Practical Tips for Traveling to Cuba

posted on : 09/26/2023 posted by : Cherene Saradar

Cuba is one of the most culturally unique destinations I’ve visited, not to mention, a gorgeous tropical island with some of the best beaches in the world. However, it is one of the most challenging places to visit for several reasons including political complexities, complicated currency issues, and a generalized scarcity of resources on the island. I can assure you the challenge is worth it and you will meet some of the warmest and most resilient people in the world. Americans probably have the most questions since there is a misconception that we cannot travel to Cuba. After my recent 3-week trip I thought I’d share what I learned and provide some practical tips for traveling to Cuba.

Where to find information about Cuba?

I was surprised at the lack of up-to-date information when I was researching my trip and there is also a large amount of misinformation out there. Luckily, I found some Facebook groups that offered some good advice from other travelers and I received helpful tips from the people running the tour that I did. I will provide links to all of this at the end. If you look up “Cuba Travel Community” or “Vacation in Cuba” you will find the Facebook groups I mentioned.

To summarize my trip, I spent one-week diving on a liveaboard, one week traveling independently and one week on a small group tour. Because of going with a tour, I had more help than most navigating the confusing world of Cuban travel. After returning, I shared some of my tips in the same Facebook group from where I had gathered so much good information. I decided to put it all together in a handy package since I have had multiple people ask for this information.

Can Americans Travel to Cuba?

Short answer: Yes.

There is much misunderstanding about this among Americans so I’m going to give the quickest summary of history ever. I urge you to dig deeper and learn more about this but I’m certainly not the expert. Since 1961 there has been an official economic embargo of Cuba by the United States Government. The type and degree of restrictions have taken many forms since then.

Summary Of Recent US Policy toward Cuba

President Obama tried to lift the embargo, but Congress did not allow it. In 2009, President Obama eased the travel ban, allowing Cuban Americans to travel freely to Cuba and in January 2015, the administration further reduced restrictions on U.S. citizen travel to Cuba. While restrictions on travel for missionary work and education have been loosened, visits for tourism remained “banned” (but not really).

In 2017, it was announced that President Trump’s administration would re-enforce the business and travel restrictions that were loosened by the Obama administration. However direct flights from the United States to Cuba still exist. I’ll cover these below.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Form

As you can see it has been a confusing few decades with various US administrations taking different approaches. Currently, the situation is that travel for “tourism” reasons is banned, but to be honest, this seems like a joke because it is still incredibly easy to travel to Cuba as an American. The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is who “regulates” this travel.

You have to print and fill out an OFAC form choosing one of the 12 acceptable categories of travel to Cuba. The 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba are:

family visits
official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
journalistic activity
professional research and professional meetings
educational activities
religious activities
public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
support for the Cuban people
humanitarian projects
activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials
certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing Department of Commerce regulations and guidelines with respect to Cuba or engaged in by U.S.-owned or -controlled foreign firms

Choosing “Support of the Cuban People” is the easiest. You need to have the form with you upon returning to the United States in case you are asked. MOST people are never asked for it. If questioned you need to show your itinerary and “proof” that you did not support the Cuban government. If you avoid government-owned hotels, this is easy to do. I’ll talk more about this under “Where to Stay”.

I recommend a quick read of the State Department’s Policy about Cuba before going.

How to ACTUALLY Go to Cuba as an American

Short answer: You simply book a flight and go and make sure you have some paperwork. Here are the direct flight options.

Airlines that Fly to Cuba

All of these airlines have specific Cuba travel information pages that are very helpful

American Airlines Flies from Miami to Havana, Camaguey, Santa Clara, and several other cities.
United Airlines Flies from Houston and Newark directly to Havana.
Jet Blue Flies from New York JFK and Fort Lauderdale to Havana
Southwest From both Tampa and Fort Lauderdale to Havana

I just listed the direct routes. Of course, you can fly from other cities but your layover will be in one of the above places depending on which airline you choose.

How to Get a Cuban Visa

US citizens need a visa aka tourist card (mine was $85 at the United Airlines desk in Newark Airport right before boarding that leg of my flight. You can order ahead of time online also. The various airlines have a desk where you purchase this before your flights but only on the direct leg of your flight. If you are traveling from the United States (regardless of your nationality) you need the “pink tourist card”. If you are traveling to Cuba from any other country (even as an American) you need a “green tourist card” which is cheaper.

American Airlines has this website where you can order your tourist card ahead of time.

This was copied directly from the United Airlines website.

In Houston and New York/Newark, we sell Cuban entry permits at the check-in counter and at the departure gate and collect payment before you board. You will need your passport, boarding pass and a major credit card to make your purchase. A Cuban entry permit costs $50.00 USD per person and is not included in the price of your airline ticket. An additional $35 USD service charge will also be collected per person by Cuba Travel Services (CTS), which administers the distribution of entry permits

As I mentioned earlier, you also must print and fill out the OFAC form and choose one of 12 categories for accepted travel in Cuba (choose “support of Cuban people” and make sure you don’t stay in any blacklisted government-owned hotels).

Medical Travel Insurance

It is required by Cuba for all travelers to have travel insurance for medical coverage. Some airlines include this in the cost of the tickets. I carry my own yearly travel insurance policy via Allianz so I didn’t need to worry but definitely check to see if your airline includes this.

According to American Airlines:

Cuba requires visitors to obtain Cuba-specific medical insurance, and will
be automatically included in the cost of the customer’s fare (a $25 surcharge)

Currency in Cuba

Currency is an evolving complex situation and it’s always best to speak with someone who JUST went to get the latest info. Essentially as of this June, you can use USD everywhere but some places prefer Cuban pesos (CUP). ***Note the CUC is NOT used anymore. Many blogs I read still mention this. They are not up to date. The official rate is 120 CUP per $1 USD. However, the street exchange is anywhere from 150 to 200. I don’t recommend doing this in the bank since the lines are long. Your Casa hosts can exchange some money for you. I suggest $100 USD bills with no tears or marks. Larger notes are better for exchange but make sure you bring plenty of small notes for everyday things. All of your bills should be in good condition or may not be accepted.

Some restaurants will accept any currency (EURO and USD are essentially interchangeable) but depending on what their exchange rate is you may be better off paying in dollars but sometimes pesos. Learn the math! It’s crazy. Be wary of hustlers on the street offering to exchange money for you. I don’t recommend this.

American ATM and credit cards not accepted in Cuba

PLEASE understand this. I saw many people who didn’t plan and were stuck cashless. Bring enough cash (more than you think you will need) for your entire trip. Even if you are not from the USA your credit card may not be accepted. I had European friends struggling with this. Even if you can use your non-US ATM card, the cajero (ATM) may not have cash. I also saw other non-Americans struggle to get cash. Not to mention that the rate at the cajero is $1 USD(or euro) to 120 CUP. Not good.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to ALWAYS have enough cash stowed away to get yourself back to the airport. And have a safety plan for carrying around all that cash. I don’t recommend keeping it all in one place. I either lock some in the safe or in my luggage or both.

Getting Around

You really don’t need to pre-book anything but you can if you want.

To/From Havana airport

The bus is $5 to the city but I hear they only accept credit cards and many cards don’t work. For Americans, this is not possible. A yellow taxi is a government taxi and you know that you won’t get screwed with the rates because they are standardized. It was $25 one way.

Viazul Bus

For some reason, you cannot book this with Cuban internet but you can from outside Cuba or within Cuba with a VPN. I recommend a VPN anyway for Cuba ( I use one everywhere). Here is the link for Viazul. Book ahead of time if you don’t want to use a VPN. I like Express VPN for anyone interested.

Colectivos

This is a shared taxi. Typically is a small van with 6-8 passengers and is 30 USD or 30 euro per person. They have set times and routes and your casa host can arrange this for you. I took one in between Trinidad and Varadero and Varadero and Havana. On the longer routes, they will stop for restroom and snack break.

Once I had to take a private taxi because it wasn’t a popular route between the port of Jucarao where my dive boat docked and Trinidad. The ride was 3 hours and cost $120.

Here is a comprehensive guide to transportation in Cuba.

Where to Stay

Book Casa Particulars on Airbnb to support locals. I normally don’t love Airbnb as a company but I think in Cuba, it is a good thing. Your casa host can help you arrange your transportation between cities and exchange money for you.

Hostal vs Hostel

‘Hostal’ is a classification invented by the Cubans. It’s just a different name for a Casa Particular with more than 1 room. A Hostel in Cuba is a room with multiple beds, dormitory style more like a traditional hostel. Casas typically charge 25 USD and up per night for a room while hostels can be much less. Full disclosure, the types of casas I stayed in were closer to 80 to 100 per night.

I do not have extensive travel experience in Cuba but for those who want to know, here are the places I stayed and recommend. I did not like where I stayed in Varadero so the rec is from a friend who had a great experience.

Havana

Hostal Casa Vieja

This felt like a true B&B experience rather than being in someone’s home. It is a colonial-style mansion built in 1816 full of art and the rooms are charming with balconies overlooking Havana Vieja. They serve a very nice breakfast on the rooftop terrace.

Trinidad

Casa Nancy

This is a beautiful colonial-style house with amazing hosts. it is right in the heart of old Trinidad and within walking distance to everything.

Varadero

Hostal Guajiro House

If you choose hotels make sure to avoid those on the USA state department restricted list. I spent one night in Havana at the Iberostar Parque Central. It was well-located and has a stunning view from the roof. I didn’t like that when a local Cuban tried to enter the lobby to meet me, he wasn’t permitted.

Why I don’t like all-inclusive resorts in Cuba

I see that many people come to Cuba for the wrong reasons. In my opinion, coming here thinking you’ve found a budget luxury beach destination is 100% the wrong reason. I don’t find Cuba the ideal luxury all-inclusive resort type of vacation. There are plenty of others in the Caribbean. Cuba is experiencing a period of extreme scarcity after years of the pandemic, decreased tourism, inflation, and a lack of petrol. It honestly feels icky coming here looking for 5-star hotel-type luxury.

You are helping Cuban people less at an all-inclusive resort than privately owned lodging and honestly, they’re not worth it. I checked a few of them out just to see what the fuss was about. Wasn’t impressed. Most of the big resorts are either government-owned or foreign-owned.

Phone/Internet

Your cell phone service won’t work in Cuba (not even Google Fi which works almost anywhere in the world). Order a Cuban sim card ahead of time on ETESCA website and you can pick it up at a booth at baggage claim. It was a very easy process.

Safety

Overall I believe Cuba to be a safe place. I have not heard any reports of violence against tourists but as with anywhere you go, use basic safety precautions. Much of the time I was solo and I experienced some catcalling but nothing excessive that I haven’t experienced elsewhere. Mostly I felt completely safe walking alone, even at night. In Trinidad, women were a bit aggressive about trying to get me to buy jewelry. There are many street hustlers trying to sell a tour or get you to exchange money or buy cigars (which will be fakes). Just say no thank you or ignore.

Read my Safety Trips for Solo Female Travelers for some basic safety travel trips.

Donations

Why is Cuba in such need?

In case you didn’t know, the island is experiencing a time of scarcity that is unprecedented. Because of the trade embargo and years of pandemic which restricted tourism, fewer goods are available on the island. They need almost everything and rely heavily on tourists to bring needed items. The list is extensive. Basic medications like Tylenol and Ibuprofen are at the top of the list (children’s formulations are appreciated also). Vitamins for children and the elderly are very much needed. Condoms, tampons, birth control pills, plan B, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, soap, candles, and black hair products are also things I was asked for. Sugar and flour are challenging to find. I was not served bread by one of my casa hosts in Varadero because she said she couldn’t find any. Contact your casa host and ask what they need although they are definitely better off than the average person. I carried some things with me in a tote to hand out when I came across someone who needed it. One tour guide expressed a desire for an American team baseball cap (which sadly I didn’t think to bring).

Don’t forget to save donated items for the farmers

Definitely bring donated items to Viñales because the farmers there don’t have access to things that people in Havana do. Shoes, sunscreen, bug spray, medications, and condoms were enthusiastically received by the farmers I met. Trinidad sees significantly fewer tourists than Havana and Varadero so they are in greater need also. In Trinidad women on the street begged me for extra shoes and clothing.

Don’t forget the animals

The animals in Cuba need medications, and flea and tick treatments too. Don’t bother bringing pet food because they are used to human food here. I carried leftover food around to give to skinny dogs in the street. Cuban portions are huge so the animals in my vicinity were well fed.

Always remember that what food you have access to as a tourist is not what the average Cuban has access to. Many tourists say “I had no problem finding food” and don’t seem to believe the locals have a problem. This is the privilege of being a tourist and having access to stores that either only cater to tourists or have prices only tourists can afford.

Tips for Traveling to Various Cities in Cuba

I visited Havana, Vinales, Trinidad, and Varadero. There is a ton to do in Havana and Trinidad. Viñales is stunning and not to be missed! The beach in Varadero is beautiful but other than that kind of boring. Unless you love lying on a beach I think 2 days here is enough.