The Havana Panoramic Tour


Touring Havana was an experience of a lifetime. Before visiting, I initially thought that Havana was full of dilapidated buildings, while yes that is the case in some parts of Old Havana, other parts of the city have some impeccable buildings and monuments with so much history behind them.

We booked an Educational Panoramic Havana tour by coach bus and learned so much history from our tour guide, Janet, who was a beautiful blonde-haired, green-eyed Cuban native. The tour takes you along the El Malecon, Havana’s 8-kilometer- long seaside esplanade.

Stop 1:
El Cristo del la Habana (The Christ of Havana), a large marble sculpture representing Jesus of Nazareth created by Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera.



Adjacent is the Cabana de Che Guevara, the first home occupied by Che Guevara in 1959, when Fidel Castro ordered him to advance towards Santa Clara and occupy the area of La Cabaña in Havana.



Stop 2: 
El Morro Castle, built in 1589, this hilltop fortress guards the entrance to the bay and harbor in Havana.





There is a cigar/rum/coffee shop inside the fortress which K stocked up on some must-have souvenirs from Cuba.




"Hello, is anyone there?" 
The phone actually had a dial tone so it's still a fully functional phone booth.
 

Cute, colorful cars driving by all day long. It's incredible what impeccable condition these cars are from the 1950's.
 
 
Coconut water and colorful art in Cuba!



Stop 3:
Plaza de la Revolucion (Revolution Square): Stand in the middle of this expansive promenade surrounded by monumental buildings and hotels. You’ll hear stories of the many large-scale political rallies held here in the past.






Stop 4:
Last stop was at Fusterlandia, a vibrant arts complex bedecked with colorful mosaics hand-made by Jose Fuster, one of Cuba’s iconic artists.

Fusterlandia

Fusterlandia



Back to the Havana Port area which still has so much to explore in terms of souvenir shopping, drinks, eats, and historical sights.


Our excursion was amazing but my only complaint is that there wasn't a stop for Cuban food/lunch or even a drink. We were all starving after the 5 hour tour.

Once we got back to the port area, we found CicloCuba Cafe which had $4 Cuban sandwiches and $2 Mojitos. Not that we were looking for cheap food but I noticed some of the nicer restaurants in the area had a line outside and we were starving.


CicloCuba Cafe is casual and quaint with great service and excellent mojitos! It was the perfect choice to dine here instead of some of the more fancier restaurants in the port area.

10 comments

  1. What a colorful and beautiful country!! Such a great way to see and learn so much by going on that tour! No lunch break on a 5 hour tour...that's not okay :( xo, Biana- BlovedBoston

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  2. So much heritage and history. What a wonderful day!

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  3. I’ve been waiting for this post since I heard you went to Havana! I want to go so bad and this post just makes me want to go even more! So much history and everything is gorgeous!

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  4. Loved seeing the rich Cuban history and your lil tee dress is soooo cute!

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  5. I love all of the colorful cars in Havana! They're so pretty! I'm glad that y'all had a good time on your tour, but I would have been hangry after 5 hours with no lunch break! I'm glad that y'all got to enjoy some cuban sandwiches though!

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  6. What an awesome experience to visit Havana! It looks gorgeous! I have to laugh at the phone booth picture, it is such a rare find these days. I can see Zoe asking me if they really existed or something when she is older lol.

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  7. Just so beautiful! I am so happy you got to go there before it gets to be something it isn't. I want to go so bad!

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  8. What an experience!! Parts of it looked almost Roman inspired - not at all what I was expecting!! I'm glad you had an awesome guide, but 5 hours without a break is brutal!! Question - is that a real turtle?! He looks like he could be real... or fake! lol

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  9. I'm dying to go to see the cars alone.

    Perfect stop for food and drink. Fancy doesn't equal best!

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