Morning: Your Cuba travel plans for today begins at the organization responsible for putting together the Havana Art Biennial. The Wifredo Lam Center bears the name of one of Cuba’s most renowned painters. At the Wifredo Lam Center, you can find out just how they manage to make Havana over into one giant art gallery every two years— and they can explain the complexities of choosing a theme for the Biennial, as well as the curatorial process.

As a modernist, Lam’s word borrowed themes and imagery from an array of cultures. Today, the Lam Center does something similar in the way it advances the contemporary art of Cuba and that of other developing countries.

Printmaking is one of the most genuine art forms in Cuba as we will see in the next visit of our Cuban journey. Cuban artists have developed printmaking into an incredible varied and expressive medium.

Next we will visit the Taller Experimental de Gráfica, a cooperative workshop where young lithographers ply their art. Support for the Cuban people meaningful exchange in between the US travelers and the Cubans is quite an unforgettable experience of our Cuba tours and travel. Next you will meet this cooperative of young artists who work tirelessly, shirtless in an airy, spacious colonial building where you can see original prints being created.

Over the last years, one of the most evident signs of free-market reform programme has been the booming of private restaurants (known as paladares in Cuba). A wave of slick restaurants such as San Cristobal_where we will have lunch next, is dramatically improving the basic beans-and-rice traditional food with exciting cuisine.

Afternoon: It’s time for a little dose of Cuban history with a guided walking tour through the Plazas (Squares) of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. First we’ll visit two very old and very impressive plazas, the Cathedral Square and the Square of Arms.

As part of our full-time schedule of support for the Cuban people activities, during our walking tour we will visit the vast array of art exhibits, performances and happenings that sprawl across Old Havana during the 15th Havana International Art Biennial 2024- 2025. We will exchange with independent Cuban visual artists, community projects and non-governmental organizations.

Catedral de La Habana loans both its name and presence to Cathedral Square. Built over a period of thirty years in the mid 1700s, this beautiful baroque architectural masterpiece is dedicated to Christopher Columbus. It is famous for its asymmetrical towers, a design feature hit upon to channel water away from the plaza.

The Plaza de Armas, or the “Square of Arms” is named for the fact that the Spanish military drilled in the Square. Historically, it’s the center of Habana Vieja, and still boasts many imposing buildings that have lasted since the Spanish colonialist era.

Perhaps most imposing and poignant is the moated Castillo de La Real Fuerza. Look for one of the city’s most loved images: La Giraldilla, a bronze statue of Hernado de Soto wife, Dona Isabel, who is said to have died of a broken heart after learning that her husband expired after discovering the Mississippi River.

Next we will pay a visit to Piscolabis Bazar-Café, a privately-owned Cuban bazaar and coffee shop run by self-employed (cuentapropista) Cuban fashion designer Sandra De Huelbes to shop for some exclusive clothing and accessories as well as unique souvenirs and local handicrafts. Shopping in these sorts of stores directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Followed by visit to Clandestina Store & Studio. Founded in 2015 by two women Idania del Río and Leire Fernández, this is Cuba's first independent design store. The space includes a design, creation, and experimentation lab—a printing and finishing workshop; a store that receives 40,000 clients a year and an office that manages a global sales operation. Here you can buy the perfect gift or souvenir while supporting a Cuban family!

Then we’ll traverse by the hand of our Authentic Cuba Travel® guide two more beautiful plazas, Plaza Vieja and Plaza de San Francisco.

During our stroll through Plaza Vieja or “Old Square,” your Authentic Cuba guide will show you to some important art institutions such as the Center for the Development of Visual Arts, the Fototeca de Cuba, and La Casona Gallery, you’ll learn about current movements in the visual arts in Cuba and what has given rise to new developments. Whether your personal tastes incline to painting, sculpture, photography or other media, you’re sure to gain important insights.

In addition to its famous fountain with four marble dolphins, Old Square has several beautifully restored buildings worth noting such as Palacio Viena Hotel and Colegio del Santo Angel. Part of Habana Vieja since the 1500s, Old Square is still a vibrant spot.

Another fountain graces the Square of San Francisco of Assisi, this one with lions. Almost as old as Old Square, the Square of San Francisco was given a baroque facelift in the 1700s, and this is the architectural style that remains. The dominant building on the plaza is the Convent of St. Francis. At present a concert hall and museum space, the convent serves as one of the major venues of the 2024- 2025 Havana Art Biennial.

Evening: Visit the trendiness industrial-scale art galleries and performance venues of Fabrica de Arte Cubano (Cuban Art Factory), all housed in a former food processing plant located around Havana’s Green Belt Area. Pushing Cuba’s political boundaries and the incipient free-market entrepreneurial ship, X Alfonso, one of Cuba’s most popular rockers, manages this “community venture” which seems more like a hybrid of a capitalistic business and a state-run facility.

Morning: The Official Cuba Tour to the Havana Art Biennial gets off to another great start today with a full day of art that is sure to capture your imagination. We’ll begin the morning at Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, referred to locally as La Cabaña. This fortress, completed in the 1740s, is the main venue of the 15th Havana Art Biennial 2024- 2025. It’s ancient walls and grounds make for an amazing space in which to view art. Enjoy some time to roam the venue and get acquainted.

Callejon de Hamel, a community grounded art installation, was created by the late Salvador Gonzales. In this central Havana alley, you’ll experience the vibrancy of Mr. Gonzalez’s fanciful creations, and get the chance to speak directly with local artists about the role of Cuba’s African heritage and why he chose this particular location.

Lunch: The evocative world of Fusterlandia is a highpoint of the Cuba Travel experience. Your luncheon host, Jose Fuster, has been called the “Picasso of the Caribbean”. More than 80 of Mr. Fuster’s neighbors have offered their homes as sites for him to weave his artistic magic.

Afternoon: Visiting an artist’s studio is like a small window into the artist’s mind and heart. This afternoon you’ll get to explore those spaces with visits to the workplaces of some notable contemporary artists like Alicia Leal and her daugher Cirenaica Moreira as well as younger artists like Juan Carlos Alom and the Britos’ Sisters making their mark on the Cuban art scene.

Private visit to the studio of artist Karlos Perez. Since 2006, Perez's work has been exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions, including the 11th Havana Biennale. Perez is a good example of how recent contemporary Cuban painting has been shaping its own space. With a background in photography, video, and installation, Perez’s paintings have blurred the order of the traditional discourse of art. His works are not “portraits” in the traditional sense, but rather the power of the images comes from their existential character.

Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to share directly with the artists, ask them questions about their work and methods, and see the diverse influences, heritages, and imaginations at play. Meeting with Cuban artists up close and personal is an exclusive experience of our Cuba Tours.

Return to your hotel or private rental accommodation.

Evening: We’ll return to La Cabaña for a gorgeous evening view of Havana and some costumed splendor as one of Havana’s oldest traditions is carried out, Fire of the Cannon of 9 O'Clock.

Morning: Prepare to feast your eyes on a variety of sights today ranging from striking geological features to perhaps the biggest painting in Cuba. We’ll take a break from the city and tour one of the most magnificent natural areas of authentic Cuba, the Vinales Valley.

En route to Vinales Valley, we will make a stop in Consolacion del Sur, a town in Pinar del Rio province to visit the outreach-community project El Patio de Peregrin. The brainchild of Cuban painter Mario Pelegrin, this humble art gallery and pottery workshop has become a power horse to promote diverse cultural and artistic initiatives in the area.

During this visit we will engage with Mario Pelegrin and his team to learn more about the role of this independent organization in Pinar del Rio. This support for the Cuban people activity will result in a meaningful interaction with the individuals of Consolacion del Sur, Cuba. We will present donations of educational & humanitarian items and ask how we can help promoting their work in the USA.

Lunch: Our tours to Cuba for Americans feature a delicious traditional lunch at the privately-owned bar-restaurant Paladar Yuri & Nino, El Campesino. Yuri is a young woman entrepreneur who started this small restaurant that has expanded into a large establishment. Yuri and her family work hard to create delicious and plentiful food that comes with a beautiful mountain view.

Afternoon: Over arrival in Vinales Valley, one thing you’ll notice right away is the prehistoric looking hills with rounded tops and precipitous sides. Called mogotes, these formations combine with the alleuvial plains separating them to create a jaw-dropping landscape.

Here we’ll find tobacco farmers cultivating their crops. Cuban tobacco, best known in the form of the coveted Cuban cigar, is still farmed using traditional techniques.

Your Cuba art tour will also visit Mural de la Prehistoria. The artist, Leovigildo Morillos, emulated ancient cave-painting technique in his massive mural depicting the evolution of the world from a local viewpoint.

Cueva del Indio is a series of caves containing underground stream. We’ll explore this natural feature and learn about its history while taking a boat ride through the caverns. A famous retreat for slaves evading their Spanish masters, the caverns were first used as burial sites and hiding places by early Amerindians.

After our tour of Cueva del Indio, there will be time to visit Viñales town at a leisurely pace. Stop in the cigar shop for an authentic Cuban cigar, enjoy the handicrafts at the Viñales artisans’ market, or just enjoy the sights of this quaint town.

Before we head back to Havana city, we will stop in the provincial capital city, Pinar del Rio to visit the studio and art gallery of Pedro Pablo Oliva, one of the most internationally recognized Cuban painters today. With works in the permanent collection of the Cuba’s National Museum of Fine Arts as well as in array of collections worldwide, the artist decided to fund The Studio of Oliva not only as an art gallery and exhibit space but as a cultural institution promoting the arts in Pinar del Rio.

Morning: As part of our full-time schedule of support for the Cuban people activities, today we’ll return to Habana Vieja and visit a number of Cuban art institutions serving as venues for the Havana Art Biennial 2024- 2025. Along with viewing artwork, you’ll also learn from the staffs at these celebrated institutions, a highlight of your Cuba Travel experience. We will also exchange with independent Cuban visual artists, community projects and non-governmental organizations.

First up is the Museum of Fine Arts. The Cuban collection of the museum is located in The The Palace of Fine Arts building of the museum. Housing the work of notable Cuban artists like Wifredo Lam, Rene Portocarrero and Rita Lonja, the museum also has a notable collection of religious art and Costumbrismo from the 1600-1800s.

Paladar is a Cuban term that refers to private family-run businesses. The Cuban term has its origin in a Brazilian soap opera played in Cuba in the early 1990s. Today we’ll have lunch at the stylish paladar Cafe Laurent, offering excellent food and fabulous views of the city.

Afternoon: The art students of Cuba's National Art Schools (ISA), a competitive conservatory-like program, represent the best of Cuba’s artistic future. They also participate significantly in the Havana Art Biennial 2024- 2025 with their own sophisticated installations, conceptual pieces, and works based in traditional mediums like painting, printmaking and sculpture.

During our Cuba Tours, we usually include a tour of the ISA, so that tour participants are able to engage in dialogue with both faculty and students about the work on display. This support for the Cuban people activity will result in a meaningful interaction with the new generation of Cuban visual artists.

The second part of our tour of artist studios includes some dynamic artists working in varied media. Lazaro Saavedra, a graduate of the ISA, is a conceptual artist. Rene Pena is known for his exploration of the connection between individuals and institutions and how racial, religious and sexual identity comes in to play. Jose Angel Toirac is an internationally awarded installation artist as well as painter.

During our bus tour, we will also visit the vast array of art exhibits, performances and happenings that sprawl across the city during the 15th Havana International Art Biennial 2024- 2025.

Habana Art Gallery is another important site for the XV Havana Art Biennial that will compliment the Cuba Travel experience. One of the oldest art institutions in La Habana, you are sure to find cutting edge work on display along with a knowledgeable staff and talented, rising artists.

Return to your hotel or private rental accommodation.

Evening: Tonight, experience the art of authentic Cuban Jazz with a trip to Club La Zorra y El Cuervo, one of Havana’s premiere jazz venues. (optional, not included)

Morning: Day trip to Matanzas City, also known as the "Athens of Cuba" for its wealth of poets. The city is also famous for its strong African heritage.

Rest stop in Bacunayagua Bridge for a Piña Colada and enjoy the view over the highest bridge (110 mts) in Cuba, one of the marvels of Cuban post- revolutionary architecture.

As part of our full-time schedule of support for the Cuban people activities, today we will visit various exhibits of the 15th Havana International Art Biennial in Matanzas city. We will also exchange with independent Cuban visual artists, community projects and non-governmental organizations working to promote the visual arts outside Havana city.

Next we visit Ediciones Vigia, a unique publishing house founded in 1985. It produces handmade paper and first edition copies of books. Only 200 copies of each book are made so each is a collector’s item. Meet with Director Agustina Ponce, publishers and artists.

Optional lunch: with the help of your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide assisting with individual bookings, lunch time serves as a good opportunity to try a new paladar (family-run privately-owned restaurant), a business model that has flourished in the city in the past years since the Cuban government opened the door to private enterprise.

Afternoon: during our support for the Cuban people trip to Cuba, we will engage in authorized support for the Cuban people activities such as a visit to the Varadero Ceramic Workshop showcasing great artworks from local artists. Exchange with artists and staff.

Followed by a panoramic motor coach tour of the Peninsula de Hicacos, Varadero, to witness tourism development in the area.

Return to Havana.

Evening: We always recommend enriching our Cuba cultural tours with a trip to experience the National Ballet of Cuba. (optional)

Morning: visit to the photography gallery AMOS and get up close and personal with Ramses Batista, one of Cuba’s most well-established photographers today. Revisit Mr.Batista’s 20-plus-year career featuring portraiture, social documentary, religion, landscapes, and nudes.

During the morning, we will also visit the vast array of art exhibits, performances and happenings that sprawl across the city during the 15th Havana International Art Biennial 2024- 2025.

Enjoy complimentary lunch at L’Atelier paladar. With an ever-changing and exciting menu every day, paladar owner, Niuris Higueras and her chef create an unpredictable variety of dishes with consistent quality.

Private visit to 331 Art Space Gallery, a successful mix of cutting edge art and entrepreneurship in the new Cuba where the boundaries of artistic freedom of expression and restrictions are constantly challenged in the most ingenious ways. Housed in this 1941 mansion- that has been fully refurbished to modern chic style- is the studio of up-and-coming artists, Frank Mujica, Alex Hernandez and Adrian Fernandez whose drawings, prints, and mixed media artworks can command prices in the thousands of dollars.

Now that you’ve had a taste of all that Havana offers during the remarkable days of the Havana Art Biennial 2024- 2025, you get the rest of the afternoon to explore and experience at your favorite spots and at your own pace. Whether you want to revisit one of the studios to contemplate the work, you’ve decided to purchase art for your collection, or you just want to wander, enjoy your day. If you need any assistance with the paperwork to clear any original works you’ve purchased, please see your Authentic Cuba Travel® tour guide.

Return to your hotel or private rental accommodation.

Dinner time! Our Cuba tour participants will be again treated to a farewell dinner at the chic paladar, Le Chansonier, offering quality new Cuban recipes crafted by one of the most gifted chef in Havana, Enrique.

Buen viaje! Your Authentic Cuba Tours team will facilitate your early morning departure to Jose Marti International Airport.