Visiting Cuba - Suggestions for holidays, trains, itineraries, day-trips, and sightseeing from someone who has lived and traveled extensively in Cuba
| Beaches of Cuba Varadero >The nicest beaches in Cuba are at Varadero, about a 2 hour drive/bus ride fro... Changing money in Cuba Havana >Currency exchange is a pain. You'll generally need to get convertible pesos (sa... | Transfers at Havana airport >Havana (Jose Marti International) is a regular first-world caliber airport. You s... Getting to Cuba from the US >It's pretty easy to get to Havana from the US, albeit indirectly. The best method for... |
The nicest beaches in Cuba are at Varadero, about a 2 hour drive/bus ride from Havana. These are beautiful clearwater beaches with perfect sand and blue water.
Varadero is pretty quiet otherwise. Ther’s not a ton of nightlife except at each hotel. Each hotel however has a bar and some have clubs as well. Since almost every hotel is all-inclusive, you’ll find the open bars quite attractive.
Booking a stay in Varadero is best done on the web. Look for consolidators offering discount packages on just the all-inclusive hotels. You’ll find many in the UK and Canada offering deals on flights – call and look for savings on just the accomodation.
You’ll wind up paying 150-250/night per person for the all-inclusives, so shop around to find the best deal.
Currency exchange is a pain. You’ll generally need to get convertible pesos (say “pesos” or CUC). If you have USD, you’ll wind up paying .80 USD = 1 CUC, which is pretty rough. The better deal is to have either CAD, GBP or EUR. Euros are most favorable, so if at all possible plan on buying a bunch of Euro ahead of your trip. Unfortunately if you’re currently in the US, it’s not very easy.
There’s a money exchange (“Cadeca”) in the airport that charges the same as everywhere else, so feel free to change a lot of money when you step off the plane. It’s simple and easy.
Havana (Jose Marti International) is a regular first-world caliber airport. You should have no problems getting through and you’ll find english-speaking staff in most places.
Note that there will be aggressive taxi pushers outside. Don’t get taken. Negotiate upfront and for trips to downtown Havana, pay no more than 15 CUP (say “keen-zay”). Remeber, you’ll need to transfer money first to get 15 pesos. Taxis are modern and safe here.
