Cuba Guide
Trinidad and Sancti Spíritus
Nightlife and entertainment
1 Casa Artex Lino Pérez e/ Francisco Codania y José Martí Opening time: Daily 9am–5pm & 9pm– midnightPrice: $1CUCOne of the less reliable music venues, in an old colonial mansion near Parque Céspedes. Puts on Cuban dance and music shows on its spacious central courtyard.
2 Casa de la Música Francisco Javier Zerquera no.3 
41/99-3414 Opening time: Daily 10–2amPrice: $1CUCThe headline spot for live music, located up the broad flight of stairs to the right of the Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad. There's a garden and a large terrace, surrounded by high stone walls and iron grilles, where traditional Cuban bands as well as more modern salsa outfits play most nights. The music usually starts at around 9pm.
3 Casa de la Trova F.H. Echerrí no.29 e/ Patricio Lumumba y Jesús Menéndez, Plazuela Segarte 41/99-6445 & 99-6484 Opening time: Daily 9–2amPrice: $1CUC Trinidad's other renowned live music spot has a constantly changing cast of excellent musicians playing salsa, bolero or son every night. It's a tightly packed little place, and though it doesn't have the capacity or the party atmosphere of the open-air Casa de la Música, its intimate covered backyard terrace provides an up-close appreciation of the musicians and more of an after-hours bar-type vibe. Expect to see several groups in one night.
4 Finca Ma Dolores Carretera a Cienfuegos Km 1.5 41/99-6394 & 99-6395 Opening time: Usually 9.30pm– midnightPrice: $5CUCTraditional rural Cuban shindigs – fiestas campesinas – are held regularly at this hotel ranch. These folk dances and musical performances are aimed predominantly at tour groups but are no worse for it.
5 Hotel Las Cuevas Finca Santa Ana 41/99-6133 & 99-6434 Free hour-long live shows covering different aspects of Cuban music and dance are staged on a nightly basis on the terrace outside the hotel's main restaurant. Although the performances' themes – ranging from Afro-Cuban to acoustic-guitar-based campesino music – can seem a little contrived, they're performed with enough energy to compensate.
6 Palenque de los Congos Reales F.H. Echerrí no.33 e/ Francisco Javier Zerquera y Patricio Lumumba Price: $1CUCA simple open-air venue where one-hour-long traditional, energetic Afro-Cuban dance shows are staged nightly, usually starting at around 10pm. The Ballet Folklórico de la Ciudad are the resident outift.
7 Ruinas de Segarte Jesús Menéndez e/ Galdos y Juan Manuel Márquez, Plazuela Segarte Opening time: Daily noon–10pmPrice: $1CUCOutdoor, cosy and atmospheric little enclosure in the old town which tends to attract people whether or not there is live music, which most nights there is. Expect traditional Cuban sounds.
8 Ruinas del Teatro Brunet Maceo e/ Francisco Javier Zerquera y Simón Bolívar 41/99-6547 Opening time: Shows start around 10pm; daily 9pm–2am Price: $1CUCA weekly schedule of highly theatrical song-and-dance performances in an enchanting courtyard under the ruined arches of Trinidad's first theatre. Built in 1840 but closed in 1901 when the roof caved in, the space now features moody red lighting and excellent acoustics. Currently Afro-Cuban nights are Tues– Fri, with less specialist shows (the Noches de Variedades and Noches Cubanas), at weekends.