Havana 5-day Itinerary

This twin-towered 18th-century masterpiece of Cuban Baroque, with beautiful undulating facade and mismatched bell towers, dominates Old Havana’s main plaza. Peek inside: the altar is made of Carrara marble and Italian frescoes crown the altar recess.

Cuba’s most impressive museum, housed in two separate buildings almost next to each other, showcases the best of Cuban art (in one building) from the 1600s to the modern day, and international artists over 5 art-filled floors of a second building.

Appreciate the tropical beauty of Havana from the comfort of an iconic, convertible classic car. A signature Havana experience.

Havan’s famous sea wall is a popular place for meeting locals, sipping rum and watching the sun set over Havana’s skyline.

Experience Cuba’s culinary heart with dinner at a paladar – authentic, family-owned restaurants, often in private homes, serving everything from traditional Cuban dishes to elaborate seafood dishes.

Emerging out of the tattered shell of a handsome mansion is Havana’s most famous restaurant. (It starred in a well-known Cuban movie). Come for the building, food, ambience, and drinks on the rooftop terrace.

Watch the ancient artisanal craft of rolling Cuba’s world-famous cigars at one of the very few working factories in Havana that opens to the public.

Legendary American writer Ernest Hemingway downed a record 16 daiquiris in one sitting at this, his favourite Havana bar. The bartender mixed him a sugarless and double rum tipple and named it the Papa Doble. Come early to bag a barstool at the glamorous scarlet bar.

This funky, Cuban-run cafe and coffee roastery in Old Havana is a popular stop. It sells arguably Havana’s best coffee, great breakfast and exceptional sourdough sandwiches including ample vegan and vegetarian options.

An impressive fort, which took 50 years to construct, that has become the iconic symbol of Havana. Climb the 19th-century lighthouse for a view of the entire city and Malecón.

American novelist Ernest Hemingway lived at this hilltop farm just outside Havana for 20 years. His fishing boat, library, books, writing tower, clothes, pet graves and his now empty pool are preserved for fans of his life and literature.

Havana’s best fine dining experience. Mediterranean dishes with a light Cuban touch are served up in a minimalist space fashioned out of a modernist mansion.

History buffs will love the Museo de la Revolución that details the minutiae of Fidel Castro’s 1953-1959 rebel campaign, culminating in victorious revolution in the ornate surrounds of the old Presidential Palace. The outdoor exhibition displays weaponry, aeroplanes and the Granma yacht, which brought Castro from exile in Mexico to Cuba to relaunch the rebel campaign in 1956.

Watch the locals dance the rumba at one of the city’s open-air street venues. You can even join in…

Raulito Bazuka’s old-school paladar format is updated by the smart surrounds and the wonderful food – Cuban and international flavours. Raulito was mentored by chefs at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain.

Dating from the 19th century, Havana’s remarkable cemetery is an architectural gem, home to marble mausoleums, winged angels, sparkling mosaics, wrought-iron motifs, Art Deco sculptures, vast government monuments and 1959 Revolution memorials.

The Fábrica de Arte Cubano is a creative powerhouse of art, photography, music and dance. All the hot stuff is inside this converted peanut oil factory with food and drinks to fuel the night. Uber popular.

This imposing wedding-cake mansion is the seat of the Cuban government. Stop by to see the marble 400ft Hall of the Lost Steps, the gigantic Statue of the Republic, the bronze bas-relief front doors, and the statue of the devil in a patio devoid of shade.

Get the low-down on the Mafia, Hollywood stars and Cold War tactics during a history tour of the famous Hotel Nacional.

An emerging district of street art, galleries and festivals in Southern Old Havana. Look out for cool street art, Galería Taller Gorría, and new bars and cafés.

An insightful primer on Cuba’s sugar cane and rum-making in a grand 18th-century mansion, with gorgeous stained-glass windows. Tour highlights include the working model and train of the erstwhile Cuban Hershey sugar plantation, a whiff of the base ingredient of rum – molasses – and a tasting session in the museum bar.