DETAILS
Visiting Cuba can be a transformative and moving experience. Ring in 2025 with the National Trust in Havana on a thrilling New Year’s journey. On this exclusive program in support of the Cuban people, take an inspiring look at contemporary Cuban life that few visitors will witness, all during a festive time of year. With expert guides, learn about Cuba’s complex history, shaped by colonialism, revolution, and the intermingling influences of Indigenous, European, and African cultures.
- Pricing from
- $5,499
- Trip Type
- Group Travel Tour, International Land & Rail Voyages
- Departure Dates
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Dec 28, 2024 - Jan 3, 2025
PASEO 206
A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection, this boutique hotel is a romantic jewel nestled among the tree-lined streets of Vedado, the economic and cultural heart of La Havana. This family home dating
back to 1933 has undergone a careful restoration that has maintained the soul of the structure, preserving the original architectural elements. The cozy and comfortable rooms and suites all offer free Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service, Hermès bathroom amenities, Marshall speakers, and hypoallergenic king-sized beds with luxurious Frette linens.
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Mary Werner DeNadai
Mary Werner DeNadai, FAIA, is a nationally recognized architect and Trustee Emerita of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Her career spans four decades in the fields of historic preservation and classical architectural design and she has had personal involvement with projects that include the full spectrum of architectural styles, periods and building types. Mary has recently lectured on trips to the Rhine River, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Peru, Eastern Europe, Cuba, the Canary Islands and Morocco. She has been acknowledged and awarded for her achievements by the American Institute of Architects, as well as by other National, State and Local organizations.
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TOUR MAP
ITINERARY
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day 1
DEPARTURE / HAVANA, CUBA
Welcome to Havana! Upon arrival at the Jose Marti International Airport, you will be greeted and transferred to Paseo 206, a boutique hotel and your home for six nights. Celebrate your arrival in Havana with a reception and dinner at a beautiful private home.
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day 2
HAVANA
Join an independent curator for a private morning tour of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana (National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana), Cuba’s largest museum. 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. Following lunch at a paladar, enjoy guided access to the Havana Art Biennial. Since its 1984 inception, this Biennial has become a cornerstone for artists from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, shining a light on non-Western perspectives and contemporary issues. Experience Havana’s public spaces and lively streets transformed into open-air galleries, including the waterfront Malecón and the plazas of Old Havana. Meet curators and artists as you delve into extraordinary exhibitions, engaging performances, and interactive art installations. Dinner is at El Cocinero, a former cooking oil factory transformed into a chic restaurant and bar with delicious food and world-class daiquiris. Next door, join a curator for a private tour of what Time magazine calls one of “the world’s greatest places,” the Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC), a spellbinding, multilevel cultural space that defies categorization. Is it a performance venue? An art gallery? It’s both and so much more. You’ll have an exclusive look at its spectacular exhibits and installations with an opportunity to purchase artwork.
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day 3
HAVANA / SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA / HAVANA
Join a former ambassador and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for an eye-opening morning discussion. Then join your guide at the recently restored Capitolio, the National Capitol Building, designed to resemble the U.S. Capitol with a larger dome. After undergoing a massive restoration project, it reopened in 2018 and now houses the National Assembly of People’s Power. After lunch, head outside the capital to the small, hilltop village of San Francisco de Paula for a visit to Finca Vigía (Lookout Farm), the house where Ernest Hemingway lived for 20 years. He wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea in its breezy rooms and shady porticos. View the rooms through open windows from the surrounding terraces and see Hemingway’s famous fishing boat Pilar on the property. In the early evening, drive to The Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, one of only a 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 will include local Cuban artists. Later, you may attend an evening of musical performances.
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day 4
HAVANA
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, then depart on a walking tour of UNESCO-listed Old Havana, including four of its expansive plazas and the 18th century Havana Cathedral (Catedral de San Cristóbal), one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas. After lunch, embark on a motor coach tour through Havana’s neighborhoods like Miramar and Vedado. Delve into the city’s glamorous 1950s history, viewing the grand houses and social clubs still visible along the tree-lined manicured avenues. Dinner is at one of Havana’s finest paladars. You may ring in the New Year at one of the city’s famed music venues.
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day 5
HAVANA / VIÑALES / HAVANA
Travel outside of Havana to the western province of Pinar del Río, known for its lush tobacco haciendas and the Viñales Valley’s UNESCO-recognized mogotes, distinctive hills towering as high as 1,000 feet, with steep, almost vertical sides. Meet with a local farmer for a private tour of a tobacco hacienda and enjoy an engaging private demonstration of the drying and rolling processes. Then transfer to lunch at a privately owned organic farm with a lovely scenic view. Before returning to Havana, visit the studio of a local painter who has charted the history of his community through his work. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own.
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day 6
HAVANA
Delight in a behind-the-scenes morning rehearsal of the Rosario Cárdenas Dance Company, featuring some of Cuba’s most gifted contemporary dancers. Afterwards, you will have an opportunity to chat with the performers. Then transfer to the 122-acre Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón, often called an open-air museum or “Cuba’s largest sculpture park.” Join your guide to learn about Cuba’s past through this remarkable green space’s elaborate sculptures, monuments, and mausoleums. This evening, explore the renowned 1930 Hotel Nacional de Cuba, designed by the acclaimed New York architecture firm McKim, Mead & White. 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. You will also enjoy a moving exclusive performance from Vocal Leo, an acclaimed choir, followed by a festive farewell dinner at one of Havana’s oldest paladares.
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day 7
HAVANA / RETURN
Depart the hotel this morning and join an arranged transfer to the airport for your flight home.
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