The biennial Havana International Ballet Festival is one of the highlights of the ballet calendar. Cuba is an island of incredible contrasts – visit now before it changes completely.


Sun 31 Oct Afternoon arrival and transfer to the 5-star Parque Central Hotel in Old Havana. Welcome drinks and snacks at the hotel. Evening performance at Gran Teatro de la Habana.

Mon 1 Nov Join your guide for a morning tour of Old Havana or ‘Habana Vieja’. We will include some of Havana’s most famous churches, including the San Francisco Convent with its collection of religious paintings and the Jesus Christ sculpture on a hill top overlooking the harbour – the best look-out point in Colonial Havana. Optional visit to a ration shop and then continue on to lunch at La Mina restaurant in Plaza de Armas. Free afternoon for independent exploration and dinner under your own arrangements. Optional evening performance.

Tue 2 Nov This morning visit the Gran Teatro for a backstage tour (subject to their rehearsal schedule) and then visit the Escuela de Danza to meet with some of the artists from the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Lunch at La Fontana followed by a visit the Head Quarters of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Tour the Museum of Dance and then return to the hotel. Dinner under your own arrangements. Evening performance.

Wed 3 Nov Enjoy a morning tour following Ernest Hemingway’s trail through Havana. Visit the writer’s room at Hotel Ambos Mundos with a coffee on the terrace, continue on to La Bodeguita del Medio and then drive to the small fishing village of Cojimar to have lunch where Hemingway was inspired to write The Old Man and the Sea. Return to the hotel and dinner under your own arrangements. Evening performance.

Thu 4 Nov Morning at leisure. Rendezvous for lunch at Café del Oriente, then visit a local craft market and the Havana City Museum. The stately Baroque residence of Cuba's colonial governors and former Presidential Palace now houses the city's museum collections. Return to the hotel and dinner under your own arrangements. Evening performance at Teatro Lázaro Peña.

Fri 5 Nov Today we take a tour of Revolutionary Havana in a fleet of Classic Cars. See Modern Havana of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, the Partagas cigar factory and then the Havana Club museum for some Rum tasting! Lunch at Club Havana and then return to the hotel. Dinner is under your own arrangements. Evening performance.

Sat 6 Nov Day free for independent sightseeing to the Fine Arts Museum or the amazing Museum of the Revolution. You may choose to attend the optional children’s matinee. Lunch and dinner are under your own arrangements. Evening performance.

Sun 7 Nov Morning at leisure and lunch under your own arrangements. Mid-afternoon transfer to Havana airport for your overnight flight homeward.

Mon 8 Nov Early morning arrival at London Gatwick Airport.

Flights: Virgin

*Next day arrival. Flight schedules are subject to change.