Havana Jazz & Culture: International Jazz Festival

Overview

“To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!” exclaimed jazz legend Louis Armstrong – and we couldn’t agree more. Deep in the heart of Cuba, a cacophony of chords flows through the island like a heartbeat or the very lifeblood of its colorful communities. And it is something every music-lover has to experience to understand!

With an itinerary any jazz aficionado will adore, this expertly crafted tour includes passes to the 33rd Havana International Jazz Festival, private performances at one of Havana’s hottest late-night jazz clubs La Zorra y el Cuervo, a visit to Instituto Superior de Artes, the leading school for Music, Visual & Performing Arts, a tour of the Abdala Recording Studio and more!  

And of course, we’ve packed every day with People-to-People experiences that will leave you with an unforgettable trip and memories that last a lifetime. Stay six nights at the the Parque Central, a spectacular 5-star hotel, centrally located in old Havana and rated the city’s #1 hotel on TripAdvisor. You'll walk in Ernest Hemingway’s footsteps at Finca Vigia; meet up-and-coming Cuban artists; learn how to roll cigars from the masters, and more. There’s so much to love about this experience, so book 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.

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Tuesday, January 16, 2018 – Miami/Havana

6 nights Parque Central, Havana. Dinner.

• Arrive in Havana and transfer to your hotel
• 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 your private Cuban National Guide holding a Friendly Planet sign outside the arrivals terminal at the Havana Airport. Board your air-conditioned vehicle, and jump right in as you head directly to your hotel.

Check into the hotel and enjoy a welcome drink. You’ll meet your tour manager and have some time to rest a little or take a stroll around Old Havana before dinner.

This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local paladar.

Day 2: Wednesday, January 17, 2018 – Havana 

Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

• Visit a music school
• Leisurely orientation walk through Old Havana
• Lunch at local paladar
• Private Jazz Concert in “La Zorra y el Cuervo”
• Dinner at a local paladar
• Jazz Festival

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast this morning, visit one of Havana’s top music schools, where young musicians are training to become the next generation of Cuban jazz artists.

Then, enjoy a leisurely orientation 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.

Lunch today will be at a local paladar.

This afternoon, you’ll have the distinct pleasure of sitting in on a private jazz concert in “La Zorra y el Cuervo”, one of the top jazz venues in Cuba.  After the performance, you’ll have time to speak with the young jazz artist about his music and life in Cuba as an aspiring musician.

Tonight, enjoy dinner at one of Havana’s best paladars. 

Afterwards, enjoy the Jazz Festival.

Day 3: Thursday, January 18, 2018 – Modern Havana & Fusterlandia

Breakfast & lunch.

• Visit to the Instituto Superior de Artes
• Explore Jose Fuster's whimsical "Fusterlandia"
• Visit Santacana Gallery
• Enjoy lunch at a local paladar
• Tour modern Havana
• Visit the community project, Clave Sol
• Jazz Festival

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Instituto Superior de Artes, the top art academy in Cuba where talented young Cubans study music, the visual arts, dance arts and audiovisual communication media.

Then, 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.

Continue to the Santacana Gallery.

Enjoy lunch at a local paladar.

This afternoon, enjoy a panoramic tour of the urban area that lies west of Old Havana and demonstrates 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 Clave Sol community project, established by parents in the San Augustin neighborhood to provide safe, wholesome afterschool activities for their children. Children select among various string instruments and then learn to play them, performing Cuban as well as international music. During your visit, meet the children, their teachers and hear them rehearsing for upcoming performances.

Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own and later, attend the Jazz Festival performances.

Day 4: Friday, January 19, 2018 - Havana

Breakfast & lunch.

• Tour one of Havana’s famous cigar factories
• Experience Cuban rhythms with a dance lesson
• Lunch at local paladar
• Visit to Abdala Recording Studio with jazz session
• Jazz Festival

Full Day Itinerary: 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.

Then, experience Cuban rhythms in an exciting dance lesson.

Enjoy lunch at a paladar.

Visit the Abdala Recording Studio where you’ll hear a special live Jazz session.

Afterwards, enjoy the remainder of the day to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Jazz Festival activities.

Day 5: Saturday, January 20, 2018 – Havana & Cojimar

Breakfast & lunch.

• Visit the Fine Arts Museum (Cuban collection) or the Revolution Museum
• Tour the fishing village of Cojimar and enjoy lunch at a local paladar
• Explore Ernest Hemingway's home, Finca Vigia
• Stop at the Artisans Market
• Jazz Festival

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast this morning, drive 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. If you prefer history to art, you can choose instead to visit the Revolution Museum, housed in the former Presidential Palace.

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.

After lunch, 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 Vigía, (literally meaning "lookout farm"), where his 9,000 book library is preserved, as well as his animal trophies and famous fishing boat, Pilar.

On the way back to the hotel, stop at the Artisans Market by the Bay of Havana, where you will find plenty of souvenirs, including handicrafts, posters and other collectibles.

Tonight, enjoy more of the Jazz Festival!

Day 6: Sunday, January 21, 2018 – Havana 

Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

• Visit the community project, Okantomi for a lively Rumba session
• Tour the famous Christopher Columbus Cemetery
• Enjoy lunch at El Aljibe
• Take a ride in classic American cars
• Stop in the Bar la Fama at Hotel Nacional
• Farewell dinner at a paladar
• Jazz Festival

Full Day Itinerary: After breakfast at the hotel this morning, visit the community project, Okantomi to experience a lively Rumba session.

Tour 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 El Aljibe.

Later this afternoon, take a 1-hour ride in classic American cars around the streets of Havana, stopping at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba to enjoy a drink at their Bar la Fama.

Continue on to your farewell dinner, served in a privately owned restaurant. Afterwards, enjoy the last night of the Jazz Festival!

Day 7: Monday, January 22, 2018 – Havana/Miami

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 is 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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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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