When you visit intriguing Cuba, maybe for the only time in your life, you want to make sure you can plan the perfect holiday itinerary that gets you the best things to do in Cuba for you.
Famous white sandy beaches, steaming Havana nightlife, and revolutionary history are probably no surprise, but did you know that Cuba is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites? Or that Cuba has 12 national parks, exquisitely preserved colonial architecture, and a vast mountain range?
Make sure you know exactly what Cuba has to offer before you go, as there probably is a lot more to this beautiful Caribbean Island than you think. You don’t want your adventure to be left to chance!
Here are 13 of the best things to do in Cuba to make sure you have a spectacular holiday!
Spend a few nights in a Havana casa particular
One of the best things to do in Cuba is to visit Havana, you simply can not skip the remarkable Cuban capital (that would almost be a crime). The 500-year-old colonial capital on the northwestern shore of the island has fortresses, an old city, a lush green forest, beaches nearby, restaurants, nightlife, museums, art, and more.
You can “do” Havana in a day, or a year. There are so many things to explore for an adventurous and curious traveler, so your problem will be to prioritize.
Make sure you stay with a Cuban family in a historical colonial building casa particular, hail a bicycle taxi to get around, and join an Old City historic walk. Visit El Morro fortress, take a classic car tour, and have a sunset drink on one of the many rooftop terraces across the city before you head for a late-night dinner at San Cristobal in Central Havana, and then hit the dance floors!
Enjoy a day at the amazing Playa del Este
Just 25 minutes outside buzzing Havana you find Playa del Este, a string of white sandy beaches stretching east of the city. This area is mostly an outing spot for Cubans, and you will not find hoards of tourists here.
The beaches are as white and pristine as you can dream of, sun beds for hire, and the occasional salesman passing by with a coconut drink or a rum and cola for sale. Don’t expect to find tons of restaurants and beach bars (that goes for any beach in Cuba really), so bring a lunch basket, a mini speaker (download offline music), and sunblock (the Caribbean sun is fierce).
Take the bus from Parque Central on the border of Old Havana in the morning along with everyone else, or get a convenient private taxi to take you right to the sands. Or you can even stay the night in a casa particular in Guanabo village, minutes from the beach!
Visit Hemingway’s house Finca Vigia outside Havana
Ernest Hemingway was a lifelong lover of Cuba, he traveled here for ten years before he bought his beloved house the Finca Vigia where he spent a lot of time for three decades.
This is where he wrote his most famous book “The old man and the sea”; from where he took endless fishing trips in his boat (there even is a deep sea fishing contest in Havana named after Hemingway), and where he had his on-again-off-again turbulent relationships with various women.
The Finca Vigia was appropriated by the Cuban state when Hemingway died, and today it is a museum where you can get a sneak peek into Hemingway’s life in Cuba back in the day.
Smoke Cuban cigars in Vinales Valley
A couple of hours west of Havana, in Pinar del Rio province, you find the lush green Vinales valley which is an important agricultural part of Cuba. This is where many of the famous Cuban cigars are made, and one of the best things to do in Cuba is try one straight from the farmer (and buy some), as well as rum, honey, and sugar.
In Vinales, farming is often done the old-fashioned way. You see a lot of horses and carriages in the streets (along with really old cars), and you can take a sunset or sunrise hike to experience the beautiful scenery from above in the hills.
Vinales is home to a certain type of small mountains called mogotes, lying like sudden dots on the valley floor, which is one reason the Vinales Valley is one of the UNESCO-protected sites in Cuba.
Also make sure to explore the amazing Cueva del Indio cave, see the huge Mural de la Prehistoria, and go horseback riding in the fertile fields of Vinales! These are some of the best things to do in Vinales that you shouldn’t miss!
Swim in Las Terrazas’s stunning freshwater pools in Pinar del Rio
About an hour’s drive outside Havana, in Pinar del Rio, is the hidden but stunning Las Terrazas where you can cool off in spectacular freshwater pools in the hot Caribbean temperature.
The facilities include a restaurant, bar, and seating to keep you happy for a day. Paths are crawling the area along the river, where you find little pools to swim in and waterfalls to stoop into, to enjoy the incredible nature.
This little village in the hills has a small local population, a hotel if you want to stay a bit, or even small huts on stilts where you can stay the night. If you come for a day trip from Havana, the return trip with a taxi was 100 euros in September 2022, or you can do an organized tour where they conveniently pick you up and drop you off at home!
Visit the infamous Bay of Pigs Museum
On the southern shores of Cuba, you find Bahia de Cochinos, or the Bay of Pigs as it is better known across the world. This is where the failed invasion of Cuba in 1962 took place, a few years after the Cuban revolution, which was not at all celebrated by the US.
In 1962, more than a thousand exiled Cubans supported by the CIA tried to invade Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro, but they underestimated Fidel badly, and the invasion failed miserably. A huge humiliation for the US, a triumph for Castro, and a costly affair with dire consequences.
Along the landing site on Playa Giron beach today, you find a sleepy village, a hotel, a market place and a small museum where you can learn about the ordeal from the Cuban perspective, which inevitably is a bit different than the version you probably know about.
Explore the 18th Century Castillo de Jagua fortress in Cienfuegos
Also along the southern Cuban coastline is Cienfuegos town, a beautiful coastal Cuban city that has something as rare as a strong French influence, especially in architecture. This is because there was a large number of French immigrants in Cienfuegos centuries ago (other places were inhabited mostly by the Spanish (and African slaves)), and this has left its mark on the city.
You can take the ferry across the bay to explore Castillo de Jagua, the 18th-century fortress guarding the entrance to the city. Cienfuegos also has beautiful avenues, shops and restaurants, beaches, museums, and a vibrant town center, and everywhere you go there are remnants of colonial history.
Visit Jose Marti city park in the center of Cienfuegos, and Palacio del Valle, a huge regal palace created by Italian Architect Alfredo Colli in 1917. You can also see the oldest botanical garden in Cuba, Jardin Botanico de Cienfuegos founded in 1801, or stop by the extensive El Nicho range of waterfalls in the national park Topes de Collantes outside the city!
Explore the narrow streets of the Old City in Trinidad
The now unique historic city of Trinidad was the wealthiest in Cuba at one point, because of the region’s excellent conditions for sugar production. Being a huge regional hub for sugar and an important port for the trade route between the old and the new world, the city flourished and developed a sugar aristocracy at the time.
But then the competition got fierce, Cuba was priced out of the market, and the city went from a vibrant trade port to a forgotten semicolon in time. As other towns in Cuba were modernized, unimportant Trinidad stayed the same, which is why the city today is like an amazing screenshot of what a colonial Cuban town was like!
This is why Trinidad Old City is on UNESCOs protected list and exploring it is one of the best things to do in Cuba. You can also visit remnants of the sugar plantations in the Valle de Los Ingenios (Valley of the sugar mills) just outside the city.
In Trinidad, you also find lots of museums, and nightlife, you can explore beautiful nature, and visit Playa Ancon by a 15 minutes taxi ride outside the city.
Hike the La Loma hill in Santa Clara
Visiting Santa Clara city in Cuba today, you will soon find out that the whole city is like a tribute to the Cuban revolution. This is because Santa Clara is where the decisive battle between President Batista’s soldiers and the revolutionaries took place!
Che Guevara managed to dramatically conquer the city by derailing a train with Batista’s soldiers in December 1958, the last nail in the coffin for Batista who fled the country only hours later on New Year’s Eve.
Hike up the La Loma hill where Che and his comrades held a stance against Batista, and visit the enormous mausoleum of Che Guevara on the outskirts of the city.
Stroll the Parque Vidal, have a coffee in one of the restaurants (or a Cuba Libre), and walk the Calle Independencia main street for shopping, also referred to as El Boulevard.
Lounge on the prize awarded Varadero Beach
A couple of hours east of Havana lies the paradisiacal Hicacos Peninsula, a thin string of white sands, with palms, all-inclusive hotels, and a small city center in the town of Varadero. In 2019, the public Varadero beach was voted the second most beautiful beach in the world on TripAdvisor!
In Varadero, you can stay at a casa particular only steps from the spectacular Varadero beach, or stay at a luxurious all-inclusive resort where all your needs are met without you moving a foot.
Unless you prefer the not-moving version, you can opt to visit the dolphinarium in a large natural mangrove, take a classic car tour, spend the day snorkeling from a catamaran, or visit the town market in Varadero town. Either way, you will not be bored in Varadero!
Go caving in Matanzas city
On the Cuban mainland not far from Varadero is the small town of Matanzas, a city known to be the birthplace of the mesmerizing Cuban music and dance traditions of danzón and rhumba (the first national dance of Cuba).
Located on the main island just a short drive from where Varadero starts, Matanzas is famous in Cuba for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore. Some people even call the city “La Atenas de Cuba” (“The Athens of Cuba”) for its poets!
Matanzas is also known as the city of bridges because of seventeen bridges crossing the three rivers that traverse the city and has got its other nickname, the “Venice of Cuba”, because of this.
Go to Matanzas to see the amazing Cueva de la Belamar with its rock formations and crystals (for those in good health, lots of walking up and down), the San Severin Castle Museum Slave Route, the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo, and the Rio Canimar Parc!
Amazing scuba diving from Cayo Santa Maria
Outside the northern Cuban shores you find several groups of gorgeous small keys, los cayos, that belong to the archipelago called the King’s Garden; El Jardin del Rey. One of these is the Cayo Santa Maria, an island triplet that is exclusively a luxury zone for all-inclusive hotels.
One of the absolute most amazing things you can do in Cuba is travel here. You will not experience so much of “the real Cuba”, but the Kings Garden archipelago is a spectacular place to go scuba diving!
From the Marina Gaviota on Cayo Las Brujas, one of the keys, you can head out for the day for wall dives, coral reef explorations, wreck dives, or cave diving. The visibility is incredible, the marine life and coral reefs healthy and full of life, and of course, the Caribbean waters are incredibly inviting all year round.
Any dive tour booking on Cayo Santa Maria includes pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, and if you don’t have a diving certificate, you can book a course, or opt for an introduction dive.
Visit Fidel Castro’s resistance headquarters in the Sierra Maestras
On the other side of Cuba’s main island, to the east not far from Santiago de Cuba lies the vast Sierra Maestra mountain range.
This is where Fidel Castro led his resistance fight in the 1950ies, from a hidden headquarters called Commandancia de la Plata, in the mountains far from people.
Commandancia de la Plata is considered the birthplace of the Cuban revolution and is an important place in Cuba. This is where Fidel and his trusted comrades lived, planned resistance operations, and the headquarter even has hidden escape routes and a radio tower for revolutionary broadcasts.
You can visit the old headquarter by doing a half-day hike that is a bit strenuous through the Parque Nacional Turquino in the Sierra Maestras. See for yourself how Fidel and his comrades lived hidden up there in the 50ies!
Wrap-Up The Best Things To Do In Cuba!
By now you should feel incredibly inspired to travel to Cuba for your next holiday, although the sum of the bests things to do in Cuba from destinations, and adventures, to activities you should embark on, are almost endless.
Anything from city life night or day, spectacular nature, crystal beaches with amazing waters, and lots of historic sites, architecture, and colonial treasures.
Good luck with your travel planning, you now have a great starting point to tailor your perfect Cuba holiday to exactly what you want to experience!
Author Bio
Hege is a social scientist and officer who moved to Cuba in January 2021. She runs Epic Nomad Life, a travel blog focusing on Cuba & Caribbean Travel. From Luxury options to vagabond travel, adventures, and slow & solo travel.
