Havana 5 Day Itinerary
Havana 5-Day Itinerary
Cuba’s electrical grid has been collapsing repeatedly since 2024, with nationwide blackouts sometimes reaching 20 hours a day. Havana recovers faster than the provinces, and large hotels have generators, but you should know before you book: this is not the Havana of five years ago. The infrastructure crisis has driven tourist numbers from 4.8 million in 2018 down to around 1.6 million in 2025. For the visitors who do come, that means far shorter queues at every museum, fewer crowds at every plaza, and a city in an unusual, stripped-back state that is in some ways more honest than the curated version. Go prepared and the rewards are still real.
Getting In: Currency and Airport
José Martí International Airport is 15 km southwest of central Havana. The Transtur airport shuttle runs to hotels in Vedado, Playa and Old Havana for USD 5 each way; it needs no advance reservation and is the sensible choice for most travellers. Official Cubataxi fixed-rate taxis to central Havana cost around USD 25 to 30. Avoid unlicensed drivers at arrivals regardless of how cheap they sound.
Cuba abolished the dual CUC currency in 2021 and now formally uses the Cuban Peso (CUP). In practice, the informal exchange rate for USD or EUR is vastly better than the official CADECA rate; as of 2025 the street rate runs around 300 to 370 CUP per dollar versus the official 24 CUP. The practical advice: bring euros or Canadian dollars in cash (US dollars attract a 10% exchange penalty at official bureaus), change small amounts at CADECA for basic transactions, and expect many restaurants and taxis to prefer payment in hard currency. Cards from most foreign banks do not work in Cuba at all, and ATMs are unreliable. Bring more cash than you think you need.
Where to Stay
Casas particulares (private home rentals) are the best-value accommodation in Havana and give a more direct picture of daily life than large hotels. Old Havana and Vedado both have excellent options from around USD 40 to 80 per night. Hotel Ambos Mundos on Calle Obispo (Hemingway’s long-term Havana address) and Hotel Santa Isabel on Plaza de Armas are the most atmospheric hotel options if you prefer that structure, both in the USD 100 to 150 range. Book ahead; availability tightens during peak months (December to February).
Day 1: Old Havana on Foot
Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved colonial city centres in the Americas. The four main plazas, Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja and Plaza San Francisco de Asis, form a walkable circuit of about two kilometres and can be covered in a morning. Plaza de la Catedral is the most theatrical; the Baroque cathedral facade catches early morning light well.
The Museo del Ron Havana Club on Avenida del Puerto has genuine historical content about Cuban rum production and ends with a tasting; admission is around CUP equivalent or a couple of dollars in hard currency. It is worth the hour.
Doña Eutimia, a small paladar tucked in an alley off Plaza de la Catedral, is the right choice for lunch: famous for ropa vieja (shredded braised beef) and mojitos, consistent over many years, and cheaper and more genuine than the more famous La Guarida. Save La Guarida for Day 2 or skip it altogether; the food is expensive and variable, the building is genuinely atmospheric, but the reputation slightly exceeds the reality.
Evening: walk the Malecon seawall at dusk. The 8 km promenade with Havana on one side and the Straits of Florida on the other costs nothing and is the city’s living room after dark.
Tip: carry a small torch (flashlight). Power cuts can happen without warning even in Old Havana, and the streets are uneven.
Day 2: Vintage Cars, the Capitol and Revolution Square
A vintage American car tour is genuinely enjoyable and not merely a tourist cliche. The cars (mostly 1950s Chevrolets, Buicks and Fords, kept running through improvisation and substitute parts for seven decades) are fascinating objects. A one-hour open-top tour of the main landmarks runs around USD 30 to 40 per car; negotiate the route before departure and agree the price clearly.
The Capitol Building (El Capitolio), rebuilt and reopened after years of restoration, is worth the admission; the interior dome is among the most impressive in Latin America. The adjacent Parque Central and Gran Teatro de La Habana are easily added to the same morning.
Plaza de la Revolucion is architecturally stark: a vast open space most famous for the steel outline portraits of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos on the Ministry of the Interior and Communications buildings respectively. It is more interesting as an urban space than as a museum stop. The Museum of the Revolution nearby, housed in the former Presidential Palace, has genuinely strong collections on the 1959 revolution and the preceding decades of Batista-era Cuba.
For dinner, Atelier paladar in Vedado serves a changing menu of Cuban fusion in a restored mansion; it is a better use of a splurge evening than La Guarida and consistently recommended by long-term Havana visitors.
Day 3: Art, Music and Fusterlandia
The Fusterlandia neighbourhood in the western suburb of Jaimanitas is the life’s work of artist Jose Fuster, who has covered his house, his neighbours’ houses, and eventually most of a city block in mosaic tile over four decades. The result is somewhere between Gaudi and a fever dream. It takes 45 minutes to see properly and the bus journey there and back (Route P16 from Vedado) is an honest cross-section of the city.
In the afternoon, Fabrica de Arte Cubano (F.A.C.) in Vedado opens from Thursday to Sunday evenings (entry around 2 CUC equivalent or a small hard currency fee). It is a converted cooking-oil factory now hosting contemporary art exhibitions across multiple floors, plus bars, live music stages, cinema screenings and fashion events all happening simultaneously. The formula should not work but it does; go at 21:00 when it fills up.
Salsa lessons at La Casa de la Musica in Centro Habana (afternoon sessions) are a practical option before a long evening at F.A.C. The musicians there are real professionals supplementing their income and the classes are serious.
Day 4: Playas del Este
The beaches at Playas del Este, 20 km east of Havana, are the city’s obvious escape for a full day of swimming. Santa Maria del Mar has the best sand. A taxi there costs USD 20 to 25 each way; agree the fare before departure. The Estado Unido (no-frills beach bars) sell fried fish, beer and coconut water at CUP prices. Bring your own sunscreen as supply in Cuba is inconsistent.
Return to Havana by late afternoon to allow time for the seafood paladares near the waterfront. O’Reilly 304, a small terrace bar and restaurant on Calle O’Reilly, is reliable for fresh fish and decent cocktails without the tourist-trap pricing of some Old Havana competitors.
Day 5: Finca Vigia and Departure
Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s home in San Francisco de Paula about 15 km southeast of central Havana, is one of the better literary houses open to the public anywhere. The rooms are viewed through open windows rather than walked through (to preserve them), and everything is left exactly as it was when Hemingway departed Cuba in 1960: the books, the mounted heads, the thousands of bottles. A taxi round trip including waiting time costs around USD 40 to 50; the house admission is a few dollars.
Return to Havana for final hours before departure. The Teniente Rey street market in Old Havana is a reasonable last stop for rum (bring duty-free limits in mind), Cuban cigars (buy from LCDH state shops rather than street sellers to guarantee authenticity) and guayabera shirts. Allow at least two hours from central Havana to the airport including security.
Practical Tips for the Whole Trip:
- Power cuts are a real factor. A portable power bank is essential. Download offline maps (Maps.me works well for Havana) before you arrive, as mobile data is unreliable during outages.
- WiFi in Cuba requires a NAUTA card purchased at ETECSA offices or some hotel lobbies. Coverage is patchy and slow; plan not to be reliant on internet.
- Tipping is expected and important: guides, casa particular hosts and restaurant staff all depend on it heavily.
- The political situation means some activities (boat tours, certain rural sites) may require permits or prior arrangement through a local guide.
- November to April is the dry season and the peak travel window. May to October brings humidity and hurricane risk but far better availability and lower prices.