What to Expect when Travelling to Cuba

Between Cuba’s unstable history and the confusing regulations of the United States, it’s tempting to skip Cuba altogether as a travel destination. Then, pictures of white sand beaches, classic cars, and colorful houses flash through your mind and it’s time to reconsider. How hard is it to travel to Cuba? Is it safe? What can one expect? It’s difficult to find up-to-date information but rest assured that travelling to Cuba is safe and easy (as of November 2018). 

Getting To and From Cuba

The biggest concerns Americans have are how to book a flight to Cuba, and how to get back into the United States. Is it easier to fly through another country? Is booking a tour better than going alone? You will be happy to hear that flying to Cuba is as easy as flying to any other country. Many airlines fly directly from the US to Cuba, including Delta, American, and Copa.

The Booking Process

Delta Airlines offers a flight from San Diego to Cuba once a day, with a layover in Atlanta. I was skeptical at first, but it really was that easy. During the booking process there was a warning about travel restrictions to Cuba. You must purchase health insurance before the trip and choose your reason for travel . “Support of the Cuban People” is a common choice for those who wish to explore the country. Other options include visiting family, journalism, and religious activities.

“Support of the Cuban People” requires travel through Cuba without supporting the government. Instead, you must give your money to private businesses and individuals. Staying with families in casa particulars, eating at family restaurants, and booking tours through private companies are all ways to support the Cuban people. While we did find ourselves in an occasional government restaurant, we tried our best to avoid these places.

A visa is required to travel to Cuba. This can be purchased before your flight, at the check-in counter, for $50-$100 USD. After going through the usual security, fill out the visa at the gate prior to boarding. 

Arrival into Cuba is uneventful. Passports and visas will be stamped in the usual fashion and customs will scan all luggage (weapons, pornography, and drugs are illegal). It is not recommended to check luggage when flying into Cuba. Luggage often gets stolen and items take a long time to arrive at the carousel. 

US Customs

Leaving Cuba was just as easy as getting in. Before the flight home our visas were collected and our passports stamped a second time. One of my travel companions got randomly chosen for an extra security search. Customs brought her into a room and thoroughly inspected her luggage. 

We were nervous going through customs in the United States. Rumors circulating about problems getting back into the United States from Cuba worried us. My conversation with the customs agent went like this –

“Where are you coming from?”

“Cuba”

“Your final destination?”

“San Diego.”

“Thank you, have a good flight.”

…and that was it. The ladies I traveled with were asked what they had brought back from Cuba (there is a $100 limit on alcohol and cigars). We went through customs quicker than a hot knife through butter.

Money

Money in Cuba can seem confusing. There are two currencies; one for locals and one for tourists. Tourists use CUC, which has the exact value as USD. CUC stands for “Convertible Peso” which is written on the bills. Some people recommend having CUP too, which is the local currency, but there was never a need. In fact, we did not see a single CUP on the trip. Unless you plan to visit areas that do not cater to tourists, having CUP is unnecessary.

When exchanging money in Cuba USD is subject to a 10% exchange fee. Bring either CAD, EUR, or GBP, which are subject to the standard 3% exchange fee. Cash is used everywhere and credit cards are useless. On the rare occasion credit cards are accepted, American transactions will be denied. 

Do not exchange money anywhere except the airport, a CADECA (exchange office), or a certified bank. Overall, exchanging money in Cuba is easy once you know what to look for, so don’t be afraid to bring extra foreign currency. Once you get a feel for your budget you can always exchange it later in the trip. For more information on how to budget for Cuba click here. 

Exchange Machines

Immediately after exciting customs at the airport there are money exchange machines. There will be a line to use them but this is the easiest way to exchange money. The exchange machines scan your passport and allow $400 per transaction (you can always do multiple transactions). There are also traditional exchange counters on the floor above the machines.

Although convenient, these machines give mostly $50s. I learned the hard way that $50s are hard to break. At a busy restaurant in Trinidad we asked them to break a 50 and they looked at us like we wanted them to drown a puppy. They refused.

Paying for our tour in cash

CADECAs and Banks

CADECAs and certified banks are alternative options to exchange machines. “CADECA” is an official money exchange. Banks are also an option but not all of them exchange money. While in Havana I asked a security guard outside the bank if it was also a CADECA and he nodded.

Request small bills at CADECAs and banks. Preferably a few $20s, and everything else in smaller quantities. You must bring your passport to exchange money and will be required to sign for the breakdown of bills. It’s all very official. 

Language

Is Spanish required to travel in Cuba? No, but it’s good to know certain terms. Most Cubans speak a little English, and even if they don’t they will try because they want your business. Menus are written in both English and Spanish which makes ordering food easy. Tours are catered to English speakers. When hailing a taxi, write down the address and simply show it to the driver.

My Spanish is sorely lacking but I felt comfortable communicating because people are friendly. If you don’t know Spanish these phrases are useful:

The numbers 1-20 (for buying things or haggling taxi fare)

How much? – Cuánto cuesta? 

Where is the restroom? – Dónde está el baño?

The bill, please. – La cuenta, por favor.

A bottle of water. (you will buy a lot of it) – Una botella de aqua.

Thank you. (it’s always good to be polite) – Gracias.

Clothes

Cuba is incredibly lax with their dress code. It’s common to see tight dresses, yoga pants, shorts, and tank tops, but not booty shorts or flip flops. Although it was a relief to wear pretty much anything, keep in mind that you will get an incredible amount of unwanted attention (especially as a woman). If that doesn’t appeal to you, dress down.

Cuba and Trinidad have roughly cobbled streets. Wear actual sandals instead of flip flops to avoid tripping. Also, dirty water drains down the cobbles, so don’t wear clothing that touches the ground (like a long dress).

During the evenings Cubans dress up. They change from shorts in the afternoon to nice jeans and cute dresses in the evening. At shows and fancy restaurants dress nicely. Fine dining restaurants might supply a dinner jacket if you come underdressed. 

Transportation

Bus

The bus system in Cuba is reliable. There is no way to book fare online, but it’s simple enough to buy tickets at the station. From Trinidad to Havana we paid $25 for a 6-hour Viazul bus ride.

Cons – opening hours for the Viazul office were incorrect and we had to buy tickets last minute.

Pros – the bus was on time, comfortable, and the driving steady. There was no bathroom on board but a bathroom break was included in the drive.   

Taxi

Taxis are the most common mode of transportation and finding a good ride is a mixed bag. Be prepared to haggle because most drivers will try and rip you off. Don’t agree on a price you don’t like. This may seem like obvious advice but drivers can be very persistent.

“It’s much farther than you think!”

“I know you have the money. I have kids to feed!”

A good rule of thumb is to not pay more than you would a rideshare back home. Support Cuban drivers with a good fare but don’t get ripped off. Ask the casa particular host or hotel staff how much a taxi costs to your destination. Often times they will even arrange one for you. 

Getting a taxi is easy. When a driver sees a tourist they immediately slow down and ask if you want a ride. We never hailed a taxi – they hailed us. Just be careful because random cars will offer tourists a “taxi” ride. Don’t get into a taxi that doesn’t have a TAXI sticker. Also, don’t start haggling until you know which taxi belongs to the driver. Several times a driver would stand next to a car that we assumed was his taxi, but after agreeing on a price he lead us to a different car. 

Here are two bad taxi experiences we had:

From the bus station to our casa particular – a nicely dressed man asked if we needed a taxi. He offered $12 to Vedado because “it is very far.” After agreeing to pay $10 we walked across the street to a rundown car that smelled like cat pee. We were shoved into the taxi and a disheveled stranger jumped into the driver’s seat. The drive was barely 10 minutes. We arrived at our location safely but were totally ripped off. 

From Malecon to downtown Havana – we had been walking and were not sure where we were (our first mistake). A man offered us a ride and we agreed to pay $10 because “downtown is far.” He walked over to a horrible, broken down car. The ride was 5 minutes and easily walkable. This was the biggest rip-off we encountered on our trip.

Do not be lenient with taxi drivers because they will not be lenient with you. Yes, expect to pay more as a tourist, but if the price is high walk away. There are taxis around every corner.

• To/from the airport – $25 to $30
• Vedado to Downtown Havana – $10
• Vedado to Hotel Nacional – $5
• Around Downtown – $2-$5
• Well-kept classic car – $40/hour is the starting price

With that being said, there were plenty of drivers who immediately quoted fair prices. If you like the driver then ask him for a card or phone number. Often times taxi drivers are happy to pick you up again.

$25 for 30 minutes, pictures, and an awesome driver!

Accommodation

Casa particulars are similar to Airbnbs. They connect you to a local family with a spare room. This is also a great way to “support the Cuban people” because most hotels are government owned. There are casa particulars available on Airbnb and similar websites.

• Prices are $20/night for basic, $30/night for average, $60/night for luxury
• Typically include breakfast, or will add it for $2-$5/pp.
• Common to have multiple beds in a room
• Beds are uncomfortable (think box springs).
• Do not expect hot water, good water pressure, or wifi.
• Expect a safe for valuables, aircon units, and a stocked fridge – the fridge is like a hotel mini bar and you are expected to either pay for or replace what you take.

Before you leave for Cuba tell the host your estimated time of arrival. Write down the address and phone number of the casa particular. Wifi is rare and you will not be able to bring up the reservation once in Cuba. If the host is not there when you arrive ask the taxi driver or neighbor to call them.

We booked each casa particular ahead of time but another option is to find one upon arrival. Official casa particulars will have a blue and white sign on the house. Knock on the door and ask if there is a room available.

Our casa was on the second floor

Food

Nobody goes to Cuba for the food. It’s bad and I never want to see another ham and cheese sandwich again.

Breakfast

Most accommodation offers breakfast. Expect coffee, guava juice, scrambled eggs, fresh guava, pineapple, papaya, mystery meat (hot dog, salami, bologna), and bread and butter. Breakfast is huge and it will hold you over until dinner if you don’t have a big appetite. If breakfast is not offered at the accommodation bring instant oatmeal or granola bars. I cannot attest to breakfast at restaurants.

Lunch

Ham and cheese sandwich anyone? No, not the Americanized “Cubano” sandwich which doesn’t exist in Cuba. I mean two slices of white bread, a giant hunk of sliced ham, a couple slices of cardboard cheese, and some cucumber if you’re lucky. If there is nothing else to eat in Cuba, there will always be a ham and cheese sandwich.

Dinner (or lunch)

A normal meal will include meat, salad, and starch. Meat is usually chicken or pork, but lamb and seafood is common too. The meat will often be pan fried in oil, making it a heavy meal. Salad is a pile of green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado. The starch is rice, beans, or rice and beans.

Pizza is everywhere, although it varies in quality and taste. Cuban cheese isn’t particularly good, so finding good pizza can be tough. Pasta and seafood are common but expensive and lacking flavor. In general, we found that paying more for food did not ensure better quality.

Dessert

Flan or “rice with milk.” Don’t like either of those? Too bad.

The avocado is delicious!

What Food to Look For

The best meals were lunches prepared by local farmers in Vinales. We ate family-style with plates of food laid down for everyone to share. It was a wonderful smorgasbord of shredded pork, grilled chicken, shredded crab, fried chicken, rice and beans, garlic yucca (YUM), avocado, yams, and taro chips.

Service

Service in Cuban restaurants is generally good. Servers are quick to take orders and will make useful recommendations. Food comes out quickly. On the downside, staff is too eager to clear everything off the table. Annoyingly, my plate was taken away several times mid-bite (not even joking) because the others had already finished their meals. I would ask the server to put my plate back so I could finish. This also happened with cocktails. Servers would take away a drink when there was still ¼ left.

The server will not bring the bill unless asked, and at many restaurants you will pay with the cashier. If you can pay at the table the server will go to the cashier for change. The cashier handles all the money so it takes time for the server to get change. 

People

The Cuban people are lovely. They are helpful and will give directions or recommendations. Our hosts and tour guides were friendly, and having one-on-one conversations with the locals was always enjoyable. We felt safe everywhere and never had anyone steal from us (that we know of).

However, when you walk through town the mood drastically changes. It’s what I imagine being a celebrity feels like – everyone tries to talk to you. They will ask for money, if you want a taxi, where you are from, if you will be their girlfriend… the questions and comments never end. It’s exasperating.

Our guide explained “everyone assumes you are rich.” Every day people would rip us off or ask for money. They were ruthless because they thought we had loads of cash. We learned to ignore everyone who spoke to us because they did not want to be friends – they wanted money.

By the end of our trip we avoided restaurants with live music because bands would play two songs and then pressure us for tips. Our worst experience was walking near downtown Havana. Three men asked to sing us a song. We firmly declined but they sang anyway. After half a song they asked for tips.  I reached to get $1 and one man said “$20 is enough. I know you have it and I have kids to feed.” He was dead serious. We gave them $3 which they scoffed at and told us we were cheap.

Before leaving your accommodation for the day take a deep breath and prepare yourself for the onslaught of people. You have been warned.

Confirmations

It’s best to plan ahead because internet is hard to find in Cuba. We made reservations for tours, taxis, and casa particulars before leaving the US. After booking, the company will only send one email confirmation. No reminder emails. No reminder texts. It seems odd and the lack of confirmations made us nervous. We were pleasantly surprised that every reservation was honored, and every taxi we booked was on time.

For example, our last day in Havana we took a taxi from downtown to our casa particular. We asked the driver if he would take us to the airport the next day at 11:30. He had another appointment but promised to send someone else in his stead. The next morning we were worried. What if nobody came? Did he remember the address? At 11:20 a beautiful pink convertible pulled up to take us to the airport.

Cigars

When your friends find out you’re going to Cuba they will ask for cigars. The three ways to get cigars are directly from the farm, from a store, or from someone on the street.

Farm

If you’re in cigar country buy them directly from the farmer. We did a cigar tour in Vinales and bought 20 fresh cigars for $40. The cigars went straight from the farmer’s hands into ours. This is the best way to get cigars because they’re cheap, it supports the farmer directly, and they have a story. The downside is the cigar will not have an official seal.

30 years of rolling cigars!

Store

The most obvious way to buy a cigar is from an official cigar store (not a souvenir shop that happens to sell cigars). If you’re nervous about buying cigars this is the best option. The staff will explain what to look for and the differences between them. If you buy a cigar from the store it will come with an official seal and/or box. The downside is cost. These stores are government run and have a significant markup.

Street

Never buy cigars from random people on the street. They will sell fakes for a high price. If you decide to go this route, research “how to spot fake cigars” before you leave.

On a separate note, I did have an interesting experience buying cigars from a stranger. One night in Havana a taxi driver told us there was a cigar festival around the corner. We walked in the direction he pointed and saw our casa particular host. We asked him where the festival was and he led us to a random house. He spoke to the family and they led us inside to a big display of cigars.

Their optimal outcome was to sell us a box of Cohibas for $150, but it was our last day and we were running low on money. They explained “there is one day out of the year when the government allows factory workers to sell cigars to the public.” I laughed and realized the cigars were probably real, but stolen.

I bought a pack of three Cohibas for $40. The cigars may have been fake, and they were definitely stolen, but the circumstances were funny enough that I had to buy some. After all, I was there to support the Cuban people, right?

Drinks

Rum is everywhere and it’s cheap. Havana Club is the most common brand and bottles are $5 at the store. Rum based drinks (mojitos, daiquiris, cuba libres, and pina coladas) are $2-4 at the bar. In Trinidad the average rum drink is $2, and in Havana $3. Happy Hour is cheaper and goes from 4-6pm. There are also drink stations around town that sell $1 rum-based cocktails.

Anything other than rum costs more. Vodka is hard to find and whiskey drinks are $5. On average, beer is $2 and a glass of wine is $10. The wine is bad, expensive, and best avoided.

Expect to get a different amount of alcohol at each establishment because there is no “standard pour.” Most places pour ½ ounce per cocktail. I would recommend bringing a flask, buying a bottle of rum for $5, and spiking your drinks… not that we have any experience doing this.

Toilet Paper

Do not put toilet paper in the toilets in Cuba. The plumbing is not set up for it. Instead, put used toilet paper in the bin provided. Casa particulars will supply toilet paper but many public bathrooms will not. When entering a public restroom there will be a bathroom attendant selling toilet paper. If you do not bring your own expect to pay $0.25-$1 for a few sheets. If you have toilet paper the bathroom attendant will usually let you use the restroom without paying. However, some attendants will charge you regardless if you have toilet paper or not. Keep small change for restroom fees.

Water

Tap water is not safe to drink in Cuba. Bottled water is $1 for small and $2 for large. Casa particulars either supply bottled water (for a fee) or pitchers of boiled water. To avoid the environmental impact of water bottles I used Aquamira drops. Aquamira makes water taste like chlorine, but it’s easier than depending on your host to supply water bottles.

Leave a cup of filtered water on the bathroom sink.  It is very tempting to brush your teeth with tap water but it is not safe! Even a small amount of tap water can make you sick. Also, do not open your mouth in the shower or while washing your face. It may seem trivial, but waterborne pathogens are microscopic and can easily make their way into your body.

Fresh-pressed sugar cane juice

Souvenirs

Do not expect to impress anyone with awesome souvenirs because they are mostly poor quality. Magnets are just stickers with a tiny magnet glued to the back. Shot glasses are hollowed out pieces of wood with “Cuba” written on them in permanent marker. The best gifts are cigars and rum. There is also beautiful artwork available for good prices.

Shop owners are very respectful. They keep an eye out to make sure you don’t steal anything, but do not harass you either. In fact, several times we went into shops to get away from people harassing us on the street. Once you show interest in an item the shop owner will tell you the price, but otherwise leave you alone. 

The cutest things we found

Conclusions 

As an American it’s typical to believe travelling to Cuba isn’t worth the hassle. There is a lot of misinformation and confusion about what to expect when you get there. In the end, our trip to Cuba was no more complicated than going to any other foreign country. The issues you face in Cuba are the same as you would any other developing country. It is an exciting place to visit and don’t be afraid to make your next destination this beautiful country!