Habana Bus Tour: Transtur City Sightseeing Double-Decker

Get to know the hop-on, hop-off double-decker Habana Bus touring Havana City. View the timetable, route map, where it leaves from and stops, along with what you’ll see along the way.

The Habana Bus tour is not a dedicated city tour of Havana. It does, however, have a guide on board offering a commentary on the sights along the way. But the street noise and limited audio make it hard to hear what they are saying.

The Havana Bus Tour is a cheap way to take in the sights of Havana city which you just couldn’t walk to in one day. The tour drives through many interesting and different areas of Havana. You can get off at any of the designated stops, explore the area on foot, then catch the bus again to move on and visit another area.

The upper deck offers a great vantage point for panoramic views as you go through Havana and take pictures, just be aware of the sun and apply plenty of sunscreen.

Starting Point

Habana Bus Tour: Transtur City Sightseeing Double-Decker — Habana Bus Tour parked at Parque Central & El Capitolio starting parked

We’d seen these open-top, double-decker buses around Havana, they look really cool so we decided to give it a go. Although you can start at any of the many stops we got on at the beginning from Parque Central.

The bus is really easy to find, it’s usually sitting there waiting to go, if it’s not, just look for the blue sign with the map and timetable. The bus stop at Parque Central is opposite the Hotel Inglaterra and Hotel Central Park.

If you haven’t yet arrived in Havana to go on the Habana Bus Tour, take a little time to read our Airport Transfers Guide to get you to your hotel safely.

There are two different tours called Habana Bus Tour that leave from Parque Central. One is this one T1, which is the open-top, double-decker. The other one is the T3, which boards just a few meters ahead of the T1, in a regular size bus that goes out to the beaches of Playas del Este.

The T2 Tour no longer exists.

Videos

Route Map

You’ll see all the stops marked on the map above which include both the T1 and T3 routes – Havana City for this route. One point worth noting is that for obvious reasons tour buses cannot enter the Old Havana part of town, because of traffic restrictions, which will still need to be discovered by foot.

The bus tour continually circulates past most of the popular attractions in and around Havana, it’s super convenient and surprisingly good value. This first tour used to be two separate tours T1 and T2, but has since been combined into one called T1.

Tour Timetables

The hop-on, hop-off Habana Buses run every 30-35 minutes starting at 9:00 am every day with the last bus leaving at 6:10 pm.

T1 Route

This route runs a western loop through Havana Centro and allows you to visit all the top tourist attractions in the city center.

From 9:00 am to 12:00 pm the Habana Tour Bus runs from Parque Central on the hour (i.e 9:00 am) and on the half-hour (9:30 am). In the afternoon there is a 10-minute gap where they then depart at 10 minutes after (12:10) and 40-minutes after (12:40) up until 6:10 pm (18:10).

During high-season, they can also extend the last departure to 9:20 pm (21:20) with the last stop at P-15 at 10:36 pm (22:36).

P-01 stop: Departs on the hour (09:00) and 30 minutes after (09:30) until the afternoon where it arrives at 40 minutes after (12:40) and 17 minutes after (13:10) until 18:10
P-02 stop: 09:07 and 09:37 until 12:07 | then 12:47 and 13:17 until 18:17
P-03 stop: 09:12 and 09:42 until 12:12 | then 12:52 and 13:22 until 18:22
P-04 stop: 09:17 and 09:47 until 12:17 | then 12:57 and 13:27 until 18:27
P-05 stop: 09:29 and 09:59 until 12:29 | then 13:09 and 13:39 until 18:39
P-06 stop: 09:36 and 10:06 until 12:36 | then 13:16 and 13:46 until 18:46
P-07 stop: 09:42 and 10:12 until 12:42 | then 13:22 and 13:52 until 18:52
P-08 stop: 09:44 and 10:14 until 12:44 | then 13:24 and 13:54 until 18:54
P-09 stop: 09:48 and 10:18 until 12:48 | then 13:28 and 13:46 until 18:58
P-10 stop: 09:53 and 10:23 until 12:53 | then 13:33 and 14:03 until 19:03
P-11 stop: 09:56 and 10:26 until 12:56 | then 13:36 and 14:06 until 19:06
P-12 stop: 10:01 and 10:31 until 13:01 | then 13:41 and 14:11 until 19:11
P-13 stop: 10:09 and 10:39 until 13:09 | then 13:49 and 14:19 until 19:19
P-14 stop: 10:12 and 10:43 until 13:12 | then 13:52 and 14:22 until 19:22
P-15 stop: 10:16 and 10:46 until 13:16 | then 13:56 and 14:26 until 19:26

T3 Route

The T3 route runs an eastern loop toward the popular beaches of Playas del Este. It’s generally known as the hotel route or the beach run, as it ends at the famous Santa Maria del Mar.

There are 20 stops in total, with many of them stopping in front of the top hotels in Playas del Este. If you’re not wanting to hit the beach or go to your lodging, it’s best to take the T1 Route.

From 9:00 am to 12:00 pm the T3 route runs from Parque Central on the hour (i.e 9:00 am) and then every 35 minutes (09:35, 10:10, 10:45, etc.). This 35-minute gap can wreak havoc with the schedule as it cycles through pretty much every different 5-minute segment throughout the course of the day.

P-01 stop: Departs on the hour (09:00) and then every 35 minutes after (09:35 | 10:10 | 10:45) until 18:20 (or 20:40 in peak season)
P-02 stop: 09:10 | 9:45 | 10:20, etc. until 18:30 | 20:50
P-03 stop: 09:15 | 9:50 | 10:25, etc. until 18:35 | 20:55
P-04 stop: 09:18 | 9:48 | 10:28, etc. until 18:38 | 20:58
P-05 stop: 09:25 | 10:00 | 10:35, etc. until 18:45 | 21:05
P-06 stop: 09:30 | 10:05 | 10:40, etc. until 18:50 | 21:10
P-07 stop: 09:35 | 10:10 | 10:45, etc. until 18:55 | 21:15
P-08 stop: 09:38 | 10:13 | 10:48, etc. until 18:58 | 21:18
P-09 stop: 09:41 | 10:16 | 10:51, etc. until 19:01 | 21:21
P-10 stop: 09:43 | 10:18 | 10:53, etc. until 19:03 | 21:23
P-11 stop: 09:48 | 10:23 | 10:58, etc. until 19:08 | 21:28
P-12 stop: 09:53 | 10:28 | 11:03, etc. until 19:13 | 21:33
P-13 stop: 09:55 | 10:30 | 11:05, etc. until 19:15 | 21:35
P-14 stop: 09:57 | 10:32 | 11:07, etc. until 19:17 | 21:37
P-15 stop: 10:01 | 10:36 | 11:11, etc. until 19:21 | 21:41
P-16 stop: 10:06 | 10:41 | 11:16, etc. until 19:26 | 21:46
P-17 stop: 10:11 | 10:46 | 11:21, etc. until 19:31 | 21:51
P-18 stop: 10:18 | 10:53 | 11:28, etc. until 19:38 | 21:58
P-19 stop: 10:22 | 10:57 | 11:32, etc. until 19:42 | 22:02
P-20 stop: 10:27 | 11:02 | 11:37, etc. until 19:47 | 22:07

Tour Stops

Parque Central – the starting point for the tour
Malecon – travels along the Malecon, get off at the Hotel National, and explore
Hotel Melia Cohiba – great stop to explore the area
Hotel Presidente – no need to get off here, only good if you’re staying at this hotel
Plaza de la Revolution – Take the lift to the top of the tower, great stop
Colon Cemetery – Spend time walking around to view the impressive headstones
Parque Almendares – no need to get off here, nice views going over the bridge
Hotel Kohly – no need to get off here, only good if you’re staying at this hotel
Hotel Copacabana – no need to get off here, only good if you’re staying at this hotel
Hotel Panorama – no need to get off here, only good if you’re staying at this hotel
Neptuno Hotel – no need to get off here, only good if you’re staying at this hotel
La Cecilla – no need to get off here, only good if you’re staying at this hotel
Miramar Trade Center – no need to get off here, not much to see
Hotel Deauville – a lovely old hotel that’s definitely worth looking inside
Prado 56 – stunning drove down the promenade
Capitol and Gran Teatro de La Habana – pay the $2CUC for a tour of the Grand Theatre & Palace. The Capitol is still closed but worth a walk around.
Floridita Bar – enjoy a Daiquiri cocktail at Hemingway’s watering hole
Castillo de la Real Fuerza – visit the Plaza, the Armas, Cathedral square and the Plaza Vieja in Old Havana here.
Alameda de Paula – this stop is at the Cruise Terminal, and it’s also the stop for the Handicraft Markets
Castillo Real Fuerza – pick up again from here
Hotel Sevilla – another excellent old hotel to stop and take a look at
Parque Central

While the Habana Bus Tour stops at some prolific hotels, try reviewing our Lodging Guide for more affordable options.

Old Havana

Havana Bus Tour route T1 goes around Old Havana, with stops along the Avenida del Puerto. You can get off at the Castillo de la Fuerza. On the west side of Old Havana, the T1 route goes to Parque Central and the Capitolio, great if you are staying in any of the many hotels in the area.

El Morro Castle

Then along the Malecon taking in excellent views of both El Morro and La Cabana Forts.

La Cabana Forts

Revolution Square

The Havana Bus Tour route T1 then goes to Vedado and onto Revolution Square.

Colon Cemetery

After Revolution Square, you can get off at the Cohiba Hotel, the Colon Cemetery.

Final Loop

It then crosses over the Almendares river to Miramar, with stops at the City Scale Model (Maqueta de la Habana), the Aquarium, restaurants, and shops, to the final stop at Marina Hemingway. You can get off and walk around for as long as you want at any of these stops before getting on again.

Cost

At only CUC $10 per person, it’s a great tour. You pay the guide who stands just inside the bus, in cash only.

Once you have bought your ticket this allows you a full day pass to get on and off at any of the bus stops along the way, these are usually located at popular locations so you can spend time exploring.

Duration

The tour takes around 1 hour 45mins and although the circuit does not appear to be the exact same every time, it’s still a great trip.

Our tour was cut short and we had to change buses at Parque Central to continue with the tour. We’re heard the bus can stop at other points not on the map if the driver needs to do a bit of shopping or meets someone for a chat. It’s very casual in Cuba!

The Habana Bus Tour is a cheap and affordable alternative to private taxis with a day-long ticket costing the same as a single fare.

With unlimited riding it has proved very popular with visitors, allowing you to spend as much or as little time exploring by foot as you’re comfortable with, while still taking in all the major attractions.

Tour Tips

Buses run every 30 minutes starting at 9 am every day
The circuit can change without notice, just relax and go with the flow
Sit on the top for the best views, but be careful of the heat though
Use sunscreen with a high SPF rating when riding on the open-top, double-decker

Our Opinion

For only $10 CUC it’s great value. This is the cheapest way to see Havana and all the main sights if you’re limited with time.

More Photos

Below you’ll find a few more photos taken from the upper deck of the Habana Bus. Views include the Jose Miguel Gomez monument, El Malecon, and Avenida de Los Presidentes.