Cuba for 6 days
Feb 17th, 2016, 01:27 AM
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Cuba for 6 days
My family and I (2adults &2 kids 11&14 ) are heading to Cuba for 7 nights at the end of June. We are planning on spending most of our time in Havana but would like to either do a day trip or overnight trip depending on where we go to either Vinales or Trinidad. As much as I would love to see Trinidad the distance there seems almost to far to warrent an overnight trip. Is it worth leaving Havana to see a different part of Cuba? We are travelling a long way so it would be nice to see another part of Cuba outside of Havana. Thanks.
Feb 17th, 2016, 03:25 AM
#2
IMO it's definitely worth getting out of Havana if only for a day or two, and I would head to Vinales, which is only about 2 hours away, and make it an overnight.
You could start by stopping off at Las Terazzes and Soroa, and then carry on down to Vinales,.
spend the rest of that day in Vinales [there are walks you can do or get the HOHO bus/taxi to the Cuevas del Indio which I think your kids would like a lot:
http://www.cubarocks.co.uk/vinales-c...evas-del-indio
[lots of other ideas on this site too]
The next day perhaps go riding/hiking and on the way back to Havana perhaps go to a tobacco farm at Pinar de Rio.
the sunsets at Vinales are lovely and by themselves are a good enough reason for staying overnight, but you'll see a lot more if you do, plus get a better feel of the place than you can on a day trip.
with only 7 days in Havana I wouldn't go as far as Trinidad. The journey takes about 4 hours and by the time you've checked in, that'll be a lot of the day gone, and you'd only have half a day the next day as well. It's lovely, but not lovely enough to warrant all that travelling, IMO.
There are a couple of what look like nice hotels in Vinales, and there are lots of casas, but in order to get a good one I suggest doing a lot of research and reading the reviews very carefully. Ideally you want one with a terrace so that you can get the views of the sunset, as well as good food, though there are some decent places to eat in Vinales if you don't want the normal casa fare, [actually that holds good for all casas, wherever they are].
don't hesitate to come back with any queries - you'll love Cuba.
You could start by stopping off at Las Terazzes and Soroa, and then carry on down to Vinales,.
spend the rest of that day in Vinales [there are walks you can do or get the HOHO bus/taxi to the Cuevas del Indio which I think your kids would like a lot:
http://www.cubarocks.co.uk/vinales-c...evas-del-indio
[lots of other ideas on this site too]
The next day perhaps go riding/hiking and on the way back to Havana perhaps go to a tobacco farm at Pinar de Rio.
the sunsets at Vinales are lovely and by themselves are a good enough reason for staying overnight, but you'll see a lot more if you do, plus get a better feel of the place than you can on a day trip.
with only 7 days in Havana I wouldn't go as far as Trinidad. The journey takes about 4 hours and by the time you've checked in, that'll be a lot of the day gone, and you'd only have half a day the next day as well. It's lovely, but not lovely enough to warrant all that travelling, IMO.
There are a couple of what look like nice hotels in Vinales, and there are lots of casas, but in order to get a good one I suggest doing a lot of research and reading the reviews very carefully. Ideally you want one with a terrace so that you can get the views of the sunset, as well as good food, though there are some decent places to eat in Vinales if you don't want the normal casa fare, [actually that holds good for all casas, wherever they are].
don't hesitate to come back with any queries - you'll love Cuba.
Feb 17th, 2016, 09:16 PM
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Thanks for replying annhig. I have enjoyed reading your trip report thanks for posting. I think we will definitely head to Vinales overnight as it would be nice to see some of the countryside. I have booked a casa for the 7 nights in Havana Vieja so hopefully that will work out! There seems to lots to see in Havana and that with a side trip to Vinales should suit us perfectly.
Feb 18th, 2016, 07:52 AM
#4
suzi - we had 6 nights in Havana altogether - 4 at the beginning of our trip in Vedado and 2 at the end, in Havana Vieja so 7 nights there sounds about right.
There are several day and ½ day trips you can do from Havana if you want to get out of the city, or you can just go to the beach.
There are several day and ½ day trips you can do from Havana if you want to get out of the city, or you can just go to the beach.
Feb 18th, 2016, 07:03 PM
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annhig what other suggestions would you have for day or 1/2 day trips out of the city? I thought maybe a trip to Varadero would be nice for the kids however since we are also going to Mexico for about 3 wks including Playa del Carmen for a week after Cuba, I think we will skip it or maybe visit one of the Havana beaches.
Also how did you arrange these trips? Did you hire a private driver or taxi or go by bus? We don't understand or speak any spanish, not sure if that will be a problem or not? Thanks for answering all my questions annhig.
Also how did you arrange these trips? Did you hire a private driver or taxi or go by bus? We don't understand or speak any spanish, not sure if that will be a problem or not? Thanks for answering all my questions annhig.
Feb 19th, 2016, 08:27 AM
#6
Hi Suzie,
I don't know what you've already got on your itinerary, but I strongly suggest getting hold of the "Real Havana" book on Amazon which has loads of ideas for what to do in and around Havana:
http://bestcubaguide.com/about-the-b...vel-guidebook/
There are plenty of ideas for day trips - one we did was to catch the boat to Casablanca and then walk up to the Fort that you can see on the other side of the water from Havana Vieja - but the book has ideas for loads more.
it also sets out in detail all the "collectivo" routes [see my TR] and how to use them. You can get by without any Spanish, but it might be a good idea to learn the basics, especially the numbers as that will make using the collectivos a lot easier, as the guide will explain. Also it would be good for the kids [and you] to learn some simple phrases - hola, buenas dias, por favor, gracias, etc. - we found that our attempts to speak Spanish were really appreciated even though we didn't always succeed!
We didn't go to Varadero as we aren't big beach people and as you are will be spending a week on a beach in Mexico, I can't see the point of wasting your valuable time in Cuba going all the way to Varadero to sit on a beach!
as for how we got about, that was a bit hit and miss! we were told that the Viazul bus to Vinales was full so our casa owner arranged a taxi for us; @ 60CUC it was quite expensive but worked out well for us [until we got there - coming up soon on my TR hopefully]. The boat to Casablanca costs almost nothing, and a taxi back from the Fort to our casa was 11CUC [we might have beat them down a bit but DH was ill so we were just happy to get in and pay the money!] You definitely need to agree a fare before you get in a taxi [apart from the collectivos as they have a flat fare] but I IME they all spoke enough english for that!
I don't know what you've already got on your itinerary, but I strongly suggest getting hold of the "Real Havana" book on Amazon which has loads of ideas for what to do in and around Havana:
http://bestcubaguide.com/about-the-b...vel-guidebook/
There are plenty of ideas for day trips - one we did was to catch the boat to Casablanca and then walk up to the Fort that you can see on the other side of the water from Havana Vieja - but the book has ideas for loads more.
it also sets out in detail all the "collectivo" routes [see my TR] and how to use them. You can get by without any Spanish, but it might be a good idea to learn the basics, especially the numbers as that will make using the collectivos a lot easier, as the guide will explain. Also it would be good for the kids [and you] to learn some simple phrases - hola, buenas dias, por favor, gracias, etc. - we found that our attempts to speak Spanish were really appreciated even though we didn't always succeed!
We didn't go to Varadero as we aren't big beach people and as you are will be spending a week on a beach in Mexico, I can't see the point of wasting your valuable time in Cuba going all the way to Varadero to sit on a beach!
as for how we got about, that was a bit hit and miss! we were told that the Viazul bus to Vinales was full so our casa owner arranged a taxi for us; @ 60CUC it was quite expensive but worked out well for us [until we got there - coming up soon on my TR hopefully]. The boat to Casablanca costs almost nothing, and a taxi back from the Fort to our casa was 11CUC [we might have beat them down a bit but DH was ill so we were just happy to get in and pay the money!] You definitely need to agree a fare before you get in a taxi [apart from the collectivos as they have a flat fare] but I IME they all spoke enough english for that!
Feb 19th, 2016, 01:31 PM
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Thanks so much for all your help annhig. l will definitely try to find that book and have a look through it. Basically we are hoping to just roam around the city visiting some historical and cultural landmarks and just soaking up the atmosphere. I have ordered a spanish phrasebook to help us out however l think l will be needing it more in Mexico than Cuba as l've been told hardly anyone speaks English there so we are in for a treat! LOL...thanks again for your help.
Feb 20th, 2016, 01:10 AM
#8
I don't know about how much english is spoken in Mexico, suzi, but there is quite a lot spoken in Havana.
that said, the more spanish you can learn before you go, the more things will sense [in so far as they ever can in Havana] when you get there. When we bought our plane tickets I decided to have a go at learning Spanish and though I was really only still a beginner when we got there, it really helped in understanding signs, money, numbers, basic greetings, etc.
As for roaming round the city, the centre of Havana is quite big, so it's worth working out what you want to see each day particularly with children in tow - you don't want to be dotting back and forth across the city as the kids will soon get tired. a good way to get your bearings is the HOHO bus - in fact there are two - one that does the east of the city, costing €5 pp for the whole day, and the one that does the west, which is €10 pp. Given that there will be 4 of you, to see the west you might be better off getting one of the big american cars to take you [the decent ones, not the collectivos] which should be about 30-35 CUC for an hour, or if you want to go to the aquarium, just get taxi.
that said, the more spanish you can learn before you go, the more things will sense [in so far as they ever can in Havana] when you get there. When we bought our plane tickets I decided to have a go at learning Spanish and though I was really only still a beginner when we got there, it really helped in understanding signs, money, numbers, basic greetings, etc.
As for roaming round the city, the centre of Havana is quite big, so it's worth working out what you want to see each day particularly with children in tow - you don't want to be dotting back and forth across the city as the kids will soon get tired. a good way to get your bearings is the HOHO bus - in fact there are two - one that does the east of the city, costing €5 pp for the whole day, and the one that does the west, which is €10 pp. Given that there will be 4 of you, to see the west you might be better off getting one of the big american cars to take you [the decent ones, not the collectivos] which should be about 30-35 CUC for an hour, or if you want to go to the aquarium, just get taxi.
Feb 23rd, 2016, 08:21 AM
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Hi SuziiQ...we just got back from Cuba...had a blast! I also suggest Vinales. While there isn't a lot "to do" it is lovely. We also did the Indian Cave which is pretty cool. There is an organic farm called El Paraiso which serves and unbelievable lunch with a beautiful view of the valley. It is so peaceful and so much incredible food! We also went to a tobacco farm where they showed us how they make the cigars. We could walk out into the fields and take photos. Very pretty. You could always do a horseback tour, which we didn't do, but I would next time.
We stopped at a lookout spot that was gorgeous and there was a very nice looking hotel there called Hotel Los Jazmines...check that one out. Had a swimming pool and a beautiful view of the valley.
We booked our whole week-long trip with a tour operator, Pototo, who did an incredible job of booking all of our tours, meals, etc., and we had a full time driver (in a 52 Chevy!) and full-time English-speaking guide. We learned SO much from them and really made the trip beyond special by getting a local's perspective on everything (and we never had to worry about getting around). Would highly recommend them...but it is more structured, not just bopping around all day. However it was private and we could tell them what we did or didn't want to do at any point.
We also did an overnight trip to Cienfuegos, but I would not really recommend that, as it is 3 hours away and nothing much to do there, except see the city, which isn't that incredible...Havana is much more exciting.
You could also visit the Hemingway property which is just outside of Havana, but again, this is only like an hour of activity, as you just walk through and look at the house from outside and then can walk the grounds and see his pool and boat, etc.
And agree with annhig...Havana is HUGE...bigger than it even looks on a map, so you will need transport in the city somehow for a lot of the things you want to do. But taxis were definitely plentiful there. Just decide on prices before you get in.
I'll type up a trip report and post it in the next few days!
We stopped at a lookout spot that was gorgeous and there was a very nice looking hotel there called Hotel Los Jazmines...check that one out. Had a swimming pool and a beautiful view of the valley.
We booked our whole week-long trip with a tour operator, Pototo, who did an incredible job of booking all of our tours, meals, etc., and we had a full time driver (in a 52 Chevy!) and full-time English-speaking guide. We learned SO much from them and really made the trip beyond special by getting a local's perspective on everything (and we never had to worry about getting around). Would highly recommend them...but it is more structured, not just bopping around all day. However it was private and we could tell them what we did or didn't want to do at any point.
We also did an overnight trip to Cienfuegos, but I would not really recommend that, as it is 3 hours away and nothing much to do there, except see the city, which isn't that incredible...Havana is much more exciting.
You could also visit the Hemingway property which is just outside of Havana, but again, this is only like an hour of activity, as you just walk through and look at the house from outside and then can walk the grounds and see his pool and boat, etc.
And agree with annhig...Havana is HUGE...bigger than it even looks on a map, so you will need transport in the city somehow for a lot of the things you want to do. But taxis were definitely plentiful there. Just decide on prices before you get in.
I'll type up a trip report and post it in the next few days!
Feb 23rd, 2017, 06:48 PM
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We LOVED Elier, our guide in Viñales. He works for Discover Viñales, and I've heard that all their guides are supposed to be stellar. Elier tailored a 1.5 day tour for us that included a visit to a cigar pre-factory, lunch on an organic farm, a stop at a sculptor's open-air studio in a national park, a remote sunset spot on the first half day. The second day we did a 3-hour walk through tobacco fields, meet-ups with tobacco and coffee farmers, a botanical garden in someone's backyard, and a visit to the 'Prehistoric Mural.' The company provided a driver as well and took us to cool places to eat.
Check out my trip report for more info.
http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...go-to-cuba.cfm
Check out my trip report for more info.
http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...go-to-cuba.cfm
Feb 23rd, 2017, 08:17 PM
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Seems to be pretty much what my local friend who's been driving me around in his Lada mentioned,....... ahhhhhh......tailored........(but including riding horses on another friend's farm) for when we're in Vinales week after next.
(My profound apologies for the dots and dashes. They probably don't live up to your exacting literary standards.)
(My profound apologies for the dots and dashes. They probably don't live up to your exacting literary standards.)
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