Havana in 7 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)

A full week in Havana, staying entirely in the city, covers everything the free core, the Capitolio, the classic-car splurge, and the rum and cigar trail, then leaves both a slow day and a proper departure day instead of rushing either. Every dollar of it is cash; no card works here reliably in 2026. This plan is the 6-day itinerary plus a seventh day, and the shorter 2-day through 5-day versions cover pieces of it if a week is more than you need.

Book these before you go

Money in Havana: cash only, no card backup

Cuba’s currency is the CUP; the CUC was abolished in 2021. US cards have never worked here, and as of June 2026 Cuba suspended all Visa and Mastercard transactions islandwide, including non-US cards, after a foreign processing partner cut ties. Bring a full week of cash in clean, small, unmarked USD or EUR bills, changed informally through your casa host, a paladar, or a hotel desk, never a street changer. The informal rate runs roughly 670 CUP to the dollar as of mid-2026 and is volatile enough to verify before you land. The Havana city portal is a useful primary source on the historic core.

Cuba’s 2026 fuel and power crisis brings blackouts and thinner transport during acute stretches; hotels run generators, restaurants and buses feel it harder. The US State Department rates Cuba a Level 2 risk for crime and unreliable power, build slack into a seven-day plan more than you would elsewhere. A Cuba visit can also void ESTA/visa-free US entry for other visa-waiver countries, though not for US citizens; check current OFAC guidance if either point applies to you.

Day 1: Habana Vieja’s four plazas and a Malecon sunset

Land at José Martí International (HAV), 20 to 25 minutes out, no metro or ride-hailing app; a state taxi fare runs $25 to $35 cash. Check into a casa particular, $25 to $35 a night, and walk the four UNESCO plazas, Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza San Francisco de Asis, all free; see the UNESCO listing for the inscription. Lunch at a basic paladar runs $3 to $6. Walk the Malecon at sunset, then dinner at a mid-range paladar for $10 to $15.

Day 2: the Capitolio, Vedado and the Hotel Nacional

The Capitolio’s guided interior tour is about $20 cash for foreigners, Tuesday through Saturday on fixed slots; the exterior is free anytime. Taxi to Vedado for the Hotel Nacional’s free grounds and its Missile Crisis-era bunker museum, then a terrace cocktail overlooking the Malecon for a few dollars. Ride a fixed-route colectivo or almendron back for 10 to 20 CUP a person.

Day 3: Callejon de Hamel and the Museo de la Revolución

Time this for a Sunday for the free rumba at Callejon de Hamel, tip musicians $3 to $5 minimum. The Museo de la Revolución’s posted CUP price is stale; expect a real cash charge in USD or EUR on site, verify it locally. Close with a Centro Habana walk and a paladar dinner.

Day 4: classic cars and Fusterlandia

Negotiate the classic-car loop before getting in, a realistic rate is $35 to $80 an hour against inflated $140-plus asking prices. Ride the Malecon, Vedado and Habana Vieja loop, then see Fusterlandia in Jaimanitas, free with a small tip expected, roughly 100 CUP or a couple of dollars. Pass through Miramar’s quiet embassy district, then an artisan market and paladar dinner.

Day 5: the rum and cigar trail

Book the Partagás Cigar Factory tour through a hotel desk, about $10, mornings only on weekdays, closed weekends, the first three days of each month, and long holiday stretches; confirm the schedule first. Follow with the Havana Club Rum Museum’s tour and tasting, prices vary too much to quote confidently, check on site. Walk Centro Habana properly in the afternoon, then Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC) in the evening for a modest cover charge.

Day 6: slow Havana

No new sight on purpose. Revisit a favorite Habana Vieja plaza at a different hour, walk past the University of Havana in Vedado, get ice cream at the Coppelia park, and stop at the small John Lennon Park. Take a home-cooked meal from your casa host if it’s offered, usually cheaper than a paladar. Close with a second Malecon walk toward Miramar, using a fixed-route colectivo for the return.

Day 7: last Cuban pesos

Spend the morning on whatever got missed, an artisan market run, one more plaza, a final mojito at a bar that isn’t a tourist trap. Buy any cigars from a state shop, a hotel humidor, or the factory tour itself, never a street vendor’s “discount” offer, it’s almost always counterfeit. Have a farewell paladar lunch, then confirm your airport transfer fare in cash before the car moves, the same fixed-fare discipline as your arrival on Day 1, roughly $25 to $35 back to José Martí International.

This is also the day to spend down remaining CUP deliberately, exchanging Cuban pesos back once you’ve left the island is difficult to impossible, so leftover cash is effectively gone money.

Day Focus Est. daily cash (USD)
1 Habana Vieja’s plazas, Malecon sunset, casa check-in $25 to $35
2 Capitolio tour, Vedado, Hotel Nacional $45 to $55
3 Callejon de Hamel, Museo de la Revolución, Centro Habana $30 to $40
4 Classic-car tour, Fusterlandia, Miramar $60 to $90
5 Partagás factory, Havana Club Museum, FAC $35 to $45
6 Slow day, Vedado on foot, second Malecon walk $20 to $30
7 Final shopping, farewell paladar, airport transfer $30 to $40

Is 7 days too long for Havana alone?

Not if you actually want the rum and cigar trail plus a genuine rest day, both of which get cut on shorter trips. A week inside one city without a day trip is a deliberate choice, not a default, and it works best for travelers who want depth over a checklist. If a week of just Havana sounds long, the Havana as a base guide splits days with Vinales or Varadero instead.

Can US citizens legally visit Havana?

Not as tourists, and not for a full week under that label either. US travel to Cuba must fit one of OFAC’s 12 general-license categories, most commonly Support for the Cuban People, which requires a full day of activity with Cuban civil society on every day of the trip, casa stays, paladar meals, and a personal record kept for five years. A Cuba stamp separately affects other visa-waiver countries’ citizens, voiding their ESTA for later US entry, though it does not apply to US citizens themselves. Verify current OFAC categories before booking a week-long trip, this area shifts with US administrations.

How much cash should you bring for a full week in Havana?

Across seven days, plan on roughly $245 to $320 total for casa nights, meals, tips, and the paid stops above, heaviest on the classic-car and Capitolio days, lightest on the slow sixth day. Add a genuine buffer on top, 10 to 15 percent, since cards and ATMs are not a working backup in 2026 and running short on day six of seven is a worse problem than flying home with a few unused bills.