Deluxe Itinerary
Festival de la Salsa
(Includes 6 breakfasts and 11 meals in total, and luxury accommodations in Colonial Houses or Boutique Hotels, with king and queen bedroom suites, a.c, private bathroom, and free wi-fi)
Day 1
Welcome to Havana
Arrival in Havana or Varadero Airport.
Your tour guide and driver will be waiting there to pick you up and assist you for the rest of the tour.
Depending on your arrival time, lunch at Buenaventura restaurant with traditional Cuban food and live music.
Transfer to your accommodation in Old Havana.
Free time for the check-in, freshen up, and get comfortable.
Short walk around the area.
Your tour guide will show you some points of interest and suggest good paladars (private-run restaurants to experience the true local food and drinks).
Welcome dinner at The Traditionals of the ‘50s, with cocktails included and a live concert of the Buenavista Social Club, the magnificent pioneers of Cuban traditional music.
Day 2
Exploring Havana &
Beginning of the Festival
Breakfast in the Boutique Hotel.
Classic American convertible car ride.
(3 hours)
You will go first to Hotel Memories Miramar to take your festival Golden Pass Bracelets and welcome souvenirs. Then, you will visit some historical landmarks and modern parts of Havana city. You will be taken to the Old Forts (Morro-Cabaña Castle), the Jesus Christ Statue, Malecon Avenue, Vedado and Nuevo Vedado (the high-class and fancy neighborhoods), the National Hotel, the University of Havana, the Revolution Square, Columbus Cemetery, and the Metropolitan Forest.
We recommend to bring water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and proper clothes for sun protection.
Lunch at Paladar Los Mercaderes.
Old Havana walking tour.
(3 hours)
In this historic center, designated UNESCO Heritage Site in 1982, you can admire the Four Main Squares (Old Square, San Francisco de Asis Square, Army Square, and the Cathedral Square), the Classic Cars Museum, Obispo Boulevard -where all the local shops and souvenir markets are-, El Floridita Bar (Hemigway’s favorite bar in the 1920s and nowadays in the Top 10 List of Most Famous Bars in the World), the Capitol, Central Park, the Grand Theatre, the Bacardi Building, the Museum of the Revolution, and many other interesting sites.
This tour depends on the museums you decide to visit or not, the time you spend admiring every place, and how much you can walk. The maximum walking distance of this tour is around 6 kilometers. We recommend to bring water, sunscreen, and proper clothes for sun protection.
Buffet meal in Memories Miramar Hotel and inauguration of the Festival.
Concert participants:
Adalberto Álvarez y su Son
Day 3
Learning the
Cuban rhythms
Breakfast in the Boutique Hotel.
Dance workshop with tutors from the Folkloric Dance Group of Cuba and from international dance academies.
You can choose the difficulty level of the class between amateur, intermediate, and advanced.
Lunch at Boutique Casa Italia.
Music workshop, debates, and lecture on "Cuban music over time".
Dinner at Paco's Mar.
Night concert in Club 500 and after party.
Participants:
Elito Revé y su Charangón
Septeto Santiaguero
El Noro y 1ra Clase
Eduardo Sandoval
International Dance Academies
Day 4
Rum, cigars,
and Pool Party
Breakfast in the Boutique Hotel.
Rum Museum tour with rum and cigar tasting included.
Learn the art of smoking Cuban puros and pairing them with a good rum. From how to hold a cigar, to the combination of different tobacco leaves used at the time of rolling, feeling the taste notes and aromas, and blending it in your palate with a long-aged rum. Become an expert in ruma and cigars with this instructive lounging morning.
Lunch at El Del Frente.
Pool party in Memories Miramar Hotel with international DJs, Cuban dance performances, and a concert of JG and his band.
Dinner at Yarini.
Night concert in Club 500 and after party.
Participants:
Alexander Abreu y Havana D'Primera
Isaac Delgado
Papucho y su Manana Club
Pedrito Martínez
International Dance Academies
Day 5
Afrocuban Tour
Breakfast in the Boutique Hotel.
Afrocuban tour.
Go to the Museum House of Africa in Old Havana, and to the famous Callejón de Hamel in Centro Habana neighborhood. Enjoy rumba concerts, religious performances linked to our African musical and dancing culture, and their local cocktail El Negrón.
Lunch at Jíbaros.
Ceremony to Yemayá, the African goddess of the ocean, at the beach.
Dinner at Al Carbón.
Night concert in Club 500 and after party.
Participants:
Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor
Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco
Paulito FG y su Élite
Alain Pérez
Brunella Torpoco (special guest from Peru)
International Dance Academies
Day 6
Cuban cuisine
and cocktails
Breakfast in the Boutique Hotel.
Beach time.
Go to the Eastern Beaches of Havana and rest on a lounge chair with a good refreshing cocktail, enjoy the sea breeze, the golden sand, and the warm waters of the Caribbean.
Special meal with an experienced Cuban chef.
Meet Elisa, a 70-year-old woman with African roots, who will give you a cooking class to teach you everything about the Cuban traditional cuisine: which are the main dishes, its origins, cultural mix, and historical meanings. She will also teach you how to make the two easiest Cuban-born cocktails: the Mojito and the Cuba Libre. Make yourself your own meal, and enjoy it at the end!
Night concert in Club 500 and after party.
Participants:
Los Van Van
Haila
Manolín el Médico de la Salsa
Monika Mesa
International Dance Academies
Day 7
Departure
After your breakfast, depending on your flight departure time, you can receive a relaxing massage in the hotel room (between 60 minutes and 90 minutes).
You will be given a catalog with all the different kinds of massage we offer, so you choose the one you like.
The driver and the guide will take you directly to the airport, unless you have time enough to add more optional activities before leaving.
Price List
(Single occupancy for two or more adults: + $250 per person)
Solo traveler
$5400
Two people
$4000
per person
Three or four people
$3800
per person
More than four people
$3500
per person