Top 10 Reasons to Visit Cuba

There are so many reasons to discover Cuba. Here are 10:

It’s Legal

One reason to travel to Cuba: you can! For more than 50 years, travel between the US and Cuba was strictly regulated and off-limits to most Americans. Even today, only licensed US citizens, including those on “people-to-people” tours, may go. InsightCuba pioneered people-to-people travel and has guided Americans through this enchanting and inspiring country for almost 15 years. 

 

Cuba’s Art

Cuba boasts dozens of galleries bursting with authentic art by local talent. Havana houses the Galleria Havana and the Taller de Serigrafia Rene Portocarrero. Beyond the capital city, you can explore: 

•Joel Jover Studio and Gallery in Camaguey

•Galeria de Arte in Granma

•Centro Provencial de Artes Plasticas in Holguin

•Galeria Taller Escultura in Las Tunas

•Centro Provincial de Artes Plasticas Galeria in Pinar del Rio

•La Casa de la Ciudad in Villa Clara

•Galeria Encuentros de la Casa de la Ciudad in Villa Clara

Insight Cuba even offers opportunities to visit with well-known artists in their studios and communities.

 

Classic car taxi in Havanna, Cuba

You Can Cruise in a Classic American Car

These timeless beauties have roamed the roads for decades. How do Cuba’s ingenious mechanics keep them running year after year? That’s a secret they might share with you on insightCuba’s Vintage Cuba tour.

 

Tobacco farm in Pinar Del Rio

Visit a Tobacco Farm

Cuba’s justly famous for its fine cigars. Whether or not you indulge, you’ll likely connect with the history and vistas of Pinar del Río, Cuba’s tobacco-production center.  If you do enjoy—or yearn to experience—a Cuban cigar, there’s only one place where you can do so legally. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!

 

The Marvelous Cuban Architecture

You won’t see the same architecture anywhere else. Cuba’s urban landscape includes original colonial buildings amidst modern structures, plus a mix of styles: Art Deco, Art Nouveau, classical, modern….Touring Cuba’s architecture is like watching history unfold. See buildings such as Havana’s Sloppy Joe’s restored to their former glory. Marvel at el Caridad del Cobre, the historic church the pope visits whenever he’s in Cuba. Stroll past brightly colored facades, whitewashed houses and impressive buildings of every kind.

 

Leave the Beaten Path

Cuba’s provinces and towns offer many hidden gems.  Visit pristine UNESCO biosphere reserves, the secluded Isla de la Juventud (“Isle of Youth”), quaint and quiet Antilla. Learn how chocolate—and coconut “cucuruchos”—are made in Baracoa. Travel in a horse-drawn carriage in Bayamo. Visit Cemetery Colon (named for Columbus), where more than 500 magnificent monuments and mausoleums surround a beautiful yellow tiered chapel.

 

Taking photos in Cuba

Best Photos Ever

The island nation offers breathtaking scenery—from the ocean’s aqua waters to graceful farms and Soviet-style structures. Havana’s colorful buildings, children who run up to you asking you to take their pictures, neighborhoods transformed by artists…all make for memories you can capture and keep.

 

Museum of the Revolution

Cuba’s History

Cuba’s history, like any nation’s, is stormy and colorful. It sometimes intersects with ours. See history come alive—and gain a greater understanding of events and their contexts—at the Museum of the Revolution, the Bay of Pigs Museum, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Che Guevara Mausoleum, the Presidio Modelo, and many others.  

 

Jazz and cuban rhythms

The Best Jazz

We often associate jazz with New Orleans, but this music has strong roots in Cuban rhythms. You can hear live performances of primo jazz long into the night at La Zorra y el Cuervo, Prive (Havana’s first private music club), and other venerable venues. You may even find yourself getting to your feet and learning a Cuban dance or two. If this interests you, the Jazz in Havana Tour may be the perfect tour.

 

Sunset on the Malecón 

Along the Malecon, Havana’s iconic seaside esplanade formally known as Avenida de Maceo, you’ll find photography buffs, artists, lovers and locals getting out and about. Bustling during daylight hours, it transforms into a vision of deep oranges and reds over clear waters as the sun sets.

Whether you’re searching for art, beauty, or romance, quiet time or exhilarating music, you’ll find it in Cuba.

 

Photos taken by: Robin Thom