Cuba Itinerary for 10 Days in Cuba

Cuba is a fascinating country, with a complex colonial and revolutionary history and time warp feel due to the ongoing impact of the US economic embargo. This Cuba itinerary is designed for first time independent travel to Cuba, to make the most out of 10 days in Cuba. During our Cuba 10 day itinerary, we visited Havana, Vinales, Trinidad and Santa Clara. 

Cuba Travel Tips 

Before we jump straight in, there’s a few Cuba travel tips and essentials to know before planning your Cuba itinerary. Cuba can be a little confusing at first, but with a small amount of pre-planning (and preferably a little Spanish!) it’s pretty easy once you hit the ground.

Money and Currency in Cuba

Cuba has two currencies. The Cuban Peso or CUP is the local currency, and is mainly used by locals. The Cuban Convertible Currency or CUC is the tourist currency, and is mainly used by visitors to Cuba. 1 CUC is 25 CUP, and roughly 1 USD. Sounds kinda tricky, but you get used to it quickly.

Cuban currency is a closed currency, which means that you can only access Cuban money inside Cuba. The best currency to take to Cuba is Canadian dollars or Euros. As at 2019, most Cuba money exchange bureaus will charge an additional 10% fee to exchange USD. Only change your currency at official currency exchange centres, including at airports and hotels. Unlike many other countries, you won’t get ripped off with poor exchange rates at Cuban airports which means you can grab some cash as soon as you land.

In Cuba, it’s true that cash is king. Credit cards are not commonly acccepted. ATMs are popping up around the country, although most towns (other than Havana) only have one or two ATMs and they are not always reliable.

Once you’ve exchanged your money, try to get some smaller denomation notes and coins, including a bunch of 1 CUC and smaller coins for tips. You often need to tip to use the bathroom, including in restaurants. A smaller coin will usually do, although we did encounter one restaurant that charged 1 CUC. (An expensive affair if you have a bladder the size of a grape. On the subject of bathrooms, always carry tissues and hand sanitizer with you.)

How to Get Around Cuba 

Common forms of transport in Cuba: Classic car and horse!

Bus: Like the currency, Cuba has different intercity bus systems that are used by locals and tourists. Tourists use the Viazul bus, while locals take the Astro bus. The bus is a reliable and budget friendly way of navigating Cuba.

Taxi: The other main option for domestic transport in Cuba is to take a taxi. You can take either a private taxi or a shared taxi, referred to as a ‘collective’. Collectives can be booked in advance, or you can just rock up and wait for the taxi to fill up before leaving. We took both private taxis and collective taxis in Cuba, as taxis are faster than buses and we only had 10 days in Cuba. The taxis in Cuba were generally reliable, other than one slightly cray-cray driver and a worrying lack of seatbelts.

Taxis are priced either per taxi (regardless of the number of people) or per person. For example, our taxi between Trinidad and Santa Clara was 60 CUC for a private taxi or 25 CUC per person for a collective taxi with four people, which meant the private taxi was good value. However, our taxi between Havana and Vinales was 80 CUC for a private taxi or 20 CUC per person for a collective taxi with four people, which meant that the collective taxi was much better value. Taxis are easy to organise on the ground through your casa particular.

Train: Train is usually my fav form of transport. However, this was not to be in Cuba. Train transport around Cuba is infrequent, unreliable and slow. For the adventurous and patient traveler, there are some intercity trains that run either every day or every fourth day.

Cuba Accommodation 

Casa Particulares: Most accommodation in Cuba is in ‘casa particulares’. A casa particular is a private residence where the owners rent out rooms, similar to a bed and breakfast. Staying at a casa particular can offer a real local insight into the country, and gives money direct to local Cubans. Casa particulares usually cost around 25-40 CUC per night. Expect to pay around 5 CUC for breakfast, which usually consists of fruit, coffee or tea, bread and eggs. The hosts can also help to organise transport and tours when you arrive. Casa particulares can be identified by the blue symbol on the front, which kinda looks like an anchor or upside down H. Best to book in advance, as most casas only have 1-3 rooms and the popular ones book up in advance.

Hostal / Guesthouse: Some boutique accommodation is starting to pop up around Cuba. Hostals and guesthouses are generally restored colonial houses with a small number of rooms, a small kitchen and staff. Hostals are more like boutique hotels rather than hostels, and usually offer good value and high standards.

Hotels: Hotels in Cuba are generally more expensive and of a lower standard than in other countries, and are often government owned. If you’ve got cash to splash, there’s some absolutely stunning modern and colonial style hotels in Havana, including the Iberostar and Kempinski brands. At over 200 CUC per night, I decided to stick to casas and hostals.

Cuba Wifi and Information

Wifi in Cuba is generally limited to high end hotels or purchasing a wifi card (usually 1-2 CUC / hour) to use in public wifi areas like town squares. Embrace the technology detox! Print reservations and download maps and other info in advance or bring an old fashioned guidebook. I quite enjoyed (poorly) navigating paper maps on the go and looking up basic Spanish phrases.

Cuba 10 Day Itinerary 

We only had 10 days in Cuba so, like most first time independent travelers to Cuba, focused our Cuba itinerary on Havana and west Cuba. We comfortably managed to visit Havana, Vinales, Trinidad and Santa Clara during our Cuba 10 day itinerary. Visiting these four locations ensured that our itinerary was diverse, and covered colonial architecture, towns and cities, revolutionary history, the countryside, nature reserves and (to a lesser extent) beaches.

If you’re short on time, it’s also possible to condense this Cuba travel itinerary into one week in Cuba. In fact, we met a tour guide who took this route over only 5 days in Cuba – which must have been quite a tight squeeze!

In an ideal world, I would have preferred 2 weeks in Cuba to tackle this itinerary. With two weeks, I would have added one more night in each of Havana, Vinales and Trinidad.

If you prefer a faster travel pace or want to add in beach destinations, my picks for additional places to visit in western Cuba would be Cienfuegos if you love architecture, Varadero or Cayo Santa Maria if you like beach resorts, Playa Ancon if you prefer more a more chilled beach holiday, or Playa Giron or Playa Larga for accessible snorkelling in the Bay of Pigs.

Havana – 3-4 Nights

Havana, ooh na-na, half of my heart is in Havana, ohh-na-na! This song literally played on repeat during my head when I was planning our trip to Havana, and when I was wandering around the streets of Havana. But it’s true, Havana will keep a little bit of your heart.

Havana is the evocative capital of Cuba, and is one of the best preserved Spanish colonial cities in all of Latin America. To the uninitiated, Havana can seem a little chaotic and almost an assault on the senses. Have a little patience grasshopper. Dig a bit deeper and you’ll unpick an incredible city full of colourful colonial architecture, grand palaces, a vibrant music scene, and of course the ubiquitous Cuban classic cars and cigars.

How to Get to Havana Cuba

Havana is home to Cuba’s largest airport, so many trips to Cuba either start or end in Havana. The Havana international airport is roughly 20km / 30 minutes drive from Havana, but you should allow a bit longer in case you encounter traffic. Havana is probably the only place in Cuba with much in the way of traffic and, even then, it hardly compares to most large cities! We paid 30 CUC for our airport transfer organised by our Havana casa particular.

How Long to Spend in Havana

Many people visit Havana on a day trip from a Varadero beach resort or a cruise ship. However, I recommend spending at least 2 full days in Havana. This leaves time to experience Havana’s old town one day and Havana’s broader neighbourhoods another day.

If you have 10 days in Cuba, then I reckon 3-4 nights is about right for Havana. If time isn’t such an issue, you could easily spend one week in Havana without getting bored.

Things to do in Havana

Havana probably has the most ‘activities’ in all of Cuba, but my favourite thing to do in Havana was simply to wander around the old town of Habana Vieja, admire the architecture and people watch from a bar. While most tourists focus on the gorgeous old town, you should really leave time to explore all three main neighbourhoods of central Havana: Habana Vieja, Centro Habana and Vedado.

Things to do in Habana Vieja – Old Havana

Habana Vieja is the heart of Havana, and is what springs to mind for most people when they imagine Cuba. Old Havana is where the city was born in 1519 (happy 400th birthday!) and is a veritable treasure trove of colonial architectural delights. You’ll find magnificent restored palaces and town plazas alongside beautiful crumbling colonial mansions and gritty alleyways lined with street art.

Havana old town is also home to impressive historic forts, museums galore, and of course Cuba’s ubiquitous classic cars. Yup, Old Havana is pretty much a living, breathing museum, full of colour, character and surprises at every corner. The best way to explore Habana Vieja is on foot. This is one place where it pays to get lost!

Things to do in Centro Habana

Centro Habana, or Central Havana, is the next municipality west of Habana Vieja. Centro Habana is a bit of a district of two halves. The area bordering Habana Vieja is very tourist friendly, with wide boulevards lined with colorful colonial houses, the recently restored El Capitolio (National Capital Building), the Revolution Museum and the magnificent Grand Theatre.

Venture further into Centro Habana and you’ll discover gritty streets with locals going about their daily lives and the colorful murals of Callejon de Hamel. Take a walk or classic car tour along the Malecon, Havana’s waterfront that runs the length of Centro Habana and Vedado.

Things to do in Vedado

The next neighbourhood along from Centro Habana is Vedado. Vedado is a residential municipality with leafy tree lined avenues, opulent mansions and a mobster past. Have a drink at the Nacional Hotel which has hosted a mobster conference along with scores of famous people over the years.

The other main tourist attractions in Vedado are Revolution Square and the Jose Marti memorial.  Vedado is fairly spread out, so is another great area for a classic car tour.

Read More: I feel like you’d need an entire website dedicated to Havana to even begin to do it justice. However, if you’re looking for an easy way to digest the highlights for a first time trip to Havana, check out my post on 30 Awesome Things to do in Havana Cuba.

Three Days in Havana Itinerary

Even with a few days in Havana, you’ll barely scratch the surface. That said, Havana isn’t as intimidating as it first seems when you read a guide book and see literally hundreds of different buildings and museums listed. Many of the main Havana attractions are packed into the old town, and you can see them by simply walking past!

If you have three days in Havana, I recommend structuring your Havana itinerary around the three main Havana neighbourhoods.

Day 1 – Habana Vieja

Set aside your first day in Havana to explore Old Havana on foot. Many of Havana’s attractions are centred around old Havana’s four plazas or town squares: Plaza Vieja, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de Armas and Plaza de San Fransisco. Either get lost yourself, or join a walking tour to get a better understanding of Havana’s history and architecture. We loved our Havana walking tour and classic car tour with CubaOutings. If you’re on a budget you can join a Havana Free Walking Tour (don’t forget to tip generously!).

Day 2 – Centro Habana and Vedado

The quintessential Havana experience has to be cruising the streets of Havana in a classic convertible car. (Preferably hot pink in my opinion.) Centro Habana and Vedado are more spread out than Habana Vieja, which makes them perfect for a classic car tour. Cruise the waterfront Malecon and the fancy suburbs of Vedado, and stop off at Revolution Plaza. In the afternoon, check out the Centro Habana sites that border Old Havana, including the Capitolio and Grand Theatre. If you’re up for an adventure, walk or take a biking tour around the less touristy streets of central Centro Habana. We loved our Real Havana Bike Tour which gave us an introduction to daily life in Centro Habana and Habana Vieja, including street markets, food rations and the Afro-Cuban Santeria religion.

Day 3 – Havana Forts and Favs

In the morning, take the tunnel under Havana harbour and explore Havana’s two great Spanish forts: Castillo De Los Tres Reyes Del Morro and Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña. In the afternoon, return to your favourite spots or places you’ve missed in Havana. For most, this will probably include returning to Old Havana!

Havana Accommodation

View from rooftop of Casa Colonial Yadilis y Yoel II

Overview: Along with the beach resorts, Havana is one of the few places in Cuba with a decent range of hotels. However, most decent hotels cost 200+ CUC per night for a lower standard than you’d find elsewhere in the world. Accordingly, most independent travellers to Havana choose to stay in a Havana casa particular or guest house. Staying in a casa particular also gives you a better understanding of Cuban culture and puts money directly into local pockets.

Best Area: I recommend staying in Habana Vieja or in the eastern part of Centro Habana, so that you’re a short walk from the old town.

Havana Casa Particular: We stayed at Casa Colonial Yadilis y Yoel 2 which we loved. Yadilis y Yoel have two lovely colonial houses a few blocks apart in a great location in Centro Habana, only five minutes walk to Habana Vieja (Old Havana) and a few minutes walk to the Malecon. Each casa has four comfortable rooms, and serves breakfast. The staff are extremely helpful and speak excellent English. Yadilis y Yoel 2 has a rooftop terrace with views over the Malecon and Havana harbour, although we didn’t really use this as we were out and about the whole time. The original Yadilis y Yoel is only a few blocks down the road.

Havana Hotels: If you have more cash to splash and prefer a hotel, check out the new Iberostar Grand Packard for a stunning modern hotel or Iberostar Parque Central for a restored colonial hotel. Both hotels are in an excellent location.

Vinales – 2 Nights

Vinales is an idyllic countryside retreat, and offers the perfect relaxing counterbalance to hectic Havana. The natural wonderland of Vinales includes limestone hill formations (known as ‘mogotes’), caves and tobacco and coffee plantations. In fact, the Vinales Valley reminded me a lot of Vang Vieng in Laos, with its similar green countryside and limestone hills.

How to get from Havana to Vinales

Taxi: A taxi from Havana to Vinales takes roughly 2.5 hours. For cost, expect to pay around 20 CUC per person for a collective (shared) taxi or around 80 CUC for a private taxi (up to four people). It’s a fairly easy drive from Havana to Vinales. The first two hours is along a main highway and the last 30 minutes is a scenic drive through the windy but pretty valley into Vinales.

Bus: The Viazul bus from Havana to Vinales takes roughly 3.5 hours. The bus costs around 12 CUC per person, with three daily departures.

How Long to Spend in Vinales

I recommend staying in Vinales overnight, and preferably for two nights. We spent two nights in Vinales. This was plenty of time to do a half day walking tour of Vinales Valley, a half day on the Vinales hop-on-hop-off bus, and relax with a mojito or three. I do adore the countryside and hiking, so would have loved 3 days in Vinales to add in some hiking trails.

Again, a lot of people take a day trip from Havana to Vinales. With around 5 hours travel time return, this sounds a little too exhausting for my liking. A day trip can also end up quite pricey if you want a private driver for the day. Plus, the real pleasure in Vinales is taking it slow and chillaxin’ in the countryside.

Things to do in Vinales

Vinales Valley Tour: The highlight of Vinales is Valle de Vinales, or the Vinales Valley. It would be a crime to pass through Vinales without taking a horseback tour or walking tour through the beautiful Vinales Valley.

Tobacco and Coffee Plantations: Most Vinales Valley tours include a visit to a working tobacco plantation and coffee farm. Here, you’ll get to see how tobacco and coffee are made without modern machinery, and even sample and purchase the goods. There’s also many plantations to visit around town if you don’t go on a tour.

Vinales Hop On Hop Off Bus: Vinales has a hop on hop off bus that drives a circuit of some of Vinales’ main attractions for only 5 CUC. The Vinales bus tour starts and ends at Vinales’ main town plaza. Stops include tobacco plantations, caves, Hotel Los Jazmines for the best views of Vinales and the Mural de la Prehistoria painted onto the rocks.

Caves: There’s many accessible caves to explore in Vinales. The most popular caves are Palenque de los Cimarrones which turns into a Vinales cave party on the weekend, and Cueva del Indio (or Indian Cave).

Read More: Top 10 things to do in Vinales Cuba!

Vinales Accommodation

Most people stay in Vinales casa particulars. I fully intended to book Villa Vista al Valle Vinales, a lovely looking casa with excellent reviews and views over the stunning Vinales Valley, However, when I turned up in Vinales, I somehow ended up just down the road in Villa El Niño Vinales, from what I can only imagine was an incorrect TripAdvisor redirect. Villa El Niño was perfectly fine, with a great location a few blocks from both the main street and the entry to Vinales Valley. However, it didn’t really have that little something extra that our other Cuba casa particulares had.

If you prefer hotels, you may like Hotel E Central Vinales, which is on Vinales’ main street right next to the main plaza. Hotel E Central is a fairly new hotel with a lovely wrap around verandah where we enjoyed an evening drink.

Trinidad – 2-3 Nights

Trinidad is Cuba’s best preserved colonial town, with gorgeous pastel washed 1850s architecture and old school transporation by horse or classic car. While the colonial town is the main reason to visit, Trinidad also has natural attractions on its doorstep, including some of the best beaches and nature reserves in southern Cuba.

How to Get from Vinales to Trinidad

Trinidad doesn’t have a major commercial airport, and it’s not exactly close to Havana or Vinales. I almost didn’t visit Trinidad, as I didn’t want to spend an entire day on the road and couldn’t find an easy way to work Trinidad into our Cuba itinerary. However, I’m so glad I sucked up the long trip to Trinidad, as it was the highlight our our Cuba trip.

Taxi: A taxi from Vinales to Trinidad Cuba takes around 6.5 hours, and costs around 45 CUC per person for a collective (shared) taxi or 180 CUC for a private taxi (up to four people). If you’re not up for such a long trip, you could change up your itinerary and visit Trinidad after Havana, as the trip between Vinales and Trinidad bypasses Havana. We forked out for a private taxi (ouch!) to minimise travel time, and changed drivers on the outskirts of Havana.

Bus: The Viazul bus from Vinales to Trinidad takes around 9.5 hours, and costs around 37 CUC. There does not appear to be a bus in the opposite direction (Trinidad – Vinales).

How Long to Spend in Trinidad Cuba

We spent 2 nights in Trinidad Cuba, but if I had my time again, I’d stay in Trinidad for 3 or 4 nights. Why? As with most travel choices, it’s a matter of personal preference. I adore pretty small towns that are easy to walk around, and Trinidad was the most picturesque and walkable town we visited in Cuba. Trinidad’s also an excellent spot to use as a base for day trips to the region’s natural attractions and other nearby towns.

Another reason to at least overnight in Trinidad is to avoid the tour buses. Yup, a town this cute unfortunately attracts a lot of buses on day trips to Trinidad! You can avoid the tour hordes by exploring Trinidad in the morning and from late afternoon. The evening in Trinidad is also the most vibrant time of day, particularly around the main Plaza Mayor which is filled with people drinking, listening to music and dancing.

Things to do in Trinidad Cuba

Plaza Mayor: Life in Trinidad town revolves around the main square Plaza Mayor. Plaza Mayor is filled with colorful buildings, museums and almost constant street music. The iconic yellow bell tower at the end of Plaza Mayor is the most photographed spot in Trinidad.

Playa Ancon: The sparkling shores of Playa Ancon are only 12km from Trinidad. It’s easy to get to Playa Ancon with a taxi from Trinidad (around 8 CUC) or on a bike.

Topes de Collantes: Topes de Collantes is a mountain range and nature reserve park around 30 minutes from Trinidad. While it’s not exactly on par with the national parks of Northern America, Topes de Collantes has some good short hikes and trails through the forest, and stunning waterfalls and swimming holes.

Cinfeuegos: While Cienfuegos is worthy of an overnight stay, it is also very doable as a day trip from Trinidad. A taxi from Trinidad to Cienfuegos takes just over 1 hour. The main Cienfuegos attraction is its neoclassical architecture. The Cienfuegos architecture has a different feel to other Cuban cities as it was settled by the French.

Trinidad Accommodation

We were stoked with our stay at BR&Casa Elio Ramos in Trinidad Cuba. This Trinidad casa particular is in an excellent location around 10 minutes walk from Plaza Mayor. The casa is in a restored colonial house, with a communal courtyard for breakfast and comfortable rooms with private bathrooms and terraces. The staff are very friendly and speak some English. We managed to get by just fine combined with our limited Spanish and a few interpretive hand gestures!

Santa Clara – 1 Night

Santa Clara wasn’t initially on my Cuba hit list. I added Santa Clara to my Cuba itinerary as Santa Clara has the closest airport to Trinidad with direct flights to Canada. Whoop whoop to that!

That said, with 10 days in Cuba, Santa Clara definitely deserves a place on your Cuba itinerary in its own right. Santa Clara is at the heart of Cuba, both geographically and historically. The town is best known for it’s revolutionary history. Santa Clara is the site of the last battle of the Cuban revolution in the late 1950s and the resting place of Che Guevara. You can’t walk far in Santa Clara without seeing a monument or memorial decimated to Che!

How to Get From Trinidad to Santa Clara Cuba

Taxi: A taxi from Trinidad to Santa Clara Cuba takes around 2 hours. For cost, expect to pay around 25 CUC per person for a collective (shared) taxi or 60+ CUC for a private taxi (up to four people). The road from Trinidad to Santa Clara is through the countryside and small towns. Even though it’s only around 100km from Santa Clara to Trinidad Cuba, the drive is relatively slow as there’s lots of potholes.

Bus: The Viazul bus from Trinidad to Santa Clara takes around 3.5 hours, with one daily departure. The bus from Trinidad to Santa Clara goes via Cienfuegos which is not the most direct route.

Plane: Santa Clara has an international airport, which makes it a convenient place to start or end a Cuba itinerary. We paid 20 CUC for a taxi between Santa Clara airport and our casa, helpfully organised by our casa.

How Long to Spend in Santa Clara Cuba

We spent two nights in Santa Clara, which only provided one full day in Santa Clara with the timing of our flights.However, you could definitely get by with just 1 night in Santa Clara or even a day trip to Santa Clara.

Santa Clara is pretty compact, it’s easy to see the main sights in just a few hours, and it’s not quite as picturesque as Trinidad.

Santa Clara Cuba Accommodation

Our Santa Clara Cuba casa particular was probably my fav of our entire Cuba trip. We stayed at Hostal d’Cordero, which is a lovely colonial house with a few kitsch rooms set around a tranquil green courtyard. Hostal d’Cordero is on a nice street in central Santa Clara, and is walking distance to all the Santa Clara attractions.

Things To Do In Santa Clara Cuba

The main Santa Clara Cuba attractions revolve around the famous revolutionary Che Guevara. One day in Santa Clara is plenty of time to walk around the city and visit the main revolutionary attractions.

In the city, stroll around Parque Leoncio Vidal, the bustling main town square. Parque Leoncio Vidal is is surrounded by classic colonial buildings including the Teatro la Caridad (Theatre) and the neoclassical Jose Marti library.

On the outskirts of Santa Clara, visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum. The site has a large monument dedicated to Che Guevara, as well as a small museum and memorial.

We got the most out of 1 day in Santa Clara with an excellent walking tour from Heart of Cuba Tours, which I would highly recommend. Yasmany was a wonderful Santa Clara Cuba tour guide, with perfect English, in-depth historical knowledge and interesting anecdotes about life in Cuba.

Read More: 8 Fun Things To Do in Santa Clara Cuba

I hope this post has helped you plan your first trip to Cuba! With a little knowledge and pre-planning, 10 days in Cuba can go a long way!

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