Itinerary

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL / HELLO CUBA (DINNER)

• Arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport. Collect your bags and go through customs. You’re welcomed at the airport lobby by your Cuba Education Tours guide and professional bus chauffeur.
• Visit the Revolution Square.
• Private check-in with assistance from your guide.
• Free time to settle in and rest up.
• This evening you’ll enjoy a group welcome dinner at a family restaurant.
•       EVENING SPECIAL ACTIVITY: Witness a most dramatic ceremony – El Cañonazo – the Firing of the 9PM Cannon at the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña. This enchanting colonial reenactment dates back to 1519 when the city of Havana was enclosed by a tall thick rock wall to ward off attacks from pirates and the English. The cannon firing signaled the closing of the city gates for the night. If you were outside at the time, you were in “vedado” or the forbidden zone. Today Vedado is an important cultural hub and beautiful section of modern Havana. (included in costs)

Evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city. OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES WILL BE INFORMED

DAY 2 – EXPLORING OLD HAVANA, OUR COMMON HERITAGE/ HISTORY/ ARTS  (BREAKFAST, LUNCH)

• Breakfast in hotel/Private home
• Followed by a walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   We’ll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture. This is a private tour led by your Cuba Education Tours guide.
• Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana built by the Jesuit order.

*    Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as:

*    Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City.

*    Palacio del Segundo Cabo [Palace of the Second Lieutenant] dates from 1770. Today it houses the Instituto Cubano del Libro [Cuban Book Institute] and the Galería Raúl Martínez (famed poster artist).

• We continue onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter. The square is named after magnificent Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asís dating from the 16th century. The basilica is a striking example of Cuba baroque architecture.
• And then on to Plaza Vieja the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings, and is in contrast surrounded by opulent aristocratic 17th century residences. We’ll visit an important center for the visual arts.

*    Lunch in a family restaurant

• Visit Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes de Depósito San José. This marvelous restoration of an old dock warehouse has resulted in a gigantic market exhibiting the wares of hundreds of Cuban artists and crafts persons.
• Evening Free to Explore.

DAY 3 –  (BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER)

• Visit The Museum of the Revolution.  The Museum of the Revolution is a museum located in the Old Havana section of Havana. The museum is housed in what was the Presidential Palace of all Cuban presidents from Mario García Menocal to Fulgencio Batista. It became the Museum of the Revolution during the years following the Cuban revolution.
• The Aguilera House built in the XVIII century. Today it houses the National Museum of Ceramics objects of the most prestigious Cuban artists from the middle of the last century to present. The institution is host to the Cuban Ceramics Biennial. Visit Ceramic Museum in old Habana.
• Lunch in a family restaurant
• Rest of the afternoon is free
• Enjoy a ride in old American Classic cars to private restaurant
• *    Night out at Tropicana, Cabaret.

DAY 4- (Breakfast at hotel)

• Check out and transfer out to Jose Marti airport to return to the United States.