Five great solo travel destinations in Cuba

Here are five great destinations that you cannot miss when coming to Cuba, a country with beautiful natural landscapes and unique culture in Central America. Let's hold a passionate mojito in hand, wander around the small streets, traditional markets, beautiful beaches, intercity buses to sketch out the life and people of Cuba here.

Old Havana and casa stay experience to learn more about local culture

I took my first steps to La Havana, not because it is the capital of Cuba, but because this city represents the most complete picture of what the country is going through, proud of, and struggling with the many troubles of life. I chose a casa, a house in the old quarter of Havana, to better understand their lives. Previously, room rental prices in Cuba were quite expensive because they used two currencies, the CUP for locals and the CUC for foreigners. In recent years, the Cuban government has unified all transactions in the country to use only the local CUP currency. This means that foreign tourists will spend the same amount of money as locals. I booked a room in a casa for many reasons. Not only is the cost cheaper than other types of accommodation, but here I also "witness" stories about a country that has gone through terrible foreign embargoes.

I was greeted by a couple in their 50s, David and his wife, who spoke good English. Their house was an old house a few hundred meters from the city's historic center. What impressed me was that the house was furnished like a typical aristocratic family in the old days, when Cuba was still a Spanish colony. Everything was dusty with time, from the old piano, the hat rack, the iron chair, and the three-generation photo frames placed on the wooden bookshelf. David said that these were all family mementos.

Seeing me wondering why Cubans like rocking chairs so much when every house has a few, David smiled sadly: “Every family has elderly and unemployed people, so this is the only interesting way to relax that every house has. It has become a souvenir in every family.” David works as a doctor, but his salary is still not enough to cover expenses when his children grow up. A few years before the pandemic, the number of tourists coming to Cuba increased, David rented an additional house to provide services, but now things have become more difficult and burdensome. David reassured me that it is very safe here, this neighborhood is mostly inhabited by elderly people and children. Adults work hard all day, like the driver who took me from the airport to the hotel in a sedan parked in front of his house, which is almost the most valuable asset of their three-generation family.

More than a day in Havana brought me back to the life of thirty years ago, clearly present as in precious old films. Horse-drawn carriages ran through small alleys, some young people sat fishing on the coast of Havana as described by the writer Hemingway in “The Old Man and the Sea”. The ancient churches closed silently, the indifferent crowds waiting for the bus, the long lines of people queuing to buy food or the friendly eyes behind the bars of the windows of old people holding cigars with only the butt left… recreated before my eyes a complete Cuba in Havana.

I can clearly hear the sigh of modern life beside the rumble of colorful convertible cars carrying tourists up and down the big avenues, the vibrant music in the bars, or the admiration that tourists send when they pass by the splendid architecture in Havana. I think you will be impressed by this city!

The sleepy colonial city of Trinidad

I left the hustle and bustle of Havana for the small city of Trinidad in central Cuba. This is the best preserved colonial city in Cuba. Life here feels like it has been frozen in time with a unique blend of 1850s architecture and modern neighborhoods that blend harmoniously with the old space. Trinidad was one of the first towns founded by the Spanish and much of the architecture, including the cobblestone streets, still exists today. Two nights in the city, the power went out for three hours at a time, no sound of horseshoes on the cobblestone streets, only people whispering on porches, occasionally the sound of a taxi taking passengers to the city late at night.

Trinidad this season has very few tourists and the changui music is also absent, making the city quiet. All day, I wandered around the small alleys, tired feet, so I hired a horse-drawn carriage to take me around the city when I saw the horse-drawn carriage driver promised to tell me interesting stories about this city. Roberto introduced himself as a Mulato, with a white father and a black mother. He has attractive blue eyes and a tough, dark skin like a cowboy. Roberto asked me to sit with him to listen to stories about this city. Roberto's family has been making pottery, a traditional profession in Trinidad, since before he was born. In his free time when he is not taking tourists on tours, he helps his family create traditional items from clay. Roberto said that he is not very skillful, so he only helps with simple creations like Canchanchara cocktail jars in Trinidad.

The guy enthusiastically explained when stopping at a cafe next to Plaza Mayor for me to enjoy: “Canchanchara is an invigorating Cuban cocktail that was born in this town by guerilla fighters during Cuba's war for independence. The simple recipe includes rum, lime, honey and ice. It is served in tiny earthenware jars that fit in the palm of your hand but are enough to make you feel light-headed. Canchanchara is considered the oldest known cocktail in Cuba!” Roberto stopped the car at the blue bell tower of the city's history museum, this is the place where tourists take the most photos when coming to Trinidad and where you can see the whole view of Trinidad from above with the small children, the red-tiled roofs, and in the distance the Escambray Mountains that surround this city. He also proudly whispered: “On the cover of Lonely Planet's travel guide to Cuba is a picture of our ancient Trinidad!”.

Historic City of Santa Clara

In contrast to the capital city of Havana with its large architectural buildings, or the town of Trinidad with its restored buildings that seem to go back in time, Santa Clara is just a small town in the province of Villa Clara. There are only about 255,000 residents living in Santa Clara, but the historical traditions and culture of Santa Clara are extremely diverse and rich. As a person who is passionate about learning about culture and history, I chose this as my next stop when exploring Cuba.

I was introduced by the host to the Revolution Museum cafe, just a few small streets away from the downtown area, a place that any tourist coming to this city should visit at least once. The cafe is cute and artistically decorated like a miniature museum, delicately displaying unique images and memorabilia about the Cuban revolution, the hero Che and the leader Fidel. When I entered, I was introduced by the staff with white skin and shiny blonde hair about Santa Clara, especially in an extremely important historical battle of the Cuban Revolution in 1957, overthrowing the Batista dictatorship.

This uprising has been recorded in many history books, circulated in Cuba and is famous in many countries because this is an extremely important battle not only for the Cuban people but also for the world. In Santa Clara that year, Che Guevara's army, along with many other revolutionary troops, overthrew the regime, creating a resounding historical victory. Currently in Santa Clara, the Che memorial was built in the city, an extremely important destination that the staff said I should not miss. Priceless and almost unique photos are kept in this coffee shop. Santa Clara is small but very rich in historical value and the friendly, enthusiastic people like the staff of the shop spent hours introducing me to interesting historical stories about Santa Clara.

Varadero Sea Paradise

The host Juan Carlos in Santa Clara was wary of my dislike of the city, so he said to me at parting: “If you are not satisfied with Cuba, go to Varadero, you will feel like you are in heaven, Cuba is present in Varadero”. So I took the bus from Santa Clara to the beautiful coastal city on the northern coast of Cuba. Here, you can buy bus tickets very easily by booking online yourself or asking the host to buy them for you. You can also buy tickets directly at the bus station with a credit card at a fairly cheap cost.

Varadero is a famous seaside tourist city in Cuba as well as in the Caribbean region. Although only 1.2 square kilometers wide with a coastline of more than 22 kilometers, the city of Varadero owns a system of hotels and resorts with a large number of tens of thousands of bedrooms serving millions of visitors each year. Middle and upper class people from North America and Europe often choose 4 and 5 star resorts for their vacations because the sea here is beautiful all year round and is not affected too much by storms.

I chose a motel on 28th Street, in front of the white sand beach, more than a hundred meters to the bus station and not too far from the traditional market in Varadero. Swimming, walking on the beach, sightseeing and shopping are what I have experienced in this city. The landscape and sea water here seem to have no minus points, everything is beautiful, the water is blue, the long, clean, smooth sand... the scenery in Varadero is so perfect in terms of sight, satisfying the eyes to see a real ocean paradise.

Vinales Cigar Valley

On my last day in Cuba, I hesitated whether to visit Vinales or not because I do not have any interest in cigars or cigarettes. However, cigars are the “national spirit” of Cubans, so without this destination, my experience in Cuba would not be complete. I took a taxi to Vinales on a sunny day in Cuba. Nearly 180 km from the capital Havana, surrounded by many large mountain ranges, the Vinales valley becomes more attractive thanks to the Vernacular architecture of farms and villages that illustrate the cultural development of the Caribbean islands and Cuba.

The car passed through the steep slopes and accidentally caught sight of a valley filled with the green of palm forests and tobacco hills. The driver who spoke a little English introduced: “Vinales Valley is also the place where the largest area of ​​tobacco for cigars is grown in the country. Vinales town is also home to many households with red brick houses and ancient streets that are extremely poetic”.

I also learned that in the valley there are prehistoric paintings that show the evolution of human nature and change over time. These paintings were painted on a mound called Pita, the rocks where these paintings were painted are cleaned to avoid future erosion by rain. The paintings depict giant animals and mollusks representing the indigenous Guanahatabey people. Before returning, I did not forget to buy some cigars as gifts for friends and relatives and a cigar holder to complete my collection of trips, including many interesting stories and souvenirs about Cuba.

Nguyen Hoang Bao