Cuba is a paradise for beach lovers. There are few places in the world with as many beaches as Cuba and as beautiful as the ones in this amazing Caribbean Island.
But there are many more reasons to take your family to Cuba beyond the nice beaches and mild temperatures such as the Cuban culture which is influenced by its melting pot of cultures, primarily
those of Spain and Africa.
Cuban music is very rich and is the most commonly known expression of culture. The central form of
this music is Son, which has been the basis of many other musical styles like salsa, rumba and mambo, the cha-cha-cha. Rumba originated in early Afro-Cuban culture. Popular Cuban music of
all styles has been enjoyed & praised across the world. Cuban classical music features symphonic works as well as music for soloists, has received
international acclaim thanks to composers like Ernesto Lecuona.
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Cuba Travel.
Explore Cuba's Cultural Heritage with family & friends! From December 27, 2013 to January 3, 2014.
Travel to Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad and more! $1,859
Overview
Cuba is a paradise for beach lovers. There are few places in the world with as many beaches as Cuba and as beautiful as the ones in this amazing Caribbean Island. But there are many more reasons to take your family to Cuba beyond the nice beaches and mild temperatures such as Cuba's cultural heritage which stems from the country's rich mix of Aboriginal, African, Spanish, French, and Chinese cultures.
Sport is Cuba's national passion. Due to historical associations with the United States, many Cubans participate in sports which are popular in North America, rather than sports traditionally promoted in other Spanish-speaking nations. Baseball is by far the most popular.
Cuban music is very rich and is the most commonly known expression of culture. The central form of this music is Son, which has been the basis of many other musical styles like salsa, rumba and mambo and an upbeat derivation of the rumba, the cha-cha-cha.
Cuban cuisine, an integral part of Cuba’s culture, is a fusion of Spanish and Caribbean cuisines. Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavour.
As you explore UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, National Parks and Protected areas; and travel to America’s largest and best preserved Spanish historical cores such as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Old Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad Historical Centres, you will enjoy cross cultural/ people-to-people experiences that will remain with you for the rest of your life. You will be fascinated by the Cuban people, the culture, and the social/political/economic structure of Cuba.
Please, check the day-by-day itinerary below. Welcome Aboard!
Family Discovery Cuba Cultural Tour:
Explore Havana Historical Centre, a UNESCO Heritage Site.
Meet with Cuban artists at the Experimental Printing Workshop.
Find incredible souvenirs at Old Havana's Market.
Attend cultural ceremony, the Fire of the Cannon of 9 O’Clock.
Visit to the Children's Academy of Baseball of Cuba.
Premium seats at baseball games!
Guided tour of Cienguegos city, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Shop for great art pieces at art gallery Maroya in Cienfuegos.
Travel to Cuba's UNESCO World Heritage Site, Trinidad.
Discover the natural beauty of Topes de Collantes National Park.
Explore UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sugar Mill Valley.
Welcome New Year at all inclusive Caribbean Trinidad del Mar.
Sunbathe, swim, snorkel, relax, spend time with friends & family.
Enjoy sea sports and catamaran sailing at Trinidad.
Why Cuba?
Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean,
incorporating a fascinating blend of diverse history with a rich combination of Latin American, Spanish and African
cultures. Spotless white sandy beaches, coconut palm trees and an underwater world that is home to 500 species of fish
and fifty different coral types surround this exciting island.
Cuba is the 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 do venture in.
Havana City is one of the most stunning architecturally designed cities in the world, with extraordinary variety and quality. Its architecture mirrors its rich social and political history. Contrasts of color and texture are shaped on the facades.
Sport is Cuba's national passion. Due to historical associations with the United States, many Cubans participate in sports which are popular in North America, rather than sports traditionally promoted in other Spanish-speaking nations. Baseball is by far the most popular. You will attend baseball games during this Cuba discovery cultural tour.
Cuban cuisine, an integral part of Cuba’s culture, is a fusion of Spanish and Caribbean cuisines. Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavour.
Cuba's cultural heritage stems from the country's rich mix of Aboriginal, African, Spanish, French, and Chinese cultures.
Cuban music is very rich and is the most commonly known expression of culture. The central form of this music is Son, which has been the basis of many other musical styles like salsa, rumba and mambo and an upbeat derivation of the rumba, the cha-cha-cha.
During this cultural tour, we will travel to Trinidad's Historical Centre, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 for its a wealth of architectural buildings.
The Sugar Mill Valley is one of the most photographed landscapes in Cuba, as well as a must-photograph in every Cuba cultural tour. The monumental value of the 65 sites that form the valley increases the interest to visit this place, where important vestiges of the island's sugar colonization still survive.
Day 1. Friday 27 December 2013. Hello Cuba
Arrival at "Jose Marti" International Airport in Cuba's capital city.
Your Cuba family discovery journey has just begun!
Breakfast is complimentary from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Day 2. Saturday 28 December 2013. Explore Cuba's capital, Havana City
Morning: 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. The castle was recently renovated
and reopened in June 2008 to hold the impressive maritime museum. Well laid out exhibits chart Spain and Cuba's naval history.
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.
Visit to Taller Experimental de Gráfica (Experimental Printing Workshop), a cooperative of young Cuban artists whom can be found working on their lithographs over stone matrices in the large, airy building. The variety of colors, sizes, and content of the prints is wide, including pieces with recognizable Cuban icons, bold black and white woodcuts.
Lunch at La Mina restaurant.
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 where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.
Evening: attend one of the most traditional and popular ceremonies in Cuba, Fire of the Cannon of 9 O'Clock at the
Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana.
Day 3. Sunday 29 December 2013. Havana
Morning: visit to the Children's Academy of Baseball at the City of Sport. Good opportunity to make donations of baseball equipment to children baseball players and discuss the remarkable Cuban sport program. Meet with Pedro Almenares, the former Brooklyn Dodger farmhand and star of the Cuban winter league.
Followed by panoramic air conditioned coach tour of the most important historical sites in the Modern Havana neighborhoods of Vedado and Miramar including the Revolution Square, University of Havana, Habana Libre hotel, Coppelia Ice Cream Park, Plaza José Martí (in front of U.S. Interests Section), Monument to the Battleship Maine, Malecón seawall, Prado promenade, Central Park, The Great Theatre and the Capitol building.
Lunch hosted by Jose Fuster, one of the most important Cuban ceramists and painters today.
Afternoon: free afternoon for personal explorations.
Evening: attend baseball game at Latinoamericano Stadium, popularly known in Cuba as "The Colossus of Cerro” is home of Ciudad Habana Industriales. The stadium holds 55,000 people. In 1999, it hosted an exhibition series between Cuban National Team and the Baltimore Orioles.
Day 4. Monday 30 December 2013. Havana- Cienfuegos- Trinidad
Morning departure to Trinidad, in Central Cuba.
En route, we will visit Cienfuegos, a city of neoclassical buildings with a European flair.
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.
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.
Now we journey on to the historic city of Trinidad and check in at all-inclusive Trinidad del Mar Hotel.
You'll have time for dinner and a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
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 5. Tuesday 31 December 2013. Trinidad
Morning: guided 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.
Welcome in the New Year with family, friends, staff, guests and tourmates at the Trinidad del Mar. They'll have many special activities planned! You can also attend events in the town of Trinidad some twenty minutes away by taxi.
Day 6. Wednesday 1 January 2014. Topes de Collantes
Morning: we will board former Russian army trucks for Topes de Collantes in the Escambray Mountain Range,
Cuba's second highest mountain range- reaching 3,700 feet atop Pico San Juan. The mountains are home to small mountain
villages and are a delight for birders and walkers alike. Slopes are swathed in Caribbean pines, ancient tree ferns, bamboo,
and eucalyptus.
Arrival at Hacienda Codina, an old Spanish Hacienda, once part of a large Spanish coffee plantation where we will have a typical
lunch. Followed by a walk around this area to admire the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
Topes de Collantes National Park in the Escambray mountains in Central Cuba. A perfect place for
encountering the Cuban Emerald
(Chlorostilbon ricordii), Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus), Cuban Parrot (Amazono leucocephala),
Fernandina’s Flicker
(Colaptes fernandinae)…
Day 7. Thursday 2 January 2014. Trinidad
Morning: free. This is a great occasion to sunbathe, swim, snorkel, relax and spend time with your family, friends, new Cuban friends and tour mates. Your beach resort offers many aquatic activities and services. Some are free, and others available for a very reasonable fee.
Warm Greetings! I’m Luis D'Aguiar, and I warmly invite you to join our cultural journeys to Cuba, the least commercialized, largest, and most exciting island in the Caribbean. Cuban culture is a very diverse cultural blend of African, European and North American design reflecting the diverse demographic of the island. I studied at the University of Havana, and guided hundreds of cultural groups from the most prestigious North American museums of arts before moving to Canada. Today Cuban contemporary art remains one of the few export items for collectors. Come and join us! Need help, send me a message.
Arrival at "Jose Marti" International Airport in Cuba's capital city.
Authentic Cuba Travel's cultural tours are hosted by Cuba’s key Culture ministries, organizing committees and Cuban culture personalities. Travel with the peace of mind of knowing you are in the best hands!
Warm Greetings! I’m Luis D'Aguiar, and I warmly invite you to join our cultural journeys to Cuba, the least commercialized, largest, and most exciting island in the Caribbean. Cuban culture is a very diverse cultural blend of African, European and North American design reflecting the diverse demographic of the island. I studied at the University of Havana, and guided hundreds of cultural groups from the most prestigious North American museums of arts before moving to Canada. Today Cuban contemporary art remains one of the few export items for collectors. Come and join us! Need help, send me a message.