1 week Cuba itinerary

We didn’t travel much last year. Well, we knew we would be moving countries towards the end of the year and that needed some extra savings. This time has passed now (fortunately) and we’re successfully and happily moved to London (the best decision we could have made!), so the travelling bug is kicking in strong again.

Cuba was always on the list of places one-day-we-would-like-to-visit but was never a priority. Well, we knew we’d like to do it sooner rather than later since everyone is saying that now is the last moment to see the real Cuba before it develops (I’m afraid it is a little bit late already, but about this maybe in a separate post…). So in the middle of cold English winter the idea was to find a place to visit in February that is hot and sunny, cheap to visit and with convenient flights from London. After narrowing it down to Cuba and South Africa - Cuba it was!

There are many more or less convenient flights from Europe to Cuba. I’m sure there are even direct ones from London to Havana but that was not in our budget at all so didn’t even bother considering this solution. Aero Mexico was the best shot for us - the flights are very cheap, most of them over-night (a must for me!) and they offer a transfer in Mexico City allowing us a quick 1-day visit - PERFECTION.

February in Cuba is still in the summer time so the weather for travelling is just perfect: around 30*C most of the time with not much rain or humidity (in the whole week we experienced rain only 1 afternoon). Of course, unfortunately, this means that it’s the highest tourist season as well so if you’re trying to avoid that (as we did in Costa Rica), I’d recommend researching more off-season time of the year.

A big surprise for us: Cuba is a VERY big island: it’s almost 1500 km between the most eastern and most western point and at least a 19-hour drive. So, needles to say, our original plan of road-tripping the whole island was not an option in a week’s time. One week is, however, just enough to visit the eastern part of Cuba, closer to where Havana is located and this is exactly what we’ve done.

Day 1: Havana (Habana Vieja)

With our Aero Mexico connection we arrived to Cuba around 13:00 and planned for the rest of the day and the night in Havana. The airport is located very close to the city (around 30 minutes by taxi) so id everything goes smoothly you can set off to see the city around 14:00 already.

On our first day we stayed in this wonderful Airbnb right in Havana Vieja and would highly recommend it to anyone. The family owning it is very nice and helpful, not too obtrusive in trying to make money on you (which happens all the time). The location is absolutely perfect and the breakfast prepared for us in the morning was SO good.

Due to the location of our Airbnb and the fact that we planned only half a day in Havana at this point, we decided to spend all of it on discovering Havana Vieja (the Old Havana) - the core of the original city of Havana. The Northern part where we were staying has been in parts renovated over the past few years so it’s definitely more Instagram-friendly but also a bit… safer? We did get lost in the older and more destroyed southern part in the evening and perhaps didn't feel unsafe per se but definitely a bit… out of place.

The best idea to do here is to just wander, or at least this is what we enjoyed the most. It might get tricky to find a spot to eat that is not too touristic but at the end we managed to find a cool quite local bar with very cheap drinks and ate a decent Ropa Vieja (traditional Cuban pulled pork meal with fried plantains and beans on the side).

Bar Bigote Gato
corner of Brasil and Aguacate
drinks for $1.95

Day 2-4: Viñales

First destination on our road trip - Viñales. It’s a valley located 2-3 hours drive from Havana famous for its tobacco plantations - this is where the finest leaves for Cuban cigars come from. It’s a beautiful and lush valley with strong Jurassic Park vibes. We stayed in this amazing Airbnb and to be honest, this was our best Airbnb experience in Cuba. The host was nice and not obtrusive at all, helpful and understanding and his all family made us feel very welcome and not like tourists at all. It is a bit outside of the main town of Viñales but I think it’s actually better cause the views from the rooftop terrace are breathtaking and you don’t have drunk tourists bothering you at night.

The thing to do while in Viñales is obviously to visit the valley. This is also the main tourist attraction so the locals have built a great business around it. The most popular way to do it is horseback riding: a guide picks you up from your casa in the morning, gets you settled on a horse and you spend the whole day discovering the valley and the local plantations where you can purchase the products, including cigars and local rum obviously.
(Interesting fact: because Viñales is now protected by UNESCO certain plantations are forbidden in this area, including sugar cane. This is why the local rum here is made entirely out of guava and is the most delicious one we’ve ever tasted!).

For most tourists the above is the most convenient solution but, us being us, we decided to set ourselves for a hike alone and let me tell you - it is completely doable. It’s around 10km route and you might get lost in the middle (as we did) but if you do, just ask whoever passing by about the way back to Viñales.

We also decided not to visit the most popular tobacco plantations in the area but asked our host to take us to his friend leaving nearby and let me tell you, it was the best choice! We ended up with a private tour, a very detailed description of the whole process and tasting of cigars (for Thomas) rolled right on spot.

In terms of food in Viñales the challenge is exactly the same as in Havana - it might be tricky to avoid the tourist spots but there are a few we can recommend:

Bar Restaurante El Vinadero
Perhaps the cheapest drink bar in Viñales ($0.90 for mojito)

El Qba Libre
Delicious lobster meal for $5.

JRompiendo Rutina
Pork sandwiches for lunch for $1.50

Day 4-6: Playa Larga

There was no possibility for me to be in the Caribbean and not spend time on the seaside. The choice was - Playa Larga in the famous Bay of Pigs. Why? Because of the beautiful National Park Cienaga de Zapata and the coral reef in one place. What else do you need, really?

The original plan was to visit both the national park and go diving but it turned to be too complicated to organise - you can’t visit the park without a guide (such a shame!) and we didn’t have a car to drive ourselves to the coral reef area. As a result, and thanks to our Airbnb host again, we ended up visiting a smaller but as beautiful part of the park called Enigma de las Rocas in the morning and went snorkelling in the Cueva de los Peces area later in the afternoon - both of which turned out to be breathtaking and unforgettable experiences.

The first one - Enigma de las Rocas - is a short 1-hour hike in a part of the Zapata National Park between Playa Larga and Playa Giron where you’re guided to see see the cenotes (sinkhole) in the middle of the jungle in which you can swim. WOW.

If you have more time to visit Cuba than we did now would be the best moment to head more east - to see Cienfuegos or Trinidad for what we originally planned but at the end decided not to stretch our schedule too much and go directly back to Havana.

Day 7: Havana (Centro Habana, Vedado)

Last day in Cuba was our return to Havana and oh, how lucky we were to get there on Saint Valentine’s! It turns out to be quite a big deal for Cubans, at least in Havana and we found ourselves in the middle of festivities. Music on the street, local performances, street food stalls and $0.50 mojitos everywhere.

Centro Habana and Vedado are located more to the west than Habana Vieja, definitely have a more local vibe to it (apart from the main street of course, Paseo de Marti) and much less tourist trap bars and restaurants. This is also when we finally got to taste the famous pizza Cubana and surprisingly, it was quite good! When you eat lunch for 2 for less than $3, you know you’re doing it right…

Day 8: Mexico City

Our flight back to London was leaving very early in the morning from Havana Airport with a stopover in Mexico City again, but this time for a whole day giving us an opportunity to visit a bit of this city. You can read about our hunt for the perfect taco here!