8 DAYS CHARMING & COLOURFUL CUBA

Arrival in Cuba

Upon arrival at Cuba, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may rest or explore the neighbourhood at leisure.

Old Havana Tour & Boxing Gym (Full-Day)
Stroll Havana’s colourful and busiest street Calle Obispo, and explore Old Havana’s (UNESCO) most fascinating squares, such as Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza Vieja. Then, visit Hotel Ambos Mundos where Hemingway stayed, and sip a signature mojito at one of his famous haunts La Bodeguita del Medio.

After lunch, ride a bici-taxi for a glimpse into the daily lives of Cubans as you explore Old Havana further. Stop by one of the oldest boxing gyms in Cuba, where famous Cuban boxers recognised worldwide have trained.

Optional: Private Tobacco & Rum Degustation with a Specialist
Learn about two of Cuba’s most renowned exports in this experience (at additional cost). Rum came into Europe around 1,700 years ago, but its real cradle is in the Caribbean; nowhere is rum production more famous than in Cuba. Thanks to the unsurpassed quality of the native tobacco leaves, Cuba also produces one of the world’s best cigars.

Daiquiri at El Floridita & Private Dinner
Enjoy a Daiquiri at the famous El Floridita, Ernest Hemingway’s favourite bar.

In the evening, enjoy dinner at a private restaurant “Ivan Chef Justo”. Decorated in retro style with posters of Marilyn Monroe and old wooden clocks, the restaurant is one of the original Old Havana paladares (family-run restaurants). The “Lechón” (suckling pig) is the trademark of Chef Ivan, one of the best chefs in the city.

Modern Havana with Museums and the Arts (Full-Day)
Hop on the original coco taxi to visit the Revolution Museum (view from the outside due to renovation). Thereafter, visit a famous cigar factory where they have been hand-rolling cigars in the same way for the last 50 years (closed Sat & Sun).

Then, enjoy a panoramic tour on a classic vintage car through the modern parts of Havana, from Vedado up to Revolution Square, Colon Cemetery, and the exclusive residential area Miramar. We also travel to Marianao to visit a training session of Havana Queens, an award-winning dance company that offers an authentic introduction to Cuban style dance.

We then visit the house of atelier Jose Fuster, Fusterlandia, before enjoying a cocktail at the magnificent Nacional Hotel along El Malecón. End the day at the colourful artist district of Callejon de Hamel and visit Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (closed Mon & Tues).

Evening at Leisure
Enjoy your evening with one of the below options (at additional cost):

Option A: Dinner at Paladar la Guarida (including transfers)
Dubbed as “the hardest table to get in Havana” and made famous by the movie “Fresa y Chocolate” (Strawberry and Chocolate), this paladar has been an emblem of Havana since 1996.

Option B: Havana Queens Show at Casa Miglis (including dinner and transfer)
Enjoy an award-winning repertoire of ballet, flamenco, modern dance, rumba and salsa at one of Havana’s top 10 paladares, by Havana’s top dance company.

Option C: Tropicana Cabaret Show – Glitz and Glamour under the Stars (including transfers)
Inaugurated in 1939, this Vegas-styled cabaret showcases a full range of popular Cuban dances (22:00-23:45 daily, min. age 18, Oferta 3, includes 1 glass of Cava, 1 bottle of Rum, 1 national Cola, 1 mini-snack).

Excursion to Las Terrazas & Viñales (Full-Day)
In the morning, drive ~1½ hours following the Ruta del Tobaco to Las Terrazas, a designated UNESCO biosphere reserve. There, visit the first coffee plantation of Cuba and enjoy panoramic views over Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve.

We then drive another ~2½ hours to Viñales Valley, dotted with dramatic limestones, tobacco, coffee, orange and banana plantations. Meet a tobacco farmer in a traditional tobacco house and sip a Pina Colada next to prehistoric mural paintings by Mexican artist Leovigildo González Morillo, who was a student of Frida Kahlo’s husband Diego Rivera.

Enjoy a late lunch at Paladar El Cuajani, which takes Viñales gastronomy to the next level, while soaking in beautiful views of the surrounding landscapes, before driving ~3 hours back to Havana.

Santa Clara City Tour (Half-Day)
In the morning, we start on a long trip to Central Cuba.

The first ~3 hours drive is to Santa Clara, where we visit revolution square and the Che Guavara Mausoleum. We continue to Parque Vidal, where you can still see the dividing line as the city’s black and white inhabitants were not allowed to walk through the same part of the park in the past.

Stop for coffee at the Café Museo Revolution and visit Tren Blindado (the armoured train). We also learn how a local family business supports sustainable agriculture at a private peanut processing project, Mani Bormey

Scenic Drive to Trinidad
Travel another ~3 hours through the most important coffee zones in the region to the city of Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening, stop at the stairs of Casa de la Musica for drinks, where young and old in the city get together to dance.

Trinidad Walking Tour (Half-Day)
Enjoy a walking tour through Trinidad, a UNESCO city most famous for its ceramic artwork. Visit the ceramic studio “Casa del Alfarero”, the Palacio Brunet, and the Iglesia de la Santisima Trinidad church.

Afternoon at Leisure
After lunch, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure with the following optional activities (at additional costs):

Option A: Salsa Lesson
Get into the Caribbean rhythm and learn Cuban Salsa in its birthplace with an experienced instructor.

Option B: Excursion to the Sugar Mill Valley (“Valle de los Ingenios”)
Visit the Valle de los Ingenios (UNESCO), once the epicentre of processed sugar production and slavery in Cuba. Today, you may explore the vestiges of historic sugar mills, such as the Manaca Iznaga, with its colonial bell tower once used for overseeing slave workers.

Cienfuegos City Tour
Drive ~1½ hours to the city of Cienfuegos, located along Cuba’s south coast, best known for its French colonial architecture. Explore the main square, Parque Marti, and the Tomas Terry Theatre with its classic gold leaf mosaics and ceiling frescoes, before visiting the Punta Gorda peninsula, the Palacio de Valle, and the exclusive Cienfuegos Yacht Club.

Bay of Pigs Experience
Continue another ~1½ hours to the legendary Bay of Pigs, where the failed battle by Cuban exiles during the revolution happened. Today, it is one of the best snorkelling destinations in the Caribbean, with pristine aquamarine waters and abundant coral reefs with diverse marine life. After some swimming or snorkelling, head back to Havana.

Optional: Dinner at a Private House in Santa Fe
You may choose to enjoy a farewell dinner in a private house in Santa Fe at additional cost, with roundtrip transfers included.

Finca Vigia Virgia & El Morro Fortress Excursion
In the morning, visit the Finca Villa Vigia, where Hemingway used to live. We may then stop for a cocktail in Cojimar, the fishing community that inspired Hemingway for his novel “The Old Man and the Sea”. Stop by El Morro fortress, which was built in 1630 to protect the harbour from pirates and foreign encroachments. The fort offers spectacular views over the harbour and the city, as well as a marine museum (not always open).

Transfer: Hotel to Airport
You would be met and transferred to Havana airport for your journey home.