Cuba

ATHENS – FLIGHT TO HAVANA – VARADERO

Meet at the airport and evening departure for Havana via Istanbul. Overnight on the plane. Arrival in Havana on the morning of the 2nd day. We meet our guide and depart by road for Varadero along an interesting route on the north coast. We will see the old oil pumps, pass through the city of Matanzas, regarded as the city of intellectuals, and make a stop at the Bacunayagua bridge to enjoy the unique view of the area. Arrival at the hotel and free time to relax on the enchanting beach on an All Inclusive basis. All meals and drinks at the hotel are included in the price.

VARADERO

All Inclusive board. A free day to enjoy your hotel's facilities and Varadero's tropical beach for swimming and various water sports. Optionally, you can choose the day cruise by catamaran to the islet of Cayo Blanco. The excursion starts in the morning from Varadero Marina and includes unlimited local cocktails and soft drinks on board, and a seafood meal on Cayo Blanco. You will also have the chance to admire the coral seabed at a particular point on the route with equipment (mask, snorkel and fins) provided free of charge, and the unique experience of swimming with trained dolphins, in the presence of trainers, in a specially built dolphinarium in the open sea. On arrival at Cayo Blanco, you will have free time on the beach and a seafood lunch at the island's beachside tavern. Return to the hotel in the afternoon.

Breakfast, check-out and departure by road for Trinidad. On the way we stop on the Zapata Peninsula at Guamá, the largest natural lake in Cuba. At 'La Boca' we visit the crocodile breeding farm. These animals, an important part of Cuba's wildlife, are protected in their natural habitat from uncontrolled hunting. We then board the boat that will take us to the Laguna del Tesoro (Treasure Lake). We continue through the Zapata mangrove forest until we catch sight of the lace-like Caribbean shores of the Bay of Pigs (known for the failed American landing on the island of the same name in 1961). Stop at a marine oasis where the crystal-clear turquoise waters form a natural 'aquarium pool', an ideal place for swimming & snorkelling, drinks and seafood meze (drinks – open bar – and lunch included). Our next stop is Cienfuegos, a city built in 1819 by French settlers and one of the country's most important ports. We will make a panoramic tour of the city with a stop at the central square with its pure-white statue of the goddess Athena, dominated by the Tomás Terry Theatre, the City Hall and the classical University building. By the sea, on the narrow peninsula of 'Punta Gorda', we visit the 'Palacio del Valle', a highly impressive 100-year-old building, an architectural masterpiece combining Romantic, Gothic, Venetian and Moorish styles. We continue to Trinidad. Arrival and check-in. Dinner and a free evening for a first acquaintance with the town.

TRINIDAD – CITY TOUR

Breakfast and a tour of traditional colonial Trinidad, a town founded by the Spanish at the beginning of the 16th century and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Visit to the main square (Plaza Mayor), surrounded by colonial buildings, the museum of colonial architecture and the traditional café La Canchánchara, where we will enjoy the local drink of rum, honey and lemon that the colonists gave the slaves to keep up their strength. Free time to stroll the picturesque cobbled lanes with their colourful shops or to shop at the open-air markets. Return to our hotel and dinner. In the evening you will have time to walk the historic centre again and enjoy music and dancing.

TRINIDAD – SANTA CLARA – EL NICHO – HAVANA

Breakfast and departure for the impressive El Nicho waterfalls, in the heart of the lush Escambray mountains. A swim in their crystal-clear, pristine waters, which form small natural pools – on three different levels – adorned by Mother Nature, and a wonderful, enchanting view from the nearby lookout. We leave by road for Che Guevara's city, heroic Santa Clara, a city directly associated with the great revolutionary. Visit to Che's Mausoleum and Museum in Leoncio Vidal Park. The entrance to the mausoleum is dominated by the imposing bronze statue of the Comandante, about 7 metres high, rifle in hand. Our unforgettable day ends with arrival and check-in at the hotel in Havana.

HAVANA – CITY TOUR – RIDE IN VINTAGE AMERICAN CARS

Breakfast at the hotel and then we set off for our tour of the most beautiful city in the Caribbean. We start at the Plaza de la Revolución with the huge portraits of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. We then pass the University of Havana, cross the 'modern' district of Vedado with its central Coppelia square and the famous seafront boulevard, the Malecón, and end up at the Capitolio, a faithful copy of the one in Washington in the United States. Our tour changes pace as we enter Habana Vieja, or Old Havana, a World Heritage Site protected by UNESCO since 1982, which is home to some of the finest colonial buildings in the Caribbean. We will tour the rum museum, where we are offered a drink, visit the only Greek Orthodox church in the Caribbean, St Nicholas, and then on foot we will see the Square of St Francis of Assisi (Plaza de San Francisco de Asís), the Old Square (Plaza Vieja), the Square of Arms (Plaza de Armas) and the Cathedral Square (Plaza de la Catedral), the little Templete chapel and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza. Lunch at a local restaurant. We end our tour with a visit to the pirate fortress of El Morro, in a commanding position at the harbour entrance with an enchanting view. Return to the hotel and the rest of the day free. We will simply 'steal' a little of your time, offering you an unforgettable ride in vintage cars through Havana's lush forest.

HAVANA – FULL-DAY EXCURSION TO VIÑALES

After breakfast we leave for the enchanting Viñales valley in Cuba's westernmost province, Pinar del Río, where the tobacco for the best cigars in the world is grown. Visit to a cigar factory to see up close how they are made. Our trip through the Viñales valley will stay with you forever: green velvety hillocks known as mogotes, found nowhere else in the world, spring up from the valley, densely vegetated and almost otherworldly… towering palm trees, waterfalls and underground caves with rivers make up an enchanting landscape. Visit to the huge Mural of Prehistory (Mural de la Prehistoria) and the Cave of the Indian (Cueva del Indio), where we cross its underground river by small boat. Lunch at a local restaurant in a unique setting with live music. On the way back to Havana we stop at the Los Jazmines lookout, with its enchanting view over the whole Viñales valley. Arrival in Havana and the rest of the day free.

HAVANA – FREE DAYS

Breakfast. Two free days in Havana to enjoy this unique city with its 1960s charm, wander through its historic centre, try the wonderful cocktails to the sounds of live music in its dozens of little bars and do your shopping. We suggest visiting some of the city's very worthwhile museums, while your guide will give you all the information you need to discover the unknown and hidden corners of the city. In the evening we suggest a stroll in Habana Vieja to enjoy Ernest Hemingway's favourite drinks: a daiquirí at the Floridita and a mojito at the Bodeguita del Medio.

HAVANA – RETURN FLIGHT – ARRIVAL IN GREECE

Breakfast at the hotel and, already with a sense of nostalgia, we leave for Havana airport, where we take our return flight via Istanbul. Arrival in Greece the next day, full of unique images and unforgettable memories.