Escape to Havana with VEMARES.
People to People Program.
Visit the captivating island of Cuba. Learn firsthand about the life, history and rich culture
of the Cuban people. Enjoy the distinctive island cuisine and stunning scenery. Discover
Havana and follow Ernest Hemingway footsteps. Understand why the famous writer and
journalist choose to spend almost 22 years of his life in Cuba.
Program Duration: 4 days / 3 nights.
Program Includes:
• 3 nights accommodation at a private house in Havana, breakfast included.
• All private tours with specialized guides
• All private transfers included with local and experienced drivers.
Program Does Not Include:
• Round trip Air Transportation (United States-Havana-United States), paid
separately. If you wish, Vemares can assist you.
• Tourist Visa. Vemares can get it for you for an additional cost.
*NOTES:
- Price is based on double occupancy, for single occupancy a supplement must be paid.
- All programs can be customized and adjusted to satisfy your needs.
Day 1. Flight to Havana.
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Flight US – Havana.
Arrival at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana.
Pick up at the airport. From the airport, you will go on a panoramic tour of Modern
Havana with a stop at the Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square) where you
can take pictures. Here, you will see the Monument to José Martí, one of the most
important figures of Cuban history and leader in the independence war against
Spain.
You will also pass the historic University of Havana, the Hilton Hotel and the American
Embassy.
• Lunch at a private restaurant (Paladar), where you will learn about this new form
of private business in Cuba.
• Check in at a Private House.
• Optional night, after dinner: JAZZ night –
not included in the package.
Day 2. Old Havana Tour.
• 9:30 am Pick up at the house. Historic Tour of Old Havana.
The City of Havana was founded in 1514 by Spanish conquistador Diego
Velázquez. Its historic center was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in
1982.
The City Tour will take you to the sea-side avenue of Malecón, you will drive
through the tunnel under the bay. You will contemplate the Castle of the Three
Kings of El Morro, there you will stop on the lookout point of the Morro-Cabañas
Military Historical Park.
You will pass Paseo del Prado, The Capitol building, the Museum of Bellas Artes,
the Central Park and the Grand Theater of Havana.
After you will take a walking tour throughout the historic city center of the Old City.
Visit the Plazas of Old Havana.
• Plaza de la Catedral (Cathedral Square), dominated by the
Baroque facade of the Cathedral of Havana.
• Plaza de Armas, where you will find Palacio de los
Capitanes Generales, the house of the Spanish
governors in the colonial era.
• Plaza de San Francisco de Asis, a paved space with
fluttering pigeons, framed by historic buildings such as
the Convent and the Church of St. Francis of Assis, in
which the tower was for centuries the highest point in
the Villa.
• Plaza Vieja, originally known as Plaza Nueva. It was first used for military
exercises, then became an open-air market, and it is now dotted with restaurants,
cafes, bars and brasseries.
• 1:00 pm Lunch at a private restaurant.
• 3:00 pm Visit to the Art and Craft Market. Get
to know the talented Cuban artists and their
extraordinary work.
• 5:00 pm Transfer back to the house.
• Optional night: El Cañonazo.
The Tour will take you to the sea-side avenue of
Malecón. You will drive through the tunnel under
the bay. You will contemplate the Castle of the
Three Kings of El Morro, a complex of fortresses
dominating the entrance to the Havana bay. Here
you will see the recreation of the traditional 9:00
PM cannon shot ceremony, used in the colonial
times as a sign for approaching vessels and the
closing of the city wall gates to protect Havana
from pirate attacks.
Before the ceremony you will have time to visit some small museums at the fortress.
Includes transfers and specialized guides- Appx. 3 hours
Day 3. Following Hemingway’s footsteps.
• 9:30 am, Pick up at the house
• The Ernest Hemingway Museum, Finca Vigia in San Francisco de Paula, was
Hemingway’s place of residence in Cuba from 1940 until his death in 1961. It is
the first institution in the world created to honor him. This is the place where he
wrote his award winning novel, Nobel Prize for Literature, The Old Man and the
Sea, the story of an aging Cuban fisherman. Here he also wrote much of For
Whom the Bell Tolls and the Islands in the Stream. His presence can still be felt in
this house where he lived 22 years of his life. You will see his famous yacht Pilar,
in which he sailed around Cuba and the Caribbean.
• After you will visit Cojimar, a small fishing village on the north coast about 4 miles
east of Havana. This is the place where Hemingway used to dock Pilar. Here you
will see a simple monument to the writer made with the bronze donated by the
fishermen of the village.
• Visit to Terrazas de Cojimar where the writer used to eat, often in the company of
the captain of his yacht and friend, Gregorio Fuentes.
• Lunch at a private restaurant in Cojimar. After lunch return to the house.
• Free afternoon.
• Optional night: Parisien Cabaret – Not included in the package.
Day 4. Return to US.
• After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for
return flight to US.
Travel Smart, Travel with Vemares