the most practical guide to travelling Cuba

Surprisingly, or not at all, there is a certain way to do things in Cuba as a tourist and a certain set of rules you’re expected to follow. No matter how hard you try, it is really hard to get rid of the tourist tag you get and just go your own way. Being a foreigner you’re an obvious profit prospect for the locals and this is just how it is. However disappointing it is (and it was quite a bit for us), Cuba is still a very special experience and one you should try yourself.

All things considered, this cross-country set up is working quite well and moving from place to place you will quickly notice you’re told the same thing everywhere. So, if you’re looking for some practical information based on our experience, here’s everything you need to know about how to travel in Cuba.

If you want to know more about our trip, you can find the other posts here.

Visa

Being a European citizen and travelling from any country outside of the US, you do not need a visa to enter Cuba but you do need a Tourist Card. What’s the difference? Cuban Tourist Card will not get placed in your passport and will not leave any proof of you visiting the country there. It is a separate document you need to order prior to your arrival and have with you at the airport.

The process is very easy, you can simply order your Tourist Card online. We ordered ours here and paid £26 per person.

I heard that some airlines also allow you to buy the card directly at the airport before boarding your flight but you should definitely do your own research on that.

Insurance

In the Internet you will some information that travel insurance is obligatory to enter Cuba and this is what we did. However, no-one has ever asked us about it or checked it so it’s hard to say whether we were just “lucky” not to get asked or if it’s not needed at all…

$$$

Perhaps you already know it, but Cuba has 2 official currencies: CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) for tourists and CUP (Cuban National Peso) for the locals. You will most likely get to use CUC only but if you do find yourself in a place or situation where CUP is expected, it’s good to know:

1 CUC = 1 USD

1 CUC = 25 CUP

1 CUP = 0.04 CUC

Is Cuba expensive?

The answer is: it’s not as cheap as you expect it to be. Since most of the prices are in CUC, you’re basically paying in equivalence of American dollars. So at this point in depends on the place and what you consider to be expensive:
- for a regular meal set in a restaurant or in your Casa Particular you will pay 10-12 CUC (10-12$)
- you can find cheaper options and have a sandwich + drink for 5 CUC
- you can find even cheaper and very local options and have Cuban pizza + drink for 25 CUP = 1 CUC.

Depending where you find yourself, it is useful to have some CUP on you but, as it happened to us, most of the time you can still pay in CUC and just your change back in CUP (make sure to count your dues though).

Where to exchange?

Before leaving, it is worth checking whether you card / bank is accepted in Cuba. If yes - you’re lucky as the ATMs are available in most of the Cuba cities and the airport as well. If not, it’s best to take currency with you and just exchange it upon arrival.

Good news is that you can do it right at the airport. After passing through security and leaving the arrivals area, you will notice several machines where you can withdraw or exchange money (American dollars or Euro). If you have other currency, like we had British pounds, you need to leave the airport and another exchange office is available right there.

Further in the country, you should be able to exchange and/or withdraw money in most of the main cities, however it’s always good to have some backup - on the day when we run our of money, all banks and ATMs were closed due to lack of electricity in the area…

Accommodation

The best way to discover Cuba is to stay in Casas Particulares which are basically rooms in the locals’ houses. Luckily (or not so much?), Airbnb has reached Cuba and you can find most of the Casas there with numerous options in price and location.

There obviously are more fancy hotel options all over the country but this is not something we were interested in.

How much?

Anywhere from as low as 8$/night up. It’s worth knowing that the standard doesn’t necessarily change with the price you're paying - or at least we didn’t notice any difference in experience (apart from a bug-bed surprise on our last night in Havana…).

All of the hosts are there to help you - organise activities or cook for you (everything for extra price of course, but you can read more about our experience with this here)

Getting around Cuba

You have several options here, the most accessible and common one being taxis collectivos - organised taxi rides between the cities squishing is as many people as they can.

Arriving at Havana Airport - How to get to the city?

This is the first place you’ll realise that Cubans have actually organised themselves pretty damn well around all those hordes of tourists visiting their country. After leaving the terminal and taking care of exchanging your money (see point above), you will easily notice a number of taxis. Most probably, you will get approached by one of the drivers right away.
Here, make sure you’re not being overcharged. A ride from the airport to Havana should cost you 20-25 CUC per car (not per person!) depending on which part of the city you’re going to. If they propose you 25 CUC, try to negotiate it down to 20 anyway!

It takes anytime from 20 to 45 minutes to get to Centro Havana, depending on traffic.

Moving around Havana

Havana, or at least the central part you might be the most interested in, is divided in three main parts: Havana Vieja, Vedado and Centro Havana, all spreading out next to each other. The best way to move around here is too… walk. The distances are not so overwhelming and it is definitely the best way to discover the city.

The only location we found too far to walk to (and it was one of the reasons we ended up not going there) was Fabrica de Arte Cubano for which it would be advisable to get a taxi.

Travelling between cities

This is where you have quite a few options:

• Rent a car

  This was our original plan but after some research into possibilities, car rental agencies, cost and general driving-in-Cuba experiences, it didn’t take us too long to back off from this plan. As you can imagine, the car rental offer is not too wide in Cuba as the international players don’t exist there and the local ones are rather small.
  This is why, renting a car in Cuba is extremely expensive (like minimum $100/day expensive) and rather complicated.
  If you’re still considering this option it is also wroth knowing that: a) you are not allowed to rent any of the vintage cars in Cuba. As a tourist, you are only allowed to drive “regular” and newer cars. And b) tourist rental cars have a special registration plates (different in colour and structure) so everyone on the road sees you’re a tourist and well… most probably don’t know hot to drive the Cuban way…

• Viazul Bus

  A totally proper bus company in Cuba offering most of the connections around the island in air-conditioned buses. If that’s what you’re looking for, you can check the connections, schedules and prices on their website here.
  This was our plan B, but little did we know that these buses are the most popular tourist choice and sell out quickly. If your head is set on this option, you should think about booking the tickets way in advance.
  Price-wise it seems like the buses are a bit cheaper than colectivos but yo have to keep in mind that you need to get to the bus station yourself (extra taxi fare in Havana where the bus station is located outside of the city).

• Taxis Colectivos

  And so here we are - our plan C but I think at the end the best option. Collectivos are shared cars with taxi drivers who gather people travelling from one city to another. They pick you up directly from your Casa and drop you at the door of your second destination. All of the Casa owners in Cuba know perfectly who to call and how to organise it for you - all you need to do is ask.
  The big advantage of this way is that you get a chance to travel in the real vintage Cuban car (and experience all its discomforts!) and you get to meet other people since you are squished against each other for a good few hours!
  The cost depends on the length of the journey but is normally set, i.e. 20 CUC/person Havana-Vinales, 35 CUC/person Vinales-Trinidad etc.

• Hitch-hiking

  An option we wouldn’t consider for our trip but one that used to be on top of my list so I guess it’s worth mentioning. To be honest, there are a lot of hitch-hikers in Cuba but most of them are locals. In fact, there are so many that I imagine it to be very difficult to be successful - we’ve met some people spending hours just standing on the side of the road. The problem is that most of the cars moving between the cities are already completely packed. And, having experience Cuban “hospitality”, I would imagine that even if you get picked up, the driver would expect you to pay him anyway…

Other useful info

Internet

Bad news is, most of the European carriers don’t have data coverage in Cuba and enquire a special package to be paid in advance (and my British EE didn’t work there even after I tried to activate it). Good news is that WiFi is now available in most of the hotels, Casas or restaurants in Cuba, you just need to know how to use it.

In order to connect to any WiFi network in Cuba you need to buy a special card with assigned ID. These cards come in several different prices:

1 CUC fo 1 hour connection

5 CUC for 5 hours connection

These cards can be purchased in special Telephonic offices (ETECSA telecommunication - you can Google it or ask any local for the closest one) for the prices listed above or in many restaurants - but be aware that here the prices will be higher (i.e. 3 CUC for 1 hour).

Having this card is essential to be able to connect to WiFi - don’t let your millennial heart fool you into thinking that you can just click on the WiFi icon in your iPhone and browse for free!

Potable water

Tap water in Cuba is not potable and it is highly recommended not to drink it. Unfortunately, as the only other way is to buy bottles of water as you go.

Electric socket

You will not find the European on British type power sockets in Cuba. I recommend googling the image of the type used there (2 flat entries instead of round ones like in Europe) and thinking ahead about getting a suitable adapter!