Welcome to this travel guide for Cuba. We visited this adorable country in February 2020, just before the Corona storm hit the world. Cuba is such a spectacular country, and you can explore and see a lot during a 10-day stay. We stayed in Cuba for 10 full days and divided the stay into 3 nights in Havana, 2 nights in Viñales, 1 night in Playa Larga, 3 nights in Trinidad, 1 night in Havana. We traveled around a lot, but it was way worth it. We decided to skip Varadero completely, as it’s very touristic and more or less one long beach along with a long line of all-inclusive resorts. Let’s dig into what to see, eat, and explore in Cuba.
Good to keep in mind in Cuba
Locals
Cuban people are very friendly and will always try to help you regardless of who you are. Keep in mind that Cubans always have a “friend” who can help you out if they can’t. If you ask for advice, they might even walk you to the destination. They will most likely earn a small commission for suggesting a friend’s place to you, so keep this in mind. If you are looking for something specific, then be very clear with that, otherwise, they might guide you elsewhere.
Staying at a Casa
Stay at Casa instead of a hotel, it will be half the price if not more and you get a more local experience. A Casa is like a bed and breakfast hosted by locals, and no other country in the world hosts as many Casas as Cuba. It’s the best experience you can have. You get local tips, you live in good locations, it’s cheap and they make you breakfast for 5 CUC at the desired time. Note! It’s very difficult to find breakfast places in Cuba, especially before 10 am as they don’t really seem to eat out this time of the day.
Currency
You need to change your currency to their local Cuban Convertible Peso. It’s about the same value as the US dollar, but only tourists use this currency. You can do this at Havana Airport. Cash is king in Cuba so make sure you have a lot of this and don’t rely on being able to pay with a card or credit card. This is only possible in hotels and some big chain restaurants and the cigar factory store.
Airport commute
The taxi from Havana Airport to Havana is always a fixed price of 25-30 CUC per way. If they suggest something else you have been fooled. Note! Prices might differ between that price range depending on current gas prices! But should never be more than 30 CUC.
Transportation
You have more or less three options to choose from if you want to explore many parts of Cuba when it comes to transportation. Bus, taxi collectivo, or private taxi. There are a few large bus companies in Cuba that drive the most popular routes, and you can book the tickets online and to most destinations, there are several departures per day. Taxi collectivo is what we mostly used to move around! Ask your casa hostess to book this for you, again, they will always have a “friend” who is a driver! This means that you will ride to your destination but share the taxi with others so it’s a full car. It’s a lot cheaper than a private taxi and in some cases cheaper than the bus and it will take you door to door. We used private taxi once and it’s quite expensive, but a nice experience if you want to go somewhere you can’t go by bus or taxi collectivo.
Wifi
Wifi is no guarantee in Cuba. This we learned quite fast. You will need a “wifi card” that costs about 1-2 CUC each, and then when you have the card, you need to find a place that offers wifi and you can connect your card to the Wifi and you have 1 hour of Wifi at your disposal. We have never seen anything like this. Sometimes the Wifi works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Make sure to look up your directions on the map beforehand and mentally prepare for a digital detox when visiting Cuba.
Havana
The vibrant Capital of Cuba, Havana! The city looks exactly like in the pictures. It’s like jumping back to 1950 with the old cars, hectic streets, and burning sun. Havana is a mix of everything. The heart of the city is the gorgeous Parque central with it’s surrounding hotels, palm trees, Capitolio and the long line of old cars, all eager to take you on a tour. In the surroundings, you have Havana’s old town, china town, and the sea. Havana is the perfect capital for just strolling around and getting lost in the streets. There’s always someone you can ask for help when you get lost. Below I’ve listed the things we did and a few restaurants and bars we visited.
What to do in Havana
Old car cruise
This is a must-do when in Havana. Grab a car of your choice, sit back, and enjoy a 1 or 2-hour sightseeing tour through the city. Make sure to choose a driver that knows English in case you aren’t fluent in Spanish, as they will be able to tell you a lot about the city and history while driving. The cost is about 25-30 CUC per hour or 50 CUC for two hours.
Cigar shop
If you want some souvenirs home, you need to visit a certified cigar shop. These are the only cigars that are 100% qualitative and will not get caught in customs. There are a few shops around Havana.
Walk the Malecon
Malecon is the beach promenade that goes around Havana! It’s very long but a nice morning run or walk for those who want some exercise as well.
Playa Del Este
There is a beach available not far from Havana! You can take the bus from Parque central and ride back with the same bus line and ticket. It’s not a huge beach but quite nice.
Visit the pool of some hotel
If you want a day at the pool this can be a bit tricky in Havana! Almost all hotels allow only hotel guests at the pool or they will charge you 50-100 CUC just for staying at the pool. However, there is one hotel named Hotel Sevilla that will allow you to visit the pool for 25 CUC per day per person, and you can use a part of it for buying drinks and food!
Restaurants & Bars in Havana
O’Reilly 304
Very popular place and a bit touristic, meaning you saw more tourists than locals here. However, the food and drinks were really nice! I had the best salsa (in my life?) here and their tacos were to die for. Highly recommend this place.
La Guardia Rooftop bar
Also a bit touristic but again very much worth it. The views are amazing from the rooftop and the people working there are so friendly. Enjoy a drink, smoke a cigar, and watch the Havana sunset from here.
San Cristobal
This is a really local place and we ate here our last night in Cuba. It’s a local fine-dine restaurant, prices are a bit higher than average but it’s so worth it. The food and service are excellent.
Michifu
Our neighbor Casa recommended us this place and walked us there! It’s a narrow restaurant placed on an inner yard. We had tapas and live music and delicious drinks. It’s not a typical Havana place but very cozy.
Local drop-ins
Don’t forget that you are in Cuba. It’s not a place for making reservations every night. Stroll around and you might and up having a great dinner at some local place instead of Tripadvisors must-visits.
Good to keep in mind in Havana
Casa or hotel?
Stay at a casa in Havanna as it will be much cheaper than staying at a hotel, the Havana hotels are very expensive. Note! If you want to lay at the pool when in Havana, then definitely choose to stay at a hotel, as you will need to pay 25-100 CUC in order to visit a pool if you are not a hotel guest.
Stay in the center
Stay in the center so you can walk everywhere! Taxis are not expensive per se but it’s not necessary to move around with a car in the narrow streets of Havana. It’s part of the charm to stroll around.
Safety in Havana
It’s relatively safe. We felt very safe when in Havana although people were drunk and it was late in the evening. However, if you are a lady and you walk alone, be prepared to get some admires and men shouting after you or even starting to walk with you.
Where to buy cigars
Do NOT buy cigars anywhere else than the certified cigar factory! Regardless of what the seller tells you and regardless of how real they look, they will not be authentic, good value cigars if not bought at the cigar factory. The same goes for Rum. Keep in mind the number of cigars and rum you can export to your country without getting caught by customs.
Viñales
Oh, Viñales, one of our favorite stops on the way. Visiting Vinales is like going back 100 years in time. This is really the countryside of Cuba. You have a few taxi cars in town due to tourists, but otherwise, you move around with a horse. It’s one of the most charming places I’ve ever visited, and the sunsets are amazing. The Viñales Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What to do in Viñales
Horseback riding
This is a very popular thing to do and a very good way to see the surroundings. We went for a 3-hours horse riding tour that included a stop at the cigar factory. The horses are very calm so don’t worry, it won’t be challenging.
Hiking
If you prefer to stay on the ground and horse-riding is not for you, you can do the same route by foot. It will take longer but is doable. We chose the horses so I don’t have so much more information on this.
Cigar factory visit
Almost all of Viñales is agriculture and tobacco fields, and a lot of Cuba’s cigar production is based here. It’s very interesting to learn more about the process of making cigars. Well worth a visit.
Playa Jutias
This beach is paradise. It’s small but surrounded by turquoise water, and this was the nicest beach we visited during our whole stay in Cuba. It’s very private and you can have lobster at the beach. Note! The ride to Playa Jutias takes 2-hours with a car. We went by taxi collectivo and paid 15 CUC per person and it takes you there and back. It might sound crazy to spend 4 hours in a car to visit a beach, but the trip there is part of the experience.
Restaurants & Bars in Viñales
Finca Paraiso Agroecologica
May I just say wow. This was just a spectacular place by all means. Book a table here around sunset, and head up to the top of a hill and enjoy the most spectacular dinner with views over the whole valley. You pay 30 CUC per person and they will serve you a welcome drink and a lot of food. Everything is ecological and locally produced. Just an amazing experience.
La Berenjena
A vegetarian restaurant in Cuba, very rare! We had a lovely lunch here.
Shitty Pizza place
The other night we went to the restaurant & bar street in Viñales and due to lack of Internet we did not investigate where to go and ended up at a shitty pizza place I have forgotten the name of. However, later we got suggestions to visit El Olivo or Cubar, but we only had 2 nights in Viñales so maybe next time.
Good to keep in mind in Viñales
Mosquitos
There were a lot of mosquitos when we were there in February, so pack some mosquito spray with you from home and you will be fine.
Booking of tours
You do not need to book any tours or horseriding before arriving there. You will stay at a Casa in Cuba as there are no other options available.
Playa Larga
Our trip continued and we continued to the small village called Playa Larga. The town is really, really small. We chose to visit this place as they have the best diving in Cuba, but we ended up just visiting the beach instead. There is a hotel where you can rent beach chairs if you wish for 2 CUC per day.
What to do in Playa Larga
Sunbath
As mentioned before, Playa Larga is a very small town and we actually did not do anything else but spent some time at the beach here.
Restaurants & Bars in Playa Larga
Park drink
In the middle of the town, there is a square where you have Wifi and also a local lady sells very strong drinks from her drink wagon! Cozy!
Tiki Bahia de Cochinos
We ended up going to the restaurant Tiki and I had a very good Ropa Vieja, a traditional Cuban dish that reminds of shredded beef.
+
Chuchi el Pescador
If we would have stayed another night we would most likely have visited this place. They are very known for their fresh seafood and especially crabs.
Cienfuegos
We drove from Playa Larga to Cienfuegos with a private taxi. In Cienfuegos we stopped for lunch and had a stroll in the gorgeous city center before continuing our trip. I wish we would have stayed at least 1 night in Cienfuegos as it seemed to be such a cozy town with pastel houses. It reminded me a bit of the Cuban Key West.
What to do in Cienfuegos
Stroll around
I don’t have a lot of tips here other than just walking around and admire all the gorgeous houses and buildings.
Restaurants & Bars in Cienfuegos
Villa Lagarto
We stopped at this amazing hotel/restaurant located next to the sea. It was like a jungle on the inside and had the most amazing views over the sea. The lunch is expensive but the venue and overall experience were so lovely so it’s worth it although the food was not spectacular.
Trinidad
My other absolute favorite place in Cuba was Trinidad. The town is like a smaller, less hectic version of Havana. The city is perfect size, you can easily walk everywhere. Trinidad is so cozy and they have really nice restaurants, we had some of our best meals during our whole trip here. It’s also close to the beach which makes Trinidad the perfect holiday location in my opinion.
What to do in Trinidad
Rent a bike
We rented bikes for 2 days in Trinidad and biked the 15 km to the beach and 15 km back. It was a very nice road to bike and took us 45 minutes, meaning almost as long as the bus.
Playa Ancon
The beach of Trinidad! It’s only 15 minutes away with the car and 30-45 minutes with the bus, depending on traffic. We spent 3 days at Playa Ancon. You can rent sunbeds for 3 CUC per day and there are several places to enjoy lunch.
Visit the waterfalls
We did not visit the waterfalls but many recommended us to go. You can take a ride up and hike down. Note! It might be very crowded with tourists during high-season.
Gather in the center at sunset
Every night, people gathered in the center of Trinidad, sat at the stairs, and enjoyed a drink and live music along with watching the sunset. There are several small rooftop bars in Trinidad, just pick one.
Restaurants & Bars in Trinidad
Sol y Son
This was around the corner of our casa and it was absolutely lovely. A very cozy inner yard with amazing food and drinks for a good price. Their Philadelphia Lobster was amazing.
La Redaccion
Mmm we had lunch here and the food was amazing. They have a large selection of “healthy” food which is very rare in Cuba. The Pina Colada here was also one of the best. Highly recommend.
Restaurante San José
A very local place and popular both among locals and tourists. Traditional Cuban food mixed with Italian influences. We had a lovely dinner at San José.
Monte y Mar
The coziest rooftop. We went here for a drink on Valentine’s day and it was lights and candles all over the rooftop. We only had a few drinks here but the food looked good as well.
Last words
Cuba is a fantastic destination to visit if you want to explore a very traditional place that is perhaps not keeping up with Western development. It’s like jumping back in time when visiting Cuba. A very charming country with lovely, friendly people. Personally I recommend a 2-week stay if you want to explore as many places as we did, as it became a bit hectic to move around almost every day. I hope this Travel Guide for Cuba helps you when you get the chance to visit Cuba.
