Cuba: Art, Culture & History in Trinidad & Havana

Arrive in Santa Clara and transfer to Trinidad, a two-hour journey from Santa Clara.
 

Check into the privately owned Mansión Alameda, your home in Trinidad for two nights. Have dinner at a paladar for an introduction to traditional Cuban cuisine. Celebrate your arrival with authentic Cuban music at La Casa de la Trova House.

Overnight: Mansión Alameda

Meals: D

Immerse yourself in the colonial charm of Trinidad, a city that rose to prominence during Cuba’s sugar trade in the 16th century. Stroll through the historic Plaza Mayor, surrounded by stunning 18th and 19th-century buildings with pastel-colored facades and red terracotta-tiled roofs. Step inside the opulent world of Trinidad’s wealthy sugar barons at the Museo Romántico, where a collection of 19th-century decorative arts showcases their lavish lifestyle.

Delve into the city’s architectural heritage at the Museo de Arquitectura Colonial. An expert guide here will share the intricate details of moldings, tiles, and doors that have shaped Trinidad’s distinct architectural vernacular.

Connect with Trinidad’s thriving artistic community, meeting local artists like Lázaro Niebla (pending confirmation), a renowned wood sculptor known for his innovative reverse woodcut portraits. Then visit a privately owned textile center founded by women and gain insights into their creative processes.

After a delicious lunch at a carefully selected paladar, venture to the UNESCO-listed Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), where much of Cuba’s sugar production took place from the late 18th to the late 19th century. At the industry’s peak, more than 50 sugar mills dotted this lush landscape. Explore the remnants of this once-thriving industry, including ruins of mills and quarters that housed enslaved people, and gain a poignant understanding of the human cost behind Cuba’s colonial prosperity. Gather for dinner at a paladar.

Overnight: Mansión Alameda

Meals: B, L, D

Transfer to Cienfuegos, known as Cuba’s “Pearl of the South.” This morning on the way to Cienfuegos, visit the Cienfuegos Botanical Garden. Cienfuegos's historical area, settled by French immigrants in 1819, blends French and Spanish architectural influences.

 Explore the main square and the adjacent Paseo del Prado, a mile-long promenade lined with colorful colonial-style buildings.
Marvel at the Teatro Tomás Terry, a grand theater completed in 1889 to honor the sugar baron Tomás Terry, believed to be Cuba’s wealthiest man in the 19th century. This majestic venue boasts a 950-seat auditorium adorned with Carrara marble and gold-leaf mosaics, a snapshot of Cienfuegos’s former extravagance. Then, gather for a moving exclusive performance of the Choir of Cienfuegos. Marvel at the group’s powerful, technically skilled, gospel-influenced polyphonic sound.

After lunch at a paladar, transfer from Cienfuegos on a scenic three-hour journey to Havana and check into Paseo 206, a privately owned boutique hotel inside a restored historic house. Celebrate your arrival in Havana with a reception and dinner at a beautiful private home and meet entrepreneurs in business, arts, and design.

Overnight: Paseo 206

Meals: B, L, R, D

Founded in 1519, Havana remains the Caribbean’s most impressive historical urban center. Participate in a morning lecture and discussion with a local architectural historian to chart the fascinating history of Havana’s architecture and learn about the complexities of home ownership in Cuba.

Then depart on a walking tour of UNESCO-listed Old Havana and four of its expansive plazas: Plaza de Armas, Havana’s oldest square; Plaza Vieja, once a bustling residential area; Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, named after the nearby, late 16th-century Franciscan convent; and Plaza de la Catedral, famous for the 18th-century Havana Cathedral (Catedral de San Cristóbal), one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas.

After lunch at a popular paladar, an independent curator will guide you on a private tour of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana (National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana), Cuba’s largest museum. As you explore its Cuban art collection at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, encounter the complex, colorful works of the country’s leading modern and contemporary artists, including Raúl Martínez, known as Cuba’s answer to Andy Warhol; and the revered Afro-Cuban surrealist Wilfredo Lam, whose abstract, geometrical imagery was influenced by Picasso.

This evening, explore the renowned 1930 Hotel Nacional de Cuba, designed by the acclaimed New York architecture firm McKim, Mead & White, the visionaries behind such lavish edifices as the Rosecliff mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Stop in its storied Hall of Fame to see tributes to its many famous guests, including Buster Keaton, Rita Hayworth, Nat King Cole, Sir Winston Churchill, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Gabriel García Marquez. Enjoy a mojito on a terrace overlooking Havana’s harbor before dinner at one of Havana’s excellent paladares.

Overnight: Paseo 206

Meals: B, L

This morning, join a former ambassador and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for an eye-opening lecture and discussion about the island’s current realities and potential future. Is Cuba truly on the brink of a major transformation?

Then transfer to the 122-acre Colón Cemetery, which is much more than a sprawling burial ground. This remarkable green space has been called an open-air museum or “Cuba’s largest sculpture park.” You’ll be struck by the artistry of the memorials, with over 500 major mausoleums, chapels, and family vaults showcasing a variety of architectural styles, from Classical Revival to Art Deco.

After lunch, walk down Calle Obispo, Havana’s main shopping street, and explore Dador, a privately owned fashion boutique. Speak to one of the owners about the challenges and advantages of operating a small private business in Cuba. The clothing is both crafted and sold on site, and you may have an opportunity to watch skilled dressmakers crafting stylish garments.

In the early evening, drive to The Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, one of the few Cuban NGOs, for a presentation on Cuban art. The Foundation’s President will host a cocktail reception and buffet dinner on the penthouse terrace, where guests include emerging Cuban artists. This evening, you may opt to attend a performance at one of Havana’s famed music venues, including the legendary Tropicana.

Overnight: Paseo 206

Meals: B, L, D

Delight in exclusive access to an informal morning rehearsal of the Rosario Cárdenas Dance Company, featuring some of Cuba’s most gifted contemporary dancers. You will have an opportunity to chat and perhaps even have an impromptu dance lesson with the performers.

Head outside the capital to the small, hilltop village of San Francisco de Paula. Here, take an inside look at Ernest Hemingway’s residence for two decades, Finca Vigía (Lookout Farm). Initially rented for Hemingway’s partner Martha Gellhorn in 1939, Finca Vigía soon became the writer’s property after their relationship ended.

Hemingway lived at the seaside villa with his last wife Mary and wrote For Whom t2he Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea in its breezy rooms and shady porticos. You will view the rooms through open windows from the surrounding terraces. Admire their pastel walls, dark wood furnishings, and high ceilings, all beautifully preserved. While exploring the property, see Pilar, Hemingway’s famous, 38-foot fishing boat.

Enjoy lunch on your own back in Havana, and later this evening gather for a private Jazz Concert, followed by a classic car panoramic tour of the City and some of its most iconic landmarks. Enjoy time to take photos of these sparkling, colorful 1950s automobiles.
This evening, gather for a private Jazz Concert. Then celebrate this journey with fellow travelers during a festive farewell dinner at one of Havana’s oldest paladares.

Overnight: Paseo 206

Meals: B, L, D

Depart the hotel this morning and take an arranged transfer to the airport for the flight home.

Meals: B