and had no.prob whatsoever,. in fact safest I ever felt
sergio1206
La Plata, Argentina10 contributions
me gustaria saber si es sobre la playa y el costo del alojamiento en dolares
rodolfo609
Montevideo Department, Uruguay10 contributions
rinidad és una ciudad que no tiene playa. Aun asà no quedan lejos Playa Ancón o Playa Maria Aguilar, a unos 15 minutos en coche (des del centro se ofrecen muchos servicios de taxi pero no se el precio porque nosotros tenÃamos coche de alquiler).
Respecto al alojamiento, en Trinidad hay mucho y variado. El precio depende de si quieres un hotel o alojarte en una casa particular (mucho más recomendable). En las casas mejor situadas, con desayuno y cena incluida, los precios oscilan entre los 50 y 80$ (o CUC) la noche. Los hoteles són mas caros.
Espero que la respuesta te sea de ayuda
Plaza Mayor (Trinidad) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Plaza Mayor
- Hotels near Plaza Mayor:
- (0.02 mi) Casa Cofradia
- (0.02 mi) Casa Sotolongo
- (0.02 mi) Casa del Historiador
- (0.04 mi) Casa de los Conspiradores
- (0.08 mi) Hostal Amatista
- Restaurants near Plaza Mayor:
- (0.03 mi) Sol Ananda
- (0.03 mi) Real Café-Restaurante
- (0.03 mi) Sol Ananda
- (0.05 mi) Il Trionfo Restaurant
- (0.08 mi) Restaurante Museo 1514