DAY ONE - Thursday December 1: D1 (L1 if arriving before lunch): 

You can fly to Havana from many US airport. Some offer direct flights to Havana - Airfare is not included.

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Arrival at "Jose Marti International Airport" in Havana, Cuba's capital city.

On route to the hotel, you will enjoy a panoramic visit to the Revolution Square (Plaza de la Revolucion). Conceived by French urbanist Jean Claude Forestier in the 1920s, the gigantic square today is the base of the Cuban government and a place where large-scale political rallies are held. It is here where Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis celebrated an open air Mass during their visits to Cuba in January 1998, March 2012 and September 2015 respectively and by US President Barack Obama during his historic visit to Cuba in March 2016.

If you arrive prior to lunch time, you will be treated to a light lunch upon your arrival.

Private group check-in and welcome cocktail over arrival to the Hotel.

That evening we will have dinner together. in a family-run restaurant located in the penthouse atop a small 1950s apartment building.

 

DAY TWO - Friday December 2: B1-L1:

This morning we will begin exploring Old Havana a UNESCO World Heritage Site with our private guide. We will visit to the Scale Model of Old Havana with architect Daniel de la Regata.
The model serves as an excellent introduction to the layout of the city. It is color-coded by age, with the historic buildings painted in crimson, pre-Revolution buildings in yellow, and the post  revolutionary buildings in ivory. We’ll learn how each part of the city has developed historically, and the tough challenges, each district faces today.
After we will enjoy a guided walking tour of Old Havana.
- We will visit the Cathedral Square, named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order. The Cathedral's baroque facade is simultaneously intimate and imposing, and one of the two towers is visibly larger, creating a pleasing asymmetry.
- Next we will visit the Square of Arms, ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers and surrounded by impressive buildings such as:
     - the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the former official                     residence of the governors (Captains General) of Havana, Cuba.

       It  is home to the Museum of the City of Havana.
    - the Palacio del Segundo Cabo. The seat of the second authority            of the island. Today it houses important publishing houses.

   - El Templete, a small neoclassical building marking the spot where         the city of San Cristobal de la Habana was founded in 1519.

    - Castillo de la Real Fuerza. The second oldest fortress built by the           Spaniards in the West Indies

We will enjoy a group lunch in a family run restaurant, housed on the ground floor of an early 20th century mansion. This restaurant serves their inspired interpretations of traditional Creole Cuban fare, in Old Havana, before we continue our walking tour onto San Francisco Square, named after the Convent of San Francisco. This square was conceived in 1628, with the objective of supplying water to the ships trading with the metropolis.

- Afternoon: Visit to the Experimental Print Making Workshop, a cooperative workshop where young lithographers ply their art.

You will have ample time to engage with Cuban artists about this art project that follows a very unique cooperative model in Cuba in which artists directly benefit from the sales of their artworks.

 

- We then visit to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Here we will visit important institutions for visual arts.
You will have some free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana, located inside the Almacenes de Depósito San José, an old warehouse on the harbor side where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans, as well as  s visit to the privately owned shop ‘Alma’. This boutique carries handmade gift items from all over Cuba. Here you can buy the perfect gift or souvenir while supporting a Cuban family! Their products include embroidered dresses, guayaberas (traditional Cuban shirt), baskets, books made from recycled paper, hand-painted cushions and bags, elegantly lacquered vintage-style humidors, crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.
This evening we will attend one of the most traditional and popular ceremonies in Cuba, the Fire of the Cannon of 9 O’clock at the colonial Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana, where Che Guevara established his headquarters after the Revolution came to power in 1959.  

Dinner on your own. I will suggest at few nice restaurants if you are not so willing to take your chances.

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DAY THREE: Saturday December 3: B2-L2

Morning: Guided by Architect Anibal del Prado, we will visit Havana’s Parque Central and surrounding buildings.

 

Visit to the Capitolio Nacional, designed by Cuban Architects Govantes and Cabarroca and built by the American construction company Purdy & Henderson. This is one of Cuba’s most outstanding architectural patrimonies. The dome is 300.96 ft. high (7 inches higher than the highest capitol building in the US).

The Capitol building reopened on March 1st 2018 after 8 years of restoration work.

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Visit to the former Centro Gallego, an exponent of German neo-baroque architecture style in Havana, built in 1915 by Belgian architect Paul Belau.

Centro Asturiano, inaugurated in 1927 designed by Spanish Architect Manuel del Busto features solid heavy façades constructed in Capellania Stones with clear influence of Spanish Renaissance. It houses the most majestic staircase of Cuban Architecture. Since 2001 the building houses the new Museum of Fine Arts.

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Manzana de Gomez, first entire city block built in Cuba in the beginnings of the 20th century completely for commercial use with two inner diagonal streets that cross the building in all directions integrating the pedestrian circulation with the outer fabric.

Bacardi Building, designed in 1930 by Cuban architects Esteban Rodriguez Castells, Rafael Fernandez Ruenes and Jose Menendez Menendez, located in Las Murallas district. The rich façade design is based on polychrome granite imported from Bavaria and Norway as well as colored brick, terracotta and Capellania stone.

The elaborate decoration of the building crown features a bat, logo of the Bacardi Company.

Lunch in a neighborhood restaurant.

Afternoon: Walking tour along the Paseo del Prado, a pedestrian promenade remodeled in 1929 with the inauguration of Havana’s Capitol Building.

Here we’ll visit residential buildings along the boulevard with clear influence from European and American architecture, such as the Telegrafo Hotel, the residence of Cuba’s former president Jose Miguel Gomez Residence, and the former Asociacion de Dependientes del Comercio – a Venetian neo-renaissance style building placed in a key corner of the Prado featured in the film Buena Vista Social Club.

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Next we visit the Rox 950 privately-owned Jewellery store and workshop. Here you’ll admire the work of Cuba’s most acclaimed jewelry designer and private entrepreneur, Rosana Vargas. She is the creator of the famous handcrafted silver jewelry brand, Rox 950.

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DAY FOUR - Sunday December 4 - B3 L3 D2. Cienfuegos city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
*Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Morning: Departure to Cienfuegos, in Central Cuba.

Cienfuegos is the first, and an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble representing the new ideas of modernity, hygiene and order in urban planning as developed in Latin America from the 19th century.

Upon arrival we go on a guided by Cienfuegos City Historian, Architect Iran Millan Cuetara, we will embark on a walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cienfuegos Historical Center.

We will visit neoclassical buildings around Paseo del Prado and the main Square Jose Marti such as:

The Casa de la Cultura, home of another wealthy sugar baron, stunning mansion in neoclassical style.

The Tomas Terry Theatre completed in 1895.

The Cathedral built with the donation of wealthy families like the Lebrancs, the Albis, the Terrys. Inside you find the reproductions of the 12 Apostles in stained glass imported from Paris. Also the original machinery of the clock tower was built in France. Still in place and working.

Lunch in a paladar (private family-run restaurant)  

Afternoon: Visit to Palacio de Valle. The eclectic building was erected at a cost of a million and half pesos. French, Arabic, Italian and Cuban artisans worked with marble, alabaster, brass, glass and ceramic imported from Spain, Italy and United States.

The entrance is primitive Gothic style and leads to a dining room of Mudejar influence, which imitates the famous Patio of the Lions, of Alhambra, in Granada.

Followed by visit to the privately-owned Art Gallery ‘Poco Bonito’ where local young artists show and sell their work. Here you'll find photography, painting, and sculpture.

Continue on bus ride to the historic city of Trinidad and check in at all-inclusive beach resort where you will have time for a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Dinner with the group.

 

DAY FIVE - Monday December 5 - B4 L4 D3  Trinidad de Cuba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
*Breakfast, Lunch

Morning: Trinidad is an outstanding example of a colonial city. Nancy Benitez, a local architect and restoration specialist, will take us on a guided walking tour around this historic city known for its cobble-stoned streets, pastel colored homes and small-town feel.

Visit to the Architecture Museum (Casa de los Sanchez Iznaga), housing the most representative samples of the city's architectural development in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Visit to the town’s Cathedral, Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad, which most locals refer to as La Parroquial Mayor.

The Cathedral, completed in 1892, replaced the original 17th-century church that was destroyed in 1812 by a hurricane.

The new construction, completed at the end of the 19th century, is rather simple on the outside, but the restored interior reveals a Gothic vaulted ceiling and nearly a dozen attractive carved altars.

Trinidad is well known for its pottery makers.

Next we meet with a family that has been passing the tradition for generations: the Santanders.

Lunch at a Trinidad's paladar.

 

Afternoon: Private visit to the studio of local artist Yudit Vidal.

Yudit is the founder and director of the project ‘Entre hilos, alas y pinceles’ (Between threads, wings and brushstrokes) which groups 21 Trinidad craftswomen who cultivate unique and exclusive stitches.

Through this project the artist has been able to help local women and their families through collaborating with them as she paints on their traditional Trinidad stitching on linen. Yudit was appointed ‘Ambassador for Peace’ by the International Circle of Ambassadors for Peace of Switzerland and France.

Followed by visit to the Manaca-Iznaga Hacienda.

The famous Manaca-Iznaga Tower, built in 1816, is 45m high, has seven floors and 136 steps to the top. The restored hacienda is now a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the valley.

A traditional guarapera at the rear serves fresh-squeezed cane juice. Some barracones (slave quarters) still stand too.

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Next we visit the privately-owned ‘Bécquer’ Worshop offering textiles pieces manufacture by hand including linen guayaberas (Cuban traditional shirt), colorful cotton blouses, summer dresses, bags, tablecloths. The store/workshop is named after owner Isabel Bécquer, a popular local songwriter and singer.

Before we leave town, we suggest a stop at the privately-owned ‘Cafe Don Pepe’ selling the best coffee in Trinidad. It is served in ceramic mugs with a square of Baracoan chocolate. Café Don Pepe offers around 40 varieties of beverages that include coffee: espresso, cortado, Americano, cappuccino; as well as alcoholic drinks, fruit juice and Cuban beer. It opened in 2012 and is named after the owner, Jose (Pepe) Carreras.

Return to your hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
 

 

DAY SIX - Tuesday December 6 -  B5 L5 - Trinidad – Sancti Spiritus – Havana
*Breakfast & Lunch included

Morning: Check out of your hotel and transfer back to Havana city.

En route we visit Sancti Spiritus, one of the first seven settlements founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1514. 

The city underwent intense beautification in 2014 to celebrate its 500th anniversary. We will visit places of interest around the historical center such as:

The Parroquial Mayor constructed out of wood in the early 16th century. It was rebuilt in stone in 1680 and it is considered the country's oldest church still standing on its original foundations.

The Museo de Arte Colonial (Colonial Art Museum) is housed in a  colonial buildings, the former palatial mansion of Iznaga family.

The museum’s collection includes Limoges porcelain, French gilded mirrors, Italian marble tables, Baccarat crystal chandeliers, and 19th century furniture.

 

Another interesting architectural landmark in this city is the Yayabo Bridge. The construction of this Roman style arched brick bridge started in 1815 and finished by 1831. The entire bridge is only 85 meters long and was designed for pedestrians and carriages during Colonial Cuba but has resisted modern heavier traffic so far. Locals say this is because cow milk was added to the mortar when bonding the bricks and stones.

Lunch at paladar (private family-run restaurant) 

Afternoon: Visit to the privately-owned Art Gallery ‘Arkos’ selling paintings, jars, vases, ceramic items, sculptures and jewelry.

Continue on bus ride to Havana city.

Night in Havana. Free evening.

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DAY SEVEN - Wednesday December 7 - B6 L6 D4 - Havana

Modernism and some of Havana's overlooked Art Deco Architecture *Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Morning: Meeting with Architect Pedro Vazquez, founding member of Cuba’s National Union of Architects and Engineers, for a guided panoramic motor coach tour of Modern Havana.

We will visit places such as:

Pabellón Cuba a Miesian post-revolution exhibition hall built in 1963.

Hotel Habana Libre, the former Havana Hilton, built in 1958 by Welton Becket and Associates. It features an exterior mosaic mural by Amelia Pelaez.

Coppelia built in 1966. This popular ice cream parlor composed of flying saucer pods was designed by Mario Girona.

Hotel Riviera (Polevitzky, Johnson and Associates, 1957) built by Meyer Lansky as the flashiest of the 1950s casino hotels.

We’ll also see important examples of Art- Deco style architecture such as:

Lopez Serrano Building, with its strong reminiscence of American Skyscrapers, resembling a miniature Empire State Building with the bottom 70 floors chopped off. The López Serrano building is Vedado’s most distinctive art deco architecture example. It was built in 1932 by Mira & Roisch Architecture Firm, it was the highest residential building in Havana for many years.

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The House of Catalina Laza built in the 1920’s by Juan Pedro Baro. This beautiful mansion features Art Deco interiors by Rene Lalique and gardens by J.F.C. Forestier. The house has a fascinating love story. Married socialite Catalina Lasa fell in love with landowner and widower Juan Pedro Baró in 1905. Cuba had no divorce laws at the time, so the lovers escaped to Paris to continue their affair. On their return, Baro built this outstanding mansion for the beautiful Catalina Laza.

 

We are now entering Fusterlandia, the studio, residence and wild kingdom of José Rodriguez Fuster, one of the most important Cuban ceramists and painters today.

Fuster has turned an entire neighborhood in western Havana into a giant art installation that involves locals and their homes as part of the exhibit. He engaged and trained many neighborhood residents as artisans, especially youth. This is art for and by the people on an epic scale!

Lunch hosted by Jose Fuster.

 

Afternoon: Visit to Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), the country's top art academy. School departments include Music, Modern Dance, Drama, and Visual Arts. The schools were designed and built by architects Cuban Ricardo Porro and the Italians Roberto Gottardi and Vittorio Garatti from 1961 to 1965, in the former affluent neighborhood of Country Club Park (today known as Cubanacán), specifically on the grounds of the Havana Country Club golf course.

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Today the buildings are considered Cuba's best example of post-Revolutionary architecture but at the time they were thought too sensual and avant-garde. The project was halted, though the school did open. The complex fell into ruin and amazingly, in 2001 the Cuban government approached the three architects and asked them to complete the project. Restoration was completed in 2009.

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Evening: Farewell dinner at one of Havana's very best paladares.

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DAY EIGHT  Thursday December 8 - B7 -  Good Bye Cuba!
*Breakfast included

Transfer to Havana International Airport for departure.