Accredited architecture educational institutions will no longer need to apply for a Specific License for Cuba travel
by their students, faculty and staff (including but not limited to adjunct faculty and part-time staff).
Camaguey City, with a historic architectural core as large as Havana's and many times
larger than Trinidad's, shows visitors its small streets of peculiar outlines, its typical Spanish colonial architecture, churches,
squares and its mansions, with homely courtyars presided by the large jar-shaped clay tinajones, used locally as rain water collectors.
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Cuba Travel.
Architecture Cuba Travel for Architects & Architecture Professionals From February 13 to 24, 2014
Explore Cuba's architecture from Havana to Santiago de Cuba! $2,559
Cuba Architecture Travel | Referral Discount: $100
Authentic Cuba Travel in coordination with the faculty of architecture of the University of Havana, the faculty of architecture
of the University of Santiago de Cuba and the support of Cuba’s architecture conservation organizations warmly invites architects, urban planners, landscape designers, architecture professors and other architecture related professionals
from Canada, US and all over the world to join this Cuba architecture tour taking place from February 13 to February 24, 2014.
As you travel through America’s largest and best preserved Spanish architectural cores such as Old Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Camaguey, Bayamo, Santiago de Cuba and other cities, you will enjoy not only the colonial architecture but also cross cultural/ people-to-people experiences that will remain with you for
the rest of your life. What sets our Cuba tours apart from the crowd is the ability to gain access to authentic Cuba destinations and attractions off the beaten path, and our architecture tours are no exception.
Authentic Cuba Travel warmly invites architects, urban planners, landscape designers, architecture professors and other architecture related professionals from Canada, US and all over the world to join this Cuba architecture tour taking place from February 13 to February 24, 2014.
Cuba, with its mix of Spanish and African roots, is the largest, least commercialized, and most exciting island in the Caribbean.
It is also one of the world's last bastions of communism with a fascinating modern history. Cuba's relative political isolation
has prevented it from being overrun by tourists, and locals are sincerely friendly to those who plunge into the authentic Cuba with both feet.
You will enjoy unforgettable moments to connect with the authentic Cuba, the Spanish language and the Cubans through people to people interaction, cultural exchanges and activities. Meeting with Cuban architects, urban planners and architecture professionals is without doubt one of the highlights of the Cuba travel experience while exploring the architectural wealth that exists in the largest island in the Caribbean.
This architecture Cuba study tour represents a great opportunity for architects, urban planners, landscape designers, architecture professors and other architecture related professionals keen on
architecture heritage to witness the profound influence of Spanish culture on the social fabric of our Americas.
Travel to Santiago de Cuba, the Cradle of the Revolution
Travel to Camaguey city, a UNESCO Heritage Site
Guided architecture tour of Bayamo's Historic Center.
Guided architecture tour of Sancti Spiritus's Historic Center.
Explore Caribbean Cienfuegos “The Pearl of the South”
Guided architecture tour of Trinidad's Historic Center.
Tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site Valle de los Ingenios.
Meet with architect Coyula at the Scale Model of Havana.
Meet with architect Marin from UNESCO Cultural Department.
Meet with architect Millan from Cienfuegos City Historian Office.
Guided tour of Capitol building designed by Cuban architects.
Tour America Building (1941) by architects Campos and Rojas.
Tour of Lopez Serrano Building (1932) by architects Mira & Roisch.
Tour of architectural landmark Centro Asturiano (1927).
Notice to US citizens:
This Cuba
education tour is licensable for U.S. architects, urban planners, landscape designers,
architecture professors and other architecture related professionals.
US travel to Cuba easing of restrictions, makes it easier for North America architecture professionals to get U.S.
government licenses for cultural, educational, and people to people and sports exchanges.
And while the ban on U.S. tourists
visiting the island remains in place, as an architecture professional you can legally join any our architecture tours.
No one can say what the future will hold for U.S.-Cuba relations, so it's important to take advantage of the current opportunity.
Our Cuba architecture tours will take you to explore the Cuban Colonial Architecture, a term that covers all the civil and military constructions built in Cuba from the
16th century to the end of the 19th century. Cuba's colonial architecture survived the Spanish defeat in 1902
and its rules were kept almost intact until the advent of the influences of the Art Noveau, and Art Deco during
the first decades of the 20th century.
By booking with Authentic Cuba Travel, you will learn how during the first decades of the 20th Century, Havana expanded more rapidly than at any time during its history.
Great wealth prompted architectural styles to welcome influences from abroad. The Lopez Serrano building was Havana's first skyscraper,
and Vedado’s most distinctive art deco architecture example that we will tour during this architecture trip to Cuba.
An authentic Cuba architectural jewel, the Cathedral Square isthe most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza of Cuba, named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.
The Centro Asturiano building, designed by Spanish architect Manuel del Busto, features solid heavy façades constructed in Capellania stones with clear Spanish Renaissance influence. It arguably houses the prettiest staircase in Cuban architecture which makes it worth a visit in our Cuba tours.
Your Cuba travel features a tour of the Capitol Building, designed by Cuban Architects and built by the American construction company of Purdy & Henderson. This building is one of the most outstanding architectural landmarks in Cuba filled with artwork from Cuban and foreign artists. The dome is 300.96 ft. high (7 inches higher than the highest capitol building in the US) and the recently renovated gardens are the work of the famous French Landscape Architect, Forestier.
Our Cuba tours could not miss Cuba's architectural jewel, San Pedro de la Roca Morro Castle, a XVII century military construction. The fortress was declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO in 1997. The objective of the architects was to build high fortresses with wide walls that would
resist the artillery of the time. It is worth saying that one important contribution to colonial architecture was to conceive
the castles with points instead of corners in order to lessen the impact of the cannons.
A landmark of Cuba's religious architecture, the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Cobre in Santiago de Cuba is the country’s most sacred
pilgrimage site since the Virgin of Charity is the patron saint of Cuba. The basilica
possesses a beautifully decorated central room and a solid silver altar that showcases valuable ornamental objects. In your journey of discovery to the authentic Cuba, you will learn how thousands
of people from Cuba and around the world go to see her every year, but the biggest crowds arrive on September 8,
the day of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.
In January 1998, His Holiness John Paul II crowned her during a mass and named her the Queen of the Cubans.
Camaguey Historical Center was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 and it is a must visit in architecture
Cuba tours. Camaguey is the third largest city in Cuba, and the largest province in the country. Camaguey City,
with a historic core as large as Havana's and many times larger than Trinidad's, shows visitors its small streets
of peculiar outlines, its churches, squares and its mansions, with homely courtyars presided by the large jar-shaped
clay tinajones, used locally as rain water collectors.
Trinidad City is an outstanding example of Cuba's colonial architecture. The main attraction is
undoubtedly the town itself. the Cuba explorer will have a field day, taking advantage of the charming
traditional architecture and timeless feel of the place, while others will just enjoy wandering
around and soaking up the atmosphere. There are no cars allowed in the centre, adding to its charm,
and visitors can take in the city's 1211 buildings, which are mostly made up of wonderfully restored
colonial houses, painted in a selection of bright colours, topped with terracotta tiles.
The urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos, enhances any Cuba travel experience. Inscribed by UNESCO in the World
Heritage List, Cienfuegos has also been known as the Pearl of the South, and others have called it la Ciudad de las
Cúpulas (the City of Domes), for the amount of buildings whose towers end in domes. The architecture of the city is one of
its charms and it can be admired in the very José Martí Park, former Plaza de Armas, where a rosette indicates the exact
place over which the blocks of the city started to rise. There is no other place in the Caribbean which contains such
a remarkable cluster of Neoclassical structures.
Cuba tours visiting Cienfuegos find hard to ignore a visit to Palacio del Valle, a jewel of Cuba's architecture. A glance at the central plant is quite amazing.
It is flanked by 2 animal sphinxes from Egyptian tales, with head and breast of a woman and body and paws of a
lion that personify the sun. However, some people assure that this was not supposed to be the principal entrance.
Yet, its proximity to the marble stairway that leads to the second floor made it so.
Day 1. Thursday 13 February. Hello Cuba
Arrival at "Jose Marti" International Airport in Cuba's capital city.
Welcome to Havana City, one of the most stunning architecturally designed cities in the world, with extraordinary variety and quality.
Private transfer to your hotel
Tryp Habana Librelocated at the cultural center of Havana City.
In the 40s and 50s, many high-rise buildings and apartment complexes helped dramatically alter the skyline of Havana City.
Your hotel Habana Libre (1958), which before the Revolution was the Havana Hilton Hotel
and nearby La Rampa Movie Theatre (1955) are good examples of this important architectural period.
Group check-in.
Breakfast is complimentary from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Day 2. Friday 14 February. Exploring Old Havana
Morning: meeting with our guide for the morning, architect Miguel Coyula from the Group for the Comprehensive Development
of Havana City at their headquarters in The Scale Model of Havana City, a museum that contains a model of the entire city of
Havana.
The model took nine years to build and is the second largest in the world after one of New York. Havana's 727 square kilometers
are represented in an area of 22 meters of length and 10 meters of width. City planners needed to see and have a tactile sense
of the impressive physical and cultural patrimony of Havana, spanning five centuries as a port city, island Caribbean capitol,
and launching pad for the conquest of the Americas.
Guided panoramic motor coach tour of Modern Havana.
We will also see important examples of Art- Deco style architecture such as:
The House of Catalina Laza, Havana's first art deco house, was built in 1926 by Juan Pedro Baro with marble from Carrara,
ornaments from Lalique and sand from the Nile. Baro had it built for the beautiful Catalina Laza.
America Building is a theatre complex designed in 1941 by architects Fernando Martinez Campos and Pascual de Rojas, consisting of
two theatres, a restaurant and some shops in the main floor and residential apartments in the upper floors. Its interiors are
very well preserved and conserve all the details of the original monumental design.
Lopez Serrano Building, with its strong reminiscence of American Skyscrapers, resembling a miniature Empire State Building
with the bottom 70 floors chopped off, the López Serrano building is Vedado’s most distinctive art deco architecture example. It was
built in 1932 by Mira & Roisch Architecture Firm, it was the highest residential building in Havana for many years.
Lunch at La Mina restaurant.
Afternoon: guided walking tour of Old Havana, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visit to Square of Arms, ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers and surrounded by impressive buildings such as:
Palacio de los Capitanes Generales was the former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City.
Palacio del Segundo Cabo, the seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns.
Castillo de la Real Fuerza. The second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies, a good example
of early Cuban architecture. Notice the influence from different architectural styles, with a diverse range of Moorish, Spanish,
Italian, Greek and Roman architecture.
Visit to the Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza of Cuba, named after the masterpiece of
Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.
Continue walking tour onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest in the historical quarter.
Visit to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Notice it doesn't have a church or government building around.
Here we will visit important institutions for visual arts.
Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana, located inside the Almacenes de Depósito San José, an old warehouse on
the harbourside where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.
Evening: Enjoy performance of the National Ballet of Cuba or the Spanish Ballet of Cuba at the Great Theatre of Havana
(optional) (TBC).
Day 3. Saturday 15 February. Havana
Morning: guided by architect Victor Marin former director of CENCREM (Center for Conservation, Restoration and Museology), we will visit Havana’s Parque Central and surrounding buildings:
Visit to the Capitolio Nacional, designed by Cuban Architects and built by the American construction company of Purdy & Henderson.
This monumental building is one of Cuba’s most outstanding architectural patrimony packed with artwork from Cuban and foreign
artists.
The dome is 300.96 ft. high (7 inches higher than the highest capitol building in the US) and the recently renovated gardens are
the work of the famous French Landscape architect, Forestier.
Centro Asturiano, inaugurated in 1927 designed by Spanish Architect Manuel del Busto features solid heavy façades constructed in
Capellania Stones with clear influence of Spanish Renaissance. It houses the most majestic staircase of Cuban Architecture.
Since 2001 the building houses the new Museum of Fine Arts.
Manzana de Gomez, first entire city block built in Cuba in the beginnings of the 20th century completely for commercial use with
two inner diagonal streets that cross the building in all directions integrating the pedestrian circulation with the outer fabric.
Visit to the former Centro Gallego, an exponent of German neo-baroque architecture style in Havana, built in 1915 by
Belgian architect Paul Belau. The building is adorned with stone and marble statues.
There are also sculptural pieces by Giuseppe Moretti depicting benevolence, education, music and theatre.
It was not until 1985, and as initiative of the prima ballerina Alicia Alonso that the building was renamed and became the Great
Theatre of Havana.
Bacardi Building, designed in 1930 by Cuban architects Esteban Rodriguez Castells, Rafael Fernandez Ruenes and Jose Menendez
Menendez, located in Las Murallas district. The rich façade design is based on polychrome granite imported from Bavaria and Norway
as well as coloured brick, terracotta and Capellania stone. The elaborate decoration of the building crown features a bat, logo of
the Bacardi company.
Visit the rooftop of the Sevilla Hotel for an eagle view of the walk you have taken in the morning while enjoying a refreshing
Mojito cocktail.
Lunch at Hotel Sevilla’s Rooftop restaurant.
Walking tour along the Paseo del Prado, a pedestrian promenade remodelled in 1929 with the inauguration of Havana’s Capitol Building.
Visit to residential buildings along the boulevard with clear influence from European and American architecture. Visit to the
interior of the most important residence: Cuba’s former president Jose Miguel Gomez Residence.
Visit to Telegrafo Hotel.
Visit to the former Asociacion de Dependientes del Comercio, a Venitian neo-renaissance style building placed in a key corner
of the Prado featured in the film Buena Vista Social Club.
Visit to the former Casino Español, currently used for wedding ceremonies for its lavish interiors.
Return to hotel.
Evening: tonight we have a Cuban band playing for us! You'll learn to dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba, and other popular Cuban rhythms
with instruction from bandleaders.
Day 4. Sunday 16 February. Havana- Santiago de Cuba
Morning: flight to Santiago de Cuba. Estimated flight time: 2 hours.
After arrival visit to San Pedro de la Roca Morro Castle, a XVII century military construction atop the cliffs at the narrow entrance to Santiago Bay and one of the settings of the Spanish American War.
The fortress was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, cited as the best preserved and most complete example of Spanish-American military architecture.
Santiago de Cuba is the former capital of the country and the second largest city in Cuba. Founded by Diego Velazquez in 1514, the city was built on the east side of the bay.
This was the starting point of the expeditions led by Juan de Grijalba and Hernán Cortés to the coasts of Mexico in 1518, and in 1538 by Hernando de Soto's expedition to Florida. The first cathedral was built in the city in 1528. From 1522 until 1589 Santiago was the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba.
The city experienced an influx of French immigrants in the late 18th century and early 19th century, many coming from Haiti after the Haitian slave revolt of 1791. This added to the city's eclectic cultural mix, already rich with Spanish and African culture.
Lunch at El Morro Restaurant.
Afternoon: panoramic bus ride of modern Santiago de Cuba. We will visit the Heredia Theatre, San Juan Hill, Square of Revolution Antonio Maceo, baseball stadium Saturnino Lora, Moncada Barracks, Palacio de Justicia, among others.
Morning: visit to Parque Cespedes, located at the heart of the historical center of the city. The Plaza is surrounded by important buildings such as:
The Cathedral, originally built in 1522 and where the remains of Diego Velasquez are buried.
Ayuntamiento (City Hall) erected in 1950’s. From the balcony of this building Fidel Castro gave his victory speech immediately after the success of the Revolution on January 1rst, 1959.
Visit the oldest house in Cuba, today Museo de Ambiente Historico Colonial and formerly the residence of Diego Velázquez in the XVI century.
Lunch at the rooftop of Casagranda Hotel.
Return to hotel.
Evening: enjoy traditional local music at Casa de la Trova.
Day 6. Tuesday 18 February. Santiago de Cuba- Bayamo- Camaguey
Morning: departure to Bayamo, the second of the seven cities founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. It was established on November 5, 1513.
During much of the 16th century it was one of the most important agricultural and commercial settlements of the island. Its inland situation gave it relative security against the pirates who then infested West Indian seas, and the misfortunes of Santiago were the fortunes of Bayamo.
Bayamo was the stronghold of early revolutionary Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, who freed his slaves and declared war against colonialist Spain. During the ensuing battles, Bayamo exchanged hands several times and was once burned to the ground by Cuban rebels as the city was being sacked by the Spanish.
Visit to Bayamo’s Historical Center.
Visit Casa Natal Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the birthplace of the "father of the Cuban nation," is the only house on the square that escaped destruction from the fire.
Visit to Bayamo’s Cathedral. It dates back to the 16th century. It reflects the ethnic style of baroque architecture. Some of the traditional painting masterpieces of Cuba are also found in it. It portrays a battle mural with a flag of the Cuban revolution hoisted on the top.
Lunch at Sierra Maestra Hotel.
Afternoon: continue on bus ride to City of Camaguey. Late afternoon check in at Colon Hotel. Dinner at hotel.
Evening: participation in the different cultural and policical venues taking place in the historical center around New Years Eve.
Your guide will give you options the days before so that you plan ahead this day or just play as it goes!
Day 7. Wednesday 19 February. Camaguey
Morning: guided walking tour of Camaguey Historical Center, declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Camaguey is the third largest city in Cuba, and the largest province in the country. It is one of the seven original settlements founded by Diego Velasquez.
The old city layout resembles a real maze, with narrow, short streets always turning in a direction or another. After Henry Morgan burned the city in the 17th century, it was designed like a maze so attackers would find it hard to move around inside the city.
We will explore Parque Agramonte named after local hero, the Cathedral, originally established in 1530 and other interesting historical sites of the city such as Plaza San Juan de Dios, dominated by the church of the same name.
Lunch at La Campana de Toledo (optional)
Afternoon: free to explore the city on your own.
Day 8. Thursday 20 February. Camaguey- Sancti Spiritus- Trinidad
Morning: departure to Sancti Spiritus city, one of the first seven settlements founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1514.
Visit to places of interest in the historical center’s main square such as:
The Parroquial Mayor is located two blocks south of the town's main square; it is a venerable green towered church whose early 16th-century origins make it the country's oldest.
The Museo de Arte Colonial (Colonial Art Museum), perhaps Sancti Spíritus's most splendid colonial home is the city's standout attraction. The opulent former palatial mansion of one of Cuba's most elite families, the Valle Iznaga clan, who fled Cuba after Fidel's Revolution, it became the property of the state in 1961.
Ninety percent of what you see inside, from furniture to paintings, is original. Though the family obviously kept an impressive collection of Limoges porcelain, French gilded mirrors, Italian marble tables, and Baccarat crystal chandeliers here, it wasn't their primary residence; the house was used mostly to host family members in transit, so the furnishings were rather eclectic.
Another interesting architectural landmark in this city is one of Cuba's oldest bridges, over Yayabo river. Built in 1815 with clay bricks it forms 5 arcs being the center one 9 meters tall. The entire bridge is only 85 meters long and was designed for pedestrians and carriages during Colonial Cuba but has resisted modern heavier traffic so far.
Lunch on your own on the historical center.
Afternoon: after lunch we continue bus ride to Trinidad and check in at all-inclusive Trinidad del Mar Beach Resort. You'll have time for dinner and a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Day 9. Friday 21 February. Trinidad
Morning: guided by City Historian, we will take a walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Trinidad’s Historical Center, a perfect relic of
the early days of
the Spanish colony with beautifully preserved streets and buildings with hardly a trace of the 20th century anywhere.
Visit to the Architecture Museum (Casa de los Sanchez Iznaga), housing the most representative samples of the city's architectural
development in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Visit to Museo Lucha contra Bandidos, former home of the San Francisco de Asis convent.
Visit to Museo Romantico, overlooking the Trinidad main square. It has an excellent exhibition of romantic style porcelain, glass,
paintings and decorative furniture which belonged to the Conde de Brunet and other Trinidad notorious families.
We will stop at a mirador (lookout) over the Sugar Mill Valley, where the sugar barons used to have their countryside mansions and
mills. This site is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Trinidad is well known for its pottery makers. We meet with a family that has been passing the tradition for generations:
the Santanders.
Lunch back at the hotel.
Free time to wander the streets of historical centre or enjoy the beach.
Evening is free to enjoy the beach, hotel amenities, and the lively streets of Trinidad. How about live Cuban popular music on
steps of Casa de la Música – a great opportunity to dance with Cubans and your tour companions.
Day 10. Saturday 22 February. Trinidad
Day is free to enjoy the beach, hotel amenities, and the lively streets of Trinidad.
Day 11. Sunday 23 February. Trinidad- Cienfuegos- Havana
Morning departure to Cienfuegos, a city of neoclassical buildings with a European flair.
Guided by Cienfuegos City Historian, architect Iran Millan Cuetara, we will
embark on a walking tour of Cienfuegos Historical Center.
We will visit neoclassical buildings around Paseo del Prado and the main Square Jose Marti such as:
The Tomas Terry Theatre, completed in 1895 and named after a sugar baron from Venezuela who arrived in Cuba with no money and
made his fortune by buying sick slaves for a low price, to later nurse them back to health and reselling them. This money was
invested in a sugar estate that brought him the wealth to build several outstanding buildings in Cienfuegos, including this
theatre, with materials specially brought over from Europe.
The Casa de la Cultura, home of another wealthy sugar baron, stunning mansion in neoclassical style.
The Cathedral built with the donation of wealthy families like the Lebrancs, the Albis, the Terrys. Inside you find the
reproductions of the 12 Apostles in stained glass imported from Paris. Also the original machinery of the clock tower was built
in France. Still in place and working.
We'll also visit the elegant art gallery Galería de Arte Maroya and review its impressively displayed collection of paintings,
sculptures and antiques.
Followed by visit to Palacio de Valle upon arrival. This architectural jewel originated as a home for trader, Celestino Caceres, who later
gave it as a wedding present to the Valle family who added to it (in a Mughal Style with carved floral motifs) a stunning Carrara
marble staircase, cupped arches, bulbous domes and delicate arabesques.
Arrival at "Jose Marti" International Airport in Cuba's capital city.
