Captivating Cuba

Overview

You’ll truly be captivated and delighted by all the aspects of Cuba you’ll discover on this engaging and comprehensive tour covering a large swath of the island.  From the picturesque Spanish Colonial towns of Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara and Trinidad to one of the best beaches in Cuba, Varadero, to the bustling city of Havana, Cuba's political and cultural center, you’ll meet and interact with Cubans, where they work, live and play. You'll discover why the world loves Cuban music, meet some of the best up-and-coming artists on the island, and enjoy meals at local paladars where young entrepreneurs are taking advantage of relaxing laws to build private business in Cuba.

With included, scheduled flights, fully guided touring, the services of one of our gifted tour managers, great hotel accommodations in boutique properties and 5-star hotels and beach resorts, fully inclusive programming and 17 included meals, this is one of the best bargains in Cuba travel available anywhere.

We're still going to Cuba!

Our tours are still legal and compliant with recent changes in U.S. policy. Questions? See our Cuba FAQs.

Itinerary at a Glance

• 1 Miami/Santa Clara & Sancti Spiritus
• 2 Sancti Spiritus & Trinidad
• 3 Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara & Varadero
• 4 Varadero
• 5 Varadero, Alamar, Cojimar & Havana
• 6 Old Havana
• 7 Havana
• 8 Havana/Miami

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Miami/Santa Clara & Sancti Spiritus

• Depart the USA on your flight for Cuba
• Drive to Sancti Spiritus
• Welcome dinner at a local paladar

Hotel Plaza, Hotel del Rijo, Hotel Don Florencio or similar Dinner

Full Day Itinerary

Today, board your non-stop flight bound for Cuba at Miami International Airport.

¡Bienvenidos a Cuba! You are welcomed by your private Cuban National Guide holding a Friendly Planet sign outside the arrivals terminal at the Santa Clara Airport. Board your air-conditioned coach, and jump right in as you head directly to your first destination in Cuba.

Drive to the picturesque town of Sancti Spíritus, one of the original seven cities founded in Cuba by the Spanish five centuries ago, and home to Cuba's oldest church, the Parroquial Mayor.

Check in to the hotel. This evening, the group will meet for dinner at a local paladar (privately owned restaurant).

After dinner, join Cubans at Casa de la Trova or other places of this charming city where people from all walks of life and generations and come to eat, drink, build friends, and discuss neighborhood issues. Enjoy this experience, and participate in discussions with locals about community life in Cuba and the U.S.

Day 2 Sancti Spiritus & Trinidad

• Visit Casa del Alfarero, a pottery house
• Continue to a casa particular or bed and breakfast
• Enjoy lunch at a local paladar
• Learn about the religion of Santeria at Templo de Yemaya

Hotel Plaza, Hotel del Rijo, Hotel Don Florencio or similar Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, drive to Trinidad, one of the best preserved colonial cities in all of Latin America and a World Heritage Site since 1988 for its architectural and historical importance. For centuries a sugar production center, landowners gained enormous wealth, building stately mansions and centers of art and culture.

Visit Casa del Alfarero, a pottery house that was founded and has been managed by the Santander Family for generations. Today you'll learn the process of ceramic production and have the opportunity to create a piece of your own.

Enjoy a tour and discussion with the owners at one of Trinidad's many "casas particulares" or bed and breakfasts. Learn how bed and breakfasts are one of Cuba's new entrepreneurial opportunities in a society where the state typically owns most enterprises. Ask questions and share insights about U.S. businesses, including the ever popular bed and breakfasts that are ubiquitous in the U.S.

Lunch today is at a paladar in Trinidad.

Visit Templo de Yemaya where a Santeria practitioner, along with some of the religion's devotees, explain the basic principles of Santeria, an interesting blend of African and catholic elements.

This afternoon, explore the historic town, where you will find lots of privately owned open-air craft markets, shops, museums, and bars. This lively area is also a great spot to take unforgettable pictures.

Return to your hotel in Sancti Spiritus.

Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own. We recommend dining at a paladar. Feel free to choose one from the list we provide or ask your guides for alternative recommendations.

Day 3 Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara & Varadero

• Drive to Santa Clara
• Visit the Santa Clara Performing Arts School or a community project
• Continue on to Varadero Beach

Melía Varadero Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast this morning, depart from Sancti Spiritus and visit the town of Santa Clara.

Enjoy a special visit to the Santa Clara Music and Performing Arts School, with dance, theater and music performances by the students. Please note that this visit is only possible during the school year (September through early June). Should the school not be available or not in session, you'll instead enjoy an equally interesting visit to another community project in Santa Clara.

Lunch will be served buffet style in Los Caneyes Hotel in Santa Clara.

Then, continue on to beautiful Varadero, the most famous beach on the Cuban mainland, and check into your hotel. 

Day 4 Varadero

• Learn about the official national dance and musical genre of Cuba at the Danz�n's Club
• Visit a unique craft workshop

Melía Varadero Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, depart for a visit to the Danzón's Club in Varadero. Danzón is the official national dance and musical genre of Cuba. It originated in Matanzas and is practiced by many Cubans throughout the country. The clubs of "danzoneros" are dedicated to preserving the tradition and history of this dance.  Learn the basics of danzón with club members as your teachers, then have the please of joining in the dance to its traditional and lilting rhythm.

At your next stop you'll a visit a unique Craft Workshop on the outskirts of Varadero. Artisans, Mariela Alemán Orosco and Marilín Martínez Barrio, members of the Cuban Cultural Fund and the Cuban Association of Artisans and Artists, have received prizes and recognition for their work in creating original fabrics which they use in designing fashionable clothing and accessories. During the visit, you'll tour the workshop and experience the creative process as it is taking place.

Tonight, join your fellow travelers for dinner in one of the hotel's specialty restaurants.

Day 5 Varadero, Alamar, Cojimar & Havana

• Visit co-op community gardens in Alamar called Organop�nico
• Enjoy lunch in the fishing village of Cojimar at a local paladar
• Take a ride in a classic car and visit the workshop where restorations are taking place

Melía Cohiba Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, check out of our hotel in Varadero and drive to the district of Alamar on the outskirts of Havana. Started as an expansive social housing project in the 1970's, these Soviet-style pre-fabricated concrete apartment blocks are now home to hundreds of thousands of Cubans. Among the buildings in Alamar are community gardens, called "Organopónico," where residents grow fruit, vegetables and herbs for their own consumption and local sale. Similar to co-op and community gardens in the United States, the Organopónico facilitates community development and offer Alamar's residents access to fresh produce. Enjoy a visit an Organopónico, which few visitors to Cuba have the opportunity to do.

You'll continue on to the quaint fishing village of Cojimar, the setting for Hemingway's book, The Old Man and the Sea, and enjoy lunch at a local paladar. La Terraza Restaurant, where the book's character Santiago brings in the remains of his epic fish, still stands today, and the pier where Hemingway's fishing boat docked can be seen from the shore.

Take a ride in vintage cars to visit a private mechanic's workshop where you'll see for yourself the miraculous transfers of cars that are ubiquitos on the streets of Cuba. Hear how the cars are acquired, lovingly restored and put to work enchanting visitors as they make their way around Havana and beyond.

Enjoy dinner on your own this evening. We recommend dining at a paladar. Feel free to choose one from the list we provided or ask your guide for alternative recommendations.

Day 6 Old Havana

• Walk through Old Havana, including the used booksellers market
• Learn about Cuba's two currency system at a local ration store
• Enjoy lunch at a local paladar
• Discover Jose Fuster's whimsical Fusterlandia

Melía Cohiba Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

This morning, you'll watch a private demonstration to learn how Cuba's famous tobacco leaves are carefully and artfully rolled into cigars.

Then, enjoy a walk through Old Havana to learn about its historic, architectural and cultural significance. The area was declared a World Heritage Site in 1982 by UNESCO. Learn about the City Historian's massive efforts to restore Old Havana buildings, attract tourism and new investment, and improve social services for local residents.

At the Plaza de Armas, the oldest plaza in the city, enjoy some time on your own to explore the Antique Bookseller market, a cross-cultural treasure trove for readers of every genre. Meet the local independent booksellers and check out the posters and other collectables that are for sale.

Visit a local ration store. Your Cuban host will explain the system of rationing and the two-currency system as well as the difference between Ration Stores, Cuban Peso Stores, and CUC Stores.

Enjoy lunch at local paladar.

Drive to Jaimanitas, where you'll visit "Fusterlandia", the home and surrounding neighborhood of "THe Picassao of the Caribbean", Jose Fuster. Starting with a small wooden home as his canvas, Mr Fuster has turned his dream into reality and transformed not just his own home bu the entire neighborhood into a unique and coloful artistic landscape. Using the money he makes from selling his artwork, Jose adorns the community with sculptures and mosaic galore.

Dinner is on your own this evening. Your guide will be happy to recommend one of the many exceptionally good paladares in the area.

Day 7 Havana

• Tour Modern Havana
• Enjoy lunch at a local paladar
• Stop at the Artisans Market
• Join your fellow travelers at a farewell dinner at a local paladar

Melía Cohiba Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

Set out on a panoramic tour of the urban area that lies west of Old Havana and shows the progression of the city over time: from a neighborhood along the city walls after its demolition, passing through the transitional Midtown (Centro Habana), to the extensive and more modern Vedado and Miramar neighborhoods.

Visit the studio of gifted artist Eduardo Roca Salazar, known affectionately as "Choco" for his skin color. Roca's work, often focuses on Afro-Cuban themes.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

Then, walk along the beautiful Paula Promenade by the waterfront to see the changes related to the program of transformation for the Bay of Havana. Stop at the Artisans Market, where you will find plenty of souvenirs, including handicrafts, posters and other collectibles.

After some well-deserved downtime at the hotel, join your fellow travelers at a farewell dinner, served in a privately owned restaurant. Be sure to wear your dancing shoes as you enjoy live, traditional Cuban music and salsa dancing, reminiscent of the Buena Vista Social Club.

Day 8 Havana/Miami

• Transfer to the airport and board your flight back to Miami

Breakfast

Full Day Itinerary

Today, bid farewell to Cuba as you transfer to Havana's Jose Marti International Airport and check-in for your flight back to Miami. ¡Adiós, Cuba!

Hotels

Melía Varadero

Deluxe

Melía Varadero is located on the beach, next to the Plaza America Convention Center and near the Varadero Golf Club. Its architecture resembles a flower of seven petals, and the original lobby is decorated with plants and flowers. This All-Inclusive Five-Star Resort has a total of 490 cozy, spacious, and beautifully decorated rooms surrounded by spectacular tropical landscapes. All rooms are fitted with air conditioning, terrace or balcony, telephone, in-room safe, satellite TV, mini bar, and hairdryer. Melía Varadero has 7 restaurants serving a variety of dishes designed to appease any appetite. Savor both Cuban and International cuisine at Havana, enjoy succulent cuts of beef, rabbit, and chicken at Las Reses. Melía Varadero also offers several bars in a variety of different atmospheres. Sip exotic beverages by the pool at Baracoa, grab famous Cuban cocktails and fast food at Guantanamera Snack Bar, and listen to live piano music over a glass of wine at Las Palmas. The friendly and professional staff in the beauty parlor will restore your body’s vitality with a natural facial or other body treatments. To stay physically fit and radiant, be sure to visit the hotel’s gym or beauty salon.

More information

Melía Cohiba

First Class

The Melía Cohiba is located in Vedado, a modern district in Havana. Situated on the sea, the hotel is only 50 meters from the famous Malecón, boasting stunning views of both the ocean or Havana city. Melía Cohiba is a short distance from the historic Old Havana, Plaza de la Revolución, and some of Havana’s finest Jazz Clubs and restaurants. With stunning views of the city and the sea, Melia Cohiba’s 462 modern rooms offer stunning panoramic views of Havana and the sea and are fitted with air conditioning. Wi-Fi internet access, satellite LCD TV , telephone , electronic safe, minibar, coffee/tea making facilities, iron/ironing board, bathroom with a hairdryer. Melía Cohiba offers 5 exquisite and diverse dining options in a pleasant atmosphere. There are 6 bars serving international and premium brand drinks, cocktails, liquors and coffees. A cigar bar with a live entertainment and a cigar shop and a coffee bar to enjoy some terrific coffee and Cuban cigars.  Lastly, enjoy an evening at Havana Café, a nightclub  with a bar and cabaret show with invited guests as the Buena Vista Social Club musicians. 

More information

In the unlikely event that a particular hotel is not available, a similar or better hotel may be substituted.

Reviews & Photos

Trip Details

• What should I know before I go? We've compiled a comprehensive checklist, including information on how to pay your balance due, flights & transfers, packing & luggage, and more.
• Do I need a visa or other documents? Are there any entry requirements? Travel visas are required for this package. Please review the visa & entry requirements.
• Can I make changes to my trip? Want to upgrade your seats? Depart from another city? Something else? Just ask!
• Can I bring my kids? Are there any age restrictions? To book this package, you must be 18 or older. Your traveling companions must be 12 or older at time of travel.
• Should I purchase travel insurance? Yes! We recommend you purchase travel insurance to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. For your convenience, we offer a plan provided by Travelex Insurance Services.
• What's the fine print? Review the terms & conditions for this package.
• What should I know about Cuba? Check out our guide for practical travel tips, the best time to go, videos, and more.

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