Day 5 – Viñales to Cienfuegos

There is only one bus from Viñales to Cienfuegos every day, leaving Viñales at 6:45am and taking almost 8 hours to reach Cienfuegos. And since both the towns are major tourist destinations, make sure to book your tickets well in advance at Viazul website. I was visiting Cuba during the non-peak season, so I walked over to the Viazul bus office in Viñales and booked the tickets on the day I arrived there.

You can book a private or shared taxi or bus ticket to Cienfuegos using ZunZunCar which is one of the best and cheaper options in Cuba.

[Viazul tourist bus]

 
The one-way ticket costs CUC 32 and the buses are luxurious, catered to tourists only and locals are not allowed on these buses. You are required to show your passports to be able to book tickets at the office.

The bus makes three halts, of which two of them are short breaks and the third is a lunch break for an hour. There are no toilets on the bus and the two short breaks don’t necessarily stop at some cafes or stores for the passengers to purchase snacks, so stock up before leaving!

Also, there are reports online that the ACs in the buses are powerful, asking fellow travelers to bundle up. But I disagree, because they were comfortable in terms of seating and temperature.

We arrived at Cienfuegos bus station around 2:30pm and it was a 10 minute walk to the Airbnb house I had booked. An amazing host welcomed me with drinks, over some interesting conversations on politics, U.S.-Cuba relations and facilities like internet in Cuba. After checking in, I headed out for a walk.

The city streets are easy to navigate because of the well-planned horizontal and vertical blocks. I was staying at Ave 62 and Calle 45, so it was a 20 minute walk to San Fernando street, which is a pedestrian only street (between El Prado and Plaza de Armas), to just walk around and explore the area.

[Billboard of Ernesto “Che” Guevara on streets of Cienfuegos]

[Cathedral in Cienfuegos]

[Just a vintage car on the streets of Cienfuegos]
 

It was sundown and I was feeling sick, so I walked back to the Airbnb house and stayed in for the evening, calling it an early night to recover and excited for a new day exploring the sights of Cienfuegos.

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = CUC 1 at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult.