Cuba 8 Day Tour
Cuba 8 Day Tour Itinerary Summary
Day 1 | Arrival day Havana | |
---|---|---|
Day 2,3 | Viñales | |
Day 4 | Cienfuegos via Bay of Pigs |
|
Day 5,6 | Trinidad | |
Day 7 | Havana via Santa Clara |
|
Day 8 | Departure day |
Awarding Winning Tour
The 8 day Original tour is the only tour in Cuba to win tourradar's Tour of the Year for Latin America. Tourradar is a popular tour review site, and our 8 day tour won this award 3 years in a row (2016, 2017 and 2018).
Tour description
If your time is limited, and you are more interested in Cuba's culture and its people than all inclusive beach resorts, then we highly recommend this 8 day Cuba tour package. In one short week, it's an optimised way to sample some of the most interesting areas of Cuba within a day's drive from Havana.
The tour takes your from the bustling and vibrant Havana, to the historic Santa Clara, and gives you the chance to experience the more traditional and rural sides of Cuba, with stays in Trinidad, Cienfuegos and Viñales. These places in Cuba are common favourites for travellers who have come to Cuba seeking authentic cultural experiences. While Trinidad presents us with beautiful white sand beaches, colonial architecture, waterfalls, and a charming village atmosphere, Viñales offers stunning mountainous scenery, sprawling tobacco fields and friendly locals. A local Cuban tour guide accompanies the tour group throughout, and all accommodation is in guesthouses, which are small private businesses in Cuba that are typically owned and run by local families.
Tour Summary
style | O Original. Small groups. Standard guesthouses
|
---|---|
duration | 8 days / 7 nights |
group size | Minimum 2 / Maximum 16 / Average 12 |
accommodation | Cuban Guesthouses. Rooms are air-conditioned with ensuite bathroom. Twinshare. |
single supplement | Single Room for the tour - €171 EUR EUR extra (read more) |
transport | Private air-conditioned transport throughout: mini-bus, micro-bus, or taxi depending on group size |
activities included | Walking tour of Old Havana, Che Guevara Museum |
other inclusions | 7 breakfasts, airport arrival transfer, local guide throughout |
suggested combinations | Combine with the Eastern Cuba Short Stay, or a Beach stay package! |
Can Americans join this tour? | Yes! This tour forms a great base for a legal trip to Cuba. Read more about how to make your trip to Cuba legal. |
Itinerary Details
Day 1 - Arrive Havana
Havana has to be one of the most exciting cities in the world. It's definitely intriguing and unique. Your included airport arrival transfer will take you to your Havana guesthouse for the first night. If you arrive early today, you'll have time to do some exploring on your own before meeting the rest of your tour group, and your tour guide, tonight. Your guide will leave you a note at your guesthouse with details about the group meeting time and place. Your accommodation in Havana for the tour will either be in Old Havana, Central Havana, or Vedado. The neighbourhoods of Old Havana and Central Havana are some of the places where you will feel Cuba at its most intense - narrow streets with old crumbling buildings and full of locals who are not placed there for the tourists but rather because this is their home. You will see them working, going to school, socialising, and going about their daily lives. Simply wandering the streets will give you a new experience and fill you with many questions about how Cuba functions as a country. Vedado is another interesting part of Havana where there is a concentration of restaurants, bars, majestic mansions, and historic mafia built hotels.
The tour package itself does not include much time in Havana, so we recommend that you book an extra night or two in Havana, either before or after the tour. After the tour is probably preferable, as by then, you will have learnt a bit about how things work in Cuba and how to get around. Plus you'll have the chance to talk to your tour guide and get some recommendations of what to do and see in Havana. When you book the tour you can request these extra nights on your booking form.
Day 2,3 - Viñales
Before departing Havana, we have a guided walking tour of the historic center of Havana (approx 2 hours).
From Havana to Viñales it's about a 4 hour drive, and on the way we usually stop for lunch. Surrounded by picturesque limestone pincushion hills (“mogotes”), Viñales is a small and culturally rich village, with friendly and welcoming residents and wide variety of outdoor activities available. Exploring caves, hiking, biking, horseback riding or simply enjoying the views of the valley and sprawling tobacco fields below are all options. Viñales is one of the more agriculturally productive areas, so an abundance of local seasonal fruit and vegetables is always on offer such as enormous avocados and mangoes, pineapples, papaya, guava, and a several varieties of sweet potatoes. It's one of the cooler areas of Cuba, so it's also a nice escape from the hotter parts of the country. The nightlife is very active in this village with the local residents more than willing participants in dancing to the local live music.
Day 4 - Bay of Pigs / Cienfuegos
We head back past Havana to the French founded city of Cienfuegos through the densely vegetated Peninsula de Zapata swamp-lands, and along the beautiful Bay of Pigs. This is where the landing of counter-revolutionary exile militia occurred in 1961. There is a museum here that recounts the events of this conflict which resulted in the first defeat of a U.S backed take-over in Latin America. We will also make stops at a beautiful swimming hole (cenote) which resembles a huge natural tropical fish tank, and if the conditions are favourable, at beach for snorkelling.
Cienfuegos appeal lies partly in the European flavour of its colonial hub, with a wide Parisian-style boulevard and elegant colonnades, and there is an ambience to inspire Cuba’s most celebrated Son singer to write the words “Cienfuegos is the city I like best”.
Day 5,6 - Trinidad
For many visitors to Cuba, Trinidad is their standout favourite destination. No other colonial city in Cuba is so well preserved, and the local residents are extremely friendly and festive. Trinidad is steeped in religiosity, none the least of which is Santeria, which is one of several Afro-Cuban religions.
The thing however that visitors most love about Trinidad is the nightlife. There are no less than 10 live music venues all within a short walking distance. Many of these have lovely outdoor settings, in courtyards, and within the walls of old colonial ruins.
Not far inland is the Valley of Sugarmills. This area of rich fertile soil is where the Trinidad colonists got most of their ludicrous wealth from. A 10 minute drive in the opposite direction will get you to a beautiful calm Caribbean beach called Playa Ancón. If the weather is fine, your tour guide might propose a dinner bbq here to witness the sunset over the ocean. Other optional activities in Trinidad are snorkeling, scuba diving, and a popular trek to a waterfall where you can swim in the fresh clear water spring.
Day 7 - Havana
On the way back to Havana we stop in at the town of Santa Clara, a key city in the Cuban Revolution. Upon entering Santa Clara, there is a huge statue of Ernesto Ché Guevara, to commemorate his death and that of the revolutionaries who died along with him in Bolivia. There is also a museum here dedicated to his amazing life
It's one final night of the tour in Havana, and your tour guide will have some suggestions for a farewell dinner and fun night out.
Day 8 - Depart Havana
Today you are free to depart at anytime.
Summary of Travel Times
Havana to Viñales | 3 hours |
Viñales to Cienfuegos via Bay of Pigs | 8 hours |
Cienfuegos to Trinidad | 3 hours |
Trinidad to Havana via Santa Clara | 7 hours |
Arrival and Departure Accommodation in Havana
The first and last nights of the tour in Cuba will be in Guesthouse Accommodation, centrally located in either Old Havana, Central Havana, or Vedado.
- We include an arrival transfer from the Havana airport (or from anywhere else in Havana if you are already in Cuba) to the joining Guesthouse Accommodation.
- On the booking form, you can request extra nights before or after the tour in the same guesthouse you will have for the tour. Click here to see prices.
We also offer other accommodation options in Havana for before or after the tour.
Late arrivals or Early departures
Late Arrival - If you plan to arrive on Day 2 or after, we can arrange for you to catch up to the group. This may involve you paying transport costs to do so.
Early Departure - The group will arrive back in Havana, around midday on Day 7, so a departure from Cuba in the evening of Day 7 is possible. An earlier departure than this is also possible and may involve you paying transport costs for us to send you back to Havana by yourself.
Spending Money
We estimate you will need between €410 and €550 EUR (€410 and €550 EUR) for local expenses during the tour, such food and optional activities. Click here to see details of expenses you will have while on the tour in Cuba.
Not Included in the Tour
- International Flights
- Visa and passport fees
- Insurance (Travel Medical Insurance is required to participate on the tour)
- All meals (except for 7 breakfasts)
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities / day-tours / excursions
- Airport departure transfer
Traveller Reviews
Explainer: Why are there no Cuba tours on tourradar?
With our flexible bookings' policy, you can book your place on a tour for only 100 USD and change your departure date anytime at no cost. Read more...
Tour Dates & Availability
Two (2) travelers required to guarantee departure
One (1) more traveler is needed to guarantee departure
Space is still available for more bookings
A space may become available