November 24 – 29, 2023
Cost per traveler $2659 double occupancy, single rooms $2979. Deposits: $1029 to hold your space, due now.
Contact Sherry philadelphia@eurocircle.com for future travel dates.
How to book a flight to Cuba? Online sites like Expedia and Kayak do not show flights to Cuba, but you can book directly on American Airlines, United, etc. Simply Google flights to Cuba from your city and you will see available flights from your city.
November 24 – 29, 2023
Day 1 • Friday, November 24, • Say hello to Cuba!
Arrive at Havana’s José Martí International airport (HAV).
Transfer to, and check-in at your hotel Palacio de los Corredores Hotel, a 5* hotel.
Free time to settle in and rest up at your hotel.
Welcome dinner with your guide at the private five-star restaurant: Mojito Mojito. It is ideally
situated in Plaza Vieja, its friendly staff, quaint atmosphere, and delicious food ranks it tops on
TripAdvisor. The restaurant’s slogan, “A single mojito is not enough.” We agree.
Evening is free for you to explore the sights and sounds of the city
Day 2 • Saturday, November 25 • Romancing Old Havana, old cars + castles
and history
Greet the day with tasty breakfast at your hotel accommodations.
Time warp. We’ll cruise the ancient ruins of the iconic El Morro Castle and adjacent Cabaña
Fortress in 1950s classic American convertibles. The fortresses are the oldest and most
expansive Spanish colonial installations in Latin America. There are more functional US vintage
autos in Cuba than in the United States.
Guided walking tour of Old Havana. “In terms of beauty, only Venice and Paris surpassed
Havana,” penned Ernest Hemingway. He was alluding to Havana’s incredible architecture, arts,
and, of course, the joie de vivre the city’s engaging people. Old Havana’s four ancient plazas are
full of color and personality, with a mix of palatial buildings, monuments, museums, galleries,
churches, lively entertainment, restaurants, and bars. Together, the four plazas of Old Havana
contain the most extensive collection of Spanish colonial-era architecture in Latin America. A
UNESCO World Heritage Site, restoration and care of Old Havana’s wonders is the responsibility
the Office of the Historian of Havana – Cuba Explorer’s island sponsor. We’ll visit Cathedral
Square, the Square of Arms, San Francisco Square, and Plaza Vieja.
Lunch is served at Plaza Nueva private restaurant.
Return to your accommodations to freshen up.
Tour the Hotel Nacional and the Missile crisis exhibit. The American mafia plotted assassinations
in its halls, its gardens were turned into trenches during the missile crisis and Johnny “Tarzan”
Weissmuller used the second floor as a springboard to jump into the pool: few places in the
world house as many stories as the Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
Dinner included at Le Petit Bar Restaurant. Located in Old Havana, Le Petit is the place where
small details make great moments. They specialize in Cuban and international cuisines.
Behold a most dramatic ceremony – El Cañonazo – the Firing of the 9 PM Cannon at the
magnificent Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña. Its construction began in the 16th-century.
Later, Ché Guevara established his headquarters in its vaults after the 1959 Revolution. El
Cañonazo is an enchanting reenactment dating back to 1519 when the city of Havana was
enclosed by a tall, thick rock wall to ward off attacks from pirates and the English. The firing of
the 9 PM cannon signaled the closing of the city gates each evening.
Day 3 • Sunday, November 26 • Viñales Valley, land of the gods
Greet the day with tasty breakfast at your accommodation.
We’re off to voluptuous Viñales Valley, an idyllic mountaintop hamlet in the heart of Cuba’s
celebrated tobacco-growing region. The village sits in the center of an expansive valley
surrounded by stunning karst hill formations known locally as mogotes. Mogotes are irregularly
shaped steep-sided hills that can rise a thousand feet, and have bases ranging from just a few
hundred yards in diameter to more than a mile in width. In commendation, UNESCO lists exalted
Viñales Valley’s natural wonders as a World Heritage Site.
Visit a privately-owned small tobacco plantation that produces the rarified leaves for Cuban’s
world-renowned cigars. We’ll meet the owners – the third generation of women – who operate
the farm using horses and oxen. They’ll give a personal demonstration on how to craft hand-
rolled Habano cigars.
We’ll hike the fields of Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso organic farm and learn how this family
reclaimed a rocky mountainside to grow vegetables, herbs, and exotic fruit trees.
Lunch at an organic farm Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso. All of its menu selections are cooked up
from organic farm-fresh local ingredients. “So incredibly delicious,” say many hundreds of
TripAdvisor diners.
Boat ride through the aquatic veins of Cueva del Indio [Indian cave]. Float on the underground
river that runs through a vast limestone cavern. You’ll get bat’s eye view of mammoth-sized
stalactites and stalagmites lining the interior of this mini-mountain karst formation, known as a
mogote in Cuba. These camel-hump formations date back to the Upper Cretaceous era.
Return to your accommodations in heavenly Havana.
Time to relax and freshen up for an entertaining evening.
Dinner tonight is not included. Another occasion to savor the best of centuries-old Cuban
cuisine.
Evening entertainment suggestion: Shake your booty to the best Afrojazz, Cubajazz, and Sonjazz
at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo [The Fox and the Raven] featuring astonishing performances by up
and coming island ensembles. It’s a popular haunt for Cubans and foreign visitors alike.
Day 4 • Monday, November 27 • The Art of Rum
Greet the day with tasty breakfast at your accommodations.
Let’s tour two of the most famous bars in Cuba, La Bodeguita del Medio and El Floridita. Both of
them were frequently visited by Ernest Hemingway.
Lunch under the palms. El Ajiaco is considered one of the best private eateries in all of Cuba.
Hands down it’s an island dining highlight. Ajiaco is noted for fantastic service, atmosphere, and
scrumptilicious traditional Cuba cuisine. Nearby family gardens supply organic vegetables and
spices, lending to each dish a delightfully fresh aromatic flavor you’ll always remember. All the
top cookers at El Ajiaco were previously the best chefs at Cuban State-owned restaurants. They
went their own way and elevated Cuba cuisine to world standards.
How about cigar and rum pairing. We’ll pair an exquisite selection of high-quality Cuban
premium rums and one Habano cigar. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn the
techniques to better appreciate the quality of such products, and to identify and combine the
rums and Habanos that are a tradition in Cuba. We’ll talk about cigars, rum, food, and Cuba while
watching a spectacular view of Havana city.
Return to your accommodations to freshen up.
Dinner tonight is not included in tour costs.
Evening entertainment suggestion: Visit El Gato Tuerto, a bar-restaurant located in Vedado.
Bohemians and showmen say that the longest night in Havana is at El Gato Tuerto. They say
more. They say that, at dawn, Havana waits for El Gato Tuerto to close its doors because there is
no other place on the island that is as determined as this one to make the nights last forever.
Day 5 • Tuesday, November 28 • AfroCuban culture
Greet the day with tasty breakfast at your accommodations.
We will visit the Afrocuban influenced Callejón de Hamel, one of the shortest but most
mesmerizing streets in Havana. See Afrocuban religion of Santería, a fusion of African belief
systems (multiple saint worship) and Catholicism, portrayed in art, music, and dance. Vibrant
murals adorn alley walls in tribute to the culture and religious beliefs of the neighborhood.
Now, we’ll travel by ferry to Regla, working class town built around the Church of the Black
Virgin, shrine to Yemayá. Visit the Church of Regla, a temple that dates from 1811.
Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
Return to your hotel to freshen up.
Farewell dinner tonight will be served at El Atelier private restaurant. Paladar Atelier is one of
the most sui generis restaurants in the Cuban culinary scene, housed in the old magnificence of
a Havana mansion. Atelier has become a refined “workshop” of signature cuisine, always ready
to please and innovate.
Evening entertainment suggestion: Walk on the wild side. Cuban Art Factory (FAC) is a large
interdisciplinary creation laboratory exhibiting the best Cuban contemporary art, with a strong
social and community focus. An old oil factory transformed into a generalist space that opens up
the exchange between the various artistic expressions in the same building. FAC is a creative
project driven by the need to rescue, support and promote the work of artists from all branches
of art: cinema, music, dance, theater, fine arts, photography, fashion, graphic design, and
architecture.
Day 6 • Wednesday, November 29 • Missing Cuba so much already
Greet the day with tasty breakfast at your accommodations.
Transfer to José Martí International airport (HAV) for flights home.
We’ll miss you and hope you will return soon. In Cuba, we say, “A true friend remembers the song
in your heart when you have forgotten the lyrics.”
INCLUDED in package cost
• Certificate of Legal Cuba Travel ensuring compliance with US regulations
• Knowledgeable, fun, attentive Cuban guides from arrival to departure
• Quality accommodations as listed in this itinerary
• Air-conditioned transport, professional chauffeur, and bottled water daily
• Airport-accommodation transfers on tour start and end days
• All meals and activities listed unless noted as optional or suggested
• Flexible tour payment options, you decide payment schedule
• Emergency telephone and internet access from Cuba to America
• Cash advances for participants caught short of funds in Cuba
• Ongoing support from our US and Cuban staff before, during and after travel
• Cuban Visitor Visa
NOT INCLUDED in package cost
• Air flights – List of commercial flights to Cuba – List of commercial flights to Cuba
• Gratuities for Cuban tour guide and bus driver – Review tipping guidelines below
• Trip interruption insurance is strongly advised – ALLIANZ TRAVEL INSURANCE
How much should I tip in Cuba?
Cuban tour guides and tour chauffeurs depend on tips and share them with their coworkers and family. They also contribute a percentage of tips to the national health and education systems. Treat tipping in Cuba as you do at home – be kind to those who assist.
Amounts most Americans share with tour helpers
Tipping practices in Cuba are similar to those in the United States. US dollars are welcomed, needed, and preferred. Tips in Cuban pesos are fine too! Learn more about how money works in Cuba.
- Tour guide 8.00 to 10.00 USD per day per guest (1000 to 1200 Cuban pesos) $60 for our 6-day stay
- Tour driver 5.00 to 7.00 USD per day per guest (600 to 900 Cuban pesos) $30-42 for our 6-day stay
- Hint You decide the amounts you’re comfortable contributing. Tipping in US dollars makes planning and budgeting easier.
Tips for other Cubans who help during your stay
- Restaurant staff 1.00 USD or 10% per guest (100 Cuban pesos)
- Hotel porters 1.00 USD or more if you have lots of luggage (100 Cuban pesos)
- Chambermaids 1.50 USD per day per guest (200 Cuban pesos)
- Museum guides and special guides 1.00 USD per guest (100 Cuban pesos)
- Musicians at restaurants 1.00 USD per guest (100 Cuban pesos)
What about “gifting” in place of tips?
Cubans in the tourist industry need cash to spend on the things they really need. They already receive a lot of leftover toothpaste, toiletries, and other stuff visitors leave behind.
However, if you make a special friend, then a nice gift is always appropriate, together with personal things you don’t need to take home.
What to bring:
Cash for the meals which are not included
Tip money for guides, drivers and porters
Sun hat and sunscreen!
Comfortable walking shoes or sneakers
One nice outfit for an upscale dinner
About Our Travel Club:
Eurocircle Travels was founded in 2011 by Sherry Mila, as a travel club for global members of Eurocircle. Founded in 1999, the organization was solely a social and party network managed by Kaisa Kokkonen and co-organized by Sherry in Philadelphia and New York since 2001. Ten years later, Sherry hosted the organization’s first international adventure to Istanbul, followed by annual group trips to Peru, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc. As the groups grew in size, Sherry received a travel license and started planning trips for other non-profits and organizations via Travel Clubs International. Our trips are by invitation only, All travelers are screened to ensure compatibility and a pleasant trip. For information about this trip or any others, please contact Sherry Mila via email.