Calejon de Jamel in the Vedado in Havana, not a church and not a cultural center - but here there is a lot going on with music, drums and rhumba on sundays celebrating the Cuban music and the Santeria saints.

Are you on your way to a spectacular Cuba holiday, and wondering what tours you should do when you find yourself in the infamous city of Havana?

I have been based in Havana since January 2021, and I can assure you – there is a myriad of really great tours in Havana tailor-made to give visitors like you the best possible experience!

Habaneros love their city, and below I have collected the top tours in Havana that will do their best that you will too!

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The Best Tours In Havana In 2023

You can find all kinds of tours in Havana from short tours of an hour or two to tours that will keep you engaged for a whole day.

1. Unique Classic Car Tours Havana

One of the epic tours of Havana no visitor should miss is the classic car tours Havana in in the amazing old American cars, from the old city via the Malecon, over to the Vedado and arould greater Havana in old style!
Classic Car tour along the Malecon

Whether you like to be “touristy” or not, taking a Classic American Car tour of Havana simply is a must-do thing when visiting.

The classic cars have roamed the streets in the city since the first half of the last century, still going strong, and I always recommend people visiting to do this tour unique to Havana!

Classic car tours Havana will take you from your hotel or Parque Central to all the interesting spots to see in Havana. Fly down the Prado, the Malecon, up in the Vedado, the Havana Forest!

Stop for a photo shoot on the Plaza de la Revolucion where the Cuban heroes still are watching you, passing the university of Havana, and maybe stop for ice cream?

A classic car tour is a great way to get a feel for Havana, not just the old city, and is a truly unique experience!

2. Havana Photo Tour 10/10

An increasingly popular way to get great holiday photos is to take a professional photographer on a tour with you! This tour of Havana will take you to the best photo op places of the city, with a pro photographer tagging along, making sure you will go home with at least 25 amazing shots of you in a classic American car like here, from the Malecon or any of the famous places in Havana you have only heard of.
Book a photo shoot tour in Havana!

This guided photo shoot tour of Havana gets absolutely top scores from a lot of travelers.

When you visit a new place for the first time, it can be hard to find the best spots for great photos, and even harder to create great photos of yourself!

Havana is full of brilliant photo op details and places, whether for your holiday album or viral Insta stories! What is included in this Havana tour is:

  • Professional English speaking–photographer
  • Selection of 25 high-resolution images
  • Classic car ride
  • Cocktail

On this two-and-a-half-hour tour, you will visit the most spectacular places in Havana closely followed by a professional photographer who will make sure your holiday photos from Havana are unsurpassed, and that you are the shining star of the photos!

3. Havana Art & Culture Tour

There is no passing the rich and unique culture of Cuba and capital Havana, and here on the edge of Central Havana you find this amazing and special place called Callejon de Hamel! Every sunday this place is buzzing with Santeria tamboes and memerizing dance, try not to miss it!
Callejon de Hamel and its colorful art

This half-day guided tour of cultural Havana will take you to the colorful and weird Callejon de Hamel, a small alley renowned for its Afro-Cuban art, music, and religion. 

Spanning just a short distance of two blocks on edge of Central Havana, this alley has become an ode to the Afro-Cuban religions through Salvador Gonzalez’s remarkable artwork over time.

The activity of 10!

“Isabel is charming and explained to us in great detail everything related to Cuban religion and its mysteries”.
Balma, Spain, Mar 2023

On Sundays, this place comes to life with music, tambores, colorful costumes, and dance for hours!

You can also opt for a stop at Fusterlandia, a whole neighborhood of mosaics created by artist José Rodríguez Fuster.

This tour of Havana can also take you to this special place and now culture center called Fusterlandia around 20 minutes from the city center in an area called Jaimanitas. Artist Jose Rodrigues Fuster has created this amazing misaic neighborhood over three decades!
Parts of Fusterlandia Art Center

This whole barrio in Jaimanitas is a project renowned artist Fuster worked on for over 30 years, and it is truly a unique and impressive place with impressive huge mosaics and sculptures covering the whole neighborhood!

What is included:

  • Pickup and drop off at Hotel Inglaterra
  • Transport by classic car (if you choose to visit Fusterlandia)
  • English–speaking guide
  • Typical Cuban drink
  • Visit to Fusterlandia (optional)

4. Havana Complete Tour

The old Christopher Columbus cemetary in Havana is a tourist attraction of its own, and a tour here is super popular! This cemetary has more than 500 mausoleums, and elaborately sculpted memorials.
The entrance to the vast Colon Cemetary

On this top-rated 5-hour Havana tour, you will see all the spectacular highlights of Havana in one day, guided by knowledgeable local guides that will make your experience exceptional!

What is included:

  • Hotel pickup and return transfer
  • English, French, and Spanish-speaking guide
  • Transportation by bus or minibus
  • Lunch at a typical Cuban restaurant
  • Entrance to the Colon Cemetery

You will see the University of Havana, the cultural and religious key point Callejon de Hamel with the eclectic work of sculptor and muralist Salvador Gonzalez.

Head on to the important Christopher Columbus cemetery, and the Partagas tobacco factory, before a typical Cuban lunch.

After lunch, you head over to Old Havana to see the famous Capitolio and the Bacardi building, and the colonial-style architecture that was started back in the 16th Century.

An Excursion I Recommend!

My guide gave me a great tour and was quite detailed in her explanation of the most interesting places to visit in the city.
Maria, Spain, Oct 2022

5. Snorkeling Tour To Varadero

While on an Caribbean island, although Cuba has a lot to offer in other areas, a day trip with a catamaran to go snorkeling and enjoy the turqoise waters can never be wrong or a waste of time! Heavenly!

If Varadero is not on your Cuba itinerary, you still have the chance to do a one-day getaway snorkeling tour to Varadero and get the best of the crystal clear waters and Caribbean island feel!

What’s included:

  • Hotel pickup and drop off
  • Transportation by minibus
  • English–speaking guide
  • Catamaran ride
  • Snorkel equipment
  • Lunch
  • 1 cocktail

For this top-rated snorkeling tour from Havana to Varadero, you will be picked up at your hotel and set straight for Varadero, which is around a couple of hours’ drive.

You will board a catamaran for an unforgettable paradisiacal journey through the stunning coral reefs of Coral Beach.

This is one of Latin America’s largest reefs, surrounded by beautiful turquoise waters teeming with vibrant fish and sponges. If you’re lucky, you might even run into a few dolphins playing beside the boat!

Afterward, you’ll head back to shore for a seafood lunch along with some classic Cuban cocktails as the perfect end to a day on the water before heading back to Havana.

6. Top Rated Yoruba Religion Tour

The Yoruba religion, more commonly known as the Santeria religion in Cuba, is special and unique to Cuba in the way it is presented today. Get to know the religious and cultural intertwine in Cuba on this tour, and meet the women in white you see dancing here!
Dancing Santeria women in Havana.

Begin your Yoruba Religion Tour in Central Park separating Old and Central Havana and head over to the Orishas museum, taking in the iconic Capitolio along the way.

On this excursion, you will gain insight into Yoruba religion as well as uncover secrets about its motley history within the exhibition halls of this remarkable museum.

Yoruba is better known as Santeria in Cuba, a religious practice originating from West Africa that was brought to the Caribbean and to Cuba via African slaves during the colonial period.

Today Santeria is immersed in everyday modern life in Cuba, you see signs of it everywhere; religious relic shops, and in hair, jewelry, and clothes on the people you see on the streets!

The term “Santeria” itself translates from Spanish into “worship of saints“, and is a mix of the Catholic religion and the African Yoruba.

The saints worshipped by the Catholic church and in Santeria are actually the same – only with different names, and histories, and you can learn all about this fascinating mixed practice on this tour!

7. Private Classic Car Beach Day Trip

Just 20 minutes outside of buzzing capital Havana are these crispy white beaches waiting to welcome you, and release the electric energy of havana in the waves out here - to get your back on the energy track!
Playas del Este outside Havana

For this private beach trip with a Classic American Car, you will drive out to the Playas del Este outside Havana, like the Boca Ciega, Santa Maria del Mar, or Guanabo beach.

Only 25 minutes outside of Havana are this stunning string of white sandy beaches for you to enjoy, and these beaches are also very popular with the Cuban locals, so here you will embrace the Cuban beach experience!

You can also opt for a few hours extra of driving time and go to Varadero and Bahia de Cochinos (or the Bay of Pigs) for a beach day.

Spend the day away from the city buzz lounging at the beach, either of these sandy heavens will give you a stunning Caribbean experience.

Just remember sunscreen, a hat, and lots of water!

8. Private Tour Of Havana

The streets of Old and Central Havana has an ambiance of its own, filled with old colonial houses in pastel colors, here on an early morning with an abandoned bici taxi waiting to start its day.
A bici taxi in the Old Havana streets

To be able to really get some insight into the history of the start of Havana, the historic city, I strongly recommend you take a top-rated private guided Old City walking tour!

Not only will you be able to admire the old classic colonial architecture securing the old city, an area on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list!

You will also pair it with the history of the foundation and development of Havana and its importance in history through the centuries.

Marvelous!

My guide took me kindly and prepared for an unforgettable experience. Thanks, Ina.
Mauro, Italy, Jan 2023

You start at the venerable Hotel Inglaterra in Parque Central, and from there you will see the famous Capitolio, the Parque de la Fraternidad Americana, Partagas tobacco factory, Bar Floridita, and walk the narrow colonial streets down to the Plaza Vieja.

A local guide will follow you around and tell you all there is to know about the key points, plazas, and buildings in Old Havana, including important events and historic happenings.

Wrap-Up Tours In Havana

The great thing about choosing a tour to get to know a new place, is you don’t risk missing out on any of the best experiences!

The best local guides make sure you get it all, or at least as much as possible for the limited time of your visit.

After traveling in Cuba and Havana for four years, I still find weird new places every now and then, so for a couple of days getting a little guidance is probably the smartest thing you can do.

And leave a bit of time to explore on your own as well, and maybe take the time to get a bit lost in the old colonial streets!

Happy Travel Planning
xoxo/Hege

You might also like to read:

THE Best Restaurants In Havana 2023! | Ultimate Guide

11 Perfect Day Trips From Havana Cuba (2023)!

8 Amazing Top-Rated Casa Particular Havana Old City 2023!

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4 Comments

  1. I went to Havana a couple of years ago and had no idea they offered snorkeling tours. This was such a great compilation that I’ll have to reference when I make my way back 🙂

    1. Hi Larissa,
      I think a lot of people might not know, as most people think of the buzzing city life when visiting Havana! There are great snorkeling options on Playas del Este, the Eastern Beaches outside the city!

  2. That’s a really good handy list of different tours to consider. You should definitely share it on TrovenTrip.com do that a wider group of travel lovers can benefit from your blog 😊

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