Traveling to Cuba involves a lot of research, arguably more research than any other country considering the restrictions in place. That said, it’s not impossible! I’ve highlighted important information below that I hope will help make your travels to Cuba stress free.
GETTING THERE
First things first, you need a Visa to enter Cuba. It’s very easy to obtain. Whatever airline you book with will provide you information to a website you can order your visa through. JetBlue charges $50 for the visa whereas American Airlines and United charge $85+. I received my Visa in the mail within a week ½. But don’t wait until the last minute— get your visa well in advanced of your travels!
You will receive two visas in the mail, one to enter Cuba and another to depart. You will have to make sure you keep track of the visa paper because they don’t take both until you leave Cuba. There are 12 reasons allowed for travel to Cuba, of the 12, I chose “support for Cuban people.” If customs ask you how you’re supporting the Cuban people, simply tell them you will be staying at a Casa Particular (AirBnB) and show them your itinerary. Make sure you print your itinerary and have confirmation of your Casa Particular. I wasn’t asked any of this information upon landing, but you just never know so better to be safe than sorry.
MONEY
You have to get Cuban currency. It’s not internationally traded so you have to get it once you arrive in Cuba. There’s a 10% penalty on American exchanges so Americans take Euro or Canadian dollar to trade. You can take American dollars, just know you’ll pay a hefty price so it’s not worth it.
PRO TIP: take out way more money than you expect to spend and have it exchanged at your local currency exchange place before heading to airport. The airports charge a high percentage to exchange money, whether it’s dollars, pounds, or euros, so better to do it locally the lowest rate possible.
Also convert your USD to EUROS or POUNDS for best exchange value. When you land in Havana, right outside of the airport is a currency exchange machine, you simply insert your EUROS or POUNDS and get Cuban pesos at no charge. YOUR AMERICAN DEBIT CARDS AND CREDITS CARDS DO NOT WORK IN CUBA! There is however western union if something really happens. Because of this, you will need to take more than you think you need.
CURRENCY
There are two types of currencies in Cuba, CUC and CUP. Tourists use CUC but locals use CUP. They are extremely different in value so be careful. A CUC bill will say peso convertible but a CUP will just say peso. 1CUC= 24 CUP so it is important to know the difference.
PHONE ACCESS
If you have T-Mobile, your phone will automatically connect to Cubacell. It is not free but T-Mobile will text you rates. Receiving texts are free but sending texts is .50 per text, calls are $2 a minute and so is using data. If you don’t have T-Mobile, like me, you will have NO phone access. Solution? Wi-fi Cards. Getting internet in Cuba isn’t easy but it’s not difficult either. You’ll have to purchase a Wi-fi card, they range from $1.50-$10. The card will tell you spots in the city you can go to use the internet, typically parks and hotel lobbies. Hotels are better than parks. My AirBnB was a 5-minute walk from two Wi-Fi locations. It was painless.
FOOD
DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER, bottled water only! We ate breakfast every day for $5 and it was a lot of food. The typical Cuban breakfast, especially if eating at your casa particular, is eggs, pan con queso (cheese & bread), jam on the side, fresh fruit, and juice or coffee. When walking through Old Havana you will see Trip Advisor signs outside many restaurants, these are the restaurants raved by tourists and usually good. I’ve listed some great restaurants below:
- La Guarida (reservation required)
- San Cristobal (reservation required)
- La Floridita (birthplace of the daquiri)
- La Granada
- La Bodeguita del Medio (birthplace of the mojito)
- Café Fortuna Joe (good coffee)
- El Cocinero
- El Atelier
- Doña Euitimia Callejon del Chorro
- El Litoral
SOUVENIRS…AKA RUM & CIGARS
American customs will only allow you to bring $100 worth of Rum and $100 worth of cigars per person. They do not ask for receipts though, so it is okay as long as you don’t obviously go overboard. I came back with rum and cigars for about 5 people and didn’t have any issues at custom, not to mention I didn’t have any receipts. You should also bring back coffee. The best coffee I’ve ever had was in Cuba. And I hate coffee so that says a lot.
To read about my time in Havana, Cuba, see this post. To read about my time in Trinidad, Cuba, see this post.
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