Four Days in Havana
A tight four-night city break that goes deep rather than wide, spending each day in a different face of Havana: the colonial core, leafy Vedado, seaside Miramar and the fishing village of Cojímar that Hemingway made famous.
For: Short-break travellers wanting one city done well
1 · Budget first
A transparent, itemised estimate for 2 travellers · 4 nights · comfort tier. Every line is a planner range in USD — an estimate to budget with, not a quote.
| International airfare | $600 – $1,900 |
| Entry documents (tourist card) | $60 – $150 |
| Travel insurance | $80 – $300 |
| Accommodation | $280 – $600 |
| Local transportation | $370 – $730 |
| Food | $320 – $624 |
| Guides & activities | $105 – $270 |
| Connectivity | $30 – $110 |
| Tips | $20 – $80 |
| Water, laundry & sundries | $12 – $48 |
| Emergency reserve | $128 – $437 |
| Total (2 travellers) | $2,005 – $5,249 |
- Per traveller
- $1,003 – $2,625
- Per day
- $501 – $1,312
- Ground only (no airfare)
- $1,277 – $2,912
- Airfare est. / traveller
- $300 – $950
Basis: standard hotel · comfortable food · private driver · 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
Tampa (TPA) → Havana (HAV) — José Martí International
Cuba's principal international gateway — the only truly diversified one, with links across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Example dates 2026-09-15 → 2026-09-19 (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
Settle into Habana Vieja and walk the four main plazas with a historian, tracing the city from its harbour fort.Afternoon
Climb to the Cámara Oscura for the rooftop overview, then browse the book stalls of Plaza de Armas.Evening
Dinner in a candlelit colonial courtyard, then a mojito on the bar-crawl of Obispo street.
StayHotel Blau Arenal Habana Beach4★ · Grupo Cubanacán · La Habana(53 7) 77991200/ 77991274Website ↗Map →Source: Cuba Travel (MINTUR official portal)DinnerCantabria, Restaurante Hotel Armadores de SantanderCimex · Internacional · La Habana(537)8628000Map →Source: Cuba Travel (MINTUR official portal)Open Havana on the map →Nearby: Viñales, Varadero, MatanzasMorning
Explore Vedado's grid of mansions and modernist towers and the grand university staircase.Afternoon
Visit the immense Colón cemetery and stroll Vedado's leafy avenues.Evening
A Vedado paladar dinner, then a smoky cellar for live jazz.Morning
Cross the tunnel to Miramar, the leafy avenue of 1950s villas and embassies, for a calmer, greener Havana.Afternoon
Walk the Quinta Avenida, visit a cigar or rum institution and take the sea air along the western Malecón.Evening
Dinner at a well-regarded Miramar paladar, unhurried over a long Cuban meal.Morning
Drive east to Cojímar, the little harbour that inspired The Old Man and the Sea, with its Hemingway bust.Afternoon
A seafront lunch of fresh fish, then back toward the airport with a last swing past the Malecón.Evening
A final relaxed dinner near the city before the onward flight, with a last look at the sea wall.
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.
Travelling under US jurisdiction: there is no general tourism licence. US persons travel under one of OFAC’s authorised categories — most commonly Support for the Cuban People or family visits — which carry record-keeping duties and a full-time-schedule requirement. The tourist card for US departures is the pink one. Confirm your category before you book.
5 · Book direct, or compare an agency
This plan is costed to book direct — the $3,156 (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 United States agencies serving Cuba, if you prefer a package:
- Cuba Travel Services (CTS) ↗
Long-running US seller of scheduled and charter air to Cuba plus packages.
Sells: flights, charters, packages, hotels
- ABC Charters ↗
Miami charter operator to Havana and other Cuban cities.
Sells: flights, charters · +1-305-263-6555
- Marazul Charters ↗
One of the oldest US–Cuba travel providers.
Sells: flights, charters, packages
- Xael Charter ↗
Direct flights Miami/Orlando/Tampa to Havana, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Camagüey, Holguín; since 1988.
Sells: flights, charters, hotels, cars, tours · (305) 643-2200
- insightCuba ↗
Non-profit people-to-people and custom group tours; since 2000.
Sells: tours, packages
- Cubamax Travel ↗
Flights, packages, shipping and remittances; 13 Florida branches.
Sells: flights, packages, hotels, cars · +1-305-512-0303
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 "Four Days in Havana" trip cost?
- An estimated $2,005–$5,249 all-in for 2 traveller(s) over 4 nights ($1,578 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. Travellers under US jurisdiction have no general tourism licence and travel under an OFAC category such as Support for the Cuban People or family visits. See the CubaAtlas visa & entry guide.
- When is the best time for this trip?
- Best months: November to April (dry, warm, pleasant evenings).
- 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.