The Havana tables and tickets to book before you fly

Tables worth holding from home

La Guarida is a three-storey mansion in Centro Habana, up a worn grand staircase, with a terrace on the roof. Pick a lunch or dinner shift, anywhere between midday and midnight. You start with croquettes, ceviche or bruschetta, then meat, fish and handmade pasta. Reckon on $40 to $60 a head, and book at least a week ahead from November to March. Arrange a larger table in advance.

El Cocinero is in Vedado on Calle 26 between 11 and 13, in an old peanut-oil factory. Look for the brick chimney. The open-air rooftop is the reason to go, so ask for the roof when you reserve. The floor below serves smaller portions at higher prices. It runs $25 to $50 a head, and you should book. One thing to know before you plan the evening around it: the arts centre next door closed in June 2026 and now opens only for occasional announced events.

Three nights of cabaret and son

Cabaret Tropicana plays outdoors under real trees. The stage platforms rise into the canopy and a live orchestra sits behind the dancers. The show starts at 22:00 and you can take your seat from 20:30; with the meal, dinner is served from 20:00. It runs about two and a half hours, and a second session at 23:15 puts you on the floor with the performers. Tables are priced by zone, so choose the zone you want when you book. Resold entry starts at €94. Entry is 18 and over and men need long trousers. It is well outside the centre, so fix a taxi both ways.

Cabaret Parisién is in the basement of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, up on the rise above the Malecón in Vedado. The current show runs Friday to Sunday, 21:00 to 02:00, and lasts about an hour and 40 minutes. Book through the hotel's own site and choose show only, show with dinner, or show with a gourmet dinner. Shorts are turned away at the door. The advantage over the trek out to Marianao is that the night ends where you are standing.

Legendarios del Guajirito on Zulueta in Habana Vieja plays the old son repertoire. The musicians have made a career of it, and the hall is small and tiered, with round tables. Packages start at €55 and cover the show, dinner and three drinks. Most start at 20:00 with hotel pickup and 19:45 without, and some sellers list a 21:30 start. Pickup covers central hotels, but not private houses. Allow two and a half hours. There is a dress code at the door, and under-18s are not admitted.

Late jazz on Calle 23

You go in through a red telephone box on Calle 23, between N and O in Vedado. The stairs take you down into a brick cellar with a grand piano in the corner. That is La Zorra y el Cuervo, open from 22:00 to 02:00 with live Cuban jazz every night. Admission is €10 to €20 depending on who is playing, and pre-booked packages bundle entry with two cocktails, or two drinks and a plate of snacks. The queue can run to 45 minutes, so arrive at opening, or hold a package and walk straight in. Children are not admitted.

Salsa the day after you land

La Casona del Son teaches in a townhouse at Calle 21 No. 457 in Vedado, in a tiled room with a mirrored wall. Classes cost $20 and run Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 20:00. Book direct, and agree your slot before you travel, because the timetable moves. They teach salsa casino, rueda and son. You work on musicality and how you move with a partner, not just the steps, and that is what changes your evenings afterwards.

A restored car and a driver

NostalgiCar restores its own 1950s American cars, so you get a drive rather than a wait at the roadside. The panoramic city tour leaves Monday to Saturday at 09:30 and takes about three and a half hours. It runs along the Malecón, through Plaza de la Revolución and past the Christopher Columbus Cemetery. It finishes with 45 minutes in the garage, where you meet the founder, Julio, look under the bonnets and sit behind the wheel. Each car takes three passengers. Direct bookings are paid in cash, in Cuban pesos, dollars or euros, and the car can collect you from your casa particular. A shorter city drive starts at €35 per car for an hour.

The Viñales day

Valle de Viñales is a valley of limestone domes rising straight out of red tobacco fields. The thatched barns are hung with drying leaf. Day trips start at €67 and take about 12 hours door to door. You get an air-conditioned vehicle, an English-speaking guide and a country lunch looking over the valley. You stop at a tobacco farm to watch cigars being rolled. Then the Los Jazmines viewpoint, and the Cueva del Indio for a boat ride along the underground river. Pickup covers central Havana, Vedado and Miramar Playa, and private houses too if you give the exact address when booking. Depending on the season the fields may already be cut, so the plants are not guaranteed. On a short stay, skip it, as up to six hours of the day goes on the road.

The cannon and the Sunday rumba

Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña sits on the hill on the east side of the harbour. There are rows of iron cannon and soldiers in 18th-century uniform. Entry is 200 CUP and the fortress is open from 08:00 to 23:00, so you can see the fortifications museum and the Casa del Che first. The procession begins at 20:30 and the cannon fires at 21:00. The shot is very loud close up, so stay back if anyone with you cannot take that. The hill is a dead end with little nearby, so arrange your ride back before you go.

Callejón de Hamel is an alley in Centro Habana, between Aramburu and Hospital. Afro-Cuban murals cover the walls from the ground to the rooflines. The rumba is on Sunday only, from midday to 15:00, and the lane fills fast, so be there by 11:45. There is no entry fee, though you tip the musicians, and 200 CUP is normal. If your trip has no Sunday in it, the murals and the welded sculpture are there on any other day.

A print by the cathedral

Taller Experimental de Gráfica de La Habana is at the end of Callejón del Chorro, the cul-de-sac off Plaza de la Catedral in Habana Vieja. It is a working studio, with cast-iron presses in use and prints pegged up to dry, and you can buy one signed. Admission is free, on weekdays from 09:00 to 16:00. Printmaking courses run from one to three weeks and must be arranged at least a few days ahead. There are none in August.

Before you book

Set the week around the fixed days: the Hotel Nacional cabaret runs Friday to Sunday, the rumba is Sunday only, and the print workshop works weekdays. Carry cash for the car tour, and sort your taxi back from the fortress before you set off.

See the Havana guide and the Havana hotel search.