Set in the Plazuela de Jigüe, a tiny plaza shaded by one tree, is this colorful and historic restaurant (dating from 1720). An elegant Colonial-style restaurant, probably the best of Trinidad's state-run restaurants, El Jigüe (hee-gweh) is a brightly lit, nearly formal dining room in a handsome, airy colonial house. Its bright interior has high ceilings, chandeliers, and landscapes hung on white walls. The menu ranges from bistec of grilled pork to lobster in a red sauce (enchilado de langosta). The specialty, pollo al jigüe, is a Cuban version of chicken cacciatore, which comes in a clay pot with pasta and cheese and is served with salad and coffee.

Canchánchara is one of the oldest buildings in Trinidad, and combined architectural styles from the 18th and 20th centuries. There's frequently a live band playing in the shady patio, and there are always plenty of soft drinks, cold beer, and such Cuban cocktails as the mojito and the local specialty canchánchara (rum, lime juice, and honey) that will give you the energy to dance and enjoy the Cuban rhythms found in the place.

Located a block to the north of the Plaza Mayor in a former convent is the Museo Nacional de Lucha Contra Bandidos (National Museum of the Struggle against Counter-Revolutionaries). The museum exhibits documents the campaign to weed out rebels who hid in the Escambray mountains in the 1960s.

A block south of Plaza Mayor stands the grand Palacio Cantero, built in 1830. It has a magnificent ladder and great neoclassical paintings performed by local and Italian artists. Painted pillars, scrolls, shells, pediments and drapes embellish the interior, eclipsing the historical artefacts and old furniture that now form the Trinidad's History Museum.