Itinerary · 10 days · 43 places
10 Days in Cuba
Ten days in Cuba from three bases: the squares and nights of Havana, the colonial lanes of Trinidad with its sugar valley and Caribbean beach, then the tobacco valley of Viñales — and back via Havana to the airport.
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Photo: Alejandra Abril · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arrival in Havana
Arrival in Havana
Hotel check-in
Base yourself in Habana Vieja around Plaza del Cristo, from where the whole old town is within walking distance.
Paseo del Prado
The marble promenade lined with lion statues between the Capitolio and the sea, where half of Centro Habana sits on the benches in the evening.
Day 2Habana Vieja on foot
Plaza de la Catedral
A baroque cathedral of coral stone with two unequal towers, surrounded by 18th-century palaces.
Plaza de Armas
The city's shady oldest square, with second-hand book stalls and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza fortress with its La Giraldilla weathervane.
Plaza Vieja
Colourfully restored arcaded houses around a fountain square, plus the camera obscura in the corner tower with a panoramic view over the rooftops.
El Capitolio
The dome of Cuba's parliament building, with a row of vintage cars and the magnificent Gran Teatro in front.
Plaza de San Francisco de Asís
The harbour square with the Lion Fountain and the bell tower of the old Franciscan monastery, which now hosts concerts.
Evening: Cañonazo at the Fortaleza de la Cabaña
Soldiers in 18th-century uniforms fire the cannon shot across the bay at 9 pm sharp, with the best view of the illuminated old town in front.
Day 3Centro Habana & Vedado
Callejón de Hamel
An alley that Salvador González covered entirely in Afro-Cuban murals, bathtub sculptures and Santería symbols.
Universidad de La Habana
The neoclassical flight of steps with the Alma Mater statue, and behind it the quiet courtyard of the university founded in 1728.
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
A garden terrace above the sea with peacocks, gun emplacements from the Missile Crisis and the gallery of famous guests in the lobby.
Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
A vast marble city of the dead with burial chapels of entire family clans and the grave of La Milagrosa, always covered in flowers.
Parque Coppelia
The 1966 ice-cream pavilion in the park on La Rampa, where you join the queue like the Habaneros and pay for your scoops in pesos.
Evening: Fábrica de Arte Cubano
A converted oil factory with exhibition halls, concert stages and bars on several levels — open Thursday to Sunday from 8 pm.
Day 4Onward to Trinidad
Onward to Trinidad
Hotel check-in
Museo Histórico Municipal Palacio Cantero
A sugar baron's palace with painted walls; a narrow wooden staircase leads up the tower for a view over all the tiled roofs.
Plaza Mayor
The main square enclosed by white railings, with palms, colonial palaces and the yellow bell tower behind.
Plazuela del Jigüe
A small tiled square beneath a jigüe tree, where the town's first Mass was said.
Evening: Casa de la Música
The broad flight of steps next to the church, where salsa bands play and people dance every evening.
Day 5Valle de los Ingenios
Manaca Iznaga
The 45-metre watchtower of the sugar plantation, from which the enslaved workers in the fields were watched — today you climb it for the view across the valley.
Mirador de la Loma del Puerto
A viewpoint on the road to Sancti Spíritus, from which the whole sugar valley lies open as far as the Escambray mountains.
Museo Romántico Palacio Brunet
The living quarters of a sugar dynasty with crystal chandeliers, porcelain and Italian furniture, right next to the Plaza Mayor.
Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos
The former San Francisco monastery, whose yellow tower is the town's emblem; upstairs are boats and wreckage from the Escambray conflict.
Taller de Alfarería Casa Chichi
A family workshop in the potters' quarter, where the typical Trinidad jugs have been thrown on a kick wheel for generations.
Evening: Taberna La Canchánchara
An old tavern with a courtyard, where the drink of the same name — rum, honey and lime — is served in clay cups to live music.
Day 6Caribbean coast near Trinidad
Playa María Aguilar
A quiet bay on the Ancón peninsula with shallow water and seagrass beds, where hardly anyone lies in the morning.
Playa Ancón
The peninsula's long pale beach, with a view back to the Escambray mountains; snorkelling boats leave from here for Cayo Blanco.
La Boca
A fishing village at the mouth of the Río Guaurabo, where locals swim between the rocks and horses stand by the water.
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de la Popa
The ruined hilltop church above the old town, from whose forecourt you can see tiled roofs, sea and mountains all at once.
Evening: Bar Disco Ayala
A nightclub in a real limestone cave on the hillside, playing salsa and reggaetón from late evening.
Day 7Onward to Viñales
Onward to Viñales
Hotel check-in
Mirador Los Jazmines
A terrace high above the valley, from which the mogotes and red tobacco fields lie spread out in the evening light.
Parque José Martí
The village square with the little Sagrado Corazón church, rocking chairs beneath pine trees and the Casa de la Cultura on the corner.
Calle Salvador Cisneros
The main street with verandas, ox carts and street stalls, where music drifts from every other house in the evening.
Evening: Centro Cultural Polo Montañez
An open courtyard on the village square where live bands play and locals and travellers dance together.
Day 8Mogotes and tobacco
Jardín Botánico de Caridad
The enchanted home garden of two sisters, with orchids, mango trees and parrots, where you're given fruit to try.
Cueva del Indio
A limestone cave once inhabited by the Guanahatabey, whose rear section you travel through by boat on the underground river.
Mural de la Prehistoria
A 120-metre rock painting on a mogote slope, showing ammonites, dinosaurs and early humans in garish colours.
Valle del Silencio
A quiet valley basin full of tobacco fields and drying barns where the leaves hang on poles for months — here you're shown how a cigar is rolled.
Evening: 3J Tapas Bar
A small cocktail bar on the main street with a terrace for people-watching and the best mojitos in the village.
Day 9Onward to Havana
Onward to Havana
Hotel check-in
Fusterlandia
An entire fishing neighbourhood in Jaimanitas that the artist José Fuster has covered with tile mosaics, domes and fantastical creatures.
Plaza de la Revolución
The vast parade ground with the Martí memorial and the steel portraits of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos on the ministries.
Bosque de La Habana
A jungle-like riverside forest on the Río Almendares with strangler figs and lianas, in the middle of the city yet still quiet.
Evening: Casa de la Música Galiano
A long-established music hall in Centro Habana where big salsa orchestras play in the evening — tickets at the door.
Day 10Farewell to Havana
Almacenes San José
An old harbour warehouse full of stalls with paintings, woodwork and musical instruments — the best place for souvenirs.
Museo del Ron Havana Club
A tour past barrel staves, stills and a model railway of the sugar mills, ending with a glass of aged rum.
Departure from Havana
Make it your trip
Viatro AI opens this plan in the app — with map, travel times and opening hours. You change the days, pace and places yourself.
