A classic red convertible on a street in Havana

Kosher Tour of Havana, Cuba

Havana and Viñales Valley, CubaWhere

Not currently scheduledDates

Price to be announcedFrom

Havana and Viñales Valley, Cuba

Five days in Havana and the Cuban countryside

Our kosher tour of Havana is five days with the group and a local English-speaking guide: the plazas, museums and vintage cars of Old Havana, the Jewish heritage of Cuba's oldest congregations, a day in the tobacco country of Viñales Valley, and the Jewish Cemetery at Guanabacoa. Every meal is Glatt Mehadrin at Chateau Blanc. This tour is not currently scheduled. Tell us you are interested and we will let you know when the next dates are set.

5 days: Sunday to Thursday, our usual shape for this trip. The tour is not currently scheduled.
Where: Based at Chateau Blanc in Havana for all five days, with a full day trip out to Viñales Valley, about three hours away.
Meals: Glatt Mehadrin at Chateau Blanc, Havana's kosher-certified facility. Supervising rav to be confirmed
Guide: A local English-speaking guide travels with the group, and touring is by private air-conditioned coach.

The colonial facades of Plaza Vieja in Havana — Plaza Vieja, Havana

A classic red convertible on the Malecón at dusk, Havana's skyline behind it — A classic car on the Malecón

A large mural building on Plaza de la Revolución, Havana — Plaza de la Revolución

A classic car parked below the painted cliff of the Mural de la Prehistoria at Viñales — The Mural de la Prehistoria, Viñales

What the tour includes

Three kosher meals a day, including packed lunches for day touring
A complete touring itinerary with a local English-speaking guide
Travel by private air-conditioned coach
All entrance fees for the sites on the itinerary
Tips for the local guide and driver

International flights, and a single supplement of $500 if you travel alone, are not included. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.

Kashrut

Kosher in Havana

Every meal on the tour is Glatt Mehadrin, prepared at Chateau Blanc, Havana's kosher-certified kitchen. The supervising rav and agency for the next tour are to be confirmed. Chateau Blanc keeps separate refrigeration, sinks, ovens and dishware for its kosher kitchen.

Breakfast is served each morning at Chateau Blanc: seasonal tropical fruit, juices, eggs, breads and pastries, yogurt and cereal, with coffee and tea. Fish, vegetable, pasta and dairy meals are offered; meat options were "coming soon" as of our last record and may since have changed.

The wide seafront promenade of the Malecón, Havana — The Malecón promenade

The hotel

Chateau Blanc, in Havana

The group stays at Chateau Blanc for all five nights: a kosher-compliant facility in Havana, with a welcome mojito on arrival and dinner served on site most evenings.

Brightly painted colonial buildings with arcades and balconies in Old Havana — Old Havana, near the hotel

An aerial view over the rooftops of Old Havana around Plaza Vieja — Old Havana rooftops

Day by day

The Havana itinerary, day by day

This is our Havana itinerary; the tour is not currently scheduled. Our programs typically run Sunday to Thursday.

Day 1 · SundayArrival at José Martí International Airport. An orientation tour of Plaza de la Revolución and El Bosque de la Habana, and a visit to artist Enrique Ávila's studio. Check-in at Chateau Blanc with a welcome mojito, then dinner. In the evening, the Cañonazo de las Nueve, the historic cannon ceremony that closes the city gates.Overnight: Chateau Blanc, Havana
Day 2 · MondayA guided tour of La Habana Vieja (Old Havana) and the Museo de la Revolución, and a walk through Havana's four historic plazas. Visits to Hotel Raquel and the Adath Israel Orthodox Synagogue, then a box lunch at Plaza Vieja. A drive along the Malecón, with visits to El Patronato (Beth Shalom), the Sephardic Synagogue and the Holocaust Memorial. Dinner, then an evening at the Hotel Nacional, overlooking the sea.Overnight: Chateau Blanc, Havana

The exterior of El Patronato, Havana's Beth Shalom synagogue, with a Star of David — El Patronato (Beth Shalom)

The interior of the Adath Israel Orthodox Synagogue, Havana — Inside the Adath Israel Orthodox Synagogue

Day 3 · TuesdayA scenic drive to Viñales Valley, about three hours away, with a stop at the Mural de la Prehistoria. A guided tour of a tobacco and coffee farm with a cigar-rolling demonstration, and the Cueva del Indio cave system with an underground boat ride. Time in Viñales town: the artisan square, the colonial church and the Casa de la Cultura. Dinner back at Chateau Blanc.Overnight: Chateau Blanc, Havana

A tobacco field and drying barn in Viñales Valley, mogotes behind — A tobacco farm, Viñales

The limestone mogotes of Viñales Valley — Viñales Valley

Day 4 · WednesdayA visit to Havana's Jewish Cemetery, then the Havana Club Rum Museum and the Cuban Cigar Factory, and shopping at Almacenes de San José. An evening ride in classic American cars, and a farewell dinner at Chateau Blanc. Optional: an evening out at Fábrica de Arte Cubano.Overnight: Chateau Blanc, Havana
Day 5 · ThursdayBreakfast at Chateau Blanc, then transfer to José Martí International Airport for departure.Departure

Jewish heritage

Cuba's Jewish history, from 1492 to today

Cuba was once the hub of Caribbean Jewish life, and the history stretches back to 1492: it is believed that Marranos, Spanish Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism, sailed with Columbus, making Jews among the first Europeans to set foot on the island. The tour visits the Adath Israel Orthodox Synagogue and El Patronato, Havana's Beth Shalom, along with the Sephardic Synagogue, the Holocaust Memorial and, on day 4, the Jewish Cemetery.

Rows of gravestones at the Jewish Cemetery in Guanabacoa, near Havana — The Jewish Cemetery, Guanabacoa

The pace

Who the tour suits

This is an easy-to-moderate tour: most days are city touring by coach and on foot, with one more active day at Viñales, including an underground boat ride at Cueva del Indio.

Old Havana is walked at a relaxed pace, with stops at plazas and synagogues along the way
Viñales day 3 is the most active: a farm walk, a cave with an underground boat, and the hilltop town
The tour runs five days straight, with no rest day built in
Cuba's climate is warm and humid year-round; light, breathable clothing suits the itinerary

A classic convertible on the Malecón at dusk — A classic car ride, day 4

Price

What the Havana tour costs

The price is to be announced, per person sharing a double room, in US dollars.

The price covers the hotel, kosher meals, the guide, ground transportation and the activities on the itinerary. International flights, a single supplement of $500, and travel insurance are extra.

Deposit and terms

What you pay, and when

Payment

Deposit$1,000 per person
BalanceTo be confirmed

All prices and payments are in US dollars.

If you need to cancel

120 days or more before$500 per person
45 to 120 days before50% of the invoice
Within 45 daysNo refund

We strongly recommend travel insurance covering cancellation, medical care and luggage.

What happens after you inquire

You send a short inquiry
Six fields, with this tour already filled in.
A person replies, not a system
The person for your region calls or emails you, within one working day, and tells you whether this program is running and when.
Every question answered, with patience
Kashrut, the hotel, the itinerary, deposit and balance. Ask as many as you like.
Places are confirmed in order of booking
Your reservation form and deposit confirm your place once a departure is set.

Your hosts

Who is looking after you

David Walles
Tours
David runs our tours with Chana. They made Aliyah from Melbourne in 2008 and took over Eddie's Kosher Travel.
Chana Walles
Tours
Chana manages our tours with David.

Before you travel, send us your flight times into Havana and home, so your first evening and last transfer can be timed for you. For anything else, the simplest route is an email or a call to the line for your region; every missed call and message is returned.

The colonial facades of Plaza Vieja, Havana — Plaza Vieja, Havana

What our guests have to say

What guests said

“We would never have arranged all these logistics on our own.”

Gary and Michelle Perl · New York · Hawaii, December 2022

“All we had to do was show up and things were taken care of for us.”

Tziporah and Eric · Chicago · Dubai, Chanukah 2022

Questions

Asked before booking the Havana tour

Is there a kosher tour of Havana, Cuba?

We have run one before, but it is not currently scheduled for a fixed departure. Tell us you are interested and we will let you know as soon as the next dates are set.

Where in Cuba does the tour go?

Havana for all five nights: Old Havana, the Malecón, the Plaza de la Revolución and the Jewish Cemetery. Day 3 is a full-day trip to Viñales Valley, about three hours away, for its tobacco farms, caves and hilltop town.

Is every meal kosher?

Yes. Every meal is Glatt Mehadrin, prepared at Chateau Blanc, Havana's kosher-certified kitchen. The supervising rav for the next tour will be confirmed when dates are set.

What is Cuba's Jewish history?

It stretches back to 1492: it is believed that Marranos, Spanish Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism, sailed with Columbus. The tour visits the Adath Israel Orthodox Synagogue, El Patronato (Beth Shalom), the Sephardic Synagogue, the Holocaust Memorial and Havana's Jewish Cemetery.

How active is the tour?

Easy to moderate. Most days are city touring on foot and by coach; day 3 at Viñales is the most active, with a farm walk and an underground boat ride through Cueva del Indio.

Are flights included?

No. You book your own international flights into and out of Havana; send us your flight times so we can plan your first evening and last transfer.

Do I need travel insurance?

We strongly recommend insurance covering cancellation, medical care and luggage, bought soon after you pay your deposit so the cover is complete.

Also on the tour calendar

Our other kosher tours

Every escorted tour we run, with its dates, is on the kosher tours page.

Discover

The world beyond the ordinary.

Connect

Shared journeys. Lasting friendships.

Enrich

Memories that touch the soul.

FromPrice to be announced

Jerusalem at dusk, seen from the Inbal Hotel

Inquire

Speak to someone about your trip

Call the line for your region, or send an inquiry and we will come back to you.

info@koshertravelers.com

Speak to Shelley in reservations. Every missed call and message is returned.

Since 1991 · Glatt Mehadrin