Christmas in Cuba Tour: A Celebration of the Oldest Festival in Cuba

The ethos of Cuba has reached legendary proportions, telling of an island paradise filled with marvelous culture, American-made cars from the 1950s, and cigars considered as much of a delicacy as the rum native to the island. As visitors from around the world travel to Havana, Santa Clara remains a hidden gem. The city stands at the heart of the island and remains a center of creativity and edgy youth culture. Graphic artists and political cartoonists, rock festivals and the university campus maintain the city’s rugged ambiance with its historical association with Che Guevara, who liberated the city in 1958, marking the end of the Batista regime in Cuba.

Murals featuring cartoonish characters depict anti-war sentiments showcasing soldiers shooting doves from their rifles, as well as the fragile relationship between the United States and Cuba. Local artists produce a variety of spectacles, changing the images along the western edges of Carretera Central regularly. Your private transfer greets you at Abel Santamaria Airport in Santa Clara and escorts you to a gorgeous accommodation. After dinner, you listen to the welcoming sounds of salsa enhancing the youthful ambiance of the city. Salsa rhythms creates an enticing beat, creating a jovial atmosphere that draws people effortlessly to the dance floor. The antique building looks seasoned from its years of use. Teenagers, students, and older couples twirl around the dance floor, happily moving to the captivating pulse that the live band creates.

In the morning, the aroma of fresh coffee fills the dining room of your charming bed and breakfast. Cubans traditionally drink their morning espresso with warm milk to create the iconic café con leche. The rich scent accompanies the savory aroma of sizzling bacon and the sweet fragrance of ripe mangos. Your guide greets you after breakfast, eager to lead you to the fascinating monuments of the revolutionary city. The cathedral is located three blocks west of Parque Vidal. The edifice was erected in the 1920s and glints with magnificent stained-glass windows.

The sunlight reflects off the pristine white statue of Mother Mary, referred to locally as the Virgin of the Pond. The vibrant urban life of the city brims inside Parque Vidal, embodied in the old men in light-weight cotton shirts gossiping about the week’s events while enjoying the cool shade. The statue of the Boy with a Boot has become a symbol of the city, featured in the background on Thursday and Sunday evenings when the local orchestra performs stunning renditions of classic Cuban and revolutionary songs.

The tour culminates at the monument and mausoleum west of the park. The poignant design features a wide avenue guarded by a statue of Che Guevara reaching more than 50 feet tall. The monument was erected in honor of the 20th anniversary of the insurrectionist's murder. A museum adjacent to the mausoleum displays ephemera of Guevara’s life and death. You can hear the horse-drawn carriages rolling around the edges of Calle Marta Abreu. After the tour, your private transfer leads you away from Santa Clara’s revolutionary spirit to reach the small and tranquil town of Remedios.

Freshly brewed espresso offers a refreshing aroma to the morning. The sunlight washes over the colonial architecture of what historical sources claim as the second-oldest settlement in Cuba, which was founded in the early 16th century. The town remains off the beaten path of visitors to Cuba and offers insight into daily life while surrounded by preserved colonial architecture. The 18th-century Church of Our Lady of the Good Voyage is named after a statue brought by Spanish sailors to the island in the 17th century.

The structure frames the north end of Plaza Mayor surrounded by colonial structures, shading palm trees, and a central gazebo. Colonnades wrap around the main square offering quiet walkways with views to the park-like ambiance. Music lovers are drawn to the Museum of Music dedicated to the sounds of Alejandro Garcia Caturla, who revolutionized adding Afro-Caribbean rhythms to classical music between 1920 to his premature death in 1940. The town erupts with the oldest continued celebration in Cuba, known as Las Parrandas, when two rivaling neighborhoods compete in lighting up the sky with fireworks.

The Christmas Eve festival brings elegant colors to the night sky and a fun-filled atmosphere to the town’s more tranquil character during the rest of the year. The renovated museum of Las Parrandas de Remedios offers photos of the yearly celebration, along with information about the tradition. Scale models represent graceful floats and the ways locals have made the fireworks over the centuries. In the evening, your guide leads you to the best spot in which to view the remarkable celebration. The bright lights follow the powerful popping sound of exploding fireworks to create a Christmas Eve festival you will always remember.

After a delicious breakfast of fried eggs and sizzling bacon accompanied by the familiar flavors of café con leche, you travel to the gorgeous colonial town of Trinidad. The preserved Spanish charm feels as though time has stopped in the mid-19th century when sugar barons settled the Valle de los Ingenios with mansions shimmering with Italian frescoes and French chandeliers. Cobblestone streets glint beneath the sunlight and donkeys continue to pull carts between the colonial buildings. Musicians fill the air with the sounds of strumming guitars and the captivating Spanish classics.

The purple mountains of the Escambray Mountains roll over the horizon to the north. The gold-sand beach of Playa Ancón lines the coastline to the south. The town offers an open-air museum capturing rich history while allowing you to walk through the wealth of the town’s past, which dates back to the early 16th century. The museum located in a mansion outside of Plaza Mayor provides exhibits of the vast sugar estates that once filled the valley.

The galleries feature stylish neoclassical décor inside the manor of the former sugar baron, providing insight into the affluence of the region during the height of the sugar boom. In the evening, you meet your private dance instructor inside a small studio. The music on the street fades beneath the sounds of salsa filling the room. Your instructor offers you the basic steps of salsa. You catch the beat, rocking your right foot forward while keeping your left foot in place. You move your hips from side to side and follow the vibrant rhythm of the music to help bring a celebratory end to your spirited Christmas day.

In the morning, the scent of freshly fried plantains fills the air. The crunchy exterior gives way to a delicious, creamy interior. You begin the day with a tour of the ruins of a sugar plantation. The Ingenios Valley is located on the outskirts of Trinidad and was once the main sugar-producing region of the island. Ruins of sugar mills and estate homes continue to decorate the lush landscape. The morning breeze carries an herbaceous aroma. At the height of the sugar boom in the 1920s, more than 40 separate mills operated in the valley. Hacienda Iznaga is located less than 10 miles east of Trinidad. The mid-19th century manor offers insight into the wealth of sugar plantation owners.

Upon arriving on the estate, you find a bell tower reaching nearly 145 feet tall and containing more than 135 steps. The seven separate levels provide different perspectives over the valley floor and leading to the bordering mountains. The scent of roasted chicken and delectable pineapple emanates from the restaurant located in the original manor. Women continue to knit and crochet elegant patterns into intricate lacework to craft delicate tablecloths, napkins, and unique shirts. Cobblestone paths lead from the bell tower to the village of Iznaga. A steam engine engineered in 1907 decorates the railway and connects the hacienda to Trinidad.

You continue to the foothills of the Escambray Mountains, beneath the looming shadow of the tallest summit of Pico de San Juan, which reaches a height of nearly 3,800 feet above sea level. The lush landscape offers limited trails leading to gorgeous lakes, refreshing waterfalls, and enchanting lookouts. Blossoming flowers provide a sweet aroma during your trek along the rugged trails leading to El Nicho. The waterfall trundles over the precipice at nearly 50 feet. The water splashes down into the wading pool, causing enticing ripples to spread to the banks. Locals and visitors dip their toes into the cool water while absorbing the warm tropical sunlight.

Donkeys return to the streets in the morning, pulling carts filled with produce. Coconuts, pineapples, and oranges add bursts of vibrant citrus and sweetness to the town adorned with colorful colonial buildings. Your private transfer escorts you to the city of Cienfuegos, which is located on the south-central coast of Cuba. The colonial center features a mix of Spanish charm and French sophistication. The 16th-century trade with Spain grew the region, while the 19th-century French colonists erected the wide boulevards and magnificent structures.

Trees, statues, and relaxing benches pepper Parque Martí. An early 20th-century arch decorates the west end of the park resembling a gateway and commemorating the beginning of the Cuban Republic. The revitalizing breeze carries the aroma of the sea drifting off of the natural bay. The elegant 19th-century boulevard of the Paseo del Prado leads to the eclectic palaces of the 1920s along the Punta Gorda neighborhood. The Teatro Tomas Terry shares French and Italian influences, with gold-leafed mosaics adorning the façade.

The edifice can seat 950 patrons in an auditorium decorated with Carrara marble, whimsical ceiling frescoes, and Cuban hardwood trimming. Sailboats decorate the harbor with their masts wading in the water. You board a private boat and venture onto the water. The captain weighs anchor. The water temperate water splashes against the hull of the boat and leaves droplets on your cheeks. The sunset casts orange, pink, and purple hues across the sky, reflecting off the Caribbean Sea for an unforgettable, serene cruise on the water in view of Cienfuegos.

In the morning, the light washes over the waters of Laguna Guanaroca, located outside of town in a forested area populated by emerald hummingbirds. The lookout provides a fabulous view over the shimmering pink feathers of flamingos lounging in the lagoon and craning their elegant necks to feed in the marshy soil. After breakfast, your private transfer leads you towards the famous streets of Havana, stopping first in the Bay of Pigs. The national park hosts freshwater sinkholes, celebrated offshore diving sites, a crocodile farm, and a museum dedicated to the failed US invasion led by the CIA in the 1960s. Over 12 miles of southern coastline leads away from the Peninsula de Zapata and it is named for the wild pig that once called the area home.

The indigo water shimmers against the white sand. Palm trees provide sporadic slivers of shade and watering holes offer a mixture of freshwater and seawater reaching up to 230 feet deep. The small museum evokes a tangible sense of Cold War history and triumph for the small island nation. Two rooms display artifacts from the Bay of Pigs skirmish, including photos. The collage of personal items reflects the truth of war in the graphic depictions of the ways in which the battle unfolded. Vessels used during the skirmish decorate the grounds, including a British Hawker Sea Fury. You have time to visit Cuba’s largest crocodile farm, Criadero de Cocodrilos, where adults can weigh up to 400 pounds.

Old Havana embodies the history of the city and greater Cuba, conjuring images of Spanish conquistadors and revolutionary heroes. Coastal fortresses fringe the edges of the antique neighborhood, adorned with rugged cannons and soaring towers. Visitors and locals pour out of legendary restaurants while sipping delicious fresh piña coladas and dancing to the sounds of the captivating salsa. Baroque and colonial structures decorate the cobblestone streets and lead to the famous Malecón, the coastal road stretching five miles along the mouth of Havana Harbor.

Musicians play in the corners of cafes and quiet alleyways featuring hidden restaurants. The Cathedral of San Cristobal was erected in the 18th century with an intriguing baroque design and two large bell towers framing the façade. Inlaid columns lead to an interior of vaulted ceilings arching over a statue of Saint Cristopher. You step into a classic convertible and slowly ride through the streets of the antique city listening to stories about the hidden history of the mafia in Cuba.

Elements of the Italian American organized crime family in Havana were reflected upon in the film The Godfather Part II, but the history and mystery runs much deeper than the depictions of Francis Ford Coppola’s classic. You drive past the Seville Biltmore Hotel, which was erected in 1908 as the first deluxe accommodation in the city located near the famous boulevard Paseo del Prado. The hotel came under the ownership of Don Amadeo Barletta in the 1920s, merging into an elaborate pyramid of a formidable crime family’s complex network of hotels, casinos, and nightclubs connected to American companies working in Cuba after the Second World War.

Convertibles and horse drawn carriages return to the cobblestone streets surrounding Plaza Vieja, the oldest square in the city. An 18th-century fountain trickles at the heart of the plaza, offering a cool mist during the sporadic breeze sweeping through the streets. Restaurants, cafes, and shops open their doors along the narrow roadway of Calle Obispo, a lane connecting central Park and Plaza de Armas. The aroma of café con leche fades beneath the scent of roasting chicken. After breakfast, your guide leads you away from the antique city center to reach La Finca Vigía, the home of Ernest of Hemingway between 1940 and 1960.

The small villa on the hill of San Francisco de Paula is located less than 10 miles away from the edges of the city and remains relatively unchanged since the day the author left the island. The windows and doors are open, providing ample glimpses into the life of the American author while in Cuba. Books fill every room, including the bathroom. A tiny typewriter in a small gallery within the neighboring three-story tower stands beside a telescope and couch offering views north to the city.

Hemingway’s fishing boat, Pilar, now decorates what was once a tennis court. You continue to a cigar factory inside the borders of Havana, passing through a wide doorway filled with tropical heat. The cracked marble floor represents a decadent path leading to the sounds of workers around busts of José Marti and photos of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. The scent of dried banana leaves and tobacco fills the air. Workers roll the cigars by hand in the main rolling room, keeping a steady but unhurried pace in a process unchanged for centuries.

The waves of the Caribbean Sea splash against the rocks beneath the light house connected to Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro. The structure was erected between the 16th and 17th centuries to guard against the threat of pirate attacks, acting as a crown at the edge of the harbor’s protruding outcropping. In the morning, your guide leads you to the active artisan market at Almacenes de San Jose, located in the port. The harbor has acted as a center for trade and industry in Cuba since the early 16th century.

The open-air crafts market began in 2009 near the Plaza de la Catedral, inside a former warehouse erected in the 1880s. The imposing façade represents the Cultural Center, showcasing the traditions of handcrafts developed over a three-decade period. The aroma of leather emanates from the stalls offering handbags, shoes, and jackets. Earthenware pots and ceramic bowls shimmer with gloss and distinctive geometric designs. Paper-mâché masks and toys glow with bright tropical colors alongside crocheted blouses, elegant dresses, and vibrant shawls. Artists give life to popular Cuban themes, reproducing the classic American cars of Havana, the lush natural landscape, or the colonial buildings shaded by soaring palm trees.

You meet an artist specializing in a distinctive style by infusing tobacco leaves, reflected in his source of inspiration, antique cigar logos. After exploring the stunning art of the artisan market, your guide escorts you to the Havana Club Rum Museum. The galleries display tools used in the 19th century for cultivating sugarcane. Your guide explains the history of sugar in Cuba, dating back to the age of Columbus and leading to the traditions of making rum. The scent of sweet, refined sugar fills the air in the warehouse as tanks of aguardiente, strong alcohol, lets the spirits ferment before the distillation process.

The fascinating colors and characters of Raul Martinez embody a mastery of 1960s Cuban pop art. Families gather in their homes to celebrate the largest festival of the year when locals slowly roast pigs during the day in anticipation of an evening feast. After midnight, the streets fill with splashing water as families symbolically throw out buckets of water to expel bad spirits from the house. You notice families walking around the block with suitcases, waving goodbye to their neighbors but then returning home. The tradition is meant to improve the chances of traveling abroad in the coming year, like an active sign of visualization.

New Years day in Havana brings a unique quiet to the cobbled streets of the vibrant city. The doors to Memorias Librería open to the public in the morning, revealing a collection of antique books and rare collectable postcards, posters, and art deco signs dating back to the 1930s. The scent of coconut and fresh pineapple emanates from the dining room of your accommodation. You could continue your exploration of the history and charm Havana uses to draw visitors in from around the world.

Venture to National Museum of Fine Arts for a sensational collection featuring Cuban and universal art spanning two historical palaces. The galleries dedicated to Cuban artists range from hyperrealism to symbolic imagery featuring famous painters and sculptors from the likes of Leopoldo Romañach to Rita Longa. A statue of the former is positioned at the main entrance to the museum. The magnificent movement and shape given to the hardened material represents space and light. The galleries display the works in chronological order, starting on the third floor.

The waves of the Caribbean Sea continue to crash against the rocky shoreline around the harbor. The Malecón is tranquil beneath the tropical sun, offering spectacular views of the defensive towers of Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta. At breakfast, you indulge in the familiar flavors of café con leche accompanied by the sweet citrus of a fresh pineapple. Your private transfer greets you at the hotel after the meal and escorts you to José Marti International Airport for your flight home after bringing in the new year the Cuban way.