3 Basic Reasons to Visit Cuba in Winter

Vibrant, genuine and simply enchanting, Cuba is a land that promises to fill the visitor’s mind with a myriad of sights, scents and sounds that will remain with them for a lifetime. Visiting Cuba will introduce you to a resilient culture, a rebellious temperament, and a rudimentary lifestyle, where everything falls into place every day and happiness is found in the little things.

Here I’ll show you three basic reasons why you should visit Cuba this winter, and begin to get to grips with this truly attractive destination.

1- The Architecture

Such variation and extraordinary design crammed in one place: Havana. The Architectural Digest has singled it out as one of the top design destinations of 2017. And justifiably so. With styles covering a wide spectrum from colonial, art deco, art nouveau, neoclassical, eclectic and more, Havana is one of the few places in the world that displays such diverse architectural heritage.

This essentially creates many little Havanas: Old Havana, Vedado central Havana and the newer, more affluent residential areas. In Old Havana, the popular square Plaza Vieja showcases some truly remarkable colonial buildings bursting with colour, as well as some nice restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and cafes. Filled with both tourists and locals, the partially restored area also features a bizarre bronze statue of a naked woman holding a giant fork.

Be sure to also visit another popular square, Plaza de la Catedral, and the Havana Cathedral which features a unique Baroque design. In Vedado, you can’t miss the grandiose El Capitolio, now home to the Cuban Academy of Sciences, and the striking Gran Teatro.

2- The Culture & Entertainment

Cubans love of all things artistic is also manifested in their embrace of the arts: Art, Dance, Music. For experiencing some Cuban Modern Art enter Fusterlandia, a place that resembles a surreal, folk-meets-modern art kingdom. Artist, painter and sculptor Jose Fuster breathed new life into his impoverished neighbourhood by transforming his and his neighbour’s house into a unique open-air display of ceramic creativity!

For getting into the Cuban groove, the Callejon de Hamel is the most lively area to observe street art and street dancing, which is a popular pastime for locals. Sundays around noon usually turn into a massive party! However, Cubans also have a tradition in classical dance with the aforementioned Gran Teatro is the proud host of the Cuban National Ballet as well as being the venue for the International Ballet festival of Havana every two years.

On the subject of music, most locals are adept at playing at least one musical instrument, while Cuban music is often considered one of the richest and most influential regional music that touches upon rumba, Afro-Cuban jazz, salsa and soukous. Jazz festivals are a recent common occurrence, while there are specific venues that feature musical and dance shows such as the Tropicana Cabaret, and the Casa de la Musica if you feel like you can’t hold still!

3- The Climate

Finally, it is the inviting, subtropical climate that makes exploring all the sights and sounds of Cuba possible, mostly all year around. However, as with all subtropic climates, heavy rainfall can make a tourist experience simply unbearable! This is why it is very convenient that the Cuban dry season falls during the typically colder months of January to April, which means you can still enjoy a warm climate, and avoid getting wet (temperatures around 20-28 degrees celsius, and average rainfall per month is around 40mm, as opposed to a staggering 142mm on average for the month of June).

Therefore, what better way to explore the best of Cuba with a boutique cruise, and get some culture and some sun this winter? Also, this Havana itinerary will be very useful when preparing your trip.