In the first half of the 20th century, Americans loved to hop down to Havana for a long weekend, spiced with the climate and culture of the tropics. Now that idea is back with this 5-day/4-night Cuba cultural tour program created to connect you with the island’s irresistible rhythms and vivid art. In one concise, complete weekend you’ll connect with the city’s dancers, musicians and artists at an extraordinary level. We’ll chat with the city’s most creative people, sit in on rehearsals, get in a salsa lesson and applaud their performances. We’ll take time to delve into the rich traditions and discuss how the arts and humanities have survived and thrived with the people at the heart of the movement. From our ideally located hotel in Old Havana, we’re close to every essential site – from Hemingway’s home to the oldest cigar factory and the city’s hottest music club. Throughout, we’ll also try some of the finest new restaurants, explore the historic landmarks, and hear the firsthand stories about the art of living in Havana – for a weekend you’ll never forget. We’ll immerse you in the lively world of Cuba’s art and music on this tour. Classic Journeys recognizes the value of fostering deeper cultural understanding and interaction between Cuba and the United States. To that end, and in careful respect of the license granted to us, we’ve planned a full program of personal encounters with Cuban people in the arts and humanities and from all strata of society. This Cuba art and music tour includes visits to major cultural institutions, as well as sites of artistic significance and historic importance. You should expect rich, full days calibrated to enable meaningful interact with the people and culture of Havana.

Following an overnight stay in Miami, we’re in place for our one-hour charter flight to Havana. Our immersion in the city’s diverse and vibrant arts scene starts immediately with a visit to the Music Institution where we learn about the local sounds in meetings with teachers. We’ll also meet Jose Fuster, the “Picasso of the Caribbean.” A walk along the bayside Malecon leads us to our fine hotel in the historic heart of Havana. Our first night includes a visit to Prive, the city’s first private music club where leading local musicians perform.

Throughout our time in Havana, we arrange a fascinating mix of events including a visit to Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s home, which is now a museum, plus live conversations at the Union of Cuban Artists and Writers. We’ll visit Cuba’s oldest cigar factory, where we learn about the “tobacco readers” who read aloud to the workers. At a morning rehearsal of List Alfonso Dance Cuba, we meet the company members and learn about their unique blend of flamenco, ballet and Afro-Cuban rhythms. In Muraleando, we meet the visionary artists who founded the project that has filled the streets with murals and art installations.

We even make time for the “art of the automobile,” meet members of a 1950s classic car cooperative who coddle their tail-finned treasures…and give us a luxe lift to dinner at our favorite paladar, one of the new crop of privately owned restaurants. On our final day, we spend some time wandering the Museum of Fine Arts before lunch at the Hotel Nacional, where the Rat Pack liked to hang out and perform in the days before the Revolution. After lunch on our final day, we make the hop back to Miami.