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Weekend in Havana

Weekend in Havana

Trip Overview

This two-day Havana itinerary distills the city's pulse into one golden weekend: sunrise espresso brewed on balconies thick with cardamom air, sunset mojitos clinking to Afro-Cuban drums, and moonlit walks along the Malecón where spray lashes your cheeks. You'll glide in a 1955 Chevrolet convertible, trace Hemingway's daiquiri footprints, and salsa until the floorboards sweat. The rhythm is moderate, time for spontaneous domino games yet no rush, so you leave humming the city's three-chord motto: music, sea, and restoration.

Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$90-130 per day
Best Seasons
November, April (dry season, 75-82 °F)
Ideal For
First-time visitors, Weekend escapers, Music lovers, Photography buffs

Day-by-Day Itinerary

A complete plan for every day of your trip

1

Colonial Core & Convertible Chrome

Habana Vieja
Walk cobblestones at sunrise, then ride a cherry-red Chevy along the sea wall before diving into Hemingway's haunts.
Morning
Plaza de Armas book market & Café Escorial
Begin where Havana stirs: second-hand stalls under banyan shade, pages fluttering like doves. Order a colada at Escorial. Watch bronze coffee roasters hiss while cathedral bells echo off cracked pastel walls.
2 hours $10
Lunch
Paladar Doñan Eutimia
Home-style Cuban
Afternoon
Classic Car Roadster Tour to Hotel Nacional
Slide into butter-soft leather of a '57 Bel Air, chrome glinting like fish scales. Cruise Prado, tunnel through balsam-scented sea breeze on the Malecón, pause at Revolution Museum for photos, and finish with mojito on Nacional's cliff terrace.
2 hours $40
Reserve driver the night before. Ask for English-speaking guide Rolando.
Evening
Dinner & Afro-jazz at La Zorra y el Cuervo
Ropa vieja at San Cristóbal, then descend into the smoky basement jazz cave for drum solos that rattle your ribs.

Where to Stay Tonight

Habana Vieja (Hotel Ambos Mundos)

Hemingway's old room #511 is a museum and the rooftop shows sunrise over the fort, perfect start to tomorrow.

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Bring small bills. Drivers quote in CUC but prefer tipping in CUP coins for quicker change.
Day 1 Budget: $95
2

Forts, Fumes & Funky Fábrica

Habana Vieja to Vedado
Sunrise cannon blast, hand-rolled cigars, and a warehouse turned electronic arts club that thumps until dawn.
Morning
Morro-Cabaña Cannon Ceremony
Cross Habana's tunnel at 6 a.m.; watch red-uniformed soldiers fire a 300-year-old cannon that booms across the bay, salt mist cooling your face while gulls wheel overhead.
1.5 hours $8
Taxi colectivo from Parque Central costs less than hotel tours.
Lunch
Café Bohemia (roof garden)
Vegetarian-friendly criollo
Afternoon
Partagás Cigar Factory & Almacenes San José craft market
Inhale sweet fermented tobacco while torcedores roll leaves faster than eyes follow. Then haggle for leather domino sets among iron-wheeled warehouses alive with guitar trios.
3 hours $25 (including box of petit coronas)
Book factory tour by 10 a.m.; groups cap at 12.
Evening
Sunset on Malecón + Fábrica de Arte Cubano
Grab pineapple soda, sit on wave-lashed sea wall for amber dusk glow, then head to FAC, a converted oil factory where graffiti, DJ sets, and pop-up galleries collide.

Where to Stay Tonight

Vedado (Casa particular Villa 62)

Walkable to FAC; hosts arrange 3 a.m. taxi back and serve mango jam breakfasts.

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Buy FAC entrance card at side door, shorter queue, and head upstairs first for contemporary photo exhibits before crowds increase.
Day 2 Budget: $110

Practical Information

Everything you need to know before you go

Getting Around
Day 1 is walkable within Habana Vieja. Use cocotaxis for quick hops. Day 2 starts with colectivo taxi to Morro, returns via shared 'almendrón' classic sedans that run fixed routes for pennies. Night transfers between Vedado and Old Havana cost $3-5 by yellow taxi.
Book Ahead
Classic car tour, Partagás factory tour, FAC if visiting during major concert nights
Packing Essentials
High-SPF sunscreen, refillable bottle, light scarf for cathedral visits, offline map (data is patchy), small CUP coins for street ice-cream
Total Budget
$205-240 for the weekend

Customize Your Trip

Adapt this itinerary to your travel style

Budget Version
Swap car tour for local bus #12 along Malecón, eat peso pizza at Obispo Street, stay in shared casa rooms. Weekend drops to roughly $60.
Luxury Upgrade
Hire a convertible 1959 Cadillac for full day, upgrade to Saratoga hotel rooftop suite, add private rum tasting at Havana Club, and reserve front-row Fabrica seats, expect $350+.
Family-Friendly
Replace late-night jazz with 8 p.m. cannon show, visit Camera Obscura tower for 360 ° city view, lunch at kid-friendly El Jardín de los Milagros playground café, and book twin-bedded casas with interior courtyards.
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