the empire of havana
Duration: 3 hours
$45
From:
the empire of havana
Discover the hidden jewel, the splendorous Havana of the 1950s. Travel back in time and uncover “The Paris of the Caribbean”, the city of music, cinemas, automobiles, casinos, gambling and prostitution. Learn about the stories of gangsters, famous musicians and Cubans in this magnificent and exciting time. Yet, this fascinating city was full of contradictions. Havana was located on an island where there was a revolution starting to take down Batista´s dictatorship, poverty and corruption. Come to see the city that was once ruled by the Mob!
​ schedule details:
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Visit some of the hotels that were managed by the American Mob.
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Learn about the intricate mechanisms of the Mob and the Cuban government in the 50s.
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Visit the famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba, the most important hotel on the island.
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Enjoy a Cuban cocktail at one of the Mafia venues.
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Meeting point: Airbnb or hotel.
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Starting time: 9:30am
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​​​ included:
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Local knowledgeable English-speaking guide.
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Cocktail at Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
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Vintage open top car.
​ tour highlights:
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excluded:
Tips/gratuities for the guide and driver and extra drinks.
​ tour orientations:
The Cuban weather is always extremely hot! Please make sure you bring comfy shoes, put on some sunscreen and bring a hat if possible.
​ what will we do?
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If you know where to look, Havana still shows traces of the times in which it was dominated by the Mob and the corruption of the president in power. A tour around the city will allow us to see all the hidden jewels: Sevilla Hotel, Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Riviera Hotel, Miramar, Habana Libre Hotel, Copacabana Hotel and some others. We will visit the most frequented places by the underworld.
Sevilla Hotel, Al Capone’s favorite during his trips to Havana, reveals the luxury and magnificence of the architecture at the time, as well as some of its most famous visitors. You will not want to miss Hotel Nacional de Cuba, where the Havana Conference, the biggest Mafia meeting in history, was celebrated. Drawn by the perfect and dazzling view of El Malecon, this will be the perfect place for a mafia Mojito.
A quick look around Riviera Hotel, Meyer Lansky´s most important work, the Mafia Accountant. Lansky was definitely the gangster who operated criminal businesses in Cuba and turned Havana into a criminal world.
If you are a fan of gangster´s films, you will remember some of the scenes of The Godfather, however, you will have to separate fiction from reality. You will discover the hidden side of the city, the side of bribes, murders, corruption and mobs who saw themselves as CEOs of the big empire of Havana.
