A 7 DAY CLASSIC

ITINERARY
AROUND CUBA

M Y A D V E N T U R E S A C R O S S T H E W O R L D
A 7 DAY CLASSIC ITINERARY AROUND CUBA

Day 1
Arrival in Havana, transfer to your casa particular. In the afternoon, a

vintage car tour of Havana.

TRANSPORTATION
Book your transfer from the airport to your casa clicking here.

ACTIVITIES
Recommended tour: 2 hour classic American car tour.

EXTRA
Make sure you catch the sunset on the Malecon. It’s a great place to

observe some local action, and breathe the marine breeze.

ACCOMMODATION
Havana Vieja is the heart of the old city, so places to stay here are

bound to be walking distance to everything. Vedado is more

residencial and quieter, but very nice as well, and close to the

Malecon. You’d probably have to haul a taxi from there to get to

Havana Vieja where all the action is, or else walk along the Malecon

to reach Havana Vieja.

Good casas particulares in Havana:

• Casa Particular Mirador Bahia de la Habana – in Havana Vieja;

• Casa Morro 1926 – in Havana Vieja;

Day 2

ACTIVITIES
Day time:

You can opt to explore the city by yourself, or do a guided tour.

Should you opt for a guided tour, here’s a selection:

• Private tour with a local – upon booking, you can decide how long

of a tour you want. It is up to you what you prefer. You may get

bored being guided for a long time, or you may find it useful to

dodge the crowds and get a good feel for the city.

Night time:

Tour of Havana and Canonazo (Cannon Ceremony). The Cannon

Ceremony takes place each day at 9:00 pm at La Fortaleza. Inside

the fort there are some nice museums and exhibits and nice shops as

well. It is a costume show / historical representation, folkloristic but

entertaining.

• Tour Havana Nights plus Cannon Shot Ceremony at 9:00 pm – this is

an evening tour! 
A 7 DAY CLASSIC ITINERARY AROUND CUBA

Day 3

TRANSPORTATION
Private tranfer to Trinidad (it is a bit more than a 4 hours drive).

Viazul buses depart at 7:00 am and at 10:45 – according to Viazul

site. Should you want to try your luck with the bus, you will have to

go to the bus station and try to reserve a seat.

If you would rather avoid the hassle of getting a bus, you can book

your transfer from Havana to Trinidad here.

ACTIVITIES
Afternoon independent visit of the city – explore the Cathedral, the

museums, the tower to get panoramic views; eat at one of the lovely

paladares in the center of the city; buy some art pieces. I also

recommend that you stop at one of the local agencies in town

(Havana Tours or Cuba Tours) to book activities for the following

day.

ACCOMMODATION
Here is a selection of good casas particulares in Trinidad:

• Casa Alejandra;
• Hostal Ileana Betancourt;
• Hostal Trinidad Maria Guadalupe.
A 7 DAY CLASSIC ITINERARY AROUND CUBA

Day 4

ACTIVITIES
Today, you have many options for things to do! You can opt to go to

the nearby beach of Playa Ancon (it’s an easy coco-taxi ride, or you

can even bike there); to tour the city and the surroundings, going to

Sugar Mill Valley, or to hike to Topes de Collantes.

Should you opt to do the hike, make sure you book it at a local

agency the day before. The hike isn’t hard – it is mostly downhill for

the first part, until you reach a beautiful waterfall with a natural pool

where you can swim (take your swimsuit and a towel). It’s uphill on

the way back.

You can book a tour of the Sugar Mill Valley here. 

Day 5

TRANSPORTATION
Private transfer to Vinales. It is more than a 6 hours drive, so be

prepared. Please note that there are no direct buses from Trinidad

to Vinales -  you’d have to change in Havana, thus increasing the

traveling time.

You can book your transfer from Trinidad to Vinales here. 

ACTIVITIES
Upon arriving in Vinales, you can go for a walk in the nice small

town, to get a feel for the local life. Vinales is nice, quiet, there are

some gorgeous fields around it.

You can also go to the information office to enquire about

activities. 

ACCOMMODATION
Here is a selection of casas particulares in Vinales:

• Casa Dra Maria Luisa;

• Casa Pomodoro;

• Casa Chechy.
A 7 DAY CLASSIC ITINERARY AROUND CUBA

Day 6

ACTIVITIES
Tour of Vinales Valley. It’s up to you how you do it! Some people

hike, others ride horses, and some prefer to bike. Either way, it is

amazing.

This is a selection of tours:

• Horseback riding through the Valley of Silence;

• Horseback riding through the Valley of Palmarito;

• Classic Vinales Valley Tour.

Alternatively, once you get to Vinales you can go to the information

office which is on the main street and ask for the various options

available. There’s bound to be more than what is online, for sure. 

Day 7

ACTIVITIES
A full day at the beach! Today is your chance to appreciate the

beauty of the Caribe. Get a transfer to Cayo Jutias and spend the

day relaxing, swimming in the clear waters, snorkeling – either bring

your gear, or go on a snorkeling expedition.

You can book your transfer to Cayo Jutias here. 

Day 8

TRANSPORTATION
Private transfer to Havana airport that you can book it here.

Depending on the time of your flight, you can decide to travel back

to Havana the night before (book the private transfer for the

evening, ie at 6:00 pm or later, once you are back from Cayo Jutias)

and spend the night in Havana.

Things to keep in mind:

1. It is possible to travel by bus in Cuba, with Viazul. However, in

recent years it got increasingly difficult to score seats – there are

simply too few buses for too many people traveling. You may be

lucky and find seats, or you may just take the hassle away and get

private transfers, which can be booked online, and you can state

your pick up point and drop off, and decide what time you want to

be picked up;

2. Remember you need a good health and travel insurance to travel

to Cuba. If you don’t already have one, you can get one here;

3. You also need a tarjeta turistica. This can usually be bought at a

good travel agency;

4. Anything is up for haggling in Cuba. Don’t ever take the first price

offered. Always state about 1/10 of the amount the locals are trying

to charge you (ie for local taxis) and start negotiating from there;

5. Beware of scams: do they tell you that a museum is closed? That is

likely a scam. Same for a restaurant. Don’t accept offers to go to a

“better restaurants” – chances are the person taking you there is

getting a good commission, and you are paying more than the price

you should be paying;

6. The best way to visit Cuba is staying in casas particulares – they

are cheaper, and nicer than hotels. But they are actual houses,

where people live. Try not to have the same expectations of a hotel!

Owners usually go above and beyond to make guests happy. They

are also excellent places to get home cooked meals;

7. Casas particulares typically have private rooms with private

bathrooms. Food is never included so you will be charged extra for

breakfast – it normally is between $3 and $7, depending on the

place. They are usually available to prepare a packed lunch if you go

out during the day, and also dinner. Portions are huge.