You will fly into Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport in Varadero arriving at 7:30 PM, greeted by your CubaPlus guide, and transfer directly to Havana  to check in to your  5-star hotel where you will be welcomed with a traditional Cuban cocktail and meet the CubaPlus Travel team. If you care to venture out into Old Havana on your own, there are plenty of bars in the area where you can enjoy your first night in Havana. You will receive a list of nearby venues from CubaPlus Travel in your final itinerary and they are listed in your 300 Reasons to Love Havana guidebook.

No trip to Havana is complete without an adventure in your own Classic 1950s convertible. After a brief breakfast presentation by your host, Heidi Hollinger, the driving tour will start at your hotel and take you through the iconic sites and landmarks in Vedado, Nuevo Vedado and Playa districts, covering over 2 dozen Reasons to Love Havana. Drive up the iconic Malecón, enjoying the historic and architectural sites along the way such as the Parque Antonio Maceo, the University of Havana, the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, the Colón Cemetery, the Forest of Havana and many more. You’ll drive along Quinta Avenida, or Embassy Row, until you reach the community of Jaimanitas and “Fusterlandia”, where you’ll meet José Fuster, ceramic artist and sculptor, who has turned the entire town into a living gallery of ceramic murals. After lunch at Santy Pescador, you’ll see some of the iconic hotels built by the American Mafia in the 40s and 50s and take a well-deserved break at your hotel until dinner at Antojos in the Callejón de Espada (UNESCO), for the best traditional Cuban food in town. Stroll the historic Plaza Loma del Angel district and discover reason after reason to start your love affair with Havana.

A strolling tour of Old Havana is an immersion into colonial history and a peek at what the up and coming entrepreneurial community is weaving into the fabric of the old city. This day will cover over a dozen Reasons to Love Havana. Start your guided stroll at La Plaza de Armas, visiting some of the oldest fortresses and historic sites in the city, with a stop at new gift shops & boutiques that feature sustainable, handmade accessories and decorative arts that will surprise and inspire you. You’ll even have time for a smoothie or power shot at the very hip Fonda Al Pirata as you stroll.
Continue to the Plaza de La Catedral and visit the Taller Experimental de Gráfica – a massive screen printing workshop founded in 1962. Lunch at El Del Frente and a Cuban cocktail mixology class will be a perfect break before strolling Calle Obispo, the foot mall that traverses Old Havana, teeming with people, shops and the Feria de Obispo craft fair, until you arrive at El Floridita for a refreshing daiquiri at the cocktail’s birthplace.
Enjoy an evening on your own and refer to your 300 Reasons to Love Havana guidebook or the “things to do on your own” section of your final itinerary.

Havana’s diverse and thoughtfully curated museums throughout the city are impressive, to say the least. This day delves into Cuba’s art, design and historical treasures and takes you through more than a dozen new Reasons to Love Havana.
Begin at The Museum of the Revolution in Old Havana housed in the spectacular early 20th century structure that was the presidential palace prior to 1959. See bullet holes from assassination attempts on the dictator Batista and remarkable photographs of the revolutionary leaders housed in a building with interiors by Tiffany and the Hall of Mirrors, modeled after a gallery in the Palace of Versailles.
Just across the street is the Edificio de Arte Cubano, the Cuban collection of the Bellas Artes Museum. This building is devoted specifically to Cuban art from 17th century Colonial to 1960’s Pop Art to present. The collection is a remarkable representation of the importance that the fine arts have always had in Cuba.
Head towards the Vedado district to enjoy a truly delectable lunch by chef and restaurateur Raulito Bazuk, who converted his family home into the restaurant Grados. This is a special treat and more than just a meal – it is food, philosophy and art in perfect harmony.
The Museo de Artes Decorativas is a look into Havana’s opulent and elegant past. The stunning mansion, designed in 1927 by French architects Virad and Destugue, was the home of one of Cuba’s wealthiest sugar barons.  In 1964 it was turned into a museum with over 33,000 pieces on display in the original 11 rooms.
Finally, visit the Centro Fidel Castro Ruz, an astonishing grand scale museum dedicated to his life and accomplishments inaugurated in a 20th century mansion taking up an entire city block.  It is the country’s most modern interactive museum, with state-of-the-art touch displays meant to streamline the past for new generations.
After a rest at the hotel and before dinner, discover the San Isidro District with a visit to the Galería Taller Gorría, founded by Cuba’s leading film star Jorge Perugorría. Afterwards, go up to the rooftop to Yarini for a private dinner with some surprise guests who are also Reasons to Love Havana.

Continue your strolling tour through history, seeing and experiencing dozens more Reasons to Love Havana. Start at the Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Havana’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basilica, the beautiful gardens and other iconic sites are featured in this lovely plaza. Here, if you are superstitious, rub the beard or finger of the bronze sculpture, El Caballero de París, for good luck and an Old Havana tradition.
Keep strolling through the historic district, treat yourself to churros from everybody’s favorite street stand and then see fabulous antique cars at the Antique Car Museum. Be enthralled by all the Reasons to Love Havana along the way until reaching La Plaza Vieja, offering a glimpse into 16th century Havana and home to the Fototeca, Cámara Obscura and more. Have lunch at Café Bohemia in the heart of the grand square.
Stop by the Havana Club Rum Museum for a tour and a tasting before continuing to nearby galleries and shops. Stop for a local craft  beer at the Cervecería Antiguo Almacen de Madera y Tabaco before shopping to your heart’s content at the Almacenes San José, the huge arts & crafts fair on the old docks of the Port of Havana.
Tonight’s dinner and entertainment are Reasons to Love Havana that will surprise and enchant you. El Cocinero is a gastronomic haven with a towering brick chimney and a chic industrial feel. After dinner, next door is Fábrica de Arte Cubano or FAC, a multi-disciplinary arts and entertainment center and a beacon of Havana’s modern cultural revolution.

A free day to explore Havana is great to just relax at your hotel, go to the beach, take salsa classes or experience some Reasons to Love Havana on your own. Your final itinerary, once you sign up for the trip, will include dozens of suggested experiences and places to go while you find your way through this magical city. And you will have your own guidebook to refer to. The CubaPlus Travel team will always be available for suggestions, to answer questions, help arrange transport or whatever you need.
Just before sunset, the group will meet on the rooftop of Malecón 663, a beautifully retrofitted boutique hotel. As you climb the stairs through surprise after surprise you reach the rooftop terrace – with stunning views of Havana and perhaps the most beautiful sunset in town.
Dinner at La Guarida is more than just a culinary experience, it is an experience for all the senses from the moment you walk in and up the battered grand marble staircase to the restaurant which was a setting for Cuba’s most iconic film, Fresa y Chocolate. Founded by Enrique Núñez, the czar of Cuban “paladares”, if there is one restaurant to experience in Havana, this is it.
For the partying late-night crowd, embark on a Havana Pub Crawl from Centro Habana to Miramar. Jump on this party train to experience what the young Havana crowd and adventurous night-lifers do after hours. If you haven’t found enough Reasons to Love Havana by now, you will as you party with the locals and discover the best bars in town.

After a night of pub-crawling, take a leisurely ride across Havana Bay on the Lanchita (ferry boat) to Casablanca, and stroll up the hill to the impressive carrara marble statue of Christ, El Cristo de La Habana. Then tour the Morro Cabaña Complex, visiting the Fortaleza de San Carlos de La Cabaña and the Castillo de Los Tres Reyes del Morro and the iconic lighthouse.
Head into the Cuban countryside for lunch and leisure at Hacienda El Patrón, a rural glamping paradise with a 5-star menu and even better service and atmosphere. Hang in the hammocks, go for a horseback ride in the country or frolic in the lake on kayaks and water toys.
Dinner at La Cocina de Lilliam, one of the first paladares in Havana and recently reopened with
Chef Enrique Suárez at the helm. The menu is a showcase of the culinary fusion born from the diverse cultures found in Cuba, including Indigenous, Spanish, African, Asian, Italian and French influences.
Enjoy the rest of your last evening on your own and refer to your 300 Reasons to Love Havana guidebook or the “things to do on your own” section of your final itinerary.

Centro Habana is a melting pot of culture and the cradle of traditional Afro-Cuban culture. After a stop in Havana’s very own Chinatown, you will experience the Sunday Rumba at the  Callejón de Hamel. Every Sunday the alley comes alive with hypnotic live Afro-Cuban music capable of summoning the orishas – the deities from the Santería Religion.
A stop for very authentic Italian pizza at Marechiaro on the Malecón, then hit the road for the most famous beach town in Cuba – Varadero. On this beautiful drive that often parallels the ocean you’ll  stop at the mirador of the Bacunayagua for breathtaking views and a signature piña colada before driving through the historic city of Matanzas and on to Varadero.
You’re departing flight from Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport in Varadero is at 9:00 PM which will give you just enough time for a Varadero city tour, a quick dip in the beautiful world-famous beach and lunch or snack on your own before leaving for the airport.
Now that you have fallen in love with Havana and have discovered your own reasons… let’s start planning your next trip!