Tour introduction and overview of activities

Come to Cuba and experience the wild sensual island forbidden to Americans for the last half century. Imbibe in the exotic tastes, sights, sounds and aromas that have captivated adventurers, pirates and Americans since the discovery of the New World.

Witness Havana’s ancient eclectic architecture. Fool around in pulsating Afrocuban and Latin music venues. Romance Cuba’s stunning other worldly art. Reward your palate with authentic Cuban cuisine, beer and rum, and perhaps toke on the world’s best cigars.

In contrast to the lifeless Soviet satellites of bygone times, Cuba is an explosion of light, color, intellect, music, vitality and verve.

Come meet a people eager to engage with their long lost American cousins. They’ll welcome you into their lives and home they call La Habana. They are so happy America and Cuba are friends again. Come celebrate this historic reunion. We are here to help make it happen.

Imagine a nation still pristine and innocent – where strip malls, billboards, neon lights, McDonald and Starbucks are absent. One-in-ten cars are more than 60 years old. Cuba’s like a time machine with the dial set to the 1950s.

You’ll sample and savor it all during your weekend fling in Havana. Come play around and let your hair down in the Pearl of the Caribbean. You deserve it especially now that every American can come to Cuba legally.

Cuba’s big! Its land mass is 42,426 square miles – about 80 percent the size of Alabama. Cuba is nearly as large as Louisiana, and larger than Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio or Indiana. Altogether it’s bigger than Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont combined.

Day 1 – Friday :: Say hello to Cuba!

• Arrival at José Martí International Airport
• Change money into Cuban Convertible Pesos while waiting for luggage
• Meet your guide and bus driver after you exit Cuban customs
• Transfer to your hotel in the heart of Havana's entertainment district
• Hotel check-in and welcome cocktail
• Time to rest and freshen up
• Group welcome dinner with guide at renowned Restaurante El Aljibe (included)
• Attend the fabulous Buena Vista Social tour performance (men must wear shoes and pants)

Day 2 – Saturday :: Old Havana and Hemingway’s house

• Breakfast in hotel (included)
• Guided walking tour of the four historic plazas in Old Havana
• Visit the Museum of Rum
• Visit Almacenes de Depósito San José, a giant arts and crafts market
• Lunch at the private restaurant El Divino (included)
• Visit Ernest Hemingway’s Finca Vigía museum displaying his library, manuscripts and personal effects
• Return to hotel to freshen up
• Dinner at one of the best private restaurants El Ajiaco for authentic Cuban country-side cuisine (included)
• Attend El Cañonazo, the 9 PM Cannon Firing Ceremony with Cubans

Day 3 – Sunday :: Education and the arts

• Breakfast in hotel (included)
• Open discussion on "Cuban Society Today" led by a longtime member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba
• Seafood lunch at the private studio of acclaimed Cuban muralist and ceramist José Fúster described as the Picasso of the Caribbean (included)
• Return to hotel to freshen up
• Enjoy a ride in authentic 1950s American convertibles on your way to dine at the elegant Café del Oriente (included)
• Free evening to explore the city

Day 4 – Monday :: Say goodbye to Cuba – for now

• Breakfast in hotel (included)
• Transfer to Havana’s José Martí Airport
• Air departures
• Missing Cuba so much already

Cuba travel is a challenge. Our staff and Cuban partners work super hard to make your tour unfold seamlessly despite Third World conditions on the island. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Flexible travelers understand this is part of their Cuban adventure.

Tour cost based on double room occupancy (sharing a double room during tour). Cost of a single room for duration of tour is $350.

• Small group size, usually sixteen or fewer guests, never more than twenty-four
• Certificate of Legal Cuba Travel in compliance with US Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations (OFAC) section, 1 C.F.R. § 515.565(b)
• Havana airport and hotel transfers on tour start and end days
• Quality Cuban hotels
• An expert English speaking guide and tour leader throughout the program
• Modern air-conditioned bus and professional chauffeur
• Bottled water on bus
• All activities, entrance fees, services, speakers and meetings in tour itinerary
• Flexible monthly tour payment options
• Emergency telephone and internet access to America from Cuba
• Cash advances for participants facing money problems while in Cuba
• Participants become Club Cubano alumni and receive future tour discounts
• Ongoing support from our US and Cuban staff before, during and after travel

• Domestic or international flights. Please see our suggestions for commercial flights to Cuba
• Mandatory Cuban medical insurance (generally included in the cost of US flights to Cuba)
• Mandatory Cuban Visitor Visa. Purchase your Cuban Visitor Visa here
• Gratuities for tour guide, bus driver, chambermaids, restaurant staff, porters. See Cuba tipping guidelines
• We strongly recommend trip interruption and cancellation insurance. We partner with Allianz Global Assistance for Cuba travel peace of mind