DEPARTURE: Monday - RETURN: Saturday
6 days - 5 nights
This tour combines the experience of art, the magic of the culture in Havana and the relaxing sights and atmosphere of the Cuban countryside, altogether with the excellence of an upgraded service, and the best venues and dishes of the Cuban cuisine.
Highlights: Hotel Nacional - Old
Havana walking tour - Dance Theatre Group - Museum of Fine Arts - Art Studio -
‘Las Terrazas’ self-sustainable community - Cigar Factory - Ernest Hemingway´s
Museum
The itinerary is subjected to change according to local conditions, such as traffic, weather or availability of the cultural projects.
Activities in this itinerary should be considered a sample only. Final itineraries are sent to guest one or two weeks prior to departure. The tour start time will vary slightly depending on flight arrivals.
Airlines recommend that you arrive at the airport at least 3 hours prior to departure
A representative of
Cuba Bien travel agency will meet you at Miami International Airport to help
you check-in your flight to Havana.
After a 45 min flight you will be at Havana International Airport ‘José Martí’. Upon arrival you will clear immigration and proceed to pick up your luggage. It might be a slow process. The terminal has only 2 carousels.
Outside the terminal you will be welcome by a Cuba Bien staff member and your local guide.
You will board the bus and take a 20 min drive to ‘Plaza de la Revolucion’, the most important political center of the Island, decorated with midcentury old classic American cars, a living proof of the contradiction of a social system and the ingenuity of the Cuban people to overcome the existing economic crisis.
You will make a stop at the ‘Hotel Nacional’ for a drink or coffee and a tour of the Hall of Fame.
Your next stop will be at the famous ‘El Aljibe’ restaurant where you will try the aromas and flavors of the Cuban cuisine.
After lunch your driver will take you to the ‘MeliaCohiba’ Hotel. Located in the center of the City and run by the Sol-MeliaSpanish corporative group, the ‘MeliaCohiba’ has a vast experience in working with our clients. You will stay at The Level VIP floor with a separate reception desk and a more private restaurant for their guest.
Time to freshen-up and rest before you get ready for the welcome dinner.
This evening, dinner will be hostedat‘Atelier’, a family own restaurant. Her owner was selected to be part of a worldwide group of entrepreneurs who has traveled to the US to talk about their experiences as small business people. You will have the opportunity to exchange an informal conversation with the young workers there and discover how the private sector functions in a much different society.
Meals: Dinner
After breakfast, you
will take a 15 min drive from the hotel to the Historical Center of the oldest
district in Havana to enjoy a walking tour around its main squares.
Declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Old Havana is surrounded by an impressive architecture, cobble stone streets and military fortresses that used to defend once, one of the most important strongholds of the Spanish Crown against the attack of pirates and corsairs.
You will have the opportunity during the tour to attend a cultural performance of the dance-theatre group ‘Retazos’. Before the show, you will have a brief explanation of this community project.
Lunch will be at the world famous ‘La Guarida’ restaurant. With a unique layout, ‘La Guarida’ was the set for the only Cuban Oscar nominated movie, Strawberry and Chocolate and one of the first pre-Revolution family restaurants in Havana.
After lunch you will return to the hotel and the rest of the afternoon will be at leisure. You will have the option this evening of attending a presentation of Cuban Traditional Music at the ‘Habana Café’showroom. This activity is not included in our package tour, however, our Cuba Bien representative will help you arranging it with no additional cost for his/her services.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
You will have
breakfast at the Hotel and will get ready to go to the museum of Fine Arts in
Havana.
The ‘Museo Nacional de BellasArtes’ hosts the largest collection of Cuban art in the world. You will be given a private tour by one of the curators of the museum through the history and the colors of the Cuban people.
Today lunch will be at ‘Al Carbon’ (The Grill), a restaurant just right across from the museum.
After lunch you will visit the studio of a young and prominent Cuban artist. You will learn about how artist develop and carry out their work in this country.
You will be taken back to the hotel. The rest of the afternoon will be at leisure.
Tonight you will have the choice of stay and rest at the hotel or enjoy the world famous Tropicana Show. Tropicana is the oldest and best well known entertainment show in Cuba. It opened its doors in 1939 and it hasn’t lost the 1950’s feeling that made it so popular among American tourists. Our representative will let you know ahead of time the cost for the entrance fee and help you out with the reservations.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, you will travel for approximately an hour and twenty minutes to ‘Las Terrazas’ Community, a protected area declared by the UN as a Biosphere Reserve.
‘Las Terrazas’ is a self-sustainable community which originated at the end of the 1960’s as part of a reforestation program. You will be given a private tour around the area of Sierra del Rosario Mountain Range and exchange experiences with the villager of the place and their unique way of living. You will visit as well the ruins of a coffee hacienda, the studio of a local rural artist and enjoy a family style lunch at ‘Casa delCampesino’ restaurant.
Though insects are usually not a problem, we recommend that you take insect repellent for this tour.
After your visit to the countryside you will return to the hotel. The rest of the day will be at leisure for you.
Dinner will be on your own and our local guide or our Cuba Bien staff member will suggest restaurants where you could eat and places you could visit in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today after breakfast
you will visit the largest cigar factory in operation today in Cuba. ‘La
Corona’ Cigar Factory will offer you the opportunity of learning about the
creation of one of the most famous jewels of the Island, the ‘Habano’ cigar.
This will be a great chance to exchange with the workers of the factory and
talk about their roll in giving life to a work of art.
We will follow this experience with a visit to ‘Cojimar’, a fishermen town and former base of ‘El Pilar’, Ernest Hemingway fishing boat. The town was the novelist source of inspiration to writeThe Old Man and the Sea.
Lunch will be at a local restaurant in ‘Cojimar’.
After lunch you will visit what it used to be Hemingway’s only property overseas, ‘FincaVigia’. Even when visitors cannot walk inside de house for a matter of protection of the pieces collected there, you will be able to be in touch with Hemingway’s life style and his nearly 21 years living in that location.
Before we go back to the hotel, our driver and guide will take you to ‘Mercado de San Jose’, a former warehouse by the Port of Havana that has become one of the most vivid examples of the Cuban free market industry. While you are there, you will interact with the free lancers who will eagerly, but gently offer their items to you.
You will go back to the hotel to rest after a long day and later get ready for the farewell dinner.
You will be picked up in old classic convertibles to take you to dinner at ‘Le Chansonnier’, a little jewel in the heart of ‘Vedado’ neighborhood. You will enjoy your farewell dinner together with your new Cuban friends in an almost surrealist venue.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Breakfast will be
complimentary at the hotel. Your local guide will help you with the check-out.
We strongly recommend our client to make sure they have all their belongings with them and triple check they have not leave anything behind, specially their passports and visas.
You will be transfer to the airport where our staff will help you checking-in your flight. You will clear immigration and customs and board the plane for a 45 min fly to Miami International Airport.
Meals: Breakfast
| Departure | Return | Price per Pax Single Occupancy |
Price per Pax Double Occupancy |
Price per Pax Triple Occupancy |
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