Havana Experiential

Day 1

Arrive at La Habana’s Jose Marti Airport. Following, sit back in your vintage chauffeured convertible and embark on a panoramic Instagram-worthy tour of Havana: Plaza de La Revolución (Revolution Plaza), Colon Cemetery, El Bosque de la Habana (Havana’s Forest), 5ta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) and the famous seawall El Malecon.

Then enjoy a 2-hour walking tour of La Habana Vieja (Old Havana) with our Havana expert, Alejandro.

Afterwards, we will have lunch at Cafe Solas-Cafe De Los Artistas; “the Artist’s Cafe” a fabulous paladar tucked away in Old Havana with a great rooftop terrace and a film inspired interior. The owners are very welcoming and are known for their contemporary twists on Cuban dishes and their seafood.

Next, we will take a tour of the newly restored Capitolio (National Capitol Building), a new La Habana Must See. Although its design is often compared to the United States Capitol, it is not a replica. It is a meter higher, a meter wider, and a meter longer, as well as much richer in detail.

Next, enjoy shopping in Old Havana.

This evening we will dine at Café Laurent; don’t judge a book by its cover; the antique elevator of this ramshackle building takes you up to a stylish modernist dining room on the fourth floor where Chef Dayron Avilés Alfonso’s Spanish-influenced menu excels in seafood. The ‘50s furniture and newspaper cuttings lend the place a retro vibe, while the balcony reveals gorgeous views over Havana’s Vedado neighborhood and the sea.

After dinner, enjoy live Cuban Jazz at La Zorra y el Cuervo.

Day 2

After breakfast we will take a salsa dance class (later tonight your instructors will meet you at a salsa night club for a night of dancing).

Afterwards, we will visit The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts), a fascinating art museum located in two buildings next to the famous Martí Promenade in the center of Havana. Its main goals are to restore, preserve, and promote works belonging to the heritage of Cuba. It has 24 rooms exhibiting ancient art collections, rooms dedicated to masters in every epoch, as well as rooms with temporary exhibitions.

Later, we’ll have Lunch at Esto No Es Un Cafe (“This IS Not a Cafe”). This pretty courtyard café offers delightful food, an uber nice staff and delicious cocktails.

Following we will visit the outdoor exhibit of El Museo de la Revolución (The Museum of the Revolution). A shrine to Cuban sovereignty.

Then, we will experience 331 Art Space. A renovated 1941 mansion, spare and modern now, is the work and display space for three young artists — Frank Mujica, Alex Hernández and Adrián Fernández — whose styles range from intimate drawings to large-scale prints and mixed media.

This evening we will dine at Otramanera (“another way”). An artist and sommelier couple relocated from the Costa Brava to launch this fine dining paladar, nodding to their roots with the Spanish-Cuban fusion menu. Sommelier Alvaro Diez keeps a stellar wine selection. The menu uses organic goodies from a local farmer. One of the stylish new players in Havana’s private paladar scene, Otramanera offers seating in its minimalist interior or out in its tropical garden.

After dinner meet up with your salsa dancing instructors at Café Cantante Mi Habana, a nightspot for live music and salsa dancing.

Day 3

After breakfast we will head to Santa Maria beach for a half day of sun and fun. Lunch will be served picnic style on the beach.

Next, we will pay a visit to El Museo del Ron Havana Club (Havana Club Rum Museum). Here you can learn about the history of Cuba’s rum and explore the rum-making process, from freshly cut sugar cane to the distillery and aging warehouses. The tour ends in the tasting room where you can indulge in Cuban rum’s colors, aromas and flavors.

At sunset we will have cocktails on the rooftop of the beautiful Hotel Royalton Paseo del Prado.

Followed by dinner at Tierra. This paladar is built in shipping containers and is wildly popular and serves fine dishes from Latin America and the world. After dinner, walk downstairs and visit La Fabrica de Arte Cubano, listed by Time Magazine as one of the world’s 100 greatest places to visit. Created by Cuban rocker X Alfonso in 2014, the cooking-oil factory turned community project has quickly become the city’s buzzy creative hub. Within the cavernous warehouse’s refurbished walls, you’ll find galleries, performance-art spaces and a dance floor that’s home to the capital’s most captivating movers and shakers.

Day 4

This morning enjoy a tour of the Museo Del Automovil (the Automobile Museum). Despite Havana being the greatest free open air classic car show in the world, it is still worth checking out this little museum in Havana Vieja. There are only around 30 vehicles on display and they are mainly in an unrestored state which is rare to see nowadays.

Followed by lunch at Antojos, an unexpected hidden gem. The vibe is great and the atmosphere is spectacular. The drinks, especially their mojitos (made with basil) are terrific. But visitors come for the best authentic Cuban food in all Havana!

Then check out of your accommodations. Return to Jose Marti Airport for your flight home.