The Oriente — Santiago, Baracoa & Holguín
The deep east, flown into directly. Santiago de Cuba's son and rumba, the mountain road over La Farola to isolated Baracoa on its cocoa coast, and a beach finish at Guardalavaca on the Holguín shore.
For: Return visitors, adventurous travellers
1 · Budget first
A transparent, itemised estimate for 2 travellers · 10 nights · casa tier. Every line is a planner range in USD — an estimate to budget with, not a quote.
| International airfare | $1,200 – $2,800 |
| Entry documents (tourist card) | $60 – $150 |
| Travel insurance | $80 – $300 |
| Accommodation | $250 – $500 |
| Local transportation | $190 – $550 |
| Food | $500 – $1,000 |
| Guides & activities | $90 – $240 |
| Connectivity | $30 – $110 |
| Tips | $50 – $200 |
| Water, laundry & sundries | $30 – $120 |
| Emergency reserve | $128 – $476 |
| Total (2 travellers) | $2,608 – $6,446 |
- Per traveller
- $1,304 – $3,223
- Per day
- $261 – $645
- Ground only (no airfare)
- $1,280 – $3,170
- Airfare est. / traveller
- $600 – $1,400
Basis: casa particular · local mixed food · shared taxi · 3 guided days.
Adjust every number in the planner →Estimates in USD to help you budget — not observed prices, quotes or guaranteed availability. Most US cards don’t work in Cuba; carry cash and keep the reserve.
2 · Fly in
Rome (FCO) → Holguín (HOL) — Frank País
Gateway for Guardalavaca and the Holguín beach resorts.
Example dates 2026-09-15 → 2026-09-25 (adjust on the live search). CubaAtlas books nothing — these open live results:
3 · Day by day
Where to sleep and dine each day is a real listing from the CubaAtlas provider dataset, nearest your base.
Morning
Land at Frank País; into Holguín city.Afternoon
Loma de la Cruz viewpoint over the city.Evening
City dinner.Morning
Drive south to Santiago de Cuba.Afternoon
Parque Céspedes, the cathedral and the Diego Velázquez house.Evening
Casa de la Trova — son and trova; dinner.Morning
Castillo del Morro over the bay (UNESCO).Afternoon
The Tivolí quarter and the Padre Pico steps.Evening
Afro-Cuban folklore show; dinner.Morning
El Cobre basilica — Cuba's patron virgin.Afternoon
Gran Piedra or a coffee-ruins drive.Evening
Santiago dinner.Morning
The dramatic mountain highway east.Afternoon
Arrive Baracoa; the Malecón and El Castillo view.Evening
Coconut-and-cocoa cuisine — the local speciality.DinnerSodería La Flor de PaseoBaracoaMap →Source: Cuba Travel (MINTUR official portal)Morning
Río Toa or Yumurí boat trip.Afternoon
A cocoa finca and Playa Maguana.Evening
Baracoa dinner.DinnerSodería La Flor de PaseoBaracoaMap →Source: Cuba Travel (MINTUR official portal)Morning
Hike the flat-topped El Yunque.Afternoon
Beach recovery.Evening
Dinner in town.DinnerSodería La Flor de PaseoBaracoaMap →Source: Cuba Travel (MINTUR official portal)Morning
Long drive back toward Holguín.Afternoon
Rest; city stroll.Evening
Dinner.Morning
To the Holguín beach strip.Afternoon
Reef snorkel or Bahía de Naranjo.Evening
Beach dinner.Morning
Final beach hours.Afternoon
Transfer to HOL.Evening
Flight home.
4 · Visa, entry & customs
Every visitor needs a Cuban tourist card (tarjeta del turista) plus a passport valid for the stay and proof of onward travel and medical insurance. Buy the tourist card before you fly — the price and colour depend on your departure country and airline.
Nationals of Italy travel on the ordinary tourist card — no consular visa for a standard holiday stay.
5 · Book direct, or compare an agency
This plan is costed to book direct — the $4,029 (expected) above is what the trip actually costs, itemised, with no package margin. A travel agency bundles flights, hotel and transfers into one price and adds a service fee for the convenience. We don’t quote agencies (we’d never invent a price) — so take a package quote and compare it line-for-line against the breakdown above.
Operating Italy agencies serving Cuba, if you prefer a package:
- Alpitour ↗
Bravo Club resorts + tours (Varadero, Cayo Largo, Cayo Coco, Havana).
Sells: packages, tours
- Turisanda ↗
Operating since 1924 (Alpitour group); Havana–Varadero, self-drive.
Sells: packages, tours · +39 011 0171111
- Veratour ↗
Veraclub resorts (Cayo Largo, Varadero) + Avana & Varadero tours.
Sells: packages, tours · 06 500 66 777
- Havanatur Italia ↗
Italian Cuba specialist since 1992; incl. casa particular.
Sells: flights, packages, hotels, cars, excursions · 02 6760691
- Eden Viaggi ↗
Ciao Club resorts (Varadero, Cayo Largo, Holguín).
Sells: packages
CubaAtlas is non-commercial and takes no commission. Agency links go straight to the operator; we don’t book, broker or earn from them.
Every Cuba agency, compiled — with the free equivalent for each →Questions
- How much does the "The Oriente — Santiago, Baracoa & Holguín" trip cost?
- An estimated $2,608–$6,446 all-in for 2 traveller(s) over 10 nights ($2,015 per traveller expected), including airfare, lodging, food, transport and a reserve. It is a planner estimate, not a quote — you book each part direct, with no agency margin.
- Do I need a visa to travel to Cuba?
- Every visitor needs a Cuban tourist card plus a valid passport, onward travel and medical insurance — no consular visa for a standard holiday stay. See the CubaAtlas visa & entry guide.
- When is the best time for this trip?
- Best months: November–April (avoid the September peak of hurricane season).
- Can I book this trip on CubaAtlas?
- No — CubaAtlas is a free, non-commercial planner. It gives you the itinerary, the budget, live flight-search links and real hotel and restaurant listings, and you arrange each part directly at the source. We book nothing and take no commission.