The Essence of Cuba

With included VIP airport lounge access, enjoy a relaxing start to your trip before your overnight flight to Havana, arriving on day two.

Upon arrival, enjoy a private transfer to your hotel for the next three nights, the Hotel Melia Cohiba, centrally located among the mansion-lined streets of the El Vandado neighbourhood that buzzes with an endless variety of typical Cuban restaurants and bars. You’ve got the rest of the day to explore – perhaps stroll among those iconic colourful streets or head to a Havana Queens Show for that most iconic of Cuban pastimes – a salsa, mambo and rumba performance.

Stay: B&B Boutique la Reserva Vedado or similar  (Superior)

You’ve got the next few days to explore the city, famous for its colourful avenues, blossoming art scene and palpable sense of history. We've included a car ride in those classic rainbow-hued Havana wagons along the streets of Old Havana, where you'll also enjoy an included walking tour. Other highlights include a lighthouse walk to the spectacular Morro Castle, as well as a tour of the tobacco route on day four. You'll visit the province of Pinar del Rio, where the best tobacco in the world is harvested, as well as touring the cigar production farm and enjoying lunch in a local restaurant among the sloping green limestone hills of Viñales. Finish your Havana adventure by exploring the famous art of the region, from spectacular murals adorned on old alleys to ancient museums. Alongside it all, you'll enjoy included gourmet dinners as well as a local lunch in a Cuban Paladar accompanied by traditional mojitos and music.

Stay: B&B Boutique la Reserva Vedado or similar  (Superior)

After breakfast you'll head to Cienfuegos, named the ‘Pearl of the South’ for its nautical flourishes and elegant, European-feel streets. After a local lunch in Punta Gorda, which you'll enjoy alongside wonderful panoramic views of the surrounding bay, we've included a tour of the spectacular Moorish Palace. Perhaps finish off your evening with a walk along the charming seafront before sampling one of the city's myriad Cuban restaurants.

Stay: Hotel Melia San Carlos or B&B Boutique Buenavista (Superior)

Today you'll head, via a private transfer, to discover the World Heritage-listed delights of Trinidad. Stroll among its old cobblestone streets lined with colonial houses, visit two local museums and sample La Canacaharca, a traditional Cuban honey-based cocktail. After lunch in a local eatery, visit the charming Casa del Alfarero craft workshop before some traditional handicraft shopping and a Cuban music show tonight.

Stay: B&B Casa de la Trinidad (Standard)

Your final stop on your Cuban adventure is the white-sand beaches of Cayo Santa Maria, where we’ve included a visit to the old Manaca Iznaga slave tower that looks over the historic sugar cane fields. Stop at the landmarks of Santa Clara and Remedios before visiting an old sugar mill museum and enjoying a relaxing few hours at the beach before your final dinner.

Stay: Hotel Melia Buena Vista (Superior)

After breakfast, return to Havana in time for your overnight flight home, arriving on day nine. Alternatively, extend your stay for some white-sand beach relaxation in Varadero.