Back in 2020, I’ve made the most exciting solo voyage in my life. I always wanted to experience this incredible country, Cuba. During my visit, I’d seen most of the major attractions in the capital. I spent a total of 5 days in Havana. Before my trip, I downloaded a map of Cuba to be able to use it offline. The weather was very pleasant, even during the rain the night I arrived.
I ended up packing the following clothing and accessories:
- Black bodysuit, black trousers, black leggings, and black round neck sweater with flared sleeves
- Jacket, sweatshirt, and a scarf as I had transit in Paris airport in January, though it was helpful in Cuba too
- Long polka dot dress, 2 stripped blouses, flowery blouse, and colorful top
- Straight ripped blue jeans, 2 pairs of blue denim shorts, black belt
- Black sweatsuit
- Bali straw crossbody bag, black bag
- Few pairs of sandals and flip-flops, black loafers.
- Stud earrings, watch
P. S. I packed some extra tops and dresses, however, didn’t wear them.
I summarized how I spent my days below along with the most unforgettable details of the travel.
DAY 1
Around 1 am: I landed on Wednesday early morning, so it´s my first day in Cuba. It was a rainy night, and I was told that rain usually doesn´t happen at that time of the year, good I´ve checked the weather forecast before my trip. I was picked up at the airport by my host and we went to my accommodation in a cute blue vintage car. The driver spoke the only local language, so my a bit of Spanish knowledge was really helpful. There were quite a lot of people on the streets of La Habana Vieja during our ride, the restaurants were full of people, and the mix of reggae, hip-hop, and salsa could be heard everywhere. I prepared to sleep, but it turned out that I caught a cold during my transit and long way, and was feeling very sick. I took some painkillers and went to bed.
Around 9 am: I got up, feeling a bit better. First thing I went out to the balcony to enjoy the view of Plaza. It was so beautiful. I did some warm-up exercises and went to the kitchen.
10 am: I had a delicious breakfast, which consisted of fruits, eggs, vegetables, bread with some salty butter, coffee, and tea. It cost me 5 Euros and it was prepared by my sweet host Maria.
11 am: After that I took shower, put some make-up on, dressed up, and went out to explore Havana. I was impressed by the small streets of Old Havana, beautiful vintage cars, great music, and lovely people. And then I found it, El Capitolio Nacional de La Habana, the must-visit place. And next to it was Gran Teatro de la Havana, one more famous and graceful building of Cuba.
12:30 pm: I went to the Park Central hotel to book a tour to Viñales. Then I had a walk through Paseo del Prado, admiring the beautiful architecture. I saw a Spanish Embassy, National Ballet School, and others.
2 pm: I reached El Malecon and met a kind local, who helped me to get an internet card (I finally called my mum and updated my friends that I’m fine) and made an excursion to Castillo del Morro. From there I saw the monumental sculpture ‘El Cristo de la Habana’.
3 pm: I came back to El Malecon by bus. Here you can see the atmosphere:
3:30 pm: I finally went to one of the local restaurants in Old Havana to get my lunch and my favorite cocktail Canchanchara.
4:30 pm: I came back to my accommodation and bought some water and fruits on my way. You can’t drink the tap water in Cuba. I relaxed a bit, listening to the music on the balcony that could be heard from La Vitrola restaurant, which was just downstairs.
7 pm: I changed to the warmer outfit and went for a walk in the night Havana. It is amazing both day and night.
9 pm: I reached home and slept around 10pm.
DAY 2
I started my day with breakfast at 9 am, and at noon headed to explore Havana again. On my way, I bought a hat which was not only super cool but also very necessary during my trip. This time I began with El Malecon. I took a ride to have a look at the stunning scenery.
Around 3 pm I had a tour on a beautiful pink classic car through the whole city:
At 4:30 pm I was back in Old Havana for some lunch. And as I still felt a bit sick, I had Canchanchara with my food again. A lovely caring waiter added some ginger to the cocktail. It was delicious and very good for my throat. After that, I bought some souvenirs and came back to my accommodation to relax a bit.
I went to bed earlier, as the next day I had a tour to Viñales, which meant that I had to get up much earlier.
DAY 3
I got up at 6 am, had some fruits for breakfast, and at 7 went to the Parque Hotel where a bus was waiting to go for a tour to Viñales. The bus was almost full, I had a seat next to a nice lady. We reached Viñales Valley at 10:30 am, where we made our first stop to look at the beautiful scenery and to get some souvenirs. I got the awesome purse and some magnets.
At 11:30 am we got to the cigar fields where we listened to the story about how cigars are made.
After an hour I was able to try a delicious Macondo drink (pineapple juice with cane syrup).
At 1 pm I had a chance to see Mural de la Prehistoria.
At 2 pm we had our lunch. I enjoyed the most Pina Colada drink.
And lastly, around 3:30 pm we took a boat inside Indian Cave.
I reached Havana at 7 pm. It was a very delightful but tiring day.
DAY 4
I got up a bit late, around 10 am had my breakfast and at noon was ready to go for a walk again. I started with Canchanchara at one of the restaurants in the Plaza where I was staying.
I had my lunch at 3 pm in El Floridita restaurant, where I spend around 4 hours, finally being able to connect to the internet. On my way back I bought some souvenirs, and tried some Churros, super delicious.
At 8:30 pm I finally went to a salsa party at an amazing rooftop bar with a fascinating view at Inglaterra Hotel, where I saw people dancing salsa for the first time. I had my Mojito cocktail and was waiting for a party to start. Since then I fell in love with salsa. I met a handsome guy Yunior who was so kind to teach me a bit of dancing. He is a dance teacher too. So it was my evening.
I reached home around midnight. I started to fell in love with Cuba more and more. And it was my last night here.
DAY 5
10 am: After my breakfast I tried to arrange my things and by noon went out for my last walk, or almost last. I met my new friend Yunior who showed me Casa Blanca, one of the nicest places in Havana. We got there by boat.
2 pm: We had some fruits like pineapples and coconut water for lunch and then we went to explore Casa Blanca.
4 pm: It was time to go back to finish packing.
5:30 pm: I had my last Café Bombon and said bye to my neighbors.
6 pm: On my way to the airport. It was one of the saddest moments.
Cuba took my heart and some part of me will always stay there. Such a different, beautiful colorful place stays in my memory forever. I do believe one day I can get here again and make more memories.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
Grab snacks at: El Floridita, rooftop bar at Hotel Inglaterra, La Vitrola, and restaurants around Plaza Vieja
Dish: Local Cuban food
Drinks: Canchanchara, Café Bombon
Attraction: La Habana Vieja, El Capitolio, El Malecón, El Castillo del Morro, El Cristo de la Habana, Casa Blanca, Parque John Lennon, Paseo del Prado/Parque Central
Tour: Viñales, classic car tour, Trinidad, Varadero
Stay at: Casa Particular
If I had an extra day in Cuba, I would have taken a tour to Trinidad and Varadero.
P. S. Everything I did is saved to the Highlights on my Instagram. Feel free to swipe through for more.
I hope you enjoyed reading my posts about my trip to Cuba. It’s a must-visit country.
IS CUBA ON YOUR LIST? OR HAVE YOU ALREADY VISITED IT?
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By Victoria
The Glamorous Muse 