Colonial building in Cienfuegos
	Typical vintage car
	Byzantine church, Havana
	Morro Castle, Santiago
	Girl at rumba show
	View of Santiago Bay
	Camaguey cathedral
	Escambray Mountains near Trinidad
	Street vendor in Trinidad
	Compas Dance Group on drums Havana
	View of Trinidad from tower
	Hemingway's writing "studio" Havana
	The Malecon, Havana
	Havana's restored theater
	high surf along the Malecon

Note that all breakfasts are included

Friday, Oct. 21

• Fly to Miami
• Overnight at hotel near airport or airport hotel (for late arrivals, the airport hotel is very convenient, though not luxurious, a 5 minute walk to the charter flight terminal)

Saturday, Oct. 22

• 10:30 a.m.   Departure for Havana on CTS charter flight
• 11:00 a.m.   Arrive in Havana
• Met at airport by Cuban national guide
• Lunch included at Il Divino, a local paladar (private restaurant) and private farm which supplies the restaurant
• Visit Finca Vigia, Hemingway's Cuban home
• Check in to Hotel Parque Central in Havana's old quarter
• Dinner included at a local paladar
• Short walk through the plazas to see Havana's night life before returning to the hotel

Sunday, Oct. 23

• Drive to the Vinales Valley, west of Havana
• Stop at Soroa for guided walk through its orchid gardens
• Visit tobacco farm en route to see how tobacco is grown and how Cuba's famous cigars are made
• Lunch included at Finca Agricola, an organic farm and restaurant
• Return to Havana
• Dinner on your own
• For those who are night owls, optional visit to one of Havana's popular jazz clubs, where the action starts after 11 p.m.
• Overnight at Hotel Parque Central

Monday, Oct. 24

• Morning visit to Compas Dance Company to see their unique and wonderful blend of Afro-Cuban music and Spanish flamenco dancing
• Late morning meeting with U.S. embassy or University of Havana faculty
• Lunch at a local paladar
• Afternoon tour of Havana in vintage American convertible cars from the 1950's and 1960's, including the Malecon, Havana's seawall boulevard, the old and modern districts of Havana and Miramar, where the Castros live
• Visit Jose Fuster neighborhood in Jaimanitas
• Return to hotel in late afternoon to rest
• Dinner included at a nearby paladar, Moneda Cubana
• Evening performance of the famous and venerable Buena Vista Social Club included
• Overnight at Hotel Parque Central

Tuesday, Oct. 25

• Early morning departure for airport and flight to Santiago de Cuba, at the east end of the island
• Depending on our arrival time (Cuban flights are rarely on time), visit the historic Morro Castle
• Lunch included at nearby restaurant
• If time permits, visit Moncada Barracks, where the Cuban revolution began
• Check into hotel (to be confirmed)
• Dinner on the terrace of Salon Tropical

Wednesday, Oct. 26

• Day of sightseeing in Santiago, with guided walk through the old city center of one of Cuba's most beautiful cities, including the 2 oldest houses in Cuba and the home of Emilio Bacardi, both now museums
• Lunch included at Zunzun, a Santiago paladar
• Afternoon free to enjoy Santiago on your own, with optional visits to the Museo de Carnaval, Galeria de Arte Universal, art galleries, or just time to wander the streets
• Dinner on your own
• Overnight at our Santiago hotel

Thursday, Oct. 27

• Drive from Santiago de Cuba to Camaguey, stopping in Bayamo for lunch and a walk around the pretty plazas of the city's historic center. Bayamo is considered the birthplace of Cuban independence.
• Continue on to Camaguey
• Check into Hotel Santa Maria
• Afternoon walking tour of the 500 year old city of Camaguey, with its winding streets and charming plazas and plazuelas
• Dinner included at Paladar 1800
• Overnight at Hotel Santa Maria

Friday, Oct. 28

• Early morning departure for Trinidad
• Lunch included at Rio Azul for typical Cuban meal of roast pork or roast chicken outside along the river
• Continue on to another beautiful old colonial city, Trinidad (also 500 years old). Stop at Manacas Iznaga, a colonial-era sugar estate in the Valle de los Ingenios, a UNESCO World Heritage site
• Check into Iberostar Grand Hotel Trinidad
• Dinner included at Paladar Davimart in Trinidad
• Overnight at Iberostar Grand Hotel Trinidad

Saturday, Oct. 29

• Morning walking tour of Trinidad, one of Cuba's most interesting and historic cities
• Lunch on your own
• Afternoon free to shop or relax
• Dinner on your own
• Overnight at Iberostar Grand Hotel Trinidad

Sunday, Oct. 30

• Morning departure for Cienfuegos for a walking tour of its colonial city center and a visit to its Moorish-style palacio
• Lunch at Villa Lagarto
• Depart for the Bay of Pigs, Playa Giron, for a visit to the very interesting small museum, which gives Cuba's version of this ill-fated invasion
• Continue on to Havana
• Check into Hotel Parque Central
• Dinner on your own after a long day

Monday, Oct. 31

• Morning walking tour of Old Havana, starting at the Plaza de Armas where the city was founded in 1519. Explore the main squares of the old part of the city
• Lunch on your own
• Afternoon free for last minute sightseeing or shopping
• Dinner included at Paladar La Habanero with a retired official from the Cuban Foreign Ministry
• Optional late night at Tropicana or other nightclub

Tuesday, Nov. 1

• 7:00 a.m.   Transfer to the airport for morning flight to Miami and flights home
• 9:30 a.m.    Charter flight to Miami
• 10:30 a.m.   Arrival in Miami
• Afternoon Flights home from Havana

Services End

Included in the trip price:

• 11 day trip to Cuba, starting and ending in Havana, with visits the length of the island, from Santiago de Cuba to Bayamo, Camaguey, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Bay of Pigs, and Vinales Valley
• Charter flights from Miami to Havana and back
• Flight from Havana to Santiago
• All airport transfers
• All hotels (we have confirmed our first choice hotels in Havana and Trinidad)
• Most meals, including all breakfasts, as specified in the itinerary
• All tips, except for special services you request or extra tips you may want to give to musicians who will play for us everywhere (completely optional)
• Official guide (required by Cuban law) who will travel with us throughout the country
• Local guides
• All meetings, admissions to museums and cultural events included in the itinerary (and several more yet to be scheduled)
• Ground transportation throughout the island and in the cities
• Check in assistance at the Miami and Havana airports
• A host of required items: Cuban visa, documentation, US departure tax, mandatory enrollment in the Cuban health insurance system
• Bottled water on our bus

Not included are:

$28 Cuban airport fee (must be paid by each of us individually, at least right now) Optional museum or cultural visits not included in the final itinerary

Back to top