Highlights of Havana & Varadero

2018 Season
2017 Season

Explore Havana, Cuba's cultural capital, & Varadero, its premier beach; plus Cojimar & Matanzas

Overview

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We're still going to Cuba!

Our People-to-People tours are still legal and not impacted by recent changes in U.S. policy. Questions? See our Cuba FAQs.

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Style	Small Group TourTravel with a small, intimate group of no more than 16 likeminded travelers (and often much fewer), escorted by an English speaking guide and/or tour manager for some or all of your journey. (Some exceptions, including special promotional packages, may accommodate up to 30.) More of these packages Freedom to explore at your own pace; unescorted
Departures
Themes	History & Culture
What to Expect	This fast-paced, escorted educational program includes a reasonable amount of walking or hiking and requires an average level of physical fitness. Travel safely and confidently with our new health & safety protocols.
Already booked?	Find everything you need to know before you go, including information about passport & visa requirements, flights, luggage, and more.

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In recent months, we’ve seen the restoration of ties continue between the US and Cuba, and more and more travelers are clamoring to visit the elusive island now, while it remains a genuine time capsule.

You'll begin your Highlights of Havana and Varadero tour in Havana, where you'll be introduced to a rich culture with indigenous, African and European roots. You'll meet artists in their studios in Old Havana, visit a cigar factory, tour an organic farm and explore an ingenious, creative society with much to share and an eagerness to learn. You'll visit a one-of-a-kind publisher in Matanzas, where books and journals are individually handmade using repurposed materials to create beautiful works of art. In Varadero, you’ll meet a talented fashion designer and an intricate wood carver, a husband and wife duo, whose unique creations have won them numerous awards. Your 5 star beachfront resort hotel is perfectly situated to offer opportunities to enjoy the Caribbean in your spare time.

Friendly Planet is proud to be one of the first U.S. tour companies to have been awarded a People to People license. We received our first license in September, 2011, and since then, we’ve sent thousands of American travelers to Cuba to participate in unique, inspiring, and affordable encounters with the Cuban people.

Package includes

Flights
Coach
Transfers
Hotel
Meals
Guides

Non-stop round trip flights from Miami to Havana, including fuel surcharges and taxes and fees
U.S. Treasury Department, OFAC License Certification and Authorization Letter
Cuba Entrance Visa & Departure Tax
All land transportation, transfers & porterage in Cuba
1st night Crowne Plaza Miami Airport Hotel with Pre-tour introductory briefing
5 nights superior first class hotel accommodations in Cuba
15 meals: 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners
Comprehensive educational exchange program, including entrance fees
Friendly Planet escort
Professional, English-speaking local guide, who will facilitate the educational exchanges with Cubans
Health insurance in Cuba (mandatory)

Why you'll love it

Explore Old Havana’s architectural treasure trove with a specialist from the Office of the City Historian
Tour the Rum Museum to trace the history (and taste) Cuba’s national drink
Learn how Cuban masters hand-roll cigars
Walk in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway at Finca Vigia
Visit Traditions Alleyway and experience elements of Santeria, an Afro-Cuban religion
Meet a talented fashion designer and a woodcraft expert at their home workshop near Varadero

Videos

Detailed Itinerary

First day of listed departure date is an overnight stay and introductory briefing in Miami.

Day 1: Miami Overnight/Pre-tour introductory briefing

1 night Crowne Plaza Miami Airport Hotel.

Arrive in Miami

Attend an introductory briefing at your hotel at 7:30 p.m.

Full Day Itinerary: Your journey to Cuba begins today with an overnight stay in Miami. If you are arriving at Miami International Airport, complimentary hotel shuttle service to the Crowne Plaza is available every 20 minutes from any 2nd level departure terminal; simply hail the driver as they pass.

This evening at 7:30 p.m., participate in an introductory briefing to get acquainted with your fellow travelers, review your documents, and complete the final paperwork for travel to Cuba. You will be informed of the departure time of the group shuttle leaving the hotel tomorrow morning.

DAY 2: Miami/Havana

3 nights Hotel Nacional, Havana. Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Depart the USA on your flight for Havana

Lunch at a privately owned restaurant

Stop at Plaza de la Revolución

Tour Modern Havana

Welcome dinner at your hotel

Full Day Itinerary: Today, transfer to the Miami International Airport to board your non-stop flight bound for Havana, Cuba's capital city and designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.

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

Enjoy your first meal in Cuba at a privately owned restaurant, called a paladar.

Stop at the Plaza de la Revolución, the most famous and politically important square in Cuba. The square has witnessed many rallies and revolutions that have altered the course of Cuban history, where you'll view the 109m tall tower and an 18m statue of José Martí.

Continue 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.

Now that you've had a taste of what lies ahead during your visit to Cuba, it's time to check into your hotel. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Havana

Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Attend a lecture by a specialist from the Office of the Historian on the rehabilitation of Old Havana

Orientation walk through Old Havana, including the Used Bookseller’s Market

Learn about Cuba's two currency system at a local ration store

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Tour the Rum Museum to reveal the secrets of rum making

Walk along Paula promenade and stop at the Artisans Market

Enjoy dinner at a paladar

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast this morning, attend a lecture given by a specialist from the Office of the Historian. 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. After the lecture, take a walking tour to see the different examples of ongoing and finished restoration projects.

Continue on a leisurely orientation walk in Old Havana with your guide through the vibrant cobblestone streets as you immerse yourself in the colors of Cuba which surround you. At the Plaza de Armas, the oldest plaza in the city, enjoy some time on your own to explore the Used Booksellers Market, a cross-cultural treasure trove for readers of every genre. Meet local independent booksellers and engage in friendly conversation with Cuban readers about popular Cuban and American literature.

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 a local restaurant.

After lunch, tour the Rum Museum. You’ll learn why Cuban rum has such high quality by going through the different steps of the rum-making process. You will have the opportunity to taste a shot of “añejo” (aged rum) at the end of the tour in their beautiful bar.

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.

This evening take a short stroll from your hotel to Café Laurent, a privately owned restaurant, for dinner.

Day 4: Havana

Breakfast & lunch.

Tour one of Havana’s famous cigar factories

Visit the Fine Arts Museum (Cuban collection)

Lunch at a local restaurant

Explore Jose Fuster's whimsical "Fusterlandia"

Visit the famous Christopher Columbus Cemetery

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast this morning visit one of Havana's famous cigar factories where you will see hundreds of workers rolling Cuban cigars by hand. If the cigar factories are closed, a private cigar rolling demonstration will be provided instead.

Continue on to the edge of Old Havana to experience the Cuban collection at the Fine Arts Museum. Here you can appreciate the evolution of the country's history through the work of its most famous artists.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Drive to Jaimanitas, where you'll visit "Fusterlandia," the home and surrounding neighborhood of "The Picasso 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 but the entire neighborhood into a unique and colorful artistic landscape. Using the money he makes from selling his artwork, Jose adorns the community with sculptures and mosaics galore.

On the way back to the hotel, visit the famous Christopher Columbus Cemetery, a miniature city of mausoleums, crypts, family chapels, vaults, sculptures and ornate gravestones, which has been named a National Landmark.

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

Day 5: Havana, Alamar, Cojímar, Matanzas & Varadero

2 nights Melia Varadero. Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Explore Ernest Hemingway's home, Finca Vigia

Tour co-op community gardens in Alamar

Enjoy lunch in the fishing village of Cojimar

Visit Traditions Alleyway in Matanzas

Continue on to Varadero

Full Day Itinerary: This morning, drive to Hemingway's Cuba retreat. There are many historical and cultural ties between Cuba and the United States, and one of the best known is the legacy of Ernest Hemingway, who lived more than 20 years in Cuba, from 1939 to 1960. You'll visit Hemingway's beautiful mansion, now a museum, Finca Vigia, (literally meaning "lookout farm"), where his 9,000 book library is preserved, as well as his animal trophies and famous fishing boat, Pilar.

Then, 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 "Organopónicos," 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, these Organopónicos facilitate community development and offer Alamar's residents access to fresh produce. Enjoy a visit to one of these Organopónicos, 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.

Drive to Matanzas along the scenic route Vía Blanca, the coastal highway, and stop at the Traditions Alleyway to learn about the Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, an interesting blend of African and Catholic elements.

Then, continue on to the beautiful town of Varadero, the most famous beach on the Cuban mainland, and check into your all-inclusive hotel.

Day 6: Varadero

Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Learn about the official national dance and musical genre of Cuba at the Danzón's Club

Visit a unique craft workshop

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast at the hotel this morning, we'll 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 hundreds of Cubans throughout the country. The clubs of "danzoneros" are dedicated to preserving the tradition and history of this dance. While visiting the Danzón's Club you'll have the opportunity to talk with its members (mostly elderly) about the history and characteristics of this dance. Of course, you'll also have the distinct pleasure of joining the members while they dance to this traditional and lilting rhythm.

Our next stop will be a visit to 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 creative work. During the visit, you'll tour the workshop and experience the creative process as it is taking place.

Return to the hotel for lunch and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Tonight, the group will have the dinner in one of the hotel's specialty restaurants.

Day 7: Varadero & Havana/Miami

Breakfast.

Transfer to the airport in Havana and board your charter flight back to Miami

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!

Note: This itinerary provides a full time schedule of educational activities that will result in meaningful interactions between you and individuals in Cuba. U.S. law requires that all persons who participate in this program adhere to this full time schedule, and imposes on Friendly Planet the obligation to ensure such adherence.

Infrastructure in Cuba, including even the best hotels, may not always be up to U.S. standards. The hotels really do try to maintain quality accommodations, and in the properties we select for our tours, they generally do a good job. However, Cuba's resources and climate do sometimes impact a hotel's ability to keep up with maintenance and indoor air quality. For example, in Cuba's tropical climate, you might notice musty odors in some buildings, including hotels. We do our best to select the highest quality hotels, restaurants and paladars that Cuba has to offer, but we appreciate your flexibility and understanding when you encounter a minor imperfection. Cuba has a long way to go before its hotels, highways, public restrooms and other features reach U.S. levels, but all in all, you will not suffer any major difficulties in tolerating the small issues that may occur. If you have any medical or dietary concerns, however, please inform us when you make your reservation, so we can take whatever special precautions are required to assure your comfort and wellbeing.

Our Refer A Friend program is not applicable on our Cuba programs.

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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? 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.