Cuba and Mexico Tour, 10 Days from Istanbul

We meet at 11:30 at the International Departures Terminal of Istanbul Airport and complete ticket and passport formalities. The scheduled Turkish Airlines flight departs for Havana at 15:50. We land in Havana, the Cuban capital, at 21:30 local time. After passport formalities our guide accompanies us on the transfer to the hotel. Flight details: Turkish Airlines, Istanbul 15:50, Havana 21:30 local time. Accommodation: Hotel NH Capri Havana, 4-star or similar.

In Havana the programme takes in the colourful streets of the old town, the classic American cars of the 1950s, Revolution Square, the Capitolio building and Hemingway's well-known bars. After breakfast we set off for the Viñales Valley, one of the best known landscapes in Cuba. The region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its tobacco fields, caves and limestone formations. We visit the tobacco farms and learn how cigars are made. At the Los Jazmines viewpoint we take in the panorama over the valley. Lunch is at the El Palenque restaurant. Afterwards we enter the Cueva del Indio and cross the river inside it by boat, then see the vast rock paintings at the Mural de la Prehistoria. We return to Havana in the late afternoon. Meals: Lunch included. Accommodation: Hotel NH Capri Havana, 4-star or similar.

After breakfast we set out for Trinidad, the best preserved colonial town in Cuba and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We break the drive at Cienfuegos, the only city in Cuba with a French imprint, set apart by its broad avenues, its old theatre and its colonial architecture. José Martí Square, the Tomás Terry Theatre and Cienfuegos Cathedral are the main stops. Lunch is at a local restaurant, and we then continue on to Trinidad. On arrival we walk through Plaza Mayor, the Canchánchara bar and the colonial streets. With its painted buildings and vintage cars, the town holds one of the most authentic atmospheres on the island. Meals: Lunch included. Accommodation: Brisas Trinidad del Mar, 4-star, Trinidad.

After breakfast we drive to Santa Clara, one of the key sites of the Cuban revolution. At Plaza Ernesto Che Guevara we visit the mausoleum of Che Guevara and his comrades. We then move on to the Tren Blindado, the Armoured Train Memorial, marking the site of the raid carried out in 1958. Around midday we start back towards Havana, arriving in the late afternoon. After checking in there is free time. Accommodation: Hotel NH Capri Havana, 4-star or similar.

After breakfast the city tour begins. Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja and Plaza de San Francisco de Asís are the four historic squares of Old Havana. Lunch is at a local restaurant. At the time set by our guide we leave the hotel for Havana Airport and fly to Mexico City at 16:15. We land in Mexico City at 18:35 local time and transfer to the city centre by private vehicle. After dinner at a local restaurant we check into the hotel. Flight details: Havana 16:15, Mexico City 18:35 local time. Meals: Lunch and dinner included. Accommodation: Hotel NH Collection Mexico City, 4-star or similar.

After breakfast we set out on a full-day city tour. The Zocalo is the largest square in Mexico, with the Metropolitan Cathedral standing on it. We see the National Palace from the outside. The National Anthropology Museum, inside Chapultepec Park, is the longest stop of the day. It holds the most important Aztec and Maya collections in the country, and the history of the region comes together here. Lunch is at a local restaurant. We return to the hotel after the tour, and the evening is free. Meals: Lunch included. Accommodation: Hotel NH Collection Mexico City, 4-star or similar.

After breakfast we transfer to the airport early for the 09:30 direct flight from Mexico City to Cancun. We land in Cancun at 12:55 local time and transfer to the hotel by private vehicle. The rest of the day is free, for the hotel beach, the Caribbean or a walk into town. Flight details: Mexico City 09:30, Cancun 12:55 local time, direct. Accommodation: Wyndham Garden Cancun Downtown, 4-star or similar.

We set out early for Chichen Itza, counted among the new seven wonders of the world. The site carries both Toltec and Maya traces. The Kukulkan pyramid, the Temple of the Jaguars and the Temple of the Warriors are its principal structures. We then stop at a cenote, a natural sinkhole of the kind the Maya held sacred in their rituals. Swimming is possible here for those who want it. Lunch is at a traditional Maya restaurant. The last stop of the day is Valladolid, a colonial town known for its painted houses and narrow streets. We return to Cancun in the late afternoon. Meals: Lunch included. Accommodation: Wyndham Garden Cancun Downtown, 4-star or similar.

After breakfast we leave the hotel at the appointed time and transfer to Cancun Airport. The direct Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul departs at 14:40. The night is spent in the air. Flight details: Turkish Airlines, Cancun 14:40, Istanbul, direct. Accommodation: Overnight on the plane.

We land at Istanbul Airport at 10:40 local time. After passport and baggage formalities the tour comes to an end. From the colonial streets of Havana to the tobacco fields of Viñales, from the revolutionary monuments of Santa Clara to the pyramid at Chichen Itza, the 10-day route closes here.