We will start the day with a walking tour through the UNESCO-honored Old Havana. To immerse in Havana’s old plazas and pause here and there to admire colonial architectural heritage and moments of life, there is just no better way than touring on foot.
Plaza de Arms, the oldest of all, is where to see Grecian-style El Templete, Palacio del Segundo Cabo, and the magnificent long façade of the Cuban Baroque-style of
Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (City Museum), which you get to tour inside; the square itself is also interesting, as it has a street market where you can buy second-hand books largely about Cuban Revolution as souvenirs. At
Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, you will pass the asymmetrical San Francisco de Asis Convent, now home to the Religious Art Museum, as well as the stately office building of Lonja Del Comercio.
Plaza Vieja (Old Square) will enchant you with a historical vibe oozed from beautiful colonial buildings; here is a strange bronze statue of Viaje Fantástico - a naked woman riding a rooster - which somehow became very popular, yet of which no one knows the meaning behind. Have some learning and tasting of Cuban rum at
Museo del Ron Havana Club, before we go on to
Plaza de la Catedral, where you can behold the imposing Havana Cathedral in which Christopher Columbus’s remains were held from 1796 to 1898.
After a few minutes through the Empedrado alley, we will arrive at Ernest Hemingway’s favorite restaurant
La Bodeguita del Medio, where you will
enjoy a glass of mojito, just as the great novelist used to do when he lived in Havana. Later, we will pass through the age-old lively Obispo Boulevard and Central Park, to reach
Grand Theater of Havana and
National Capitol of Cuba, whose resplendent exteriors will impress you for sure. If today doesn’t fall on weekends, a tour around
Partagás Cigar Factory will be included.
For lunch, you are recommended to check out Restaurante 5 Sentidos, a small restaurant in Old Havana yet with big surprises in terms of both food and service. It’s so popular that you might need to reserve a seat in advance. Please remember that, whichever place you want to eat and drink at, perhaps you will want to make sure the water and ice they use are not directly from tap water - say no to diarrhea and stomachache!
This afternoon, enjoy an escorted
city tour via classic American car. Time in Havana seems to be trapped in the 1950s, before Cuba started its socialist journey and implemented restrictive economic policies on private ownership. But decades of being unable to own new cars have never kept Cubans away from the wheel. Engine goes off? They replace it with marine engine. What about broken parts? They crafted them with their own hands. Nothing is impossible in this ingenious nation. There is just one thing you need to take heed – there are no safety belts for these cars, nor is there one for the driver. If the car rolls too fast, just feel free to ask your driver to slow it down. We will drive along the
Malecón esplanade, pass by
Morro Castle and make a photo stop at
University of Havana; at
Colón Cemetery, stop to take a peek into the solemn world from outside; the tour will round off with a visit to
Revolution Square, the one where you can find the giant steel mural of Che Guevara on the façade of a governmental edifice.
After the visit, the guide and the driver will send you back to the hotel.
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Recommended Night Activities to Help You Immerse in Cuba
Is there anything more pleasant than enjoying the night cityscape over chatting and sipping cocktail at a rooftop bar? Good news - your hotel has one, and one by a pool!
If you prefer a boisterous atmosphere, head to Fort San Carlos to join a canon ceremony, which is performed every 9 pm; the fortress, stretching 700 meters (0.4 mile) long, was built by Spanish colonists to defend themselves against the British in the 18th century. The ceremony will impress you with its pomp - there will be staff dressed in fancy old-style military uniforms firing a cannon. Or, how about a Cabaret show at the world-famous Tropicana Club, watching Cuban salsa among other Latin dances under the stars and amid a lush tropical garden? Your eyes will bulge in wonder for two straight hours of dazzling dancing to lively music. The Cabaret is performed everynight Wednesday through Sunday, and a standard show ticket would cost you 75 USD, which includes drink.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel NH Capri La Habana (4 stars)
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