Travel bucket list idea:
Havana, Cuba
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Credit Shutterstock.com/Kamira
Americans poured into capitalist Cuba in the 50s bringing with them the latest consumer goods and beautifully finned cars.
Going for a spin in a classic, chrome-festooned gelato-coloured Chevy, Dodge or Ford – preferably a convertible – is one of the highlights of any trip to Havana.
Tourists are not permitted to drive classic cars themselves; instead, Gran Car’s vintage vehicles are dotted throughout the city, often outside the big hotels, and easily recognisable as the vehicles in the best condition on the streets.
Most Gran Car vintage vehicles are parked around Central Park in front of the Hotel Inglaterra, Hotel Parque Central and Hotel Kempinski. Approach and negotiate.
Cruising along the seafront road, the Malecón, is a must but also ask your driver to cruise down central Prado, left along the curving crescent of the Malecón then up through Avenida 23 and Havana’s nightlife and 1950s hotel district and then out to the Plaza de la Revolución via the embassy residences and grand homes of Paseo Avenue. Take this trip to see the city in the gorgeous late afternoon light.
The cost starts from 750 CUP per hour per car. Want to drive by something a little off the tourist routes? Just ask.
Family-run Nostalgicar are a vintage vehicle hire company for tours, themed trips and transfers. You can also visit their classic car garage where they carry out restorations.
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Cuba
Sensual and sultry communist Caribbean capital, home to captivating, crumbling architecture, and enlivened by dance, music, avant-garde art and cocktails. Impossible to describe, there’s nowhere else quite like it.
