Cuba Explorer popular tour Havana Extravaganza for Americans
Tour
days

Hemingway's Cuba tour

Experience the Tropicana dance show
Visit humanitarian projects in Havana
Relax on Havana’s eastern beaches
Cruise in 1950s American classic cars
Ride in bicycle taxis and coconut cabs
Visit Ernest Hemingway’s house
Cuban cooking lesson by master chefs
Curated history and art museum visits
Afrocuban and community projects
Tour Old Havana World Heritage sites

Havana extravaganza tour overview

Havana extravaganza is the trip thousands of Americans have picked to witness authentic Cuba. It’s our most popular and affordable tour.

You will stay in the four star-plus NH Capri hotel. Its glamorous 1950s Las Vegas-inspired roots shine brightly today in comfort and amenities. The Capri’s Salon Rojo club was a favorite nightspot for global heartthrob actor Errol Flynn. Capri’s hallmarks are: caring staff, central location, and excellent WiFi.

Wow factors. Hear music on the streets and feel it at the gala Tropicana floor show. Taste unique delicacies of Cuban cuisine. Swim in the warm, clean waters of Caribbean Sea. Discover heart-warming humanitarian projects in Old Havana. Ogle fantastic architecture and art. Behold kind effusive Cubans eager to connect with Americans.

Habana mi amor. On this tour, you’ll see and do a little bit of everything. It provides an up-close slice of Cuba life and culture. Geared to explorers, adventurers and sojourners seeking new encounters, and insights on humanity. It’s the ideal way for first-time visitors to learn about island society, or for returning guests who can’t get enough of Cuba.

Hemingway's Cuba tour map

Cuba is big. It’s larger than Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont combined.

Cities and provinces you’ll visit

Day 1 – Saturday :: Arrival Cuba, welcome dinner and Old Havana

  • Depart to Havana via your arranged flights.
    You should plan arriving Havana by early afternoon. It will take you about 2 hours to clear Cuban immigration, get your bag and go through customs. You will be met in the arrival hall, after clearing customs, by our Cuban representative holding a ‘Cuba Explore’ sign to take you to your hotel. They will have your name and will be monitoring your flight arrival in case there is a delay. We will send you your guide’s name and photo closer to your departure from the States. Your first tour activity will be dinner and your guide will finalize details with you. On departure from Cuba you will be asked to be at the airport 3 hours in advance.
  • Arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport. Proceed through Immigration, collect your bags and go through Customs, giving them your blue customs form. Participant’s arrival times will vary throughout the day. Airport transfers will be arranged for each flight of arriving participants.
  • Havana’s International Airport arrival hall does have bathrooms. They may not have seats or tissue. This is normal in Cuba, so you may wish to bring packets of tissues. It is suggested to use the restroom on the flight before landing.
  • Give your ‘Health’ forms to the nurses in white uniforms after you go through immigration & screening. The important question they will ask is if you have been in Africa and exposed to Ebola.
  • You will be welcomed at the airport exterior lobby by your guide after you exit Cuban customs. Look for signage of “Cuba Explorer.” They will have your flight number and arrival time and will be waiting for you.
    Quote from Lonely Planet: “No one could have invented Havana. It’s too audacious, too contradictory and – despite 50 years of withering neglect – too damned beautiful. How it does it is anyone’s guess. Maybe it’s the swashbuckling history still almost perceptible in atmospheric colonial streets; the survivalist spirit of a populace scarred by two independence wars, a revolution and a US trade embargo; or the indefatigable salsa energy that ricochets off walls and emanates most emphatically from the people. Don’t come here with a long list of questions. Just arrive with an open mind and prepare for a long, slow seduction.”
  • Victoria Hotel Havana check in with assistance from your guide. The Victoria was built in 1928 and is in the heart of today’s Vedado action. (Included)
  • Free time to settle in and get oriented with your historic hotel.
  • Visit La Bodeguita del Medio where legend has it as the birthplace of the mojito in 1942. Though the authenticity of the framed inscription that reads “My mojito in La Bodeguita, My daiquiri in El Floridita” autographed by Ernest Hemingway is questioned as it hangs proudly behind the bar. (Included)
  • Enjoy a welcome dinner at Floridita Restaurante, adjacent to one of the most famous bars in the world. It is the cradle of the Daquiri and homage to Ernest Hemingway. He frequented the bar, which is at the end of Calle Obispo (Bishop Street), a short walk from the Hotel Ambos Mundos where he maintained a room from 1932–1939. Hemingway's children also noted that in the early 1940s Hemingway and his wife Mary continued to drive from their house Finca Vigia outside Havana to the Floridita for drinks. The restaurant is of international class, located in the round room, adjoining the bar. (Included)
  • Evening walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will visit the historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture. This is a private tour led by your Cuba Tours’ guide. (Included)
  • As you stroll through the historic cobblestone streets, you will also see the area Ernest Hemingway would walk when he stayed in Old Habana.
  • Visit the cigar shop at the Conde de Villanueva boutique hotel, probably the best cigar shop in Old Havana, hidden on the colonial mezzanine. Cigar aficionados can enjoy the colonial patio with its rich vegetation, mahogany rocking chairs and peacocks. The building was the mansion of Claudio Martínez de Pinillos, Count of Villanueva, leader of the creole Havana society in the 19th century. (Included)
  • Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana, was built by the Jesuit order.
  • Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as:
    Palacio de los Capitanes Generales is the former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City.
    Palacio del Segundo Cabo (Palace of the Second Lieutenant) dates from 1770. Today it houses the Center for the Interpretation of Cultural Relations Cuba-Europe.
  • See the Museum of Chocolate, a small shop with intriguing artifacts relating to the history of chocolate production in Cuba.
  • You will continue on to San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter. The square is named after magnificent Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asís dating from the 16th century. The basilica is a striking example of Cuban baroque architecture.
  • Then on to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings and is in contrast surrounded by opulent aristocratic 17th century residences.
  • After the walk: Your guide will let you know some evening entertainment options for your personal exploring.

Day 2 – Sunday :: Hemingway scholar, Hemingway by the sea, organic gardening, private cooking lesson and Hemingway’s home

  • Breakfast in hotel. (Included)
  • Travel to Cojímar, a small fishing village approximately 7 miles east of Havana. It was Ernest Hemingway’s favorite fishing port in Cuba and the basis for Old Man and the Sea. This is the harbor where Hemingway’s boat Pilar was moored and where Papa and Gregorio would depart to marlin fish or hunt German Submarines. On water’s edge see Hemingway’s bust made from metal, donated by the local fishermen, and get photos in front of the 17th century Spanish Lookout Fort. (Included)
  • Visit the small organic garden of Jesus and Julio where they show you how herbs, vegetables and fruits are raised for the private restaurant where you will be cooking later. Up close see mangos, bananas, plantains, squash, avocado, coffee and maybe even the Cuban Bee Hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world, endemic to Cuba. See how organic gardening in a residential neighborhood produces private income and supplies a local business. (Included)
  • TOUR HIGHLIGHT: Cooking & mojito making lesson at paladar (private restaurant) El Ajiaco followed by lunch, which you helped prepare. This is a unique experience; in the kitchen, with the chef and staff preparing multiple dishes (lobster, ropa vieja & el ajiaco soup) and then at the bar learning how to properly prepare a Cuban mojito. Humble paladar, but visited by food networks from around the world and a number of notable celebrities such as Kevin Bacon and Sigourney Weaver. (Included)
  • Much of the inspiration for The Old Man and the Sea came from Hemingway's time in Cojimar. La Terraza is a fisherman’s bar on the Bay of Cojimar where Hemingway docked his boat, Pilar. The bar is where he spent many an afternoon drinking with the fishermen, one being Gregorio Fuentes, the Captain of Pilar. Many believe him to be the model for the character Santiago—the old man of the sea. Some say the young boy in the story, Manolo, was based on the young son of the owner of La Terraza, Manolito.
  • Visit Finca La Vigía, home and farm of Ernest Hemingway, 10 miles west of Havana in the town of San Francisco de Paula. He lived longer in his Cuba residence than any of his other homes. It was here he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature and wrote portions of A Moveable Feast, For Whom the Bell Tolls and much of The Old Man and the Sea, among other compositions. This unique National Museum also includes his boat Pilar (made famous, in part, from Papa’s Marlin fishing and hunting German submarines off the north coast of Cuba) and the graves of some of his dogs. The fully furnished home displays his library, manuscripts and personal effects which you will be able to see. (Included)
  • Return to hotel.
  • Dinner (Not included). Evening is free to visit the vibrant plazas of Old Havana. Visit one of the many cafes within easy walking distance of your hotel for a snack or dinner.
  • Your hotel location puts you in a comfortable and easy walk to live music, cafes and coffee shops. Your guide will be of help to let you know about local entertainment options.

Day 3 – Monday :: Valley of magnificent mogotes and the richest agriculture land in the nation, cigar factory and meals in country-side paladares

  • Breakfast in hotel. (Included)
  • Hotel check-out.
  • Morning departure to the western agricultural province of Pinar del Río.
  • In route you will have a discussion with your Cuban guide about the distribution of food to restaurants (lobster), the slaughter of the cattle and the food ration book for Cuban citizens.
  • In Pinar del Rio visit and tour Francisco Donatién Cigar Factory, located in a former prison and on this site since 1961. You will see how some of Cuba’s internationally renowned premium cigars are made, by hand. Seated side by side at special wooden benches, the cigar makers carry out their work, producing cigars of identical weight and length. (Included)
  • Drive through the picturesque Viñales village in the heart of Cuba's prime tobacco growing region. The town itself sits in the center of a flat valley surrounded by stunning formations known locally as mogotes. They are irregularly shaped steep-sided hills that can rise as high as 985 feet and have bases as much as a mile in length. The mogotes were once underwater and during the Jurassic Age, about 200 million years ago, they were the first formations to emerge from the Atlantic Ocean during the creation of Cuba. Many consider this the most beautiful nature spot on the island.
  • Late lunch at private restaurant Balcón del Valle (Balcony of the Valley and you will see why when you get there), one of the most spectacular views of the entire trip. (Included) You will have the opportunity to visit the kitchen, chat with the cooks preparing food over charcoal fire and see the hog pens in the back; it is rustic and wonderful.
  • Visit a small local grocery store so you may see some of what locals may purchase and an opportunity for you to get additional bottled water, rum, coffee and snacks. (Included)
  • Check into the newest Hotel in Vinales. Hotel Central is in the heart of the small colonial town and its privileged location allows easy access to the main square.
  • Private check-in with assistance from your guide.
  • ENJOYABLE EVENING AT, SMALL, LOCAL PALADAR: Dinner at a small local paladar El Campesino, located on the edge of a tobacco field with the mogotes as a backdrop. Meet Yuri and Nino, daughter and mother owners who live on site with their families. Enjoy a wonderful meal of Cuban country-style cooking from the kitchen supervised by the mother Nino. (Included)
  • TOUR HIGHLIGHT: Have a roof top personal discussion with Yuri about libraries and the availability of books. Additional conversation on what it is like for a young mother raising a family and running a small business, paladar (private restaurant) and renting out a few rooms in a rural, vibrant, community. (Included)

Day 4 – Tuesday :: Viñales activities, organic meal and tobacco farming

  • Breakfast in hotel. (Included)
  • Morning (Optional) Activities: horseback riding in the valley of the National Park (highly recommended). Visit the open air craft market a few blocks from your hotel, amongst the brightly colored buildings, shops and church. Experience small town Cuba.
  • Return to hotel to freshen up.
  • Lunch at Finca Agro-ecológica El Paraíso (be sure you get a special drink ‘Anti-Stress’ blended from fresh grown organic herbs). Other than the seafood and beef, all of the food you will enjoy at lunch will have been grown on the Finca (farm). (Included)
  • Walk the grounds of Finca and see how the family claimed part of a rocky mountain side to grow vegetables and herbs organically. See a cashew tree. Enjoy the outstanding view of the valley. (Included)
  • Visit a privately owned small tobacco farm that produces the leaves for the world-renowned Cuban cigar. You will need to walk part of the way for horse or oxen are the only other means of transportation. Meet the owners, third generation women who run the small farm. You will have a personal demonstration of hand rolling a Habano cigar and discuss with the ladies about the government oversight of the tobacco production and sales. Learn the Cuban government’s process for pricing and delivery of the leaves. (Included) You may purchase excellent hand rolled cigars that the three generations of women in the family prepare in the evenings. (Optional)
  • Return to hotel.
  • Dinner (Not included). Evening is free to take a stroll in the colorful small town of Vinales, all at the doorstep of your hotel. There are several privately owned restaurants and cafes in close walking distance to choose from.

Day 5 – Wednesday ::  Havana return, Museum of rum, arts and crafts market

  • Breakfast in hotel. (Included)
  • Hotel check-out.
  • Lunch, to-go sandwiches, will be provided on the coach ride and hosted by GRTC Leaders, in order to save time on the return to Havana. (Included)
  • Visit the Museum of Rum. An important cultural site where historians affirmed it was built in the 17th century (1772-1780). Your guide will show you all the steps in the manufacture of the original Cuban rum. The explanation goes from the raw material in the sugar cane field, history, slavery and up to today’s distribution. In conclusion you will enjoy a toast with Havana Club Rum in the tasting bar. (Included)
  • Visit Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes de Depósito San José, a giant craft market offering some of the most iconic objects of Havana: garish-colored paintings by local artists, guayaberas (short-sleeve, open-neck Cuban shirts), sculptures, leather, jewelry, and various trinkets & gadgets bearing the image of Che Guevara. The souvenirs are high quality, which is why you will see as many locals as tourists among the shoppers. The metal-framed structure itself, an old, fully renovated maritime warehouse, very retro and Art Deco, is worth the visit alone. (Included)
  • Hotel Nacional check-in; relaxing time to visit the garden, walk the site depicted in the Godfather Part II movie, enjoy a cigar, a mojito or have a rest on the veranda where some of the world’s most interesting personalities’ have taken a break while the winds from the Straits of Florida breeze by.
    At the Hotel Nacional and at your leisure, stroll by cannons of battles from the 1800’s and visit the bunkers used during the Cuban Missile Crisis, built overlooking the Malecon and the Straits of Florida to Key West. For 13 days in October 1962 the world hinged on the brink of a nuclear war. The epicenter of the conflict was on the island you will be standing. Diplomatic understandings were formulated, treaties were contemplated, blockades occurred, embargoes were strengthened and international legal precedent was challenged. You may go through the bunkers and trenches and be briefed on the happenings of that complex time. (Included)
  • Dinner (Not included). This is a perfect evening to explore Cuba’s famed paladares or visit one of the many cafes within easy walking distance of your hotel.
  • Evening is free to enjoy the jazz clubs in the area, relax in the garden of Hotel National or enjoy a Cuba Libra.

Day 6 – Thursday ::  A presentation of Hemingways life, Club Havana-private club, vintage american cars, farewell dinner and last night in Havana

  • Breakfast in hotel. (Included)
  • Morning presentation by a recognized Hemingway scholar on his life in Cuba and his works based on Cuban experiences and places. The discussion will take place in a private lounge at the Hotel Florida on Calle Obispo, not far from where Hemingway stayed before buying Finca Vigia. This is the street he would walk to get to his favorite drinking establishments. (Included)
  • Visit Hotel Ambos Mundos located in heart of Havana’s Old City. This historic hotel was home to Ernest Hemingway from 1932-1939 in Room 511 from where he worked on his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. (Included)
  • Visit Club Havana, a private membership club on the Straits of Florida for dignitaries, foreign diplomats, correspondents and affluent locals. The 1928 mansion once housed the Havana Biltmore Yacht & Country Club.
    The club attained further notoriety when it denied entry to Dictator Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s because he was ‘black.’ Fidel Castro had dinner there 30 years later; it is one of the few places where he dined in public.
  • Lunch at Club Havana. (Included)
  • Return to Hotel Nacional.
  • This evening you will have the opportunity to caravan in iconic 1950’s Vintage American cars, a fascinating experience of nostalgia. You will cruise the Malecon (Seawall), stop for photos and be dropped off for dinner. (Included)
  • Farewell dinner at the paladar La Casa, private restaurant, one of the earliest established in Cuba and still in the original home. (Included)
  • Evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city. It is your last night in Cuba so enjoy.

Day 7 – Friday ::  Havana and home

  • Breakfast in hotel. (Included)
  • Hotel check-out.
  • Transfer to José Martí International Airport in Havana for flight home. (Included)
  • You need to be at your departure airport 3 hours before takeoff. Please prepare accordingly. Your guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel.
  • After you clear Cuban Immigration, you will be screened and your carry on will be scanned. In the departure hall there is a duty free shop, places to buy snacks and drinks, as well as souvenirs, so you may want to have some Cuban Currency (CUC). There is a currency exchange in the departure hall (1) if it is open and (2) if they have USD $ to exchange for you. They do not take CUC coins.
  • When arriving to your U.S. entry airport you will need to clear U.S. Immigration and U.S. Customs. If questioned by an Immigration Officer about your trip to Cuba, note that you were on a sanctioned Tour of “People to People Activities.” If asked what that is, tell the truth and explain it was an opportunity to directly engage with Cuban people, learn about their life and country. To be clear: You were not on a vacation.
  • Memories of a wonderful visit to the Pearl of the Antilles: Cuba! (Included)
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.
Cuba travel is a challenge. Our staff and Cuban partners work hard to make your tour unfold seamlessly. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Flexible travelers understand this is part of their Cuban adventure in support for the Cuban people.

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Included in Cuba tour package cost

Tasty meals included each tour day

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Not included