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Authentic Cuba Expert's Corner
Yane Marquez, Authentic Cuba Travel® Expert Travel Agent Hola! My name is Yane Marquez and I was born and raised in Cuba. After graduating from the University of Havana and the Tourism School of Cuba, I worked for over 10 years as a tour guide, translator and event organizer for Cuba's travel companies and organizations. I guided many groups attending Cuba's main international festivals, fairs and events. A few years ago, I moved to Canada where I have continued promoting Cuba’s tourism industry. I would be more than happy to answer any question you have about festival Cuba travel. Do not miss out!
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Havana Hotel Packages for Cuba Architecture Tours
Accomodation:
This Cuba tour offers the following Cuban hotels and Casas Particulares (Private Homestays):

Luxury Casa Particular

Destinations:
This Cuba tour travels to the following Cuban destinations:

Old Havana
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Havana City

Cienfuegos
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Central Cuba

Trinidad
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Central Cuba
How to go to Cuba from USA
USA Cuba Architecture Travel
Accredited schools and universities 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). Now they can travel to Cuba under a General License (no application necessary) if participating in a structured educational program as part of a course offered for credit by the sponsoring U.S. institution.
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Cuba Study Tours & Travel to Cuba from USA
US Cuba Study Tours & Travel
Authentic Cuba Travel® offers universities, colleges and schools from US, Canada and all over the world the best study trips to Cuba.

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US Cuba Educational Tours & Travel
Educational Travel to Cuba should be more than sunbathing in beautiful Caribbean beaches while sipping cold tropical drinks.

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Cuban architecture explained
Cuban Architecture Overview
Cuba has some of biggest and better conserved Spanish colonial architecture cores in America. No wonder, Cuba’s Architecture is one of the most significant attractions for foreign visitors to the largest island in the Caribbean. Today, they still preserve part of their charming and dignified antiquity as we will witness during your Architecture Cuba tour.
Cuban Architecture

Cuba Architecture Tours & Travel

Baner Cuba Architecture Tours Cuba Travel Banner Cuba Explorer, Cuba's Architecture Discount Cuba Tours Eligibility for USA Cuba Travel USA Cuba Travel for US Schools USA Cuba Travel for US Organizations

Architecture Cuba Travel for Architecture Professionals, Architecture Professors, Faculty and Students and all those interested in Cuba’s Architectural Heritage and Historical Preservation.
From December 26, 2024 to January 2, 2025


Explore Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad for as little as $2,599 (all taxes included)


Cuba Architecture Tour | Referral Discount: $100

This Cuba study trip represents a unique opportunity for architects, urban planners, landscape designers, architecture professors and all those interested in Cuba’s Architectural Heritage and Historical Preservation from US, Canada and worldwide to exchange with Cuban counterparts and explore Cuban culture and Cuba's architecture wealth.

During this official Cuba architecture and cultural tour, you will explore the architecture wealth that defines Cuba as a unique Caribbean destination. As you travel through America’s largest and best preserved Spanish architectural cores such as Old Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad 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.

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.

Authentic Cuba Travel® warmly invites invites architects, urban planners, landscape designers, architecture professors and all those interested in Cuba’s architectural heritage and historical preservation from US, Canada and all over the world to join this Cuba architecture tour taking place from December 26, 2024 to January 2, 2025.



Cienfuegos' Historic Center was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2005 for the splendor, preservation and architecture of an area stretching for 70 blocks.

Trinidad's Historical Centre, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988, boats a wealth of architectural buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries around Plaza Mayor (main square) when trade in sugar from the nearby Valle de los Ingenios and slaves, brought great riches to the area.

Authentic Cuba Travel® in coordination with the faculty of architecture of the University of Havana and renown Cuban architects warmly invite architects, urban planners, landscape designers, architecture professors and all those interested in Cuba’s Architectural Heritage and Historical Preservation from United States, Canada and all over the world to join this Cuba architecture travel experience taking place from December 26, 2024 to January 2, 2025.

Please, check the day-by-day itinerary below.

Notice to Schools of Architecture, Historic Preservation, Urban Planning and other Academic Institutions from USA:



In January 2016, the US Government announced further enhancements to the 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba that previously required a specific license (this is, lengthy applications to OFAC). Now travel to the Caribbean island is allowed under a general license (this is, self-completed paperwork with no application to OFAC needed).

After President Biden’s policy change on USA Cuba travel on June 9, 2022, the General License for Educational Activities remains in place. Accredited U.S. graduate or under graduate degree-granting institutions; U.S. Academic Institutions; and U.S. Schools can organize and sponsor an educational trip to Cuba for their students, faculty and staff under the General License for Educational Activities, provided that the trip meets OFAC guidelines; and that an employee or other representative of the organization escorts the trip to make sure such guidelines are followed by all participants.

US Schools of Architecture, Historic Preservation, Urban Planning and other US Academic Institutions can organize and sponsor a trip to Cuba for educational activities. The purpose of the Cuba travel should be for:

_ the participation in a structured educational program offered for credit as part of a course of the sponsoring institution;

_ educational exchanges sponsored by Cuban or U.S. secondary schools involving secondary school students’ participation in a formal course of study or in a structured educational program offered by a secondary school or other academic institution, and led by a teacher or other secondary school official are authorized. This authorization allows for participation of a reasonable number of adult chaperones to accompany the secondary school students to Cuba.

_ attendance at non-commercial academic seminars, conferences and workshops related to Cuba sponsored or co-sponsored by U.S. academic institution.

_ non- commercial academic research related to Cuba for the purpose of obtaining a graduate or undergraduate degree;

_ the participation in a formal course of study at a Cuban academic institution provided that credits will be accepted toward the student’s graduate or undergraduate degree;

_ participation in a 10-week structured educational program in Cuba as part of a course offered at the U.S. institution;

_ participation in a formal 10-week course of study at a Cuban academic institution, provided the formal course of study in Cuba will be accepted for credit toward the student’s undergraduate or graduate degree at the U.S. institution;

_ teaching for 10 weeks at a Cuban academic institution by an individual regularly employed in a teaching capacity at the U.S. institution.

We take care of all details both in North America and in Cuba, including VISA and flight arrangements to Cuba's main destinations via USA ports (Miami, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, or other) or through third countries like Canada and Mexico. Authorized US organizations can travel through a third country subject to the same restrictions and requirements as those flying directly from USA.

At Authentic Cuba Travel®, we have been organizing such educational and cultural travel experiences from the United States of America for years with great success.


Notice to US Historic Preservation Organizations, US Heritage Foundations, US Architectural Heritage Associations, and other US Organizations:



Historic Preservation Organizations, Heritage Foundations, Architectural Heritage Associations, and other Organizations from USA can organize a trip to Cuba under the provisions of the General License for Educational Activities, the General License for Support for the Cuban People, the General License for Professional Research, the General License for Semi-Professional & Amateur International Sports Competition, among others. Certain conditions are to be met to comply with OFAC General License requirements for each category of USA Cuba travel though.

The mission of your organization and the objective of your trip to Cuba determine under what general license you can travel to Cuba legally. In general, most trips should consist of a full-time schedule of activities intended to promote the exchange with the ordinary citizens of Cuba. This full-time schedule must also include educational activities that result in meaningful interaction in between U.S and Cuban nationals. Free time in excess or regular tourists' activities are not permitted.

We take care of all details both in North America and in Cuba, including VISA and flight arrangements to Cuba's main destinations via USA ports (Miami, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, or other) or through third countries like Canada and Mexico. Authorized US organizations can travel through a third country subject to the same restrictions and requirements as those flying directly from USA.

At Authentic Cuba Travel®, we have been organizing such educational and cultural travel experiences from the United States of America for years with great success. Call us and let us know more about your organization and we will provide guidance and assistance.


Not an architecture professional? Go to Cuba legally from USA



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  • Architecture Cuba Tours & Travel Highlights:

    • Professional Research General License Documentation.
    • Full-Time Schedule of Professional Research Activities.
    • Guided architecture tour of Havana's Historic Center.

    • Guided architecture tour of Cienfuegos's Historic Center.

    • Guided architecture tour of Trinidad's Historic Center.

    • Travel to UNESCO World Heritage Site Sugar Mill Valley.

    • Meet with architect Coyula at the Scale Model of Havana.

    • Meet with architect Marin from UNESCO Cultural Department.

    • Tour of architectural landmark America Building (1941).

    • Tour of architectural landmark Lopez Serrano Building (1932).

    • Tour of Cuba's Higher Art School(revolutionary architecture).

    • Tour of Capitol building designed by Cuban architects.

    • Visit to the Group for the Comprehensive Development of Havana.

    • Tour of Catalina's House, Cuba's first art deco architecture house.

    • Tour of architectural landmark Centro Asturiano (1927).

    • Travel to the Escambray Mountain Range

    • Enjoy Cuban jazz at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo.


    GENERAL LICENSE FOR PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH CUBA TRAVEL



    US Architects, Urban Planners, Landscape Designers; Architecture Professors, Faculty and Students; and other Architecture Professionals from USA interested in conducting professional research on Cuba’s architectural heritage and historical preservation can travel to Cuba under the provisions of the General License for Professional Research.

    CATEGORY: General license for Professional Research and Professional Meetings- 31 C.F.R. § 515.564(a)(1) of the current Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations.

    The travel- related transactions set forth in § 515.560(c) and such additional transactions as are directly incident to professional research are authorized, provided that:

    (i) The purpose of the research directly relates to the traveler’s profession, professional background, or area of expertise, including area of graduate-level full-time study;

    (ii) The traveler does not engage in recreational travel, tourist travel, travel in pursuit of a hobby, or research for personal satisfaction only; and

    (iii) The traveler’s schedule of activities does not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule of professional research.

    We provide our US travelers with all the required documentation to ensure they are in compliance with 2022 Biden administration’s rules on Cuba travel under the US Cuba Travel category: Professional Research and Professional Meetings. US travelers can choose to depart to Cuba from any US port of their choosing.

    Architecture, Morro Castle, Cuba.An architectural landmark of Havana, the Morro Castle was erected between 1589 and 1630 to protect the entrance to Habana harbour from pirates. Standing high on a rocky bluff above the Atlantic, the fort– with its irregular polygon shape, 10ft-thick walls and deep protective moat– is a classic example of Renaissance military Cuban architecture.
    Architecture, Cuba’s National Art Schools, Cuba. Born out of the political utopian aspirations of the Cuban Revolution, the dramatic brick and terracotta National Art Schools represent a particular, fleeting moment in the history of Latin American modernist architecture. The project was charged to modernist architect Ricardo Porro in collaboration with Italian architects Roberto Gottardi and Vittorio Garatti, which were dedicated to modern dance, plastic arts, dramatic arts, music, and ballet.
    Architecture, Plaza de San Francisco, Cuba. Plaza de San Francisco soon became the trade square of the city during early colonial times. Galleons full of Spanish immigrants and African slaves called port here to unload their human cargo and stockpile before continuing on journey to The West Indies.
    Architecture, Centro Asturiano Building, Cuba. The Centro Asturiano building, 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.
    Architecture, Bacardi Building, Cuba. An architectural landmark in Havana City, the Bacardi building is one of the finest Art Deco builings in Cuba, and a jewel of Cuban architecture. The building was property of Don Emilo Bacardi founder of the Bacardi Imperium. In the year 2001 the building was restored with its original decorations, beautiful marbles and Cuban Art Deco architectural style accessories.
    Cuba Architecture, Cienfuegos City. The Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos, a must in any architecture Cuba tour was inscribed by UNESCO in the World Heritage List, citing Cienfuegos as the best extant example of the 19th-century early Spanish Enlightenment implementation in urban planning. The downtown contains 6 buildings from 1819-50, 327 buildings from 1851-1900, and 1188 buildings from the 20th century. There is no other place in the Caribbean which contains such a remarkable architectural cluster of Neoclassical structures.
    Palacio del Valle, Cienfuegos, Cuba. This jewel of Cuba's architecture 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.
    UNESCO World Heritage Site Trinidad. Cuba. Trinidad is an outstanding example of Cuba's colonial architecture. It has maintained its historic core, featuring the highest percentage of surviving antique buildings and public squares and bringing together architectural, historic and cultural elements of great value.
    Day 1. Thursday 26 December 2024.
    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.

    Meet your Authentic Cuba Travel® tour guide and bus driver.

    Private transfer to your Luxury Casa Particular located at Vedado Neighbourhood, the cultural center of Havana City.

    In the 40s and 50s, many high-rise buildings and apartment complexes in the Vedado district helped dramatically alter the skyline of Havana City. The Habana Libre Hotel (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.

    Breakfast is complimentary from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
    Day 2. Friday 27 December 2024.
    Havana. 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 visit places like the Square of Revolution, University of Havana, Seawall, Vedado neighbourhood, 1830 Restaurant, Miramar neighbourhood, Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Cemetery Colon, and others.

    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: a new wave of paladares (privately-owned restaurants) has recently swept the Cuban dining scene offering excellent food and charming ambient. Today we’ll enjoy a welcome lunch at the stylish Paladar San Cristobal, one of Havana's top ten private restaurants.

    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 28 December 2024.
    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.

    A new wave of paladares (private family-run restaurants) has recently swept the Cuban dining scene offering excellent food and charming ambient. Today we’ll enjoy a welcome lunch at the stylish Paladar Cafe Laurent at the penthouse terrace of a small 1950s apartment building.

    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 your private rental accomodation.

    Day 4. Sunday 29 December 2024.
    Havana
    Morning: guided tour of the Cuba's National Art Schools. The schools were designed and built by architects Cuban Ricardo Porro and the Italians Roberto Gottardi and Vittorio Garatti from 1961 to 1965. They represent an example of Cuba's architecture after the Revolution. The schools embody Cuba’s cultural heritage, radical architecture, regional building technologies, and restored hope for Cuba’s future. In 1999, they were placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List, which calls attention to endangered cultural heritage sites.

    Lunch hosted by Jose Fuster, one of the most important Cuban ceramists and painters today.

    Afternoon: visit to Partagas Cigar Factory, founded in 1845 by Spaniard Don Jaime Partagas. Don Jaime owned many of the best plantations in the Vuelta Abajo tobacco-growing region of Cuba and being able to choose from among the finest tobaccos on the island made the brand Partagas incredibly successful.

    Don Jaime is also believed to have experimented with various methods of fermenting and aging tobacco and is legendarily credited with hiring the first lector to read to and entertain the cigar rollers as they worked. Before and after the Revolution, the Cuban-produced Partagás has been one of the most revered and highest-selling brands of cigars in the world.

    Return to your private rental accomodation.

    Day 5. Monday 30 December 2024.
    Havana- Cienfuegos- Trinidad
    Morning departure to Trinidad, in Central Cuba.

    En route, we will visit Cienfuegos City, the first, and an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble that represents the new ideas of modernity, hygiene and order in urban planning as developed in Latin America from the 19th century.

    Cienfuegos was settled by French immigrants from Bordeaux and Louisiana, led by Don Louis D'Clouet, on April 22 1819. Its original name was Fernardina de Jagua, in honor of Ferdinand VII of Spain.

    Visit to Palacio de Valle upon arrival. The building showing an eclectic architecture was erected at a cost of a million and half pesos. French, Arabic, Italian and Cuban artisans worked with marble, alabaster, brass, glass and ceramic imported from Spain, Italy and United States. The entrance is primitive Gothic style and leads to a dining room of Mudejar architecture influence, which imitates the famous Patio of the Lions, of Alhambra, in Granada.

    Lunch is included at Paladar Ache, one of Cienfuegos top ten private restaurants, serving local specialties in a pleasant courtyard.

    Afternoon: 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.

    Now we journey on to the historic city of Trinidad and check in at your Luxury Casa Particular. You'll have time for dinner and a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

    Evening is free to enjoy the beach 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 6. Tuesday 31 December 2024.
    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.

    Trinidad's Historical Centre, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988, boats a wealth of architectural buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries around Plaza Mayor (main square) when trade in sugar from the nearby Valle de los Ingenios and slaves, brought great riches to the area. Many of the buildings surrounding the central square belonged to the wealthy landowners of the city.

    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 at Solananda Paladar.

    Free time to wander the streets of historical centre or enjoy the beach.

    Evening: celebrate New Year’s Eve at a venue of your choosing tonight (optional/ not included in tour costs). Your tour guide will give you advice on the numerous venues in the city where you can partake in the celebrations for New Year’s Eve. He will also help you book your favourite dinner and event.
    Day 7. Sunday 1 January 2024.
    Trinidad- Topes de Collantes- Havana
    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 Cuban birds such as the Cuban Emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii), Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus), Cuban Parrot (Amazono leucocephala), Fernandina’s Flicker (Colaptes fernandinae)…

    Afternoon: transfer back to Havana City.

    Check in at your Casa Particular.
    Day 8. Monday 2 January 2024.
    Departure
    Early morning departure to Havana City International Airport for departure.

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