Havana 3 Day Itinerary
Visitor arrivals to Cuba in 2025 were around 1.8 million, the lowest since the early 2000s and less than half of the 4.7 million who came in 2018. Rolling power cuts of 10 to 14 hours are daily in Havana at current writing, fuel shortages have reduced internal transport, and as of June 2026 Visa and Mastercard are no longer accepted in Cuba at all. None of this means Havana should be taken off the list. It means you need to prepare more carefully than you would for most destinations, and the city that awaits you once you do is unlike anywhere else on earth.
Before You Go
Bring cash. US dollars and euros exchange into Cuban pesos at Cadeca exchange houses and hotel reception desks. The dual currency system that confused visitors for years (CUC and CUP) has officially ended, and transactions now run in CUP (Cuban Peso), but USD and EUR are accepted at many restaurants and hotels. Bring more than you think you need: ATM withdrawal limits are low and supply unreliable. A power bank and a torch are worth packing; they are not luxuries here.
Most Western citizens do not need a visa for Cuba but must purchase a tourist card (tarjeta del turista) before or on arrival, costing around 25 USD. Check requirements specific to your passport.
Getting from the Airport
Jose Marti International Airport sits about 20 km southwest of Old Havana. The Transtur airport shuttle runs three routes into the city and costs 5 USD per person, a practical choice if you are not carrying excessive luggage and are staying in Vedado or Old Havana. An official yellow tourist taxi costs around 25 to 30 USD for the 30 to 40-minute ride, slightly more for a private pre-booked transfer. Agree the fare before getting in; meters exist but are rarely switched on.
Where to Stay
A casa particular (private home rental) is the right choice over a state hotel for almost every visitor. Hosts provide breakfast, local knowledge, and genuine hospitality, and the money goes directly to a Cuban family. Expect to pay 30 to 60 USD per night in Old Havana or Vedado for a clean double room with air conditioning and breakfast. Book with cash payment agreed in advance via WhatsApp or email. For something more formal, the Iberostar Parque Central in Habana Vieja has a generator and consistent hot water, which matters more than it usually would. Doubles run 120 to 180 USD per night.
Day 1: Old Havana on Foot
The four main squares of Habana Vieja (Old Havana) form a natural walking circuit that takes a full morning to cover properly. Start at Plaza de Armas, the oldest square in the city and site of the original colonial settlement. The secondhand book market around the square’s perimeter runs from around 9 am and is worth browsing; vendors sell maps, propaganda posters, peso coins, and genuine antique books alongside obvious tourist trinkets.
Walk west past the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (now the City Museum, around 3 USD entry) to Plaza de la Catedral, where the Baroque facade of the cathedral has been slowly eroding since 1748. The square is photogenic but the cafe terraces on its perimeter are overpriced; keep your coffee for somewhere else.
South from here, Calle Obispo is the main pedestrian street, lined with bars, the Ambos Mundos Hotel (Hemingway lived here before buying his finca), and at the far end, the Plaza Vieja. Plaza Vieja’s restoration was completed in the 2000s and the square shows it: the buildings are too clean, but the bars at ground level are perfectly functional. Grab a coffee at El Cafe on Calle Mercaderes and sit for a few minutes before the mid-morning heat arrives in force.
The Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) has two buildings: the Cuban Art building and the Universal Art building, each with separate entry (around 5 USD per building). The Cuban collection is the reason to go: works from the colonial period through the revolutionary era and into the present day, including painters most visitors have never encountered outside Cuba. Allow 90 minutes.
For the Morro-Cabana fortresses across the harbour, take a ferry from Emboque Luz (1 CUP, less than 5 cents) then walk uphill to the two linked fortresses. Entry to each costs around 8 USD. The views back across the bay to Old Havana are the primary reason to come. At sunset the cannon-firing ceremony (El Cañonazo) at the San Carlos de la Cabana fortress draws a crowd; it begins at 9 pm and commemorates the nightly closing of the colonial city gates.
Dinner at La Guarida on Calle Concordia. Cuba’s most acclaimed paladar, set on the upper floors of a crumbling Centro Habana mansion whose staircase appeared in the 1994 film Fresa y Chocolate. The ropa vieja and the lobster are the dishes to order. A two-course dinner with drinks runs 25 to 40 USD per person. Book ahead by email or WhatsApp; the restaurant has maintained its quality and its reputation despite the economic conditions around it.
Day 2: Vedado, the Malecon, and Modern Havana
The Malecon, the 8-km seawall running from Old Havana west through Vedado, is the city’s living room. In the mornings it is used by joggers and fishermen; in the evenings it fills with couples, musicians, and anyone looking for a breeze. Walk the first kilometre from Old Havana toward Vedado between 7 and 8 am before the heat makes pavement walking unpleasant.
Plaza de la Revolucion in Vedado is the operational and symbolic centre of the Cuban state. The Jose Marti Memorial tower at its centre costs around 5 USD to enter and take the lift to the viewing platform. The steel silhouettes of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos on the ministry buildings facing the square make for the photographs tourists come for; arrive early as the square empties fast when tour buses arrive mid-morning.
Parque John Lennon, a few blocks north in Vedado, contains a bronze bench sculpture of Lennon sitting, installed in 2000 with Fidel Castro’s blessing. The neighbourhood around it is pleasant Vedado residential streets with 1950s modernist buildings. Stroll north to the Malecon from here.
For a private car tour of the city, the classic American cars (almendrones) are not just tourist bait but are still used as shared taxis by locals. The going rate for an hour’s private hire of a 1950s Chevrolet or Buick is around 25 to 35 USD and you see significantly more of the city than you would on foot. Negotiate before you get in.
Lunch at O’Reilly 304 in Old Havana, a rooftop paladar with decent views and a menu that mixes Cuban classics with lighter contemporary dishes. Expect around 15 to 20 USD per person.
Afternoon at Fabrica de Arte Cubano (FAC) in Vedado, a converted cooking oil factory that functions as gallery, concert venue, cinema, restaurant and bar simultaneously from 8 pm Thursday to Sunday. Entry is around 2 CUP. The art on display changes monthly, the music is genuine, and the crowd is a mix of young Cubans and tourists that you do not find at many of the other venues. This is the one spot in Havana where the city’s creative energy is most immediately visible.
La Bodeguita del Medio on Empedrado gets the mojito credit but the drinks are overpriced and the atmosphere is self-consciously touristic. If you want a proper mojito at a fair price, any paladar or casa’s kitchen will make a better one for a fraction of the cost.
Day 3: Fusterlandia, Necropolis, and Leaving Well
Fusterlandia in the Jaimanitas suburb, 12 km west of Old Havana, is a 30-minute taxi ride (around 15 USD one way). Jose Fuster, Cuba’s most celebrated living artist, spent decades covering the streets, houses, and public spaces of his neighbourhood in extraordinary ceramic mosaic work: political imagery, tropical fauna, Yoruba religious symbols, and playful absurdism at building scale. It is one of the most singular artistic environments in Latin America and is largely missed by visitors who stick to Old Havana. Go in the morning when the light hits the tiles directly.
The Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón in Vedado is one of the finest 19th-century cemeteries in the Americas: 140 acres, over a million graves, and monumental sculpture at almost every turn. Entry costs around 5 USD. The cemetery is genuinely beautiful and is used daily by Havana residents, not purely for tourist visits. Allow an hour.
For a final lunch, San Cristóbal on Calle San Rafael in Centro Habana serves some of the finest traditional Cuban cooking in the city: ox tail, black bean rice, ropa vieja, fresh fish. Barack Obama ate here in 2016 and the restaurant has been fully booked ever since; reserve ahead. Budget around 25 USD per person.
Currency and Payments in 2026
Credit and debit cards from Visa and Mastercard networks do not work in Cuba. Bring enough cash for your entire trip. Exchange at Cadeca houses (better rates) or hotel desks (convenient but lower rates). USD and EUR are the most practical currencies to bring. The streets around tourist areas have informal money changers who will offer better rates in exchange for the risk of counterfeit notes; avoid them.
Power Cuts
Havana currently experiences rolling power cuts of 10 to 14 hours daily, scheduled by neighbourhood and published by the government a day in advance. Large hotels run generators. Casas particulares vary: ask your host. A charged power bank is essential. Phone charging opportunities at cafes with generator-backed power are common but often involve queuing.
Safety
Havana’s tourist areas are among the safer urban environments in the Caribbean by day and early evening. Petty theft (phones, bags) is opportunistic rather than violent. The standard rules apply: do not display expensive equipment, do not walk Malecon at 2 am with your camera out. After a power cut, streets are dark; use your torch, not your phone as a light source.
The genuine gotcha to know: unofficial taxi drivers (particularly those outside the airport or around tourist squares) will quote prices in USD and convert at unofficial rates. Agree everything before you get in, or use the official yellow taxis at metered rates.