Metropolis Havana. World heritage site Trinidad. Dream beach Cayo Largo. Three descriptions that summarize the contents of this travel combination in the best way. Get insight into the history and present of Cuba, learn to mix cocktails and take a look into the Cuban cuisine. Discover interesting social and cultural projects and of course the tourist attractions and the world-famous classic cars. The grand finale is followed by an all-inclusive stay on the beautiful island of Cayo Largo. All this and more awaits you in this Discovery-travel combination!
This day is planned for the arrival in Cuba. After landing at Havana airport, a collective transfer will bring you to Old Havana. Optionally, we can arrange as well a transfer from Varadero airport for an extra charge.
There you will be brought to a so-called Casa Particular (typical private pension), which will be your accommodation during your stay in Havanna.
Overnight stay in a Casa Particular in Havana Vieja with breakfast.
After breakfast you will be picked up at your Casa Particular by your guide for the stay in Havana. He/she will explain you the program planned for Havana. Of course you can also ask as many questions as you want.
After that you will start the tour and explore the old town of Havana: During a walk through the historic center you will see the four famous squares (Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Francisco, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de la Catedral) and streets of the old town. You will also get an introduction to the social project in Old Havana, which was originated by the town historian's office.
Lunch will be taken in one of the best private restaurants (Paladares) in Old Havana. Here you will be served good Cuban food!
After lunch the relaxed part of the city exploration will follow - with one of the famous, mostly American classic cars from the 50s and 60s of the last century. During a scenic drive along the Malecon you will explore the modern Havana with the districts of Centro Habana, Vedado and Miramar, with of course some stops at places such as the Capitolio, the Gran Teatro de La Habana, Havana University, or the Plaza de la Revolución.
After this tour you will get back again to the paladar in which you have already had lunch. There you will experience a little highlight: A professional bartender will tell you interesting stories about the world famous Cuban cocktails, their ingredients and history – furthermore he will, of course, also show you how to prepare yourself cocktails such as Cuba Libre, Mojito, Daiquiri and Cubanito (for those "students" that don’t drink alcohol, non-alcoholic variations will be prepared as well)!
Overnight stay in a Casa Particular in Havana Vieja with breakfast.
Today you will immerse in the history, culture and everyday life in Cuba.
Right at the start you will go to the Museum of the Revolution. This is located in the premises of the former Presidential Palace and shows on several floors the course of the revolution against the former dictator Fulgencio Batista. Of course, the further development after the victory of the revolutionists and the seizure of power by Fidel Castro is also shown. Fidel Castro signed the documents for his assumption of office in this building! As a result Cuba developed a probably worldwide unique social system!
Then we will follow the well-known and important economic good which Cuba has to offer: Tobacco! First you will visit the Tobacco Museum, which explores the history and processing of tobacco, and then the Hostal del Fumador where you can watch a cigar maker at work and, of course, also smoke a good cigar and if you want buy tobacco products. After this program there is some free time planned for lunch on your own initiative – some possibilities where you could go would be the "Jardin Del Oriente" or "La Imprenta". After having had your own expenses for the lunch, you will be introduced to the dual currency system in Cuba by your guide. Why are there two currencies in Cuba? What are the differences? You will also get option to pay in the currency of the locals after a money exchange. This is something normally withheld to tourists!
After that you will visit a typical Cuban farmer's market, the Mercado "doble de salida". Here you can buy some food at your own cost that will be used later: tomatoes, yuca / malanga, mango, pineapple or various others. The total cost will be about 2-4 CUC. After shopping, you will be driven with a so-called Bici-taxi at your own expense (about 3 CUC per Bici) to the district "Santo Angel" in Havana Vieja, where the next stop is waiting for you: You will get to know the social and art project "Santo Angel", a private initiative which has set itself the goal to improve the living conditions in this area in a sustainable way. Then you will head down to a typical Cuban paladar (private restaurant), where you’ll learn under professional guidance, how to cook a traditional Cuban dish - with the ingredients you have previously bought on the market. The rest of the evening is free, for example for a visit to the famous Tropicana show.
Overnight stay in a Casa Particular in Havana Vieja with breakfast.
Today you will leave Havana and go to the second stage of this Discovery travel combination: Trinidad! With a bus transfer you will be driven from Havana to this little town on the south coast of Cuba. The differences between Havana and Trinidad are obvious. Havana, with more than 2 million inhabitants, is a very large, vibrant city, while Trinidad, embedded between sea and mountains, with its less than 100,000 inhabitants is a very quiet and cozy place that gives the impression that time is standing still here since a long time ago. The afternoon is then available for your own exploration tours in and around Trinidad. Maybe you want to buy some souvenirs on one of the small markets which can be found in the side streets of the city? Of course, you can also take a taxi to the beaches outside the city and go swimming there - you have many options!
In Trinidad you will also be accommodated in a Casa Particular with the breakfast included.
Today you will make a city tour in Trinidad and its surrounding area.
Part of this excursion is a city tour in the morning (including English speaking guide in an air-conditioned bus):
The excursion will also lead to a lookout point where you have a fantastic view of the Escambray mountains, the valley of San Luis and the Caribbean Sea.
Another highlight will be your ride to the Valley of the Sugar Mills and the former "Slave Tower".
Overnight stay in a Casa Particular in Trinidad with breakfast.
This morning you can enjoy the breakfast. After that the transfer back to Havana will take place. After arrival there in the early afternoon and the check in in your hotel you will have free time for the rest of the day.
How you will spend the afternoon is entirely up to you - how about goinh, for example, to the other side of the Bay of Havana and visit the "Cristo de La Habana” there? From here you have wonderful views of the bay and the old town of Havana. In addition, it is also not too far to the fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña, as well as the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro with its lighthouse. After that you could join the famous cannon shot ceremony at 21 o’clock later in the evening.
Overnight stay in hotel Melia Habana (or equivalent alternative hotel) in Havana with breakfast.
Today you will leave the capital of Cuba again, however, this time not by land, but with the airplane. With a domestic flight (airport transfers included) you will fly to the south coast of Cuba, where the island of Cayo Largo del Sur is located. On Cayo Largo you will spend a wonderful beach holiday for the next few days where you can relax and enjoy. For the duration of the stay, you’ll be accommodated in the hotel Sol Club Cayo Largo (or equivalent alternative hotel), a great 4-star hotel with direct access to the beach.
Enjoy the time with sun, sand, sea and more - over a small bridge at the hotel you can get directly to the beach, where you can enjoy a beach holiday to the full. Of course, also there are many other amenities of the hotel waiting to be discovered by you, like various sports (tennis, billiards, bowling, darts, table tennis and many more, also water sports such as diving, fishing, windsurfing and wellness oases.
Stay in hotel Sol Club Cayo Largo (or equivalent alternative hotel) with All Inclusive service.
Today the beach holiday on Cayo Largo ends. With a transfer you will be brought from the hotel to the airport, from there starts the return flight to the Cuban capital.
Once there you will take the further transfer to Havana, where you will spend the last night of this trip.
Overnight stay in hotel Melia Habana (or equivalent alternative hotel) in Havana with breakfast.
Today, the Discovery travel combination comes to an end. After these 13 interesting days the breakfast and a timely transfer to a possible return flight to Europe from the airport Havana are still on the program. Optionally you can also book a transfer to a return flight from Varadero.
But the end of the journey does not necessarily mean that your stay in Cuba has ended! If desired, you can extend your stay and book an additional language course, dance class, theme tours and many other options. Just share your ideas with us!
Our services include:
Not included in the price:
Changes in the program due to short term reasons:
The program sequence and / or the hotel services can be modified, for example, for technical reasons or weather conditions at short term but without a reduction of the overall travel services. For us, it is a matter of course that we will put all our efforts in providing at least an equivalent replacement for you.
Casas particulares in Cuba
In the middle of Havana and Trinidad there are a number of typical private pensions, so-called casas particulares. From there it is possible to reach most of the places of interest of Havana Vieja and Trinidad within a walking distance.
The rooms in casas particulares are, due to the typical colonial architecture, opened mostly to the patio (courtyard). Especially in the hot summer months this helps to achieve some cooling. Of course, the rooms also have air conditioning and / or fan to enhance this effect further.
But this also means that a room with its own window and with a view is rather an exception. Due to the close buildings in the old town, this would mean at the same time a loss of privacy.
The rooms in these casas particulares, which are in good condition, also have a private bathroom or shower / WC with hot and cold water. The beds have good mattresses. Bed linen and towels are provided by the Casa Particular.
Most of the times, the rooms have a refrigerator. If this is not the case, then there is at least the possibility to use the house fridge.
Unfortunately, few triple rooms are available and only few beds for children: The booking of these rooms can be made only on request!
The owner or administrator of the casas particulares show a clear focus on service and professionalism. They have several years of rental experience in which they have proven their reliability. Your hosts at least have knowledge of English (sometimes also other languages), so that you don’t require any Spanish skills for the communication.
The casas particulares have a typical Cuban attractive reception room often used as a community living and/or dining room. This is usually the living room of the owner / operator of the Casa Particular. In general, there are 2 or 3 rooms that are offered for rent, so you can also meet other travelers here in these private pensions.
Sockets and electrical systems are placed in a good, typical local condition - Please note: The standard voltage in Cuba are 110 volts with North American plug standard (it is recommended to bring an appropriate plug adapter). In some casas particulares 220 volt connections are available.
An open word to the Cuban private pensions
The Accommodation in private pensions is an absolutely recommendable alternative to hotel accommodation – especially for those who really want to get in touch with the country and its people. Through the contact with the owners you can also obtain some insights into the Cuban daily life in a way that is otherwise scarcely possible. The Casa-hosts are all very concerned about their guests and provide a dedicated service which is usually above the level of service of low-priced local hotels. Of course you can also get many hints from your host for the ventures on your own – first-hand inside hints.
On the other hand, however, it is also important to know that your hosts are private individuals and no hoteliers - and that these private houses are in a developing country and no hotels with an international standard. So you have to expect that possibly once may precipitate the current (no back-up generators) or that the hot water or the air conditioning does not work (the procurement of spare parts turns out difficult many times). These are of course exceptions and your hosts will try hard to find a solution as quickly as possible.
It is also important to know that the building regulations, among other things, are not comparable with European standards. Stairs, railings and balconies, for example, do not have any minimum heights. For electrical installations there is usually neither a protective conductor nor a "protection" at bath installations - This is typical for the country (and applies also to many hotels). This should be considered when booking with children or for example when using your own electrical equipment.
When having overnight stays in private pensions you are naturally also involved in the Cuban life environment. Many of our guests want to travel just like that. This means, however, that according to the Cuban mentality sometimes, for example, a family celebration can take place or a baseball game may be seen with audible enthusiasm. This means it may therefore happen sometimes that it becomes a little louder .... but on the other side you will probably be invited to join them.
IMPORTANT / booking casas particulares - Liability
To meet the demand of our travel guests for private pensions in old Havana and Trinidad, we have organized a "pool" of several Casas that allows us to offer you an adequate accommodation in pleasant surroundings, also in the heavily loaded high season periods. We know personally all Casas and their operators. The Casas are visited by us routinely in our visits to Cuba to verify the quality, cleanliness, equipment, condition and as far as our knowledge allows it the quality of the facilities (water, electricity, etc.).
We ask for your understanding that we just ARRANGE for you the stay in the Casa particular - this means that we care as an intermediary for the entire booking process – however you enter into a direct agreement with the owners of the private pension. This applies particularly if more travel components such as a round trip, dance class or excursions are booked with us. Even in these cases we just act as the mediators for the accommodation.
With the booking of a Casa Particular, you accept this agreement.