The Hemingway Experience in Key West
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
The Hemingway Experience celebrates Key West’s most infamous author, Ernest “Papa” Hemingway, with a historical walking adventure retracing his steps on a "Bucket List" tour of Old Town. Our 4-hour guided experience stops at (6) locations, helping tell Hemingway’s story in Key West & Cuba.
Each ticket includes guided entrance into his famed Key West home. Then eat, drink, and explore the island on foot through “Papa’s eyes”, feasting on Cuban cuisine (& 3 boozy beverages) while your knowledgeable local guide impresses with interesting stories & amazing fun facts.
The adventure takes you behind the scenes of a 3rd generation family run cigar rolling factory, and into the newly remodeled Social Club at Hemingway Rum Co. for his favorite drink made with his family company’s premium rum. Then finish with a slice of our famous key lime pie!
After the tour, you’ll receive a collection of exclusive recipes, recommendations on restaurants, attractions, entertainment, and cultural offerings.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum
Enjoy a guided tour through Ernest Hemingway's home where he wrote literary works such as "For Whom the Bell Tolls," wander the lush gardens, pet his six-toed cats, and see the writers desk where it all happened.
Enjoy a full cuban meal of roast pork, rice, beans, and plantains accompanied by a glass of homemade sangria.
What‘s Included
Ticketed entry into Hemingway's Home and Museum
Sip homemade sangria, rum punch and "Papa" Hemingway's signature cocktail-the Papa Doble (3 Cocktails Total)
Savor a hearty lunch of cuban and local seafood flavors
Gratuities
Private transportation
Options
The Hemingway Experience in Key West
Reviews
43 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
March 2026 Hemingway Tour with Sharon
Matt H,Mar 31, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic experience all around. Sharon was knowledgeable, friendly and shared many details about Hemingway’s life. All of the food and drink stops were great
Great Experience!!
alancQ2216GP,Mar 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent the morning of 20 March with Kyle. There were only 5 in the group and it was an amazing experience. It was well represented in the description and the guide was very knowledgeable and made the experience a tour to remember. We got VIP treatment everywhere we went which justified the price of admission. No trip to KW would be complete without this tour. The only logistical information I would include is, there is a lot of walking and be prepared to do some morning/day drinking. If you're OK with these it'll be a tour you talk about for a long time to come.
Hemingway Experience
Kathy A,Mar 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We had a great tour and tour guide, Kyle. The food and drinks were amazing. Learned at lot of history on Hemingway and loved his house and cats!
For Whom the Bell Tolls — It Needs to Bong Louder
Dave S,Mar 26, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.003/5 — Decent but didn't live up to the reviews. The Hemingway Home itself is worth seeing — excellent museum-style displays with thoughtful photos and descriptions. The key lime pie stop was a highlight. The mojito demonstration at La Concha was impressive — the hotel's food and beverage manager came out personally and gave us real attention. That was a standout moment and probably the high point of the tour in terms of hospitality. The cigar factory visit was a letdown; the person there was on a phone call and then busy with a retail customer, so we never got the promised demo. They handed us a cigar on the way out, which was a nice gesture but not the behind-the-scenes experience described in the listing. The biggest issue was group size at the Hemingway Home. Our food tour group of 9 was folded into a public guided tour of about 20 other visitors, making a total group of roughly 30. That's far too many for a small historic home — it was crowded and hard to hear or see anything up close. The house tour should have been private for our food tour group. Our guide Kyle was friendly enough, but the tour felt disjointed. Stops didn't connect into a cohesive Hemingway narrative. Downtime between stops was filled with facts about street directions and address conventions rather than interesting history or storytelling. We arrived at 9:40 for our 9:45 call time and 10:00 start, only to learn we were actually booked on the 10:15 house tour — so we stood around for 30 minutes before anything happened. The food and drinks along the way were good, and the Cuban lunch was solid. But we've done many food tours in different cities and expected more from this one given the strong reviews. It wasn't horrible, but we wouldn't rebook or recommend it over other options in Key West.
Very interesting. Good facts
Deb I,Mar 16, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Lots of great info about Hemingway's life. The story about how they got a pool is both funny and filled with the spite I would also feel.
Kyle is awesome! It was a...
Amy W,Mar 12, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Kyle is awesome! It was a fun way to get a feel for Key West with several food and drink stops (which were delicious).
Great Hemingway experience
dianerM6516AX,Mar 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Danielle was a warm, fun, informative tour leader. We had a great time at every single stop. Good food, drinks, and Hemingway lessons!
A great way to spend a couple hours in Key West.
Compass28866918552,Mar 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic tour - very interesting & informative. We enjoyed the food & drinks. Our guide, Kyle, was very knowledgeable & kind. Overall, we were very happy that we chose this tour over other choices, and would recommend it to anyone.
Another great tour with Viator.
Catherine G,Mar 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Excellent tour. Sharon was outstanding. She shared many facts on Key West. The food and beverage stops were great. We left a lot more knowledgeable about the area we visited. That meets our goals.
Good tour with knowledgeable guide.
Kevin S,Mar 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Good tour to some history on Key West. Guide was very knowledgeable. Food was good and stops informative.
From US$185.00
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Operated by Key West Food Tours