Colonial Heart — Trinidad, Cienfuegos & Santa Clara
Central Cuba's colonial core: Santa Clara and its lively Parque Vidal, the French-founded elegance of Cienfuegos on its bay, and cobblestoned Trinidad with the Escambray mountains behind it and Playa Ancón in front.
For: History & architecture travellers, couples
1 · Budget first
A transparent, itemised estimate for 2 travellers · 9 nights · casa 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 | $225 – $450 |
| Local transportation | $190 – $550 |
| Food | $450 – $900 |
| Guides & activities | $90 – $240 |
| Connectivity | $30 – $110 |
| Tips | $45 – $180 |
| Water, laundry & sundries | $27 – $108 |
| Emergency reserve | $120 – $448 |
| Total (2 travellers) | $1,917 – $5,336 |
- Per traveller
- $959 – $2,668
- Per day
- $213 – $593
- Ground only (no airfare)
- $1,197 – $2,988
- Airfare est. / traveller
- $300 – $950
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
Newark / New Jersey (EWR) → 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 → 2026-09-24 (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; casa in the old city.Afternoon
Plazas and the Malecón.Evening
Old-city dinner.
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
Museums and the Capitolio.Afternoon
Classic-car tour and Vedado.Evening
Jazz and a late paladar dinner.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
Drive to Santa Clara.Afternoon
Parque Vidal, the Teatro La Caridad and the colonial centre.Evening
Student-city nightlife and dinner.Morning
Drive to Cienfuegos; Parque José Martí and the Tomás Terry theatre.Afternoon
The Punta Gorda promenade and Palacio de Valle.Evening
Bayfront seafood dinner.DinnerPaladar Achérestaurant · Cuenta PropiaMap →Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)Morning
Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos.Afternoon
Rancho Luna beach on the bay.Evening
Dinner on the Prado.DinnerPaladar Achérestaurant · Cuenta PropiaMap →Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)Morning
Drive to Trinidad; Plaza Mayor and the Museo Romántico.Afternoon
The cobblestoned old town and a rooftop view.Evening
Casa de la Música steps; dinner.Morning
Valle de los Ingenios and the Manaca Iznaga tower.Afternoon
Playa Ancón beach.Evening
Trinidad dinner.Morning
Topes de Collantes — the Caburní waterfall hike.Afternoon
Return; craft market.Evening
Farewell dinner.Morning
Drive back to the capital.Afternoon
Transfer to the airport.Evening
Flight home.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, Matanzas
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 $3,133 (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 "Colonial Heart — Trinidad, Cienfuegos & Santa Clara" trip cost?
- An estimated $1,917–$5,336 all-in for 2 traveller(s) over 9 nights ($1,567 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–May.
- 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.