Your Guide to Cuba: How to Plan Your Trip SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Top Things to Do in Cuba Things to Do in Havana Best Beaches Museums to Visit Where to Go Shopping Foods to Try Best Restaurants in Havana Nightlife in Havana What Americans Should Know Best Time to Visit Weather & Climate Best Hotels in Havana Public Transportation Neighborhoods to Explore Places to Visit One Week in Cuba 48 Hours in Havana Day Trips from Havana Your Guide to Cuba: How to Plan Your Trip close Overview Caribbean Cuba The 5 Best Day Trips from Havana By Meena Thiruvengadam Meena Thiruvengadam Instagram Twitter Meena Thiruvengadam is a New York-based writer, editor, and audience strategist who began writing for TripSavvy in 2019. She has written extensively about travel to Cuba, South Korea, North America, and Europe, including Italy’s Amalfi Coast. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 08/20/19 JulieanneBirch / Getty Images Havana is teeming with hole-in-the-wall restaurants, live music, and local handicraft shops, but there’s far more to Cuba than its capital city. Not venturing outside of Havana means missing out on pristine beaches, architectural gems, and off-the-grid cultural experiences—and you don’t even have to go far to take yourself a world away in Cuba. Whether it’s a beach, a cigar rolling lesson or just a change of scenery you’re looking for, there’s a day trip for you. When you’re ready to hit the road from Havana, here’s where to go. 01 of 05 Varadero Cindy Durimel / EyeEm / Getty Images View Map Address Varadero, Cuba Get directions Varadero is a resort town situated on the narrow Hicacos Peninsula about 80 miles east of Havana. Once a dry dock, Varadero became a vacation destination in 1887 when families first began building vacation homes there. Nowadays, Varadero is known for miles of white sandy beaches, all-inclusive resorts, and virgin cays. It’s a popular scuba diving and deep-sea fishing destination and home to a number of museums, some of which are housed in mansions seized after the Cuban revolution. Expect to spend around $100 each way to hire a car and driver for this day trip. Viazul bus rides between Havana and Varadero are around $3 each way. Continue to 2 of 5 below. 02 of 05 Vinales arnaudbertrande / Getty Images View Map Address Vinales, Cuba Get directions Once a sleepy agricultural town, Airbnb has helped transform Vinales—110 miles west of Havana—into a popular tourist destination. In Vinales, the hum of city life is replaced by the sounds of farm life. Wifi is spotty, and instead of classic cars, horse-drawn carriages often transport visitors among sites. Vinales is all about coffee, cigars and guava rum. A typical day trip might include a visit to a coffee farm, cigar processing facility and a chance to sample a rare local brand of rum that’s made from guava. If you do decide to stay overnight, be sure to hit the outdoor dance club in the town’s main plaza. There’s nothing quite light dancing under a mirror ball in the shadows of a simple town church. Continue to 3 of 5 below. 03 of 05 Trinidad Clement Chan / Getty Images View Map Address Trinidad, Cuba Get directions Trinidad is one of the best-preserved Spanish settlements in the Caribbean. Once a haven for pirates and slave smugglers, this central Cuban town at one point produced one-third of the country’s sugar. Many of its grand mansions were built with sugar money, but nowadays Trinidad’s main industries are tourism and tobacco processing. Trinidad is near both the Escambray Mountains and white sand beaches, making it particularly popular among ecotourists, divers and snorkelers. Combined with a nearby collection of dozens of old sugar mills, Trinidad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to 4 of 5 below. 04 of 05 Cienfuegos AlagnaMarco / Getty Images View Map Address Cienfuegos, Cuba Get directions Cienfuegos is on Cuba's southern coast about 160 miles from Havana. It’s known as the Pearl of the South, but its name translates to 100 fires. The city was settled by the French in the early 1800s and styled as a kind of resort town along the bay. Cienfuegos is known for its colonial architecture and a collection of eclectic mansions built in the 1920s. Its city center earned a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2005. Cienfuegos can be a quick stop on a longer day trip to Trinidad or a day trip of its own. A quick ferry ride will take you to the 18th-century fortress Castillo de Jagua. Continue to 5 of 5 below. 05 of 05 Playas del Este Sabinoparente / Getty Images View Map Address Playa del Este, Cuba Get directions This is a day trip you don't technically have to leave Havana to make. About a half-hour drive from central Havana, you'll find Playas del Este, a strip of several beaches on Havana's eastern edge. You can get there by bus, private taxi, or collectivo. Along this strip, Playa Bacuranao is known for its snorkeling and scuba diving. Playa Guanabo is known for its markets. Santa Maria del Mar is best equipped for tourists, offering easy to rent umbrellas, chairs, and watersports equipment. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email