Day trips from Havana are what you do when you’ve already done all the touristy Havana activities like cruising the city in a vintage American car or getting your photo taken next to Papa Hemingway’s statue at El Floridita’s bar.
How about the lesser-known Havana experiences like taking in the expansive city view from a hotel rooftop bar or enjoying an evening of art, music and mojitos at the unique Cuban Art Factory? Done those too? Then head out of Havana and see what else the city’s environs have to offer.
Here is a brief list of some of the attractions you can find on a day trip from Havana.
Finca Vigia
Cuba is chock full of Ernest Hemingway memories. The writer lived in Cuba from the late 1930s to 1960 in a home he called Finca Vigia. It was here that he wrote what is possibly his most famous book, The Old Man and the Sea.
The book won both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Finca Vigia is one of the coolest Havana museums.
Today, the home is a museum. The 15-acre complex has been preserved to look like it did when Papa Hemingway lived there.
The best way to get to Finca Vigia from Havana is by taxi for about 20USD. The museum is about 10 kilometers from Havana.
Fusterlandia
Cuban artist Jose Fuster had a fascination with the Spanish architect and artist, Antoni Gaudí. So much so that, in 1975, he began creating an homage to Gaudí on the outskirts of Havana.
The artist began covering his home with mosaic tiles. When he ran out of space, he started covering his neighbor’s homes as well – with their permission, of course.
Then he decorated parts of the neighborhood with fountains, pools, towers and outrageous arches all in colorful mosaics.
Today, these fanciful, colorful mosaics have become a major tourist attraction known as Fusterlandia.
At about 11 kilometers from Havana, a 20USD taxi ride will get you there. The Hop-On-Hop-Off tourist bus that leaves from Parque Central in front of the Hotel Inglaterra also stops there.
Regla
Now, here is a destination few visitors to Havana get to, the town of Regla, about 12 kilometers from Havana.
This interesting little town is located across the bay from Old Havana. You can visit it by car, but going by ferry is so much more interesting. You can catch the ferry that leaves every half hour at the ferry terminal next to the San Jose art market in Old Havana.
The town is all about its Afro-Cuban heritage, the center of which is the beautiful church of Our Lady of Regla. Here is where you’ll find the Virgen Negra (Black Virgin.)
Also of note is the Museo Municipal de Regla (Municipal Museum of Regla). This little museum offers exhibits about the Santeria religion and Afro-Cuban culture.
Take a horse-drawn carriage ride around town and then head back to Havana on the ferry.
Playas del Este
Havana’s eastern beaches, or, “Playas del Este,” are a six-mile stretch of golden beaches with impossibly blue waters about 20 minutes east of Havana.
The area has 7 outstanding beaches, including Tarara, Bacuranao and Santa Maria beaches. The last beach is Tropicoco with cute little food shacks and all-day rental beach chairs for 2USD.
The hop-on-hop-off bus that leaves from in front of the Hotel Inglaterra will take you there on one of its stops. It will also bring you back but be sure to know the schedule. The bus is 5US.
There are lots more options for day trips from Havana, and many different Cuban transportation options. These four destinations will give you a good taste of the area’s history, culture and natural beauty.
Las Terrazas and Soroa
73 km west of Havana
The big attraction in Las Terrazas is the Sierra del Rosario Mountains and biosphere reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Once the site of more than 50 coffee plantations, the reserve now protects 117 bird species. If you decide to stay the night, your best option is Hotel Moka or a local casa.
The eco-friendly Restaurante El Romero is known for its locally-sourced vegetarian cuisine. There is also a pretty cool zip-line for $35USD.
If you’re planning a trip to Las Terrazas, you might want to add Soroa to your itinerary, as the two communities are situated close enough to visit in one day.
Only 20 minutes from Las Terrazas, Soroa is home to an orchid garden.
Getting to Las Terrazas and Soroa
Soroa is 20 minutes past Las Terrazas, and getting to both towns is relatively easy, though not many tourists know about either — bonus!
A taxi from Havana will cost you about $55USD. From Las Terrazas to Soroa it’s $8USD. The Viazul bus, the same one that goes to Las Terrazas, goes to Soroa, is $5USD. A taxi ride takes around 55 minutes, while the bus takes nearly 90 minutes to get to Las Terrazas.
Matanzas
At 102 km east of Havana, Matanzas was a haven for the bourgeois in the 1700s and 1800s.
It is one of the best day trips from Havana for dance enthusiasts as it’s known as the birthplace of the danzón and rumba, two classic Cuban dances.
Now it’s a quiet little city that’s not too touristy but is worth a visit. The town is home to San Severino Castle, a fortress where enslaved Africans were housed when they arrived in Cuba. There is a museum there that explains Cuba’s role in the slave triangle in the 1700s.
Also notable are the Bellamar caves. A 300,000-year-old network of fascinating caves. Exploring Matanzas Bellamar caves is one of life’s great pleasures. Descend below sea level to get a glimpse of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated in a rainbow of colors.
Getting to Matanzas
One of the most atmospheric routes to Matanzas is via the Hershey train (yes, built by that Hershey). It costs $3USD and is a two-hour ride each way.
The bus costs a little more ($7USD), and the journey takes about the same amount of time as the train. If you want to shave 30 minutes off your travel time, a taxi takes about 90 minutes and costs around $70 USD.
Note: Keep in mind that the old Hershey train runs whenever it feels like it, which may or may not accommodate your schedule. Service is unreliable and may close down for days at a time with no notice.
Varadero
150 km east of Havana
Situated on the Hicacos Peninsula, it’s easy to see why Varadero is a beach lover’s haven. It’s home to more than 50 hotels and features 20 kilometers of uninterrupted beach.
Of course, there are plenty of water sports available here as well as a handful of restaurants offering both Cuban and international fare.
Stay in the town of Varadero in a local casa particular and walk or take a short taxi ride to the beach. It’s a more authentic experience than the hotel and a lot more fun.
Getting to Varadero
The fastest way to get to Varadero is -you guessed it!- by taxi, which costs around $100USD and takes approximately two hours. The Conectando Cuba Shuttle costs only $13USD but takes the longest to reach its destination, over four hours. The Viazul bus takes three hours, costs $20USD, and leaves three times a day.
Have more time? Where to go for two or three days from Havana
If you have more than a day for day trips from Havana, you’ve got plenty of options. What are your preferences? Is it beach time you’re looking for? Trips deep into the Cuban countryside? Colonial towns untouched since the time of the Spaniards?
How about a combination of all of these? Here are some of my favorite destinations for multi-day trips from Havana.
The Valley of Viñales
The Valley of Viñales and the town of Viñales itself are only about 3 and a half to 4 hours west of Havana. The valley itself is the single most beautiful nature spot I’ve ever seen in my life…and this is not hyperbole. I’m totally serious.
The valley is one of Cuba’s 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites and with good reason. The area offers hikes in the countryside, oxcart rides and horseback riding.
My favorite activity in the valley is navigating underground rivers through a maze of caves, tunneling through rock formations that have been there for millennia.
There are many farm-to-table restaurants where you can have an organic meal with a spectacular view.
And did I mention the nightlife? The town of Viñales comes alive at night on the main drag, Cisneros Street, where nightclubs, bars and restaurants play live music that you would pay a lot to hear anywhere else.
Try to spend at least 2 days here for a unique blend of soothing natural beauty and exciting nightlife.
Cienfuegos
About 3 hours east of Havana, on a good road, you’ll find Cienfuegos, a charming town with a unique history. It is the only Cuban town founded by French settlers from Louisiana in the U.S. and Bordeaux, France.
The French influence is still evident in the graceful architecture, French street names and French family names on the graves of the picturesque La Reina Cemetery right outside of town.
Music blares from speakers in the town’s main pedestrianized boulevard in honor of hometown-boy-done-good, the legendary Beny More, one of Cuba’s musical giants. This is also where the town’s best restaurants are found.
And don’t forget to visit Plaza Marti, arguably the prettiest plaza in Cuba. and another of its UNESCO World Heritage sites. Here you’ll find museums, performing arts centers and amazing architecture.
Trinidad
One hour east of Cienfuegos is amazing, colonial Trinidad, the most perfectly preserved colonial town in the Americas and my favorite of Cuba’s UNESCO World Heritage sites.
With its colorful architecture and cobblestone streets, Trinidad is awash in charming 19th-century museums, musical venues and ruins of once great sugar plantations.
The town has many major nightclubs, one in a cave and another in an open-air venue. Music is everywhere and there seems to be an excuse for a festival almost every night.
This town specializes in giving cooking lessons, dancing lessons and fabulous massages at very reasonable prices.
Since both these towns are so close together, it makes sense to visit them both on the same multi-day trips from Havana.
Want to know more about Havana and its surrounding areas? Check out these guidebooks and research your destination before you arrive.
Which of these day trips from Havana appeals to you most?
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