THE ART OF CUBA

VAYA SOJOURNS®

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5 days – 4 nights

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 1: USA – Havana – Revolution! – Habana Vieja

Fly from USA to Havana. Cuba.
Clear Cuban Immigrations and Customs and meet private Cuban English speaking guide outside the Arrivals Terminal.
Private transfer directly to Old Havana.
Visit Revolution Plaza (Plaza de la Revolucion) – great photo op!
Lunch at local Paladar (private enterprise restaurant) in Old Havana.
Visit the 18th-century Casa de los Condes de Peñalver in Old Havana, which at different times served as a post office, a bank and a school. Today, it houses the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, one of Havana’s finest art galleries. It contains a rich bibliographical and documentary heritage on contemporary visual art from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. Since its opening, it has shown interest in promoting the different manifestations of visual art–including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, installation, drawing, art video, architecture and popular art of the "so called" Third World around the globe.
Guided walking tour of Old Havana (Habana Vieja) including the Plaza de Armas, the Used Booksellers Market, Plaza de la Catedral, a stroll down Obispo Street (Havana’s version of Rodeo Drive) ending at El Floridita Bar where, according to local legend, Ernest Hemingway “discovered” the Daiquiri.
Late afternoon check in at accommodation.
Welcome dinner at a local Paladar (private enterprise restaurant).
Optional after dinner suggestion (not included): Club La Taberna in Old Havana featuring music from the Buena Vista Social Club.

Included Meals: Lunch & Dinner (L,D)

Day 2: Belles Artes – Roco Choco - Santacana - Muraleando – “Fusterlandia”

Docent guided visit to Cuba’s Fine Arts Museum (Museo de Belles Artes) concentrating on the Cuban fine arts section.
Panoramic tour of the Miramar neighborhood which houses the finest mansions from “back in the day” and many current foreign embassies and consulates serving Cuba.
Visit the private art gallery of Eduardo Roco (aka “Choco") in Old Havana (subject to him being in residence). Also visit the private home and art gallery of famed artist Beatriz Sala Santacana and view her highly unique ceramics, sculptures and oils.
Lunch is included at the peaceful Paladar Rio Mar overlooking the river in Miramar.
Visit the vibrant barrio known as Muraleando, founded in 2001 by several Cuban artists. Muraleando is an ongoing cultural and social community art project. During the so called “Special Period” in Cuba, following the withdrawal of Soviet support, the project arose mainly in response to the community’s concern over rising crime rates and a neighborhood physically deteriorating. A small but devoted group of artists came together to volunteer their time and skills to help establish a center for arts, music, dance and theatre here; that it might help engage the young and old alike, in constructive activities, neighborhood beautification, and community enrichment.
Visit “Fusterlandia”, the neighborhood surrounding the home and gallery of the “Picasso of the Caribbean”, Jose Fuster. Fusterlandia is one of the most prominent examples of incredible street art in the world.
Dinner on own account.
Optional evening suggestion (not included): La Zorra y El Cuervo night club – best jazz in all of Havana!

Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch (B,L)

Day 3: Servando – Villa Manuela – La Lavanderia - the Artisans Market

Drive to Vedado to visit Servando Art Gallery located next to John Lennon Park. Servando exhibits some of the current, most talented young artists in all of Cuba.
Pay a visit to Villa Manuela, displaying a varied selection of styles of art and artists from different generations. Under the influential Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), Galería Villa Manuela has been pushing the boundaries of creative arts in Cuba since its inception in 2004, giving a platform to some of the country’s young artists who are graduates of the Instituto Superior de Artes.
Lunch at Paladar Decameron in Vedado.
Another amazing art visit at Galleria La Lavanderia (housed in a former community laundromat). Meet famed artist Rafael Perez should he be in residence.
Visit the San Jose Almacenes Artisans Market located on the Malecon.
Remainder of the day free.
Dinner on own account.

Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch (B,L)

Day 4: Arte Superior – Fabrica – Finca Vigia – Cojimar – Correales - La Guarida - El Gran Teatro de Habana

Exclusive visit to the Instituto Superior de Arte where Cuba’s young artists learn their crafts of print making, sculpture, painting, and ceramics. The building itself, created by Cuban architect Ricardo Porro, is a stunning rendition of the female body.
Continue to Galleria Fabrica de Arte Cubano. This galleria is the current “in” place, housing varied works of selected Cuban art, while at night it serves as the hottest ticket in Havana night clubs.
½ hour drive to Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s Cuban home; currently a national museum.
Walk through the local fishing village of Cojimar, the setting for “The Old Man and the Sea”.
Lunch at the open-air, Paladar El Ajiaco, in Cojimar.
Visit to Galleria Raul Correales in Cojimar. Mr. Coreales is an iconic photographer of the Cuban revolution and his works have displayed internationally including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
En route back to Havana, visit the private home and workshop of artists Ivan and Yoan Capote.
Farewell dinner at one of Havana’s famed Paladars.
Evening performance at the newly renovated Alicia Alonso Gran Teatro de Habana.