Havana Salsa Festival & Cultural Cuba Tour 2025
Cuban Salsa, Timba & Son Music / VIP Cuba Tour featuring the Havana Salsa Fest
February 19th – 24th, 2025
Cuban Salsa, Timba & Son Music / VIP Cuba Tour featuring the Havana Salsa Fest
February 19th – 24th, 2025
Our VIP Havana Salsa Festival Tour is probably one of the best options for salsa lovers who want to experience this music in Cuba, its home country. Although the Festival showcases different types of traditional Cuban music, Salsa is the specialty, better known on the Island as โsonโ or โtimbaโ – one of the most modern and popular variants of Cuban son.ย
The Festival combines the most relevant music orchestras from all over Cuba, including famous bands. For the 2023 edition, the Havana Salsa Festival has announced the following line-up, specifically picked by the audience through online vote: Alexander Abreu y Havana DยดPrimera, Pupy y los que Son Son, Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son, Elito Revรฉ y su Charangรณn, Enrique Alvarez y su Charanga Latina, Lazarito Valdez y Bamboleo,ย Maikel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor, Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco, Alain Pรฉrez, Isaac Delgado, El Niรฑo y la Verdad, and Los Van Van orchestra.
You will be able to experience the Festival and more through our included VIP passes.ย Every night will be full of music around the magic city of Havana, including the festival concerts and a premium music schedule outside this event. As a team of musicians and musicologists working within the Cuban music scene for years, we will curate unique experiences within the Cuban musical realm.ย
Our VIP Havana Salsa Fest Tour allows you to have other cultural experiences, including dance lessons, walking tours, and excellent Cuban food. The food on our tour is just as good as the music. We will eat at some of the top-rated restaurants around Havana. We include multiple meals at 5-Star Paladares such as El Del Frente, Atelier, El Cocinero and more. (A Paladar is a name given to private restaurants in Cuba.)
For more information about the Festival, you can check our special blog CUBAโS INTERNATIONAL SALSA FESTIVAL IN HAVANA, which includes more details of the event and a Spotify playlist with a selection of these bandsโ music and other famous Cuban Son, Timba, and Salsa songs.
Small Group Tours Up to 12 People
6 Days / 5 Nights
Havana
Detailed Itinerary (Compliant for OFAC general license Educational Activities: Group People to People โ US Travelers)
After touching down in Havana, youโll be greeted and transported to your charming Casa, Villa, or Hotel. Take some time to unwind and soak in the local surroundings. In the evening, you and the group willย be picked upย for a sunset ride around Vedado, La Habana, which includes a special welcoming sunset ritual at Malecรณn de La Habana with a Cuban rum toast.ย Thisย is a perfect chance to meet your fellow travelers. After that, weโll gather for a welcome dinner at the renowned Paladar Atelier. Later, weโll experience an unforgettable night with the modern-day Buena Vista Social Club and Afro Cuban All Stars at El Guajirito, kicking off our musical journey with style.
MEALS: Dinner
Begin your day with breakfast at your Casa, Villa, or Hotel, featuring a variety of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. Our adventure starts with a guided driving tour of Havana, offering a glimpse into the cityโs history and culture. A light lunch of tapas and sandwiches will keep us energized. Following this, weโll take a walking tour of Habana Vieja (Old Havana), exploring its colonial charm and lively streets. After a brief rest, weโll head to another fine Cuban Paladar, such as Cafetalex, for dinner. The evening will be filled with excitement as we attend the first night of the Salsa Festival concerts, showcasing Cubaโs best musical Son, Salsa, and Timba talents.
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy another local breakfast with the group at your accommodation. This dayโs highlight is our Afro-Cuban Religion Experience in Cayo Hueso, Central Havana, and Callejon de Hamel, led by the knowledgeable Elรญas Aseff. This tour provides deep insights into the spiritual traditions of Cuba. After that, weโll enjoy a special home-prepared Cuban lunch and optional Casino de Salsa dance lessons or music lessons. Dinner at Cafรฉ Laurent will precede another thrilling night at the Salsa Festival. For those interested in different musical experiences, we offer optional alternative night-time music with transportation drop-off.
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, the day is yours to explore Havana at your own pace. We offer optional day excursions to Viรฑales or Matanzas/Varadero for thoseย looking to exploreย beyond the city. Spend your afternoon discovering more of Havanaโs unique attractions. Dinner and evening activities are on your ownย as well, with various music experiences available from our curated catalog to make your night special. Please let us know if youย would likeย to request one of our guided experiences for this day.ย
MEALS: Breakfast
Start your day with another fresh breakfast. On this last full day of the tour, weโll join an authentic Rumba Party at Callejon de Hamel, where the local community gathers to celebrate with music and dance. The afternoon is dedicated to a People-to-People Experience at Almacenes de San Josรฉ at the Havana Harbor, providing opportunities to shop and engage with local artisans. The evening features a farewell dinner at Paladar El del Frente and, after that, the final performances of the Havana Salsa Festival, leaving you with unforgettable memories of Cuban music and culture.
MEALS: Breakfast & Dinner
Our final day features a group breakfast and plenty of goodbyes anecdotes, reflecting on the incredible experiences shared. Afterward,ย transportation willย be arrangedย toย take you to Josรฉ Martรญ International Airport for your departure, ensuring a smooth and timely end to your Cuban adventure.
MEALS: Breakfast
*Flights arriving on Day 1 of the itinerary must arrive between 11 am and 12:30 pm EST to have included transportation. All flights arriving must come into Havana and depart from Havana. If you book a departing flight from another city and/or stay extra days, the transportation will not be included.
*We advise scheduling departure flights for late morning or early afternoon. The festival’s final day typically concludes in the late evening, and we wish to prevent any inconvenience or exhaustion during your return journey.
*All breakfasts are included. Other meals are on a per-day basis. We will include two lunches and four dinners. One night, you will be free to have dinner on your own.
*All music entries and reservations are also included.
*This is just a sample itinerary, you will receive a detailed itinerary with confirmed events closer to your trip departure.
Your festival tour includes the following:
Cuban Visas must be purchased at your last airport before departing for Cuba. They are typically around $50-100. If you were born in Cuba, please contact us, as you may have different visa requirements.
VIP access/tickets and reservations to music events during Havana Salsa Festival 2023.
Bilingual musicians tour guide from Cuba and the U.S (a tour from musicians for music lovers).
Real interactions with the Cuban people and professional musicians.
Dance or music lessons.
Authentic music and cultural experiences almost every day of your tour.
Fresh breakfast and authentic Cafรฉ Cubano each morning in a luxurious villa with our wonderful traveler friends.
Taste of the best Paladares around Havana, Cuba (Private restaurants).
Transportation from 11 am to 11 pm (which includes most evening music).
Free time to shop and explore.
We spent six days in Cuba on a private tour with Havana Music Tours. This is a great personalized tour, specializing in authentic, non-touristy music experiences. Chaz Chambers, the owner, did a great job of putting together our itinerary, informing us what to expect and providing a wealth of information to prepare us for our trip. Read More
My wife and I went on the Jazz Plaza 2024 tour. Really excellent. Chaz and Yami have put together a great team of Cuban guides and facilitators: Rocio, Ismelys… were all wonderful. They go out of their way to personalize the experience and provide any support that is needed. Jazz Plaza is an incredible experience, and Havana Music Tours did a great job curating the adventure. Read More
Absolutely fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime custom-built musical and cultural tour around Havana! Chaz and Yami took all of our requests and constraints into consideration while planning and customizing our tour, which included mouth-watering dining in paladares, musical experiences & concerts, and walking & driving city tours. Read More
First off, It’s very easy to recommend any tour with Chaz and Yami. Period. Honestly, I was a little skeptical about so many glowing TripAdvisor reviews. Here comes another glowing review, haha. I can say easily, without hyperbole, that the experience with Havana Music Tours was life-changing! The trip exceeded expectations. Read More
U.S. Travelers: All of our tours are within the O.F.A.C. (U.S. Treasury) guidelines for legal travel services for U.S. Citizens and residents going to Cuba. We are a United States-based travel company that is in full compliance with all of the travel rules for Cuba. For United States-based travelers you will receive a travel affidavit and full-time itinerary that meets all of the legal requirements for the O.F.A.C general travel licensing.
11am-4pm (EST) Mon-Thurs.
Info@HavanaMusicTours.com
Havana Music Tours is a trade name of Musical Getaways LLC and are both based in Tallahassee, FL, 32311, United States of America. Florida Seller of Travel Registration # ST42131
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