Travel :: Doing it Yourself Vs. Using a Tour Guide in Havana

Most of us don’t have the luxury of unlimited time to explore a city – to see the key sites and then spend a few leisurely weeks of wandering aimlessly and discovering the hidden places of a destination at our own pace. In most cities, the key sites are pretty darn obvious. You’ll definitely spot the Eiffel Tower when walking the streets of Paris, and while you actually have to look to find the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, it’s still pretty easy to find. In many cities you can spontaneously decide to take one of those “Hop On, Hop Off” bus tours that take you around the main points of interest, usually with an audio guide that describes everything you’re seeing in a posh British voice. When exploring Havana, the capital city of the glorious island nation of Cuba, it’s best to utilize both methods – explore some things yourself, but also taking a guided tour that will show you the absolute best that this vibrant city has to offer… and it’s usually better to make use of the services of a great tour guide before tackling the city on your own.

Listen to An Expert

You’ve probably already compiled a list of all the things you want to see in Havana, whether it’s exploring the key sites of the city’s revolutionary history or walking the streets of the stunning Old Town. Of course it’s all new to you, and every fresh sight is a revelation, but remember that others have been there before you, and some of these people were guidebook writers. Invest in a good guidebook for Havana. Lonely Planet is the industry leader, with comprehensive listings about points of interest in the city that are unlikely to change, but also information about places that are subject to change, such as great restaurants and stores. Make sure that your guidebook is a recent edition, since you don’t want to spend hours tracking down a fantastic bar, only to discover that it closed three years ago. Don’t rely on Google as you would in other countries and cities. A fantastic store, restaurant or bar in Havana is unlikely to have its own website.

Self Exploration

When walking in the central city, particularly Old Havana, you can easily just wander around and explore at your own pace. There might be key historical sites just around the corner that you blissfully walk straight past without noticing, but there’s a real joy to exploring a city yourself without any expectations as to what you might discover. There’s a small danger of getting lost in the winding alleyways, but this poses minimal actual danger to you. Take care to secure your personal belongings against pickpockets and bag snatchers, but fortunately violent robberies are a rare occurrence in Cuba. You can be happily lost for hours, although hopefully you’ll eventually find your way back to where you started. It’s a good idea to write down the name and address of your hotel, so if you truly become lost you can show this to a local who might be able to point you in the right direction – and if you really get lost, you can just jump into a taxi and show it to the driver.

Using A Tour Guide

To get the most out of the city, it can be a fantastic idea to actually start with an organized outing and use Havana tour guides who really know the place. Depending on the type of traveler you are, you might hate the idea of being shuttled around the city on a bus with other visitors, getting on and off to wander through cigar factories and rum distilleries, but that’s why it’s smart to do a bit of research about the different tours on offer, or to arrange for a tour catered just for you. It’s easy to miss things in a sprawling city like Havana and an expert guide will be be able to show you the key locations while bringing them to life in a way that a guidebook simply cannot. They’ll also be able to show you places off the beaten track and can suggest things you might want to seek out when exploring the city on your own.

And Remember…

A large city like Havana can be a little bit overwhelming, and even if you have a great map it can be difficult to get a sense of the place – its geography and layout might look perfectly clear on a piece of paper or a computer screen, but this is often not the case when you’re walking through the streets. A tour guide makes the city more manageable and you can learn how the city is put together, which certainly makes it more pleasant when it comes to exploring other parts of Havana by yourself.

Do you hire a travel guide when travelling abroad?