I don’t believe there is a “right” way to travel – everyone has a different travel style. For Tillman and me, it’s always lots of exploring and eating and we always try to follow the rule: If a local invites you to do something with them (within reason of course, haha) do it! With that said, here are eight things I recommend checking out in Havana:
Take a tour – We actually didn’t take a tour ourselves, but I had friends that did and booked through www.oldcartours.com and Rodrigo Ronda was the contact. They had Yuniesky Rivera and their driver and gave a high recommendation. Also recommended was their guided tour with an English speaking guide. They had Parricia Ardanza Espinosa and said she was amazing!
Go dancing at Casa de la Musica – This place had super fun salsa! It gets mixed reviews for being too expensive for many locals, which is true, but if you want to see a great live band I say check it out! This spot only opens a few nights a week, so check into it. Things didn’t start-up until late so don’t expect the band to play until at least midnight. We got there about 11:30pm and snagged a table at a nearly empty club but by 12:30 it was packed.
Doña Eutemia for dinner – Recommended to us for dinner one night, they had a great ropa vieja. Be sure to stop by and make a reservation the day before; they’ll probably be too full for walk-ins.
Enjoy delicious rum drinks (everywhere) – We drank plenty of mojitos and rum with ice or straight-up (how the Cubans drink it.) Mix it up by asking for a mojito frappe. It’s just a blended mojito but they are so good! Also, as a friend pointed out, there is A TON of sugar in the mojitos. I love it! But if you’re sensitive to sugar, you’ve been warned.
Take a walk around Hotel Nacional de Cuba – Our preference was to stay in casas but we went to see the hotel itself and it’s beautiful. We went to the Hall of Fame bar at the hotel which had some cool hotel history and friendly bartenders.
Walk along the Malecón – We walked along the Malecón to the Hotel Nacional. Plenty of locals hang out along here and meet with friends, have a drink, and enjoy life. We brought a bottle of rum in our bag which made us some friends 😉 Word of warning though, when the tide is high the water splashes over onto the sidewalk, you’ll have to take an alternative route or risk getting completely soaked.
Find a (rooftop) bar – There is no shortage of bars in Havana but you’d never know some of my favorite were there. Various hotels throughout the city have very cool rooftop bars. We ended up on the rooftop of the Hotel Parque Central and were greeted with a beautiful view and a live band, what’s not to love?!
Get out of Havana and go to the beach – If you have a little extra time, look at venturing out of Havana. Cuba is a Caribbean island after all! We decided to check out the historical town of Trinidad and then visit the nearby beaches at Playa Ancon. Veradero is also a popular option.
With any trip, my biggest recommendation is plan around your personal travel style, go with the flow and have fun!!