Are vintage cars & guides available in port of Havana?

We are going to Cuba on 4-11 on RSSC Mariner. We will be there overnight. Since shore excursions on Regent are included, we have 3 booked. 2 in the morning and one at night. The morning shore excursions should be done by 1pm. ALL ship shore excursions are sold out. We would like to do a private shore excursion in a vintage car one of the 2 afternoons. Are they available for hire if we just walk off? I tried to find one, but the majority are 4 hours. We would prefer just for a couple of hours. Has anybody that was there lately noticed if there are any "freelancers"?

Just walk over to the square where all the cars gather waiting for tourists and bargain with a driver. (Expect to pay about 60 CUC per hour without doing so, and maybe even with.)

See photo here:

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cuban-colorful-vintage-cars-front-gran-503752282

The building in the back with the tower is the theater.

We are going the first week of May and booked a 3 hr vintage car tour with Old Cars Havana. We chose it because it has great reviews in Trip Advisor. Google it, you even get to chose the car you want!

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We are going the first week of May and booked a 3 hr vintage car tour with Old Cars Havana. We chose it because it has great reviews in Trip Advisor. Google it, you even get to chose the car you want!

 

 

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What was the cost for the tour ?

TIA

What was the cost for the tour ?

 

TIA

Almost all the tour companies I found on internet that offer similar services have about the same price: $60 for 2 hrs, $90 for 3 hrs plus $30 for an English speaking guide. That's the price per car.

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Almost all the tour companies I found on internet that offer similar services have about the same price: $60 for 2 hrs, $90 for 3 hrs plus $30 for an English speaking guide. That's the price per car.

 

 

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Thanks very much

I just started to research now

I was looking just now at that 3 hour Havana City tour (if that was your choice) by Old Cars Havana.

I would forgo the 3 hour tour for the 2 hour one, and visit the Morro - Caba?a Fortress at night (if ship's schedule allows) for the cannon firing at 9pm with costumed 1800s military. There is a lively craft market and horse carriage rides there at night as well, and a great view over the harbor.

As far as their Mafia tour, the Hotel Nacional has a woman who gives tours during the day (call for times) which include all the Mafia history. And it's a nice place for a drink on the garden terrace at night, with view over the Malecon.

As for the Hemingway tour, the Finca house is reachable by taxi. The Floridita bar is right at the end of Obispo, the main tourist shopping street in Havana Vieja, right near the art museum, which has a fine collection of Cuban art to learn about. The daiquiris are pretty good (6 CUC) and you can take a photo with H's statue standing at the bar. Good band playing live music all day.

Thank you VidaDaPraia for the information provided! Our car tour is from 9 am to 12 pm and we were wondering what could be done the rest of the day and the next. This help us in our planning.

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And just save some time for walking around.

Habana Vieja in its rundown charm is a photo op every step. There are lots of art galleries too, nearer the touristy main square.

Walking in Vedado to look at the Colonial mansions is fun too. There is a dance museum there almost totally devoted to Alicia Alonso, the ballerina who is considered a national treasure, with costumes, ballet slippers, portraits, costume designs, and more..

There may be ballet or symphony music at night, and there are many clubs. Most restaurants along Obispo and scattered in Vieja have live music all day and into the night.

For what it's worth, there are two very similarly named outfits, Old Car Tours and Old Cars Havana, and their pages on TripAdvisor add to the confusion. If you follow the links on those pages, the one that is #6 on TA with 238 reviews is Old Car Tours (http://www.oldcartours.com/). The other one is #22 with 48 reviews (http://www.oldcarshavana.com/). Their prices are the same. We booked with Old Car Tours, the process was simple and they responded very quickly.

Thank you for noticing that! I thought I had chosen the top one. After looking at so many sites with the same offering Ingot confused.

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Do you know if either of these tour operators offers later afternoon/evening tours or just during the day?

Do you know if either of these tour operators offers later afternoon/evening tours or just during the day?

I saw one that started around 4pm

check their website for details

Do you know if either of these tour operators offers later afternoon/evening tours or just during the day?

Just go over to the well known square near the theater. The cars are there all day and into the night. Just talk to the drivers. No need to book anything ahead. They are perfectly legitimate "small businesses".

If you want an English speaking "guide" (instead of reading a guidebook), one of the drivers should speak English (or just hire a guide to ride along with you---the 40 CUC per hour the one tour company is charging is about 2 entire days' fee for many Havana tour guides--remember, everyone else local is making 30 CUC per MONTH at a regular job).

I was looking just now at that 3 hour Havana City tour (if that was your choice) by Old Cars Havana.

I would forgo the 3 hour tour for the 2 hour one, and visit the Morro - Caba?a Fortress at night (if ship's schedule allows) for the cannon firing at 9pm with costumed 1800s military. There is a lively craft market and horse carriage rides there at night as well, and a great view over the harbor.

As far as their Mafia tour, the Hotel Nacional has a woman who gives tours during the day (call for times) which include all the Mafia history. And it's a nice place for a drink on the garden terrace at night, with view over the Malecon.

As for the Hemingway tour, the Finca house is reachable by taxi. The Floridita bar is right at the end of Obispo, the main tourist shopping street in Havana Vieja, right near the art museum, which has a fine collection of Cuban art to learn about. The daiquiris are pretty good (6 CUC) and you can take a photo with H's statue standing at the bar. Good band playing live music all day.

After reading your post on the Mafia Tour, do you know if they accommodate cruise passenger schedules such as being in port for a limited time? On the web site they ask for a deposit, I'm uncomfortabe in doing this, is this the only way of confirming the tour?

I suggest contacting them directly.

For Western Hemisphere: Manuel Ramirez (English - Espanol)​

Mail: oldcarshavana@gmail.com

Just walk over to the square where all the cars gather waiting for tourists and bargain with a driver. (Expect to pay about 60 CUC per hour without doing so, and maybe even with.)

See photo here:

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cuban-colorful-vintage-cars-front-gran-503752282

The building in the back with the tower is the theater.

Is that area near the ship? If not, how far of a walk is it?

Is that area near the ship? If not, how far of a walk is it?

Best to get a map of Havana Vieja (old Havana neighborhood). Google maps will do for now to follow this.

The cruise terminal is at the end of Calle Amargura iirc. You can see a number of piers including that one.

Follow the map down Amargura, away from the port; Amargura eventually ends after about 10 blocks. One street over is Teniente Rey. Follow that and it comes to the front of the Capitolio (the capital building, modeled after the one in Washington, DC) on Prado/Passeo Marti. Facing the Capitolio, the classic cars wait to the right, in front of the theater.

Total is about 14 blocks. Only you can decide if that is walkable or whether you want to take some sort of transportation. A pedicab or coco-taxi might be fun for the short distance. Or you could stroll around the old city a bit (Obispo is the main tourist shopping and dining street) and then wander over there.

Looking for a company that is good for a group of 10

anyone have a name??..I have contacted Fertours and still waiting for response after a phone call to them a week ago..

Jancruz1

Looking for a company that is good for a group of 10

anyone have a name??..I have contacted Fertours and still waiting for response after a phone call to them a week ago..

Jancruz1

Several on our roll call have booked the full day Havana Tour with this company.

Highly rated on Trip Advisor and very responsive and easy to deal with.

Perhaps your group can find a tour to agree on.

http://havanatourcompany.com/

Several on our roll call have booked the full day Havana Tour with this company.

Highly rated on Trip Advisor and very responsive and easy to deal with.

 

Perhaps your group can find a tour to agree on.

 

http://havanatourcompany.com/

Thanks, I have contacted them..

Jancruz1

I also saw (this past week)several classic cars regularly waiting in front of the Santander Hotel, which is just across from the cruise pier, and several more a few blocks down along the waterfront next to the big crafts market.

Several on our roll call have booked the full day Havana Tour with this company.

Highly rated on Trip Advisor and very responsive and easy to deal with.

 

Perhaps your group can find a tour to agree on.

 

http://havanatourcompany.com/

I hope no one is booked with them..cant reach them no such company..email is bounced back

Jancruz1

I hope no one is booked with them..cant reach them no such company..email is bounced back

Jancruz1

Are you using the contact box at the top right hand side of the web page?

I have had numerous responses and email communication with them, not sure why you are having trouble.

They have a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, so they do indeed exist.

As an alternative....

I recently met a lovely, cultured, (good) English speaking young woman from Havana, with a comfortable, air-conditioned, new Hyundai (size of the 4-door Honda Fit), who would be happy to show some tourists around Havana and vicinity. She grew up in the city and knows it well.

Please let me know if you'd like her contact info. I'd love to see her showing more people around, as she did for me.