Cuba Travel Requirements – 16 Things to know before you go!
What are the travel requirements for Cuba?
There are so many questions and rumours about travelling to Cuba that I just decided to answer them all.
This may be a long post but it will mean you get all the right paperwork before you leave and will help you plan your trip! See below for:
- Cuba – What’s it like?
- Can I go to Cuba? What about Americans?
- Can I fly to Cuba from the USA?
- How do I get my Cuban visa – tourist Card?
- You have to have Insurance!
- You have to complete an online health and customs form before you leave
- Cuba and Money – its complicated!
- What Language do they Speak in Cuba?
- What should I bring to Cuba with me?
- Accommodation options in Cuba
- Transport & Getting Around in Cuba
- Food and Eating Out in Cuba
- Is there Internet in Cuba?
- Safety and Travelling Solo in Cuba
- Hustlers (Jineteros) and Scams in Cuba
- Where Should I go in Cuba?
Cuba – What’s it like?
In a word – great! Music, dance, cigars, fabulous cars, and the ever-present Che Guevara come quickly to mind.
To me it’s a land where relaxation and music appear to be the two most important parts of life, where the value of rocking chairs on the verandah is never underestimated, it’s a land with quietly friendly people quick to smile and quicker to laugh (unless they’re on the hustle), it’s a land still bound in communism of a sort but where the Catholic Church, never banned, still reigns.
Cuba is full of beaches, tropical forests and waterfalls, and agriculture – not least the tobacco fields from which the famous Cuban cigars are made, it’s the place that gave birth to mojitos and daiquiris which are delicious and almost cheaper than water, it’s a place where beautiful American cars from the 50’s happily share the roads with ghastly Russian Ladas from the 80’s, weary looking horses and carts, and modern Chinese electric motorbikes.
It’s a land where baseball reigns supreme with ballet a close counterpart; it’s a land where the face and words of Castro and Guevara are ever present but where the internet and limited capitalism has now arrived and is making its mark; it’s a land where the houses are spotless inside but the buildings are crumbling and the streets can be filthy; a place where grandeur and extravagances once reigned and the evidence has not been mindlessly removed but preserved and shared about.
Cuba is a land full of people quietly proud of their country and its beauty, and their free education and health systems; it’s a land on the cornerstone of change where, if they manage it right, you will always be able to step back in time to the era of the fifties.
It is above all, simply put, a wonderful place to escape to!
Can I go to Cuba? What about Americans?
YES – unless you are from Kosovo you can go to Cuba! People from Kosovo cannot enter Cuba as Cuba does not recognise Kosovo as a country.
Most nationalities require a visa – commonly known as a tourist card but there are some exceptions. I have written a detailed post on everything you need to know about getting a visa – which includes those nationalities that do not need visas. If you read this it will answer a lot of questions you might have and gives details of any issues you may face as a US national and a non-US national – there are some things you need to know.
Can I fly to Cuba from the USA?
Rumours have it that you cannot go to Cuba from the USA. Not true. You can. I flew in and out of Miami September 2019 – no problems, no hassles, in fact it couldn’t have been easier. Now there are a lot of flights – 250 a month from Miami alone. You can also fly direct from Houston, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. If you are using a connecting flight, I highly recommend American Airlines from Miami as they have the process down pat and its very easy.
However I do recommend if you are a not a US citizen – if you can fly to Cuba from another country without passing through the USA – then do. (Read why under How Do I get my Cuban Visa.)
You can fly direct to Havana from Cancun, Merida, Monterray and Mexico City in Mexico, Panama City, Bogota in Colombia, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Montreal in Canada, Frankfurt, Rome, Milan, Moscow and Zurich in Europe, Istanbul in Turkey, and many Caribbean countries.
Cuba travel requirements: How do I get my Cuban Visa – Tourist Card?
A few quick facts about the visa:
The visa for Cuba is called a Tourist Card.
There are restrictions for US nationals travelling to Cuba, or people from other nations travelling to Cuba from the US.
The easiest place to get your visa is at the airport.
US Citizens must have a schedule and must not visit certain places!
There is a lot to know about the Cuban Tourist Card. I have written a detailed post on everything you need to know about getting a tourist card and the restrictions you will face.
Cuba travel requirements: You have to have Insurance!
You are supposed to be asked for proof of travel insurance on entry to Cuba.
Note that U.S. airlines currently include the mandatory level of travel medical insurance in your ticket. (Please check this in case things change.) If you are flying from other countries then you will need separate insurance.
I was asked for proof and duly produced my insurance certificate, but I know others that were not asked for proof. Better to be safe than sorry.
Note: if you travel without insurance its a massive unnecessary risk (take it from someone with three friends that nearly died overseas, and in each case, without the insurance they would have had a very bad and very broke outcome).
Cuba travel requirements: You have to complete an online health and customs form before you leave
To enter Cuba, you must complete the D’Viajeros Advance Information of Travelers Form.
This is a simple form that asks some health questions and includes your customs declaration form.
You must fill it out before you leave to Cuba, but you can only complete it within 48 hours of your departure to Cuba.
Open the page from the link above. In the top right corner click the icon and you will be able to select your language. Then select “Form Request” (if using English). Complete the form.
When you submit the form you get a QR code and an email that you present to immigration officers at the airport in Cuba.
Cuba and Money – its complicated!
Credit Cards
IMPORTANT to note:
You can use credit cards in some places – typically accommodation and pricier restaurants etc. Generally you can only use MasterCard but it must not have an American parent company. I met one person who had a British MasterCard but could not use it because the parent bank company was American. Check the background of your credit card carefully before you go.
Check, check and double check 🙂
Currency exchange
In the past there were two currencies in Cuba – the CUC for foreigners, and the CUP or Cuban peso for locals – but now there is only one currency.
The only national currency in Cuba is the Cuban Peso, also known as the CUP or simply the peso. It is officially the only currency accepted in Cuba for most transactions. $1US is around 24 CUP (officially).
You can change money at the airport, banks, hotels and CADECA’s – exchange offices. However, the exchange rate on the street is much higher (around double) than at an official exchange place. Out of Havana smaller towns often don’t have queues at the bank so you can also exchange there, however in Havana the queues in banks can be very long!! Think two hours waiting if you time it wrong.
Note: Do not change money on the street unless you really have your wits about you and you check their money before handing over yours. Its an easy thing to replace CUC for old CUP and with such large numbers when dealing with pesos you could easily miscount and be tricked by smart dealers.
Cash
Most places now take US dollars and many take Euros. Some other currencies like Canadian, the GBP and Mexican can be exchanged at official exchange places, but don’t count on using them elsewhere. These days many prices (restaurants, tours, taxis, public transport, shops) are quoted in USD or euros. Most large hotels will exchange for you whether you are staying there or not.
Note: If you do bring GBP the locals consider it the same value as the US or Euro in official and unofficial exchanges – so be wary of international exchange values before you think of doing this.
You can get pesos in 1, 3, 5, 10, 10, 20, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 peso notes. The coolest is the 3 peso – see the picture below!
What Language do they Speak in Cuba?
Spanish – very very fast Spanish.
However, a lot of people these days speak a smattering to very good English, and I heard some speak German, French and even Japanese (although that I would say is rare). The further from Havana or other tourist hotspots, the less likely there will be people that speak English.
It is worthwhile getting at least a few Spanish basics under your belt before you leave, but I met people that had none and they seemed to be doing just fine (with English).
What should I bring to Cuba with me?
Bring, along with the normal things you need:
- Any medication you may need. It will be hard to get.
- For females- any period products you will need. They will be hard to get.
- Water filter bottle. You are not recommended to drink the water from the taps.
Accommodation in Cuba
You can stay in a hotel – you will find good options on Tripadvisor.
Note: if you are American you should avoid any hotels on the US Restricted List.)
Casa particulares
But, if you are in Cuba ‘supporting the Cuban people’ or if you prefer a cheaper option, or to see real day to day life in Cuba, then you might like to stay in local peoples houses – casa particulares. These are basically homes with usually one to three rooms rented to tourists. Like anywhere they vary and some are better than others, but in general they are very good and very clean and very cheap if you are two, three or even four sharing.
To find a casa particulares use Tripadvisor and select BnBs & Inns under Property Types on the left hand side, or, check out what is on offer on Hostelworld. Both have plenty of great options. Alternatively open google maps for the town or area you are going to and zoom in – you will see a lot of the casa particulares on the map and, if you click on any of these casas, the reviews to go with them.
It is more expensive if you are like me and travelling alone, as most casa particulares have at least a double and single bed per room, (more common seems to be two or three double beds in a room). You pay for the room not the number of people. Still, its a great way to go.
The great thing about staying in casa particulares, apart from getting to know local Cubans, is that the owners will usually help sort out transport and guides and all the things you might want – especially outside of Havana. Yes of course they are likely to be friends, but its fine – it works really well in my experience. I got a way better deal on horse riding in Vinales than I would have had if I’d gone to the tourist office and booked, so don’t think its all a scam – its not. The people in Cuba are generally absolutely lovely (excluding the scammers in Havana!)
Transport & Getting Around Cuba
Buses and shared taxis (collectivos) are the main forms of transport in Cuba. There are private taxis too.
There is a bus and collectivo station in each town.
Viazul is the main line for buses that tourists find easy to use (see www.viazul.com).
Casa particulares and hotels will generally arrange shared or private taxis for you. It is probably cheaper to go to station if you are staying at a hotel, but my casa particulares gave me the standard fare for shared taxis and this meant I didn’t have to waste any time organising it. It also means you get picked up from your casa. Perfect.
I chose to do most of my trips in a collectivo because it was usually only a tiny bit more than the bus (e.g 35 CUC rather than 32 CUC for one trip I did) and faster – in this case 2.5 hours faster.
Private taxis – if there are two or three of you you may choose to travel this way and it wont necessarily cost much more. Effectively you pay the price of four people in a shared taxi and its going to be more comfortable. But bargain if its low season especially – then you possibly will not even pay the price of four people. If you do have to – well that’s fair enough!
Food and Eating Out in Cuba
The mangoes and the avocados (if you get there during the season) are the best ever – and they are huge! ( Mangoes approx May to early September, Avocados June to October , plus one variety over the Christmas new year period.)
Otherwise, you don come to Cuba for the food. You get standard Central American fare on the whole – think rice, beans, meat, plantain, and a bit of salad. I know some people that took sriracha sauce with them to liven things up a bit!
Of course there is seafood being an island and it can be quite good, and the traditional “ropa vieja” (translated literally to ‘old clothes’) is also pretty tasty (ripped beef with onions, garlic, red wine, dry wine, tomato puree, marjoram, and cumin) and definitely something you should try while there.
One thing to note – selling beef is pretty much illegal, and the only place you are likely to find it is in a restaurant – not at your casa. Its a long story to do with rules brought in after the revolution when they realised they had nearly depleted the cattle stock.
Is there Internet in Cuba?
Yes Cuba has internet – its controlled but its there and improving all the time. It has already had a huge impact on Cuban tourism as they know the value of a good TripAdvisor or HostelWorld review!
Note:
Internet is not the fastest or most reliable, but generally its ok.
The Cuban government blocks some sites, and the US government blocks Cuba from some things like zoom.
If you want full access like back home, you will need a VPN. You need to download the VPN BEFORE you get to Cuba because you cannot download a VPN in Cuba.
Download useful tools like Maps.Me, Cuban maps, google translate – Spanish before you leave home.
WhatsApp is very popular in Cuba.
Where can I get internet?
Basically the internet is available in all the tourist areas and is increasingly found all across the country. The local state run provider ETECSA has hotspots all over the place – originally it used to be in places like public parks but now is more widespread. You can find a list of current hotspots on the Etecsa website. However, they may be hotspots, but they are not free.
You have to buy a card – like an old phone card, go to the hotspot area and then enter the card details on the state run wifi Etecsa. To do this you need a CUBACEL SIM card or a Nauta card from ETECSA offices across the country.
Note: A few high end hotels have free wifi – but its a very few at this stage. Some casas will let you use their cheaper internet and charge you a rate that should be a lot cheaper than the rate of the cards. To do this they will have to log on with their details on your phone / laptop. Check with your hosts.
Cubacel SIM Card
The Cubacel SIM card allows you to call, text, and surf the web; but it is quite expensive at $25 USD for 6GB of data. You will have to top up the card if you need more mobile data in addition to cell phone service.
NAUTA Internet Cards
You can buy Nauta cards for 30-minutes, 1-hour or 5-hours (at the time of writing) and they cost about $1.05 per hour.
Notes for buying cards
Because of the queues, it is best to buy enough to last your trip so you only have to queue once. Queues are not so bad outside of Havana.
You need your passport to buy a card.
Its a good idea to buy in bulk so you only have to queue once, but note that you can only buy three cards per person. It does not matter if it is 3×1 hour or 3 x 5 hours – so if you need that time go for the 3 x 5 hours option!
You can usually buy cards from hotels (who usually have a hotspot too) or from touts on the street – about double the price if you queue – but it can save you a lot of time!
Using the cards
Each card has a unique Username (Usario) and Password (Contraseña), which you use to log in. You can use the cards on your laptop, your phone.
To log in, connect to a hotspot, and wait for the log in window to appear. Complete the fields and hit accept. Then a timer will come on showing how much time you have left.
Disconnect to log off – it might pay to check this works the first couple of times. (It used to be more complicated than that and you may read that elsewhere- but this is the current up to date situation.)
Safety and Travelling Solo in Cuba
It’s basically safe – safer than many or maybe most countries. I never felt worried as a female walking around alone (including at night).
Obviously just use your common sense like you would anywhere else. You may get a bit of hustle or scamming (see below), and there is some pick-pocketing apparently (I never had it happen or meet anyone that did) but generally its a safe country.
There have also been reports of things being stolen from peoples rooms in the past, but with the internet, the people that deal with tourists are now online and they don’t want any bad reviews. So if you’re worried then just use places you can book online. For me, it was not an issue at all and I didn’t hear of anyone else having anything stolen from their rooms. Of course take the usual precautions.
Hustlers (Jineteros) and Scams in Cuba
With visions of having to beat of touts / hustlers I was pleasantly surprised to find yes there are a few but really not too many and when it’s clear it’s a no, they give you a smile and move on – it’s all good.
Generally jineteros want to get you into a particular taxi or restaurant. Tourism is the only way to make any real money in Cuba and so really they’re just doing their job and their best to make a living. These Jineteros are basically good people. Don’t stress about them.
Scammers on the other hand are not always so pleasant. They will start by engaging you in conversation. “where are you from” People generally like to say where they are from and they know that. So if you hear that question, keep walking and don’t engage. It feels rude but you will very likely pay the price if you don’t ignore them.
Scam 1
If someone invites you to go dancing – salsa – say no or do not leave the agreed meeting place. If its not a genuine place full of people dancing then get out. They may dance with you for a bit then demand money for providing a ‘lesson.’ Others will engage with you and walk and talk with you, press a small gift on you, then after a while ask for money (for their niece who needs things for school, or their sick grandmother they care for).
Scam 2
Others may take you to a bar or restaurant being very friendly and talkative, then leave you with the bill and whatever else may have been put on it. A really good one is someone being super friendly and then asking you to buy milk for their daughter. They want to take you to a shop where the shop owner will charge $10 CUC for a liter of milk (ridiculous) and package up three liters or so for you to buy. You buy it and leave, the guy who needed the milk for his daughter and the shop owner split the money and do it again.
Someone tried this on me. I was being nosy looking in on a school and he suddenly appeared and started showing me the school rooms. I thought he had come out of the school and worked there so it was only when he started asking for milk I realised. Come over to this shop it wont take a minute – huge smiles and pleasantries. When I adamantly refused more than once he got really nasty – I never saw a face change so quickly in my life. It was just lucky it was a busy time of day and so I could walk away without feeling threatened.
Scam 3
And of course – cigars. Beware of buying cheap (often fake or very low quality) cigars from vendors. The best place by 100miles is to buy your cigars in Vinales direct from the farmer – otherwise stick to the government shops.
Off course there are plenty more scams but these are some key ones. Don’t let this put you off – Cubans are generally friendly and lovely people. The way to meet locals and have genuine conversations though is to instigate them yourself or through your hosts if you stay in a casa. If they instigate it when you are out and about then 90% of the time they want something. Talk to people in the queue or the waiters in the restaurant etc – they are genuinely friendly.
HES NOT A SCAMMER – BIT OF A HUSTLER THOUGH!
Where Should I Go in Cuba?
Its going to depend how long you have and what you want to do. There are two core groups of people – those coming for a week or so of a white beach and blue sea holiday, and, those coming to tour around the country whether backpacking, going it alone, or in a prearranged tour.
The ‘touring’ route is becoming well formed, but with new destinations being added all the time as people spend more time in the country and want to push the boundaries. However here are 11 of the current key spots, with the top three probably being Havana, Vinales, and Trinidad.
- Havana – you’ve got to do it for the old city and the car tours! I’m not a city type, but there’s something about this one that just got me. Read my post on Usual and Not so Usual things to do in Havana.
- Vinales – a country town / village with lovely scenery. Good for chilling, visiting tobacco (cigar making) farms, walking or riding in the valley.
- Playa Larga – in the area more commonly known in the west as the Bay of PIgs. Good for beach chilling and close to some good wildlife options.
- Cienfuegos – cool 50’s houses and beautiful UNESCO World Heritage listed French architecture in the central plaza and nearby – good for a night or two.
- Trinidad – its touristed for a reason, another beautiful UNESCO World Heritage listed old city, which is also near El Nicho waterfalls and the Topes de Collanes National Park and all its waterfalls and other offerings.
- Santa Clara – good for colonial and revolutionary history – and to see the final resting place of Che Guevara.
- Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) – unlike the preconceived notions most of us have, think of relaxing white sandy beaches lined with coconut trees!
- Camaguey – known for its maze of alleyways often compared to Moroccan medinas, Spanish plazas, performing arts and numerous cathedrals (being a stronghold of the Catholic Church).
- Baracoa – the first Spanish city in Cuba and great for cacao, foodies and nature lovers alike
- Santiago de Cuba – an eclectic mix of people with a caribbean vibe, full of the history of the revolution and the fight against Batista (Castro proclaimed victory from the balcony of the city hall, and the final resting place of hero Jose Marti (and Fidel’s ashes)
And finally:
- Varadero – this is actually the land of all inclusive package holidays in a hotel by the beach. I’m not going to say its part of the tourist trail as many skip it like me. But quite a few people added a couple of days beach chilling here to their agenda just before flying out. Others of course come here for a weeks R and R because of its famously beautiful white beaches and blue seas.
I hope that answers a lot of questions you might have – leave a comment below if you have more questions when planning your trip to Cuba!
Related Posts
Travel Requirements for Cuba – How do I get my Cuban visa or Tourist Card?
0 Likes
Share