Arrival at "Jose Marti" International Airport in Havana City.

You are welcomed by your Cuban guide and bus driver for the entire tour.

We check in to your luxury accomodation either at a Casa Particular or at the Quinta Avenida Hotel and unwind for the remainder of the evening. Your guide will provide you with Cuba travel tips and overall orientation during the 20 minute bus ride to your accomodation. Please, take notice of the location of your hotel’s restaurants and other amenities, and remember that breakfast is complimentary on daily basis.

Private group check-in.

Breakfast is complimentary from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Morning: guided walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Old Havana.

Visit to the Cathedral Square, named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.

The Cathedral's baroque facade is simultaneously intimate and imposing, and one of the two towers is visibly larger, creating a pleasing asymmetry. As with many churches in the city, the building material of Havana Cathedral includes coral, cut and hauled from the edge of the sea by slaves. Look carefully and you'll see fossils of marine flora and fauna in the stone of the cathedral.

Visit to Square of Arms, ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers and surrounded by impressive buildings such as:

Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the former official residence of the governors (Captains General) of Havana, Cuba. It is home to the Museum of the City of Havana. It houses exhibitions of art and historical artefacts and many of the rooms are preserved with their original Colonial decoration.

Palacio del Segundo Cabo. The seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns.

Castillo de la Real Fuerza. The second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies. The castle was recently renovated and reopened in June 2008 to hold the impressive maritime museum. Well laid out exhibits chart Spain and Cuba's naval history.

Welcome Lunch: a new wave of paladares (privately-owned restaurants) has recently swept the Cuban dining scene offering excellent food and charming ambient. Today we’ll enjoy a welcome lunch at the stylish Paladar San Cristobal, one of Havana's top ten private restaurants.

Continue walking tour onto San Francisco Square, named after the Convent of San Francisco, this square was conceived in 1628, with the objective of supplying water to the ships trading with the metropolis. For many years it also served to stockpile the goods arriving from the harbor. Chronicles of the time say that the square had a busy commercial life. The people, in humble carts or afoot, sold and bought a variety of goods. It’s important to know that through this place the Spanish immigrants arrived to Cuba.

Visit to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Notice it doesn't have a church or government building around. Here we will visit important institutions for visual arts.

Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana, located inside the Almacenes de Depósito San José, an old warehouse on the harbourside where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.

Followed by participation in the 32nd International Book Fair of Havana 2024 at La Cabana Fortress, seat of the book fair (free time to explore the exhibition pavillions on your own). Exchange with local exhibitors, publishers and writers and participate in programmed activities.

Return to your private rental accomodation.

Evening: tonight we have a Cuban band playing for us! We learn how to play and dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba, and other popular Cuban rhythms. Morning: visit to José Martí National Library to learn about Cuba's library system. Meet with the director and other important librarians.

Followed by visit to Memorial Jose Marti at the Square of the Revolution to learn more about the life of Cuba's National Hero.

A new wave of paladares (private family-run restaurants) has recently swept the Cuban dining scene offering excellent food and charming ambient. Today we’ll enjoy lunch at the stylish Paladar Cafe Laurent at the penthouse terrace of a small 1950s apartment building.

Afternoon: participation in the 32nd International Book Fair of Havana 2024 at La Cabana Fortress, seat of the book fair (free time to explore the exhibition pavillions on your own). Exchange with local exhibitors, publishers and writers and participate in programmed activities.

Evening: enjoy Afrojazz, Cubajazz and Sonjazz at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo, Havana’s most famous Jazz club. The club features great performances by island bands and soloists! (optional, not included). Morning: day trip to Matanzas City, also known as the Venice of Cuba and the city of bridges of which there are seventeen crossing the three rivers that traverse the city (over Yumuri, San Juan, and Canimar rivers). It is also known as "La Atenas de Cuba (the Athens of Cuba)" for its wealth of poets.

Rest stop in Bacunayagua Bridge for a Piña Colada and enjoy the view over the highest bridge (110 mts) in Cuba, one of the marvels of Cuban post- revolutionary architecture.

Visit to Ediciones Vigia, a unique publishing house that produces handmade paper and first edition copies of books. Only 200 copies of each book are made so each is a collector’s item. Meet with director, publishers and artists.

Lunch at Paladar Amelia del Mar, serving amazing seafood dishes presented in a very colorful and artistic way!

Afternoon: continue on bus ride to Cienfuegos city. Cienfuegos is the first, and an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble representing the new ideas of modernity, hygiene and order in urban planning as developed in Latin America from the 19th century.

Guided walking tour of Cienfuegos Historical Center.

The colonial town of Cienfuegos was founded in 1819 in the Spanish territory but was initially settled by immigrants of French origin. Situated on the Caribbean coast of southern-central Cuba at the heart of the country’s sugar cane, mango, tobacco and coffee production area, it became a trading place for sugar cane, tobacco and coffee in the region.

We will visit neoclassical buildings around Paseo del Prado and the main Square Jose Marti such as:

The Tomas Terry Theatre, completed in 1895 and named after a sugar baron from Venezuela who arrived in Cuba with no money and made his fortune by buying sick slaves for a low price, to later nurse them back to health and reselling them. This money was invested in a sugar estate that brought him the wealth to build several outstanding buildings in Cienfuegos, including this theatre, with materials specially brought over from Europe.

The Casa de la Cultura, home of another wealthy sugar baron, stunning mansion in neoclassical style.

The Cathedral built with the donation of wealthy families like the Lebrancs, the Albis, the Terrys. Inside you find the reproductions of the 12 Apostles in stained glass imported from Paris. Also the original machinery of the clock tower was built in France. Still in place and working.

We'll also visit the elegant art gallery Galería de Arte Maroya and review its impressively displayed collection of paintings, sculptures and antiques.

Check in at your Luxury Casa Particular. Dinner at your private rental accomodation. Morning: Embark on a day trip to nearby Trinidad city, an outstanding example of a colonial city.

Trinidad has maintained its historic core, featuring the highest percentage of surviving antique buildings and public squares and bringing together architectural, historic and cultural elements of great value.

Guided walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Trinidad’s Historical Center.

Visit to the Architecture Museum (Casa de los Sanchez Iznaga), housing the most representative samples of the city's architectural development in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Visit to Museo Lucha contra Bandidos, former home of the San Francisco de Asis convent.

Visit to Museo Romantico, overlooking the Trinidad main square. It has an excellent exhibition of romantic style porcelain, glass, paintings and decorative furniture which belonged to the Conde de Brunet and other Trinidad notorious families.

Visit the mirador (lookout) over the Sugar Mill Valley, designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1988. It constitutes a sort of triangular plain covering some 250 square kilometers and includes the San Luis, Agabama-Meyer and Santa Rosa valleys, besides the coastal plain of the south delta of the Manati River.

Lunch at Paladar Solananda.

Trinidad is well known for its pottery makers. We meet with a family that has been passing the tradition for generations: the Santanders.

Return to Cienfuegos.

Evening is free to enjoy the hotel amenities and the lively streets of Cienfuegos. How about live Cuban popular music on steps of Casa de la Música– a great opportunity to dance with Cubans and your tour companions. Morning: meeting with representatives of ASCUBI (Cuban Association of Librarians) in the city of Cienfuegos. Visit to Cienfuegos provincial library.

Visit to Palacio de Valle. This architectural jewel originated as a home for trader, Celestino Caceres, who later gave it as a wedding present to the Valle family who added to it (in a Mughal Style with carved floral motifs) a stunning Carrara marble staircase, cupped arches, bulbous domes and delicate arabesques.

Lunch is included at Paladar Ache, one of Cienfuegos top ten private restaurants, serving local specialties in a pleasant courtyard.

Afternoon: transfer back to Havana city. Morning: visit to the University of Havana, founded in 1728. Followed by a tour of the University of Havana campus and library.

Afterward we will visit Casa de Las Americas, founded in 1959 by Haydée Santamaría (1923-1980) who was its President until her death, followed by Mariano Rodriguez (1912-1990) and currently (since 1986) presided over by Roberto Fernández Retamar, the Casa de las Américas promotes, researches, supports, awards and publishes the work of writers, sculptors, musicians, and other artists and students of literature and the arts. It awards the Casa de las Américas prize.

Lunch break (optional, not included).

Afternoon: visit to the Literacy Museum in the Liberty City neighbourhood of Havana.

Meeting with museum director Luisa Campos for an introduction on the history of the literacy campaign and the new literacy campaigns taking place in Venezuela, Bolivia and other regions based on the Cuban Campaign model.

Followed by exploration at La Cabana Fortress, seat of the International Fair of Havana. Exchange with local exhibitors, publishers and writers and participate in programmed activities.

Evening: attend one of the most traditional and popular ceremonies in Cuba, the Fire of the 9 O'Clock Cannon at the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana. Early morning departure to Havana City International Airport for departure.