When the flood gates for direct U.S. to Cuba flights first opened a little over a year ago, numerous airlines started adding flights to cater to all the excitement of this previously exiled country. However, with recent changes to travel regulations aimed at helping the Cuban people achieve more political and economic freedom away from the Cuban government, traveling to the country is once again becoming more complicated. Many of those same airlines who added flights a year ago are now cancelling those routes and therefore, travelers are cancelling their plans as well. Too much research, too much uncertainty, too much unknown. I think a lot of travelers are expecting to arrive in an exotic, untouched paradise, then find themselves surprised by the fact that life isn’t as luxurious and laidback as they had anticpated. Cuba is more of a journey into the past, a step back in time to a city where history replays itself and modernism is just in its infancy.
My hope is that this post will help clear up a few of your Cuban travel misconceptions and questions, and make your realize why this destination should still be on your bucket list!
If you have already booked your trip and are just looking for information about what to do in Cuba, check out my posts on Old Havana and Vinales.
Table of Contents
Pre-Planning. Pre-Planning. Pre-Planning – I Can’t Stress This Enough.
You’ll learn through my blog that my travels revolve around a mixture of spontaneity and a little bit of pre-planning. Seeing as this was my first solo trip in a few years and knowing that WiFi hotspots are VERY LIMITED and U.S. credit cards don’t work, I knew I needed to do A LOT of prior research to assure I was prepared. Where to stay, how much cash to bring, what day trips to incorporate in your visit – all of this should be planned before leaving the States. I actually created a tentative itinerary with tons of specific info pertaining to each activity, so that I could fully take advantage of my 5 days there. This was also good to have as evidence of the purpose of my travels.
Insider Tip: I also highly recommend downloading the TripAdvisor app before leaving and installing the Havana Downloaded Interactive Cities page in the “Me” section. This will tell you all about the things to do, places to eat, and places to stay without Internet connection. This is so essential to have in a country that still has very limited Internet in 2018.
THE 12 CATEGORIES – WHICH DO YOU FIT INTO
When you first start thinking about whether Cuba is the right destination for your next trip, your first step is to review the list of “reasons” to visit Cuba and decide whether you fit into 1 of the 12 categories, since general “tourism” is not a valid option:
- Family visits
- Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
- Journalistic activity
- Professional research and professional meetings
- Educational activities
- Religious activities
- Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
- Support for the Cuban people
- Humanitarian projects
- Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
- Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials
- Certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing regulations and guidelines.
ACQUIRING A VISA
AIRLINE CARRIERS
When I took flight, I had the options of either Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, JetBlue, Frontier, Silver Airways, Spirit, Southwest, or United. Today, only American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United are left, and even those have reduced their daily flights to Cuba. If you had already booked travels on one of the flights that got cancelled, airlines have promised to book you on another carrier free of charge. Most flight are now only headed to Havana. From Havana you can book domestic flights to other parts of the country, but make sure to look into destinations ahead of time as you cannot use a U.S. credit card inside Cuba.
WHERE TO STAY
You have two main options when deciding where to stay in Cuba: a hotel or casa particular. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, however I will tell you right off the bat that if you are trying to apply for a visa under Support for the Cuban People, your best option is to stay at a casa particular.
Let’s discuss both options. Hotels may seem like the more accommodating and comfortable option overall, but they don’t always run cheap. A stay at one of Cuba’s fancier hotels like the infamous Hotel Nacional can cost you $250 per night, and that’s on the cheaper side. Sure these hotels are opulent and luxurious with free breakfast and entertainment included, but you should also remember that everything in Cuba is outdated, so even the 5-star hotels could use a few upgrades.
Whether you stay at the Hotel Nacional or not though, I highly recommend spending a night out at the Parisien Cabaret. For $65 USD, you get a 3-course dinner, a drink, and an unforgettable experience at one of the most famous cabaret shows in the world. Hotel Nacional is located in the Vedado area, as is many of the larger hotels. It’s a little farther away from the Centro Habana but is known for being the nightlife hotspot.
CURRENCY
Okay this is where things get confusing and honestly I did not really understand the currency exchange throughout my entire visit. I even got mad at a local because I thought she was trying to rip me off, which I later realized was not the case. There are TWO different forms of currency: the CUC used at most all restaurants and stores, and the CUP, used for person-to-person exchanges and small food stands. To make it easier for yourself, stick to the more upgraded establishments because they will all accept CUC. However, to find some cheap deals, I ate at a few local food stands, which use CUP. Unfortunately, the signs don’t always say whether it’s CUC or CUP, so you just have to figure it out for yourself.
I made an exchange chart for myself before I left for Cuba to easily remind myself how much everything roughly costed in USD:
WIFI
Source: La Red Cubana
As you’ve probably heard, there is finally WiFi in the country but only in specific locations. There are not always signs stating that it’s a WiFi enabled zone, but it’s pretty easy to figure it out as you’ll see large crowds of people huddled around. You can also get WiFi at the Park View Hotel in Havana (however you can’t stay here because it’s a Gaviota Hotel). Don’t expect the WiFi to be fast either. It can be quite spotty and often shuts you out unexpectedly. In order to use WiFi, you have to buy a WiFi card from one of the hustlers hanging out in those designated areas. Normally, they cost about $5 for 1 hour of Internet connectivity.
If you take anything away from this blog post, my best recommendation is try to use the Internet as little as possible. There was something so calming and invigorating about knowing that I couldn’t check my work emails or stalk friends on Instagram. I feel like I was able to embrace the local culture even more because I didn’t have a single worry about anything else going on in the world except where I was going to explore later that afternoon. That’s not to say I didn’t use the Internet, because I did, but just to let my family know I was okay.
CHECKING BAGS & “SPECIAL SOUVENIRS”
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE FROM HAVANA
Many hotels and casa particulares will offer car services to individuals arriving at and departing from the airport. These usually cost 25 CUC each way and are definitely the most convenient option so you don’t have to worry about negotiating. I didn’t have this option but knew ahead of time that I could get a ride for 20 CUC into Centro Habana, so I negotiated with the different taxi drivers until I found one willing to match that price. They of course started off at 30 CUC, but be patient and you can get that price down. The ride to/from the airport takes 20-30 minutes and you’ll have the opportunity to ride in one of the infamous vintage cars. Many of them are not the cleanest or fanciest on the inside, but they sure are fun to ride in. On your departure from Havana, you’ll have no problem catching a taxi in the streets as they circle frequently, but you can always have your host call one for you as well.
LANGUAGE BARRIER
Most Cubans speak very little, if any, English, so traveling with someone who knows Spanish is obviously ideal. Since I was traveling alone and don’t know much Spanish, I made sure to download the Google Translate app and install the Offline Spanish Translator. This app will be super helpful for any of your international travels.
I also highly recommend downloading Duolingo a couple months before your travel date and start practicing basic Spanish phrases to help you get around.
ORGANIZED TOUR GROUPS
The last thing I want to mention briefly as you prepare for your potential trip to Cuba is that organized tours are a great way to explore the country. If you’re the kind of traveler who likes to just show up and figure it out when you get there, I’d highly consider this an an option. As I’ve mentioned, Cuba takes A LOT of pre-planning and if you perhaps don’t have the time or motivation to dive into all those details, you should check out one of the many tour companies that can figure out the itinerary and all the logistics for you.
While I didn’t actually use this company, my personal referral would be Cuban Adventures because they’re a privately-owned tour group whose focus is creating a positive impact on the people and environment of Cuba. Tour groups are kept small and most importantly, they’re significantly cheaper than most of their competitors. A 6-day tour with food, activities, bus transportation and a knowledgeable guide will cost you about $500. Other larger tour companies will charge $2000 for the same experience.
I found this PDF by the U.S. Treasury Department extremely helpful on understanding the sanctions for entry into Cuba. It’s 35 pages, but you’ll only have to read the sections related to your reason for visiting.
Great post filled with lots of very good information here! I love the trip advisor app
It’s so handy! I use it in all my travels now 🙂
Great article! I have been thinking about making a trip to Cuba, as I’ve never been, and your tips are so helpful. I will definitely be doing a lot of pre-planning beforehand!
Feel free to send me a message if you want more info 🙂