Routard Guide Cuba 2017 Vinales
Havana is the most fascinating city we’ve ever come across. It’s vibrant, bustling, exotic and raw., but with so much to see, do and experience in the capital, you may never want to leave Here is some essential information and advice (based on our experience) to make your trip to Havana a memorable one. Budget & Finance Let’s start with the money.
If you don’t have a firm grasp on the two currencies in, you can easily be taken advantage of and end up spending more than you need to. CUC = Cuban Convertible Peso (pegged to the USD) CUP = Cuban National Peso (1 USD = 25 CUP) 1 CUC = 1 USD 1 CUC = 25 CUP 1 CUP = 0.04 CUC It’s important to know the difference between the two currencies. The Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) is the currency that you’ll be using for almost all of your purchases (accommodation, transportation, restaurant meals, bus tickets, internet). The Cuban National Peso (CUP) is the currency that the locals are paid in, and the one that they most often spend. Street-food, small snacks, local buses and fruits & vegetables at the markets will be charged in CUP.?
Cuba can be travelled on a budget, especially if eating at the peso shops and taking local transportation. It’s a good idea to have both CUC and CUP in your wallet. If you want to buy an ice-cream, a glass of fresh guava juice, a small pizza, or some popcorn (among other things), you’ll need some CUP.
It is possible to pay with CUC, but it’s difficult to figure out the conversion, and the person selling to you will have to come up with a lot of change. You can take your Cuban Convertibles (CUC) to a money changer called Cadeca, this is also the place that you will change your Euros, Pounds or Dollars. Make sure to bring your passport. Note: CUC is not a “tourist currency”. The locals have to spend it on the same items as you do.
The only time that the CUC is actually more expensive for tourists is at museums and some historical sites when the cost is equal in CUC for tourists as it is in CUP for locals (ie: Foreigner pays 10 CUC ($10 USD) and locals pay 10 CUP (40 cents)). Peso pizza is one such item that you can purchase with CUP Airport Advice in Havana Tourist Card: Before arriving in Cuba, you will need to purchase a Tourist Card. This is similar to a visa, but it does not get placed in your passport, it’s a separate piece of paper. Sometimes the card is included in your flight price, but more often than not, you’ll have to purchase it at the airport before departing for Cuba. Sometimes there is a separate booth for purchasing the card, while other times you can simply buy it right where you check-in for your flight.
We flew out of City and were able to purchase the card at the Copa Airlines check-in counter. The cost of the card was (and always is) $20 USD. On arrival at the Havana airport, the immigration officer will stamp the card, and give you back half of it. You must keep this until you depart. Losing this part of the card will result in a whole bunch of unwanted bureaucracy when you try to leave. Bottom line don’t lose it. The Tourist Card that you will need to present to Immigration upon arrival in Havana Insurance: As of May 1, 2010, it’s obligatory to have insurance coverage to travel to Cuba and you must show proof of health/ upon arrival at immigration.
This needn’t be a big expense. We purchased our insurance for just $1.60 / day. As of 2016, the popular Insurance covers most travellers to Cuba – sorry fellow Canadians, we are not covered by them for – yet. Enter your details below to get a free quote.
Wow, tons of information and must have taken time putting it all together. Cuba is great and Havana has to be seen – although it is not our favorite city (Trinidad is). You tend to get hassled a lot in Havana and we were surprised by the strong smell of diesel (considering not that many cars on the road in Cuba). But we loved Central Havana and all the beautiful (but crumbling) buildings. It’s a place stuck in time.
A common scam is hustlers trying to get you to convert your hard currency to CUP at CUC exchange rates. It can be confusing as the currencies look similar. You don’t want to find out the you’ve given up your dollars for pesos worth 1/25th of the value! The other thing worth noting is that 1) your debit cards won’t work in Cuba and 2) they will charge you 11% on withdrawals on your credit card.
This was the case a couple of years ago when we went and I don’t think anything has changed.Banking in Cuba about 50 years behind (like internet) and everything conspires to make it costly for the tourist. Best bringing all the hard currency you’ll be needing. Food: can be horrible, especially at government hotels and all-inclusives. Totally agree that Paladars or Casas the way to go.
Rough Guide Cuba
One thing we noticed is that food can be bland and I think that has to do with lack of condiments/seasoning. So you may want to take a few spices from home with you. Otherwise Cubans some of the nicest and most educated people you’ll meet anywhere (except the useless ones working in government stores/hotels). Always looking to talk. We’ll go back one of these days. Frank (bbqboy).
Hey Frank, Thanks for the comment – yes, it took a long time to put together, but we LOVED Havana so it was worth every minute 🙂 Just a couple of things – Debit cards do work in Cuba, unless they are issued by American banks (ie: CitiBank, etc.) We used our Canadian card (TD) all over Cuba at the ATMs and were charged 3% by Cuban ATMs for a “currency conversion fee”. The preparing and planning article we linked to from this post explains the currency in more detail. We found that there was way more hassle in Trinidad compared to Havana actually!but still enjoyed it 🙂 We have a Cuba guide coming out soon that covers all of what’s currently going on in Cuba, stay tuned! These posts are making me miss Cuba so much.
My boyfriend and I had a long conversation last night about how we need to go back as soon as possible. It’s going to be crazy to see how much the country changes as relations with the US normalize! Anyway, this is such a great, informative post. Cuba is definitely a complex country and it took us a while to figure out the ins and outs of how everything worked (the currencies, casas particulares, etc.).
I haven’t been there since 2008 but it sounds like everything is exactly the sameexcept when I went you didn’t need health insurance. Hi Guys, Great stuff. Just read your articles about Cuba. I recently returned from a 2-week independent road-trip around Cuba and it was a spectacular experience. My time in Havana was excellent and was fortunate enough to stay at a pretty cool casa particular in Habana Vieja and hang out with one of the owners in parts less explored in the city. One thing, I believe that the departure tax still exists, but it’s included in the ticket price. Some airlines have not fully implemented this and are still charging at departure time.
Jineteros are WAY worse in other towns, but manageable. Speaking Spanish is a big plus 🙂 Cheers, Hugo.
Hi Lucy, If I recall, that website isn’t the greatest and rarely works properly. When we were there, we would go to the Viazul station and book tickets that way, not online. I’m also not sure if you can go direct from Vinales to Cienfuegos, you may need to go to Havana first. In any case, you can always check with Infotur to help you book tickets, or go to the ticket office as soon as you know the date that you want to leave. Another option is with a shared vehicle.
We did this a couple of times. Basically, there’s a car and driver, and a few other passengers and they take you from casa to casa. Direct door-to-door service, for the same price as the bus. We did this from Trinidad to Havana, and I’m sure they have it out of Vinales. Check with your casa, or with Infotur. I doubt that the tickets are booked up, and if they are, you can always take a shared car. I hope this helps!
Have a great trip to Cuba I’m just going to copy and paste part of the article, because it’s easier for me! Lol: “Viazul Bus: This is the 1st class, air-conditioned bus that most tourists take around Cuba. The only annoying thing about it in Havana is that the station is located outside of the center, and you can’t purchase tickets in town. A taxi out to the Viazul station is between 5 – 8 CUC.
Waterway Guide Cuba
However, if you plan to travel between Havana and Vinales or Trinidad, you can take a shared car, which is the same price as the bus. This is a much better deal as you don’t have to spend money getting to Viazul Station to purchase tickets one day, and go back to take the bus the next. You will also be picked up at your hotel/casa and dropped off at your next accommodation (door-to-door service). Plus, you will arrive much sooner than if you took the bus. You can purchase these tickets at an Infotur office.
Foreign Clearance Guide Cuba
Ask your hotel/casa for directions (there is one at the airport and one near Cafe Paris in Havana Vieja). This one is a no-brainer!”.
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