Day 1 - Sofia / Istanbul
Departure from Sofia airport at 21:30 with A/K Turkish Airlines flight. Landing at Istanbul Airport at 23:55.
Day 2- Istanbul / Havana / Havana sightseeing tour
Departure from Istanbul airport at 02:10 for Havana. Landing at Jose Marti Airport at 07:35. Welcome by a local tour guide. Transfer to the hotel in Havana for accommodation (if possible). After a short break, a tourist tour of Havana begins. About 3 million of Cuba's population live in the capital, Havana. In 1982 UNESCO has declared the city part of the world cultural heritage, and an ambitious project for its restoration has been underway for ten years. "To recreate the city, not just to visit it, but to experience it" is the motto of the program. Havana has countless faces and they can be seen in any way. Attractive as a magnet for foreigners is the historic center of the city - Havana Vieja. We will start in a more unusual way. With old American vintage cars, we head to Miramar - the diplomatic district of Havana. In contrast to the center, most colonial palaces are carefully maintained, looking fabulous with their wide courtyards and royal palms swaying by the incessant sea breeze. This area is home to some of the most expensive hotels, restaurants, almost all foreign embassies, and the three-lane boulevards and government offices on and around 5th Avenue suggest that Havana's elite live here. Crossing the no less beautiful and modern neighborhood of Vedado, we will find ourselves in front of the imposing 142-meter monument of José Martí, erected in the Plaza de la Revolucion – the emblematic place from which Fidel Castro made his memorable multi-hour addresses to the nation. We move along the famous Malecón boulevard - "the longest bench in the world", and not long after passing through a tunnel under the ocean to the opposite side of the port of Old Havana - the Morro fortress. From this fortress, erected to guard the entrance to the Bay of Havana, we turn our eyes to the city and a captivating panorama of the Cuban capital opens before us. We are left with the impression that in Havana there is something strongly reminiscent of Spain, but mixed with a unique tropical feeling. Old Havana is where the walking part of our tour begins. This neighborhood is a unique mix of beautiful buildings from the colonial era, already marked picturesquely by the ravages of time. Here is the reduced, but absolutely accurate copy of the Washington Capitol, erected in the times of the dictator Machado and turned today into a Natural History Museum, here are the baroque Cathedral, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Piazza de Armas, numerous Art Nouveau and Art Deco colonial palaces. Here are Hemingway's two favorite restaurants - the simpler "La Bodeguita del Medio" and the more sophisticated "El Floridita". We will also reach the Old Square, next to which the Roma Museum is located. And what is Havana without the emblematic Havana Club. When sugar cane was introduced to Cuban soil, it benefited so well from the rich soil and wonderful climate that by 1850 Cuba was already producing a third of the world's sugar. And since the production of sugar and rum have always gone hand in hand, in the second half of the 19th century, after the Cubans won their independence, the real growth of the rum production industry began. A visit to the Havana Club Rum Museum is not just a journey back to the roots of the most famous Cuban drink, here we experience in real time the production of rum and taste the real Cuban culture. Rum is an essential part of Cuban culture – a creation of the Cuban climate, geography, history and people. Havana Club's diversity represents precisely this rich heritage. He is the true spirit of Cuba. At the end of the museum tour, you can order the classic Mojito or Daiquiri, but we recommend the Cuban style for true connoisseurs - ask for the Cata Verical - a tasting of different types of rum. Return to the hotel. Overnight stay.
Day 3- free time in Havana or *full-day excursion to Viñales and Pinar del Ríos incl. lunch
Breakfast. Free day in Havana or optional *full day excursion to Viñales and Pinar del Rio. On Cuba's largest highway, we go deep into the western part of the island to the province of Pinar del Río. This day is dedicated to the mystical valley of Viñales and its tobacco plantations, dotted with rustic huts and jutting limestone cliffs. The valley is nestled in the Sierra de los Organos mountain range, where palm trees alternate with pine trees. The people here are different from those in Havana. Immersed in their own peace, they smoke cigars, relax in rocking chairs on their verandas and radiate harmony and calmness, here no one is in a hurry for anything or anywhere and time seems to stand still. They call the valley "the gardens of Cuba" because the rust-red soil there gives birth to the tobacco from which the best Cuban cigars are made. Viñales National Park is located together with the town of the same name under the protection of UNESCO (since 1999) because of the local traditions and architecture and the unique landscape dominated by imposing rocks rising like islands from the bottom of the valley, and which the locals call "mogots". They represent rounded-topped hills covered with dense and luxuriant vegetation, remnants of the plateau destroyed by a network of underwater rivers that existed millions of years ago. When it comes to tobacco, there are no two opinions – it's best to be from Pinar del Río. And we will visit a local factory and see how the world-famous Cuban cigars are made, before stopping at a farm where tobacco is grown and the leaves are dried before they reach the factories. Lunch follows at Rancho San Vicente Restaurant. After lunch, we will have the opportunity to touch another amazing world – that of caves. 100 million years ago, the network of underwater rivers carved numerous caves in the limestone rocks, and we will take a boat ride to one of them - the Indian Cave. Our excursion ends with a visit to the Los Jazmines hotel, from the terrace of which one of the most beautiful panoramas of the valley opens. Return to Havana in the late afternoon. Overnight stay.
Day 4- Havana / *half-day excursion In the footsteps of Hemingway with incl. lunch
Breakfast. The romantic story tells that Cuba is actually the great love that Ernest Hemingway cannot live without and whose loss he cannot overcome. One thing is certain - Hemingway was madly in love with Cuba, and Cuba with Hemingway. Today, numerous monuments to the writer can be found in the country, and his house Finca Vihia has been turned into a museum. In this mansion, which we will also visit, the writer lived from 1939 to 1960. Then we will go to the small coastal village of Kohimar, where he spent most of his time, devoted to one of his great passions - fishing, entering the sea in his beloved boat, El Pilar. This place gave birth to The Old Man and the Sea, for which Hemingway received a Pulitzer in 1953. You can also visit the home of his dear friend Gregorio Fuentes, who often accompanied Hemingway on all his sea adventures in the bay. This was followed by a refreshing cocktail at the Kohimar Terrace restaurant, which the writer loved to visit, enjoying the magnificent view of the sea from the corner table where he sat sipping his favorite daiquiri. The Hemingway stories take us back to the Cuban capital because there is one thing about Havana that remains unchanged from Hemingway's early years here, namely the motto - "My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita" - the two most iconic today bars in Havana where Hemingway often spent the night. It is the American writer who makes mojitos and daiquiris popular cocktails. After visiting the bohemian restaurant La Bodeguita del Medio, we continue to the Ambos Mundos Hotel - the place where Hemingway's "affair" with Cuba began. We will see the hotel room in which Hemingway stayed during his first trips to Havana in the 1930s (from 1932 to 1939). In this room he wrote an important part of the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. He stayed in the same hotel room before he decided to move with his wife to Cuba and buy the Finca Vihia estate. In the restaurant of the Ambos Mundos hotel, from whose terrace there is a wonderful panorama of Havana, we will have lunch with incl. one drink. Our day ends at the other iconic place, El Floridita bar, where the writer used to enjoy his favorite daiquiri. There are many strong shades in Hemingway's life, and Cuba itself is also a palette full of shades. Those of the blue sea, the white suits, the red revolutions, the dark Cubans and the brown cigars. Perhaps it is precisely because of them that the two like each other so much. And Cuba is a dream and Hemingway lives it, turning it into one of the last shades of his life. Return to the hotel. A free time in which we offer you a walk through the streets of Havana, among tall colorful buildings, bearing only a hint of their former splendor, with terraces of windblown multi-colored laundry, with exquisite window bars and open doors leading to cool inner courtyards. In the streets you will see the locals, casually talking and laughing, and even dancing on a hot day. Old cars, rickshaw-taxis, vendors selling local delicacies or souvenirs on their trays, barefoot children flying kites or playing with pebbles on the sidewalk. Stop in just one street away from the tourist flow and you will feel the spirit of real Havana, of authentic Cuba. Overnight stay.
Day 5- Cienfuegos / Trinidad
Breakfast. Departure for the central part of Cuba. We arrive in the city often called the "Pearl of the South" - Cienfuegos. It is the only city founded by the French on the island (1819) and that is why many of the buildings show the French influence that distinguishes it from other Cuban cities, not to forget that here you will also see the only one in Cuba Triumphal Arch dedicated to the independence of the Republic of Cuba. His fame is due precisely to the unique h
Prices
Accommodation - prices
13.11.-24.11.2022 Hotels 4**** and 5*****
The prices in brackets are valid for reservations until 20.12.2022 and a paid deposit in the amount of BGN 1,956.
Price per person in a double room: €2,890 (€2,790) / BGN 5,652 (BGN 5,457)
Supplement for a single room - €350 / BGN 685.
Price for the 3rd generation of add. bed: €2,890 (€2,790) / BGN 5,652 (BGN 5,457)Package price includes:
Airline ticket Sofia - Istanbul - Havana - Istanbul - Sofia with A/C Turkish Airlines;
Airport taxes (€430 as of 05.10.2022; subject to reconfirmation);
Transfer airport - hotel - airport in Havana;
Transportation by local air-conditioned bus/minibus during the entire route;
4 nights with breakfast in Havana at NH Capri 4**** (the best 4-star hotel in Havana with a great location);
2 nights with breakfast in colonial houses (casas particulares) in Trinidad;
2 dinners in Trinidad;
3 nights on Cayo Santa Maria on an All Inclusive basis at the Playa Cayo Santa Maria 5***** hotel (the hotel is located on the oceanfront);
Lunch at the Palacio de Valle in Cienfuegos;
Lunch in Santa Clara;
Sightseeing tour of Havana with a local guide, incl. entrance to the Roma Museum;
Tourist Tour of Cienfuegos;
Tourist tour in Trinidad with incl. visit to the Cantero Palace (City History Museum);
Santa Clara Sightseeing Tour;
Local tour guide throughout the trip;
Guide-translator from the company;
Medical insurance with assistance with a cover of €10,000, incl. Covid;
Service fee for local tour guides and drivers;
Cuban visa
Additional excursions and services
The price does not include:
- Full day excursion to Viñales and Pinar del Rio with incl. lunch – 110€;
- Half-day excursion In the footsteps of Hemingway with incl. lunch – 90 €;
- Full-day excursion Topes de Coyantes (Guanayara Natural Park) with incl. lunch – 95 €
- Cabaret show "Tropicana" with incl. transfers and premium ticket, welcome drink, ¼ bottle of Old Havana Club rum and dinner – €160
- Water activities on the island of Cayo Santa Maria are requested on site
*Additional excursions take place with a minimum of 10 people
• Supplement for "Travel Assistance" insurance of ZK "Euroins" for persons over 65: BGN 30;
Optionally, upon conclusion of the contract and payment of the deposit - conclusion of "Travel Cancellation" insurance of ZK Euroins
Note: Additional events are requested and paid for in advance in Bulgaria with the additional payment!!!
*A change in the order of execution of the program may occur due to a change in the airline's schedule for the indicated dates.
*The package price is formed at an exchange rate of $1 = BGN 1.97. In case of a rise in the dollar rate, the package price may change!
MINIMUM NUMBER OF TOURISTS: 10
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: foreign passport valid for 6 months from the date of return; there are no sanitary and medical requirements for travelers in the countries along the route.
MODE OF PAYMENT: deposit in the amount of 1000 € for early bookings At standard prices deposit - 50% of the package price when concluding a contract; additional payment - 45 days before the departure date.
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