Old Cars Havana

What It Is and Where It Operates

Old Cars Havana is a Havana agency that arranges private tours in classic American cars, in the city and on day trips and a 4-day circuit across western and central Cuba. The homepage says "Our agency was founded in 2017. We promote the private economy in Cuba therefore we are not a government agency," and that "The cars on our sites are all privately owned and our drivers (owners of the cars) are small entrepreneurs." The contact block gives an address at Obispo 1 in Havana, a Gmail address and an international phone number with a German prefix, and the footer credits website support to a company in Rostock, Germany. Prices are in US dollars.

The homepage sums up its pitch as "Individual tour, no group tour! No time pressure! Unique tours! Safe cars! Payment directly in Cuba, so no cancellation fees!" On guides it says "Certified and trained tourist guides. Our guides have studied the respective language or are languages teachers." It lists these awards: "2018 - Travel and Hospitality Award," "2020 - International Travel Award," "2021/22 - LTG Luxury Travel Award" and "2023 - Tripadvisor Travellers Choice."

The Cars

The homepage shows a Cadillac De Ville 1953, a Chevrolet Deluxe 1952 and a Buick Super 1955, and says "Our classic cars are between 55 and 85 years old. They are dream cars from the 50's," from Cadillac, Ford, Buick and Chevrolet to "very rare car brands like Mercury or Chrysler." The menu splits the fleet into convertibles, hardtop cars and minibuses. According to the company, the cars "have been inspected by a specialist (expert for automotive engineering)," and "our cars and our drivers have all the necessary licenses to take tourists on guide tours." It adds that the owners "lovingly take care of the cars."

Havana City Tours

The homepage lists two bestsellers, "HEMINGWAY TOUR - 3h" and "HAVANA CITY TOUR - 3h," and says "The duration of the tours varies between 2 and 10 hours" and that "each tour can be extended spontaneously." Hotel and apartment guests are picked up and dropped off: "we will pick you up at your hotel or holiday apartment. At the end of the tour we will bring you safely back to your initial location," or to a restaurant if the guest asks. The site suggests booking a city tour in the first days of a stay, because "Havana is a large city and the Caribbean sun is hot... and you don't want to walk all day trying to visit places you can't reach by foot," and advises planning "1-2 highlights to visit per day."

For cruise passengers, the homepage recommends the 6h Havana City Tour, in two parts. In the "1st part: You will visit the historic old town of Havana by foot for 3 hours," seeing "the places where cars are not allowed to drive." In "Part 2: You will take a Classic Car tour to the sights and historical places that are outside of the historical center of Havana." The site says "We have a meeting place right next to the cruise terminal," and that directions come with the booking confirmation.

Day Tours Outside Havana

The day tours page lists four trips, each "Duration: 10 hours" with a "Start time: 6 am - 9.30 am":

• Havana to Las Terrazas (Soroa, the Las Terrazas biosphere reserve, water terraces and waterfalls, optional horse riding), "Available: Monday - Thursday."
• Havana to Viñales (Viñales Valley, a tobacco farm, La Cueva del Indio, Hotel Los Jardines and the Mural de la Prehistoria), daily.
• Havana to Varadero (Bacunayagua Bridge, Matanzas, Saturno Cave, Casa Al Capone and Varadero Beach, optional dolphinarium), daily.
• Havana to Zapata N.P. (Guama, the Zapata peninsula, the Bay of Pigs at Playa Girón and Playa Larga, a natural saltwater pool, with optional zoo, crocodile farm, mangrove boat trip and snorkeling), daily.

Prices are "per car, NOT per person." Las Terrazas costs 130 USD by hardtop without a guide or 180 USD with one, and 200 USD or 250 USD by convertible or minibus. The other three day tours cost 170 USD or 220 USD by hardtop and 300 USD or 350 USD by convertible or minibus, without or with a guide. Extras are listed separately: entry to Las Terrazas reserve 10 USD per person, La Cueva del Indio 5 USD, Saturno Cave 5 USD, the dolphinarium 7 USD, the zoo with crocodile farm 5 USD, the mangrove boat tour 12 USD, snorkeling equipment 10 USD, horse riding 5 USD per hour, and lunch and drinks. The page says "We also accept GBP in the exchange rate 1:1," and "Individual requests are possible at any time." It also tells convertible riders to bring "hat, long shirt, sunscreen" and adds "Don't forget your swimsuit and towel!"

The 4-Day Tour

The 4-day tour runs "Havana - Zapata National Park - Guama - Bay of Pigs - Cienfuegos - Trinidad - Santa Clara - Finca Iznaga Ingenio - Varadero - Matanzas - Havana." Day 1 goes via the Zapata park and Playa Larga to Cienfuegos; day 2 covers city tours of Cienfuegos and Trinidad and Playa Ancon; day 3 visits Finca Iznaga, the Che Guevara Mausoleum in Santa Clara and ends in Varadero; day 4 returns via Saturno Cave, Matanzas and the Bacunayagua Bridge.

The offer "is valid for 2-4 persons per car." It costs 660 USD per person for 2, 499 USD per person for 3 and 395 USD per person for 4. It includes "3x overnight stay/breakfast in Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Varadero, all tours incl. tour guide," and excludes "Entrance fees (total approx. 50 USD per person)" and "Catering (per all inclusive lunch approx. 15 USD per person)." Two people ride in a hardtop, and 3 to 4 in "a vintage minibus." The page asks guests to bring travel bags, since "suitcases are less suitable," and promises "if you like it in one place, it's no problem to stay a few hours longer."

Accessibility and Booking

The homepage states "All our tours are suitable for disabled guests (including wheelchairs). There is enough space in the trunks of our Classic Cars." Bookings go through a "BOOK NOW" page, and payment is made in Cuba rather than online. The Information menu has sections on the FAQ, cruise guests, a city map, US citizens and money in Cuba.

What the Site Does Not Settle

"No cancellation fees" is the only cancellation wording on the site, and it does not say what happens if the company cancels, or how far ahead to book. The homepage lists the Hemingway Tour by name and length only. The site does not name the languages its guides speak or give a group limit for the city tours.

Old Cars Havana suits travelers who want a private classic-car day in Havana, a cruise stop with a guided walk plus a drive, or a countryside trip to Viñales or the Bay of Pigs with the price set per car. The pay-in-Cuba model means no card payment up front.