Cienfuegos
You are here for our cycling tours in Cuba, but lets dig deeper
Cienfuegos is a city in Cuba that is unlike others on the island. Since it was founded by the French, rather than the Spanish, it has a unique atmosphere. The city is known as La Perla del Sur, or the Pearl of the South. For those who appreciate mid-century modern architecture, the peninsula of Punta Gorda is a must see. There are still many 1950s homes, many of which have been carefully preserved. The center of Cienfuegos is Pueblo Nuevo, where you can explore the history museum, dine at an outdoor cafe or take a Spanish or French language lesson.
Places to keep in mind
You are here to ride your bicycle, and though there is plenty of that, here are some interesting spots. Many you will visit with us but maybe some are worth you taking your time while you are here.
- El Nicho Waterfalls
- Palacio de Valle
- Jose Martí Park
- Delfinario de Cienfuegos (Dolphin Show)
- Cienfuegos Botanic Garden
- Rancho Luna beach
- Guanaroca Lagoon
- Cienfuegos´s Malecón
Brief History
Cienfuegos was founded in 1819 by a pioneering French émigré from Louisiana named Don Louis D’Clouet. Sponsoring a scheme to increase the population of whites on the island, D’Clouet invited 40 families from New Orleans and Philadelphia, and Bordeaux in France to establish a fledgling settlement known initially as Fernandina de Jagua. Despite having their initial camp destroyed by a hurricane in 1821, the unperturbed French settlers rebuilt their homes and – suspicious, perhaps, that their first name had brought them bad luck – rechristened the city Cienfuegos after the then governor of Cuba.
With the arrival of the railway in 1850 and the drift west of Cuban sugar growers after the War of Independence (1868–78), Cienfuegos’ fortunes blossomed, and local merchants pumped their wealth into a dazzling array of eclectic architecture that harked back to the neoclassicism of their French forefathers.
D-day in Cienfuegos’ history came on September 5, 1957, when officers at the local naval base staged a revolt against the Batista dictatorship. The uprising was brutally crushed, but it sealed the city’s place in revolutionary history.
Modern-day Cienfuegos retains a plusher look than many of its urban counterparts. And now with some much-needed Unesco money on board, as well as the city’s growing industrial clout, the future for Cienfuegos and its fine array of 19th-century architecture looks bright.