Welcome to Havana! Your Cuban adventure begins here. After checking in at the airport, you’ll be transferred to the city center and settled into a casa particular (a private home run by Cubans), making you feel right at home from the moment you arrive. Dinner on your own, overnight stay. In case of arrival in the morning hours, you can add to your itinerary an excursion of the city’s panoramic terraces – „Havana rooftops” (additional fee).
After breakfast, meeting with your local guide and a walk to Central Park, where we will see the Grand Theatre and the oldest hotels on the island and visit the interior of the Capitol – a monumental building created as the seat of the Cuban parliament. Then it’s time for an adventure on wheels! Coco-taxi ride through Barrio Chino for photos at Callejón de Hammel – a colourful street with numerous murals inspired by Afro-Cuban culture and religion. We will also see the University of Havana building, the Coppelia ice cream parlor and legendary National Hotel, visited by celebrities, where we will have a drink. From here we will go to the Malecón – Havana’s emblematic seafront promenade and meeting place for its inhabitants, which will lead us to the exclusive Miramar neighborhood with its Fifth Avenue full of embassies. We will stop for photos in the fabulous Fusterlandia and we will glide through El Bosque de La Habana (Havana Forest) and the area of the historic Christopher Columbus Cemetery to the Revolution Square. In the afternoon lunch at the local restaurant and a walk through Habana Vieja to the waterfront and a water tram ride across the Bay of Havana to the statue of Christ, from where there is a magnificent panorama of the city. We will see memorabilia related to the so-called „nuclear crisis”, will have a dinner (for an additional fee) and we will participate in the cannon shot ceremony from the fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña – cañonazo – which marked the moment of closing the city gates. Return to the place of accommodation for the night.
Early morning check-out and transfer to the airport. Flight to eastern Cuba – Holguín. After landing, transfer to the city center for breakfast and a short walk through Calixto García Park and the cathedral area. Drive up the Hill of the Cross with a viewpoint from where there is a beautiful panorama of the city, and a stop at the Mirador de Mayabe, famous for a certain unusual donkey! Then we will visit the home of a friendly Cuban family, where we will taste local specialties and visit Birán – the birthplace of Fidel Castro. At the afternoon we will get to the most important Marian sanctuary on the island – El Cobre and to Santiago de Cuba. Time for photos at the Revolution Square and the Moncada barracks (where the Cuban revolution began) and a walk through the city’s historic squares (Plaza de Marte, Plaza Dolores with the school where young Fidel Castro studied and through the area around the Bacardi Museum). Accommodation at a casa particular in the city center. At the evening, for those willing dinner (additional fee) and party at Casa de la Trova.
After breakfast, we will delve into the mysteries of Santiago de Cuba – a Caribbean city steeped in music and history. We will begin the day with a visit to the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, where members of the Bacardi family and fighters for the country’s independence, are buried – including José Martí and Fidel Castro. We will go for a rum tasting in the factory building that once belonged to the Bacardi family and visit Parque Cespedes with the cathedral and the oldest house on the island (Casa Velázquez – exterior) buildings. We will have a drink on the terrace of the Casa Granda hotel and take a walk through the Tivoli neighborhood with its famous Padre Pico steps down to the waterfront. We will have lunch at the local restaurant and visit El Morro fortress, which guards the entrance to Santiago Bay. In the afternoon, we will head to the Baconao Biosphere Reserve, where, amidst lush vegetation, weill climb to the top of Gran Piedra (a 63000-ton boulder which is a great viewpoint located at an altitude of 1225 m above sea level). At the end of the day, we will relax on one of the nearby beaches and return to Santiago for an overnight stay. Dinner is on your own.
After breakfast, check out and drive through the picturesque mountain road – La Farola – and the area around Guantanamo Bay (with the famous military base that is a symbol of the conflict between Cuba and the USA) to Baracoa – the oldest Spanish settlement on the island. Lunch at the local restaurant and a walk from the Christopher Columbus monument, through the Malecón to the La Punta observation point and to the main square with the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción cathedral. Check-in at a hotel near Baracoa. Dinner (extra charge) and overnight stay.
After breakfast, excursion to the mystery Yumuri river canyon. The plan includes: viewpoints, a boat trip, a short walk along the canyon, time for a swim in the river and observation of polymitas snails characteristic of eastern Cuba. We will spend the afternoon at the wild Maguana beach, enjoying a lunch of fresh seafood sourced directly from local fishermen. Return to the hotel for dinner (additional fee) and overnight stay. An the evening, we will head to Casa de la Trova for a fun night out.
After breakfast, check out and visit to a cocoa plantation, where we will learn how delicious chocolate is made from grains. Then we will pass through the Alexander von Humboldt National Park – the largest protected nature area on the island. Lunch break and then transfer to the Guardalavaca / Playa Pesquero area, famous for its beautiful sandy beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. Accommodation at a luxury 5-star all-inclusive hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
Blissful relax by the Atlantic: sunbathing, swimming in the ocean and pools, enjoying bars, restaurants, water sports, and the hotel’s entertainment and sports programs. Time for total relaxation! And for those who can’t sit still for long – an optional catamaran trip to the paradise island of Cayo Saetía. Historically a retreat for party officials, wild animals were bred there specifically for them, roaming freely around the island, and hunting trips were organized. Our excursion includes a camera safari, during which you can spot zebras, ostriches, and antelopes, among others. After lunch, there’s time for sunbathing.
Takeaway breakfast and transfer to the airport. Havana flight, check into a casa particular and time for rest. Late in the afternoon, we will arrive at the terrace of our friends, where over a drink the hosts will tell us a bit about the history and traditions of Cuban cuisine, the most commonly used ingredients and the most popular local dishes. After such an introduction, under the supervision of specialists, you will start preparing an appetizer and a main course with side dishes. The highlight of the program will be the tasting of the prepared dishes and dessert and coffee, which the hosts will treat you to. For those interested, there is an opportunity to see the world-famous Tropicana cabaret, which before the revolution delighted the eyes of many American Mafiosi (additional charge).
After breakfast, a day off to explore Havana on your own. Decide for yourself whether you’d prefer to spend it strolling around the city, doing some last-minute shopping or taking one of our optional excursions. We offer the following options for this day:
Farewell dinner and parting with the guide.
After breakfast, check-out from the casa particular (by 12.00) and transfer to the airport in Havana depending on departure time. Parting ways with Cuba and returning home with a suitcase full of memories and Cuban cigars.
Day 1. transfer from Havana airport to the city center = approx. 25 km
Day 2. sightseeing of Havana = approx. 40 km
Day 3. airport transfer [HAV – HOG flight] – sightseeing of Holguín – Birán – Cobre – Santiago de Cuba = approx. 225 km
Day 4. sightseeing of Santiago de Cuba and Parque Baconao = approx. 90 km
Day 5. route: Santiago de Cuba – Guantanamo – Baracoa = approx. 240 km
Day 6. sightseeing around Baracoa: Yumuri canyon and Maguana beach = approx. 110 km
Day 7. route: Baracoa – Humboldt Park – Guardalavaca / Playa Pesquero = approx. 270 km
Day 8. day off
Day 9. day off
Day 10. airport transfer [HOG – HAV flight] transfer to the center of Havana = approx. 100 km
Day 11. day off
Day 12. transfer from Havana’s center to the airport = approx. 25 km
The entire route = approx. 1125 km
passports and other required documents, cash in euros or dollars and credit cards, medicines and medical supplies, American-type power adapters, comfortable shoes, sun protection (cap / hat, sunglasses, sunscreen), men long pants for the Tropicana show, repellents, swimwear, beach towels and water shoes. Read this before your travel
local guide service (languages: English / Spanish / Polish / French / German) from day 2-11, transport during the entire itinerary, including airport transfers and domestic flights on the Hawana – Holguín – Hawana route, accommodation in a casa particular double rooms with breakfast (6 nights: Havana x 4, Santiago de Cuba x 2) and in a 5* all inclusive hotel (Guardalavaca / Playa Pesquero x 3 nights), meals: 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches / dinners, 3 x all inclusive in Guardalavaca / Playa Pesquero, entrance fees and attractions described in the itinerary, TU Europa Travel World Standard Plus travel insurance, contributions to the Tourist Guarantee Fund and the Aid Fund
airline tickets, Cuban visa (tourist card – order from us now for 25 EUR / pers.), meals not included in the itinerary (approx. 20 EUR / meal), optional excursions: „Havana Rooftops” – from 45 EUR / pers., show at the Tropicana cabaret – from 105 EUR / pers., catamaran cruise to a Cayo Saetía island – 90 EUR / pers., Havana and surroundings – Hemingway’s footsteps – from 60 EUR / pers., Viñales Valley – among the mogots and tobacco plantations – from 95 EUR / pers., Las Terrazas and Soroa – direction adventure – from 100 EUR / pers., tips (in restaurants, attractions, for drivers and guides), own expenses and purchase of souvenirs. Single room surcharge – 300 EUR / pers.
the order of the tour is subject to change depending on the availability of accommodation and opening days / hours of the facilities visited. The domestic flight is operated by Aviatsa on a Boeing 737 aircraft. The baggage allowance is 23 kg (main baggage) + 10 kg (hand baggage). The price of the tour includes airport transfers for the Havana airport. In the case of other airports – the price may vary. In the event of a water tram failure, a bus or taxi will be used. For safety reasons, sharp and dangerous objects, as well as glass bottles, are not allowed on board the water tram. Prices and implementation of optional excursions depend on the number of participants. The price of the package includes TU Europa Travel World Standard Plus travel insurance. You should familiarize yourself with its General Terms and Conditions (GTC) and – if it does not meet your needs – buy insurance with a broader scope of protection on your own. Optionally, you can purchase Cancellation Costs insurance (check the details here).
