Cuba

Traveling in Cuba

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service: Visa HQ
Diplomatic representations: List of Cuban Embassies abroad and foreign Embassies in Cuba

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation: The country's major towns have relatively comprehensive urban transport systems however, they are very often lacking in essential elements (very old bus fleets, lack of spare parts and fuel shortages). It is therefore preferable to travel in taxis instead of buses because of the loss of time caused by this.
Maps of urban networks: Maporama
UT Library on line
Mapblast

Transportation from Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car rental
Havana - Jose Marti Intl (HAV)	25 km / 14 miles	CUC 20-25 USD 21.7-27 / 30 min	Available		Available

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation: Cuba has an adequate road infrastructure connecting the country's major towns. However, a distinction has to be made between the quality public transportation by type: transport paid for in dollars being of good quality and the cheaper transport, of poor quality, usually used by the local population and paid for in pesos. The Via azul bus company specialises in tourism transportation. It has its own a modern fleet of buses with air conditioning and toilets. It is a good way to travel on the island. Even though the railroad network covers most of the country, the tracks and the trains have not been modernized and are a long way from the European quality of standards.

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic flights	International flights
Cubana de Aviación	Major	Yes	Yes
Aerocaribean.com	Charter	Yes	Yes
Aerogaviata	Charter	Yes	Yes

You can consult the list of airlines banned within the EU. Look also the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation: There are several car rental companies (Havanautos, Transautos, Panauto, amongst others). A day rental costs around US $ 30. It is a good way to get to know the island however; it is advisable to be very careful on the country dirt roads where cyclists can be found even at night and very often without any light. In the towns, Cubans usually use the urban bus network which is the most economical means of travel. The use of this means of travel could be dangerous to tourists who have not been warned.
Road maps: Maps of the Country and towns
Interactive map of Cuba
Find an itinerary: Online maps of Cuba

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical: Havana is the biggest city in the Carribean. It is one of the most beautiful Spanish colonial cities on the New Continent. Presently, Trinidad is a real museaum town registered as a Unesco World Heritage site. The "Isla de la Juventud" is a destination of predilection for diving enthusiasts. The islets surrounding it are rare sanctuaries for tortoises, iguanas and pelicans.
Cultural: Carnival celebrations are part of Cuban traditions and they take place in several towns on the Island in August. Cuba is also the birth place of several musical genres which the world dances to today: salsa, chachacha, mambo and rumba.
Nature: There are several places to go trekking in Cuba. One of the most famous is the three day crossing, the Sierra Maestra, from Alto del Naranjo through the Pico Turquino to Las Cuevas.
Thermal: There are several spas in Cuba. The best known are Santa Maria del Rosario and Madruga.
Beach: The island has an abundance of beach resorts, the most famous being Varadero made up of a number of beaches stretched out over almost 13 miles.
Outdoor activities: Beach, trekking, diving...

Top highlights of the capital city
Havana historical center (Unesco World heritage)
The El Morro and Cabana Spanish fortresses.
The museaum of the old city of Havana
The palace of Captain Generales
The Cathedral
The Capitol
The National Museum of Fine Arts

Top highlights of the country
Hot springs of Pinar del Rio Province
Scuba diving (Pinar del Rio)
Eroded hilly landscapes of Vinales region (mogotes)
Grand Square of Trinidad
Santaria Yamay temple
Sierra Maestra National Park (Bayazo)
Isla de la Juventud

Tourism organizations: Cuban Tourism Board
Cubamar travel agency
Havanatur agency

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: No mandatory vaccine. It is advisable to avoid eating foods like seafood, meat and fish that is uncooked as well as salads, fruits that one has not peeled personally and to boil or filter water, or drink bottled drinks in order to avoid getting diarrhoea. Insect bites could cause diseases such as dengue fever, a viral illness transmitted by instect bites.
International hospitals: There are international clinics in all the provincial towns.
There is a hospital in Havana which provides a specialised service for foreign tourists: Cira Garcia Hospital, Ave. 41 No. 4101, Miramar, Havana . Tel.: 204-2811/12/13/14
For further information on sanitary conditions: Cuban health network (Red De Salud de Cuba)
For further information on safety conditions: Cuba Linda - Safety Conditions

Emergency numbers

Police	106 (Havana, Pinar el Rio, Isla de la Juventud, Cienfuegos)
Ambulance	55 1185 (Havana) 76 2317 (Pinar del Rio) , 62 3300 (Santiago de Cuba
Fire Emergency Services	105 ( Havana, Pinar del Rio, La Havana. Isla de la Juventud, Cienfuegos, Santiago de CUba)

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Havana (GMT-5 in winter, GMT-4 in summer)
It is %T:%M %A in Santiago de Cuba (GMT-5 )
Summer time period: Summer time from March to October

Map of the time zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: The Cuban climate is subtropical and comes from the gentle trade winds of the North East. The temperature variation during the course of the year is slight and there only two noticeable seasons. The "summer" which is humid and lasts from May to October and the "Winter" which is drier and lasts from November to April. The average temperatures range between 70°F (February) and 86°fF(July and August). The rainy season starts in June and ends in October/November: typically the rains are short and violent.
For further information: Weather information

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Climate

Eating

Food specialties: Cuban food known as "Creole cooking" is always made from "congri" (rice and black beans), fried plantains and salad (tomatoes, onions, cucumber, grated cabbage and avocado). The food served in Cuba is largely dependent on the available supply of the day. Beef which is a state monopoly is hard to find and expensive. Pork, chicken, eggs, cassava, potatoes, green beans, beetroot, pineapples and bananas are amongst the country's most consumed products.
Drinks: Cuban rum is famous as well at their cocktails (Mojito, Cuba Libre, etc). The local beers (Bucanero and Cristal) are consummed in great quantities.
Dietary restrictions: There are no food restrictions in the country.

Paying

Domestic currency: Cuban Peso
ISO Code: CUP
To obtain domestic currency: There are two types of currency: the Cuban peso(CUP) and the Cuban changeable peso (CUC) which is the currency used by tourists (1 CUC = € 0.80)
Possible means of payment: Most transactions are done in cash: the Cuban changeable peso (CUC) is the currency of reference. It is possible to change euros, Canadian dollars and Swiss Francs without a surcharge. The "Cuban pesos" are used to buy food on the streets, pay for public transport and some cultural activities like the movies. The "changeable pesos" are used for all the rest, concerts, out of town trips or taxis.
Card payments are often used to pay for hotels and car rentals.

Speaking

Official language: Spanish.
Other languages spoken: English
Business language: Spanish
Getting some knowledge: See Espagnol Facile website.
Free translation tools: Babel Fish - Free English-Spanish-English translation of texts and web pages
Systran - Free -Spanish- English translation of texts and web pages
Diccionarios.com - Free Spanish-English- Dictionary
Reverso dictionary - Free online dictionary