Authentic Havana

Overview

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On our popular tour, Authentic Havana, we’ll bring you into the heart of a typical Cuban neighborhood with a four-night stay at a privately owned, colonial style Cuban bed and breakfast. This B&B has been lovingly restored and furnished and is managed by a small team of dedicated men and women who will be like family away from home. Our centrally located bed and breakfast, just a ten minute walk to Old Havana and even closer to shops, restaurants and nightlife, offers a more authentic and intimate experience yet provides all the amenities and comforts you want and deserve. 

Thanks to reduced flights via more convenient scheduled air and great pricing at our “casa” we’ve managed to reduce prices while maintaining our high standard of creative, culturally-focused itineraries. On Authentic Havana, you'll dive deep into the daily life of everyday Cubans. You’ll visit a private studio of one of Cuba's budding artists and tour a famous Cigar factory. And that’s just for starters. There's so much to love about our new tour to Cuba, so book your space today, because space is flying!

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.

Dates, Prices & Options

Itinerary

Day 1: Miami/Havana

Accommodations: 4 nights El Encanto de Perseverancia, Havana. Included meals: Dinner.

• Depart the USA on your flight for Havana
• Welcome dinner at a local paladar

Full Day Itinerary: Today, board your 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 a representative holding a Friendly Planet sign outside the arrivals terminal at the Havana Airport. Board your air-conditioned vehicle and transfer to the casa.

Check into the casa and enjoy a welcome drink. You’ll meet your tour manager and have some time to rest a little or take a stroll to the nearby Malecon before dinner.

This evening, the group will enjoy a welcome dinner at a local paladar.

Day 2: Old Havana

Included meals: Breakfast & lunch.

• Visit the Fine Arts Museum (Cuban collection)
• Leisurely orientation walk through Old Havana, including the Used Booksellers' Market
• Visit private studio of one of Cuba's talented independent artists
• Enjoy lunch at a local paladar
• Learn about Cuba's two currency system at a local ration store
• Walk along Paula promenade and stop at the Artisans Market

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast this morning, 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 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. 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 the private studio of one of Cuba's talented independent artists. During your visit, you'll learn different techniques of printmaking, sculpture and other art forms from innovative Cuban artists and their teams.  

Enjoy lunch at a local paladar.

After lunch, 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.

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.

Return to the casa and enjoy the rest of the day on your own. We recommend dining at a paladar for dinner. Feel free to choose one from the list we provide or ask your guides for recommendations.

Day 3: Havana

Included meals: Breakfast & lunch.

• Visit Muraleando or another interesting community Project
• Stop at Plaza de la Revolución
• Tour the famous Christopher Columbus Cemetery
• Enjoy lunch at a local paladar
• Enjoy a cocktail at Bar la Fama in the Hotel Nacional

Full Day Itinerary: This morning, visit Muraleando, a neighborhood that has been transformed through large colorful murals and other unique works of art using repurposed materials. If a visit to Muraleando is not possible, we will include a visit to another interesting community project.

Continue on to stop at the Plaza de la Revolución, the most famous and politically important square in Cuba and fine example of the modern movement of architecture in the 1950’s. The square has witnessed many rallies and revolutions that have altered the course of Cuban history, where you'll view the 109-m tall tower and an 18-m statue of José Martí.

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.

Enjoy lunch at a local paladar.

Visit Bar la Fama at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, one of Havana’s most iconic, historical properties and enjoy a cocktail. You’ll have the opportunity to relax in the bar, on their beautiful outdoor terrace or peruse the shops in the hotel.

Afterwards, return to the casa and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Day 4: Havana, Regla, Alamar & Cojimar

Included meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

• Tour one of Havana’s famous cigar factories
• Take the small ferry to Regla across the bay
• Tour co-op community gardens in Alamar
• Enjoy lunch in the fishing village of Cojimar
• View the interior of Ernest Hemingway's home, Finca Vigia, from open doors and windows
• Join your fellow travelers at a farewell dinner

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 demonstration will be provided instead.

Then, transfer to the ferry terminal for a short ferry ride to the other side of the bay. Visit Regla, a settlement south of the bay, and the famous Virgin of Regla Church, where an interesting blend of Afrocuban creeds and the Catholic faith can be experienced.

Continue on 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 roughly a hundred thousand 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 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, Finca Vigía, (literally meaning "lookout farm"), now a museum. While visitors cannot enter the house itself, the large, open windows and doors around the entire property allow plenty of unobstructed views of his preserved 9,000 book library, as well as his animal trophies and famous fishing boat, Pilar.

Return to the casa to rest before dinner.

Tonight, 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 5: Havana/Miami

Included meals: Breakfast.

• Transfer to the airport and board your 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, Habana! 

Note: Itinerary sequence and visits are subject to change based on local availability.

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.

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