Cuba is an exotic destination, in many ways it is a travel in time. The country is poor, but the people is incredibly friendly and helpful. And the atmosphere is unique. Not just the Caribbean climate, but the laid back atmosphere. People have good time. This can also be frustrating for us who are going to be so effective, but if you manage avoid getting annoyed, it is good relaxing.
Here are some general impressions of Havana, where to live and how to get on a bus. See also posts on hiking and biking:
Practical info
Some currency info: In Cuba, tourists use their own currency, CUC. 1 CUC is by definition 1 US dollar. The Cubans use Peso. 1 CUC = 25 Peso (January 2020). Tourists can use Peso, but you don’t get it in the bank.
You can easily book your online room reservations on Hotels.com today. Booking.com does not cover Cuba. There are many so-called Casa Particular which are privately run Bed and Breakfast. This is the most affordable option. The standard is usually perfectly OK and air conditioning is common. A nice alternative for meeting Cubans it is also. I was in Cuba in 2009 too, see /biking-on-cuba
At that time there were very few Casa Particular and finding a place to eat could be difficult. Now they are all over the place.
Havana
When I get to Havana I booked a taxi from the airport via the Casa. It costs 30CUC. You might be asked about this through Hotels.com before you come. It’s a good idea so you won’t to fooled by the taxi driver. There are many unofficial taxis. An official taxi is yellow with black squares. Buses exist, but before you have learned the bus system, or are not good in Spanish, it is difficult to find your way. The casas can arrange most things. There is a lot of private enterprise in Cuba that makes it all work, at least to some extent. In the following I use Casa Miriam which I stayed at in Havana as an example. It can be recommended, but there are plenty of casa’s in Havana and other tourist destinations.
When I arrive at the Casa, I find out that the toilet is out of order so I have to move to another casa the first night. It’s a small place with only one room, just around the corner and run by a nice old lady who speaks only Spanish. Spartan, but perfectly fine. Casa Miriam is a larger place with 8 rooms and a beautifully decorated common area in colonial style. The staff is very pleasant, but speak very little English. The Casa is located in Barrio (district) Chino which consists of narrow streets and mostly colonial style houses with some elements of Art Deco.
The buildings are sometimes very dilapidated and the area looks tired. But it feels completely safe and there are many Casa Particular to choose from and a lot of charm. It is part of the Havana experience to just stroll around this neighborhood and soak in the impression. Most houses are pretty much complete, but scream after maintenance. Some have partially collapsed, but people still live on the lower floors, and some houses have collapsed completely. The streets are quite narrow, and it is shady and cool, perhaps with a fresh breeze from the sea in the streets going up from Malecon. There is very little car traffic, but a bustling life. In a way, it is like small villages with people sitting in the street with their chores, turning off a chat, or slaughtering a hen.
Restaurants and bars are a 10-15 minute walk away and there are many small shops with a small selection of items in the area. Casa Miriam is located in Lealtad 206 and most restaurants are located in San Rafael, a crossroad a few blocks up in the city. If you follow San Rafael to the east, direction museums etc, there are many restaurants, especially after crossing the Jose Marti park at the Museo Bella Artes. Close to the square it becomes the pedestrian street with a bustling life.
Otherwise, there is an excellent restaurant and one of the few in the area just below Casa Miriam on the same street. It is easy to find with a large Swedish flag outside. The owner is Swedish and they actually have Swedish meatballs on the menu. But also much else. I ate a gaspachio and a very good Mexican chili con carne with a wonderfully tender meat. Cuban food is not very exciting, but this was well seasoned. Prices 6-20 CUC for a main course, most around 10. This is a common price level in restaurants, but you can get a dinner for 4-5 CUC in places without white tablecloths.
If you want some air in your hair there is also an exciting restaurant / bar on Malacon. Malacon is the street that runs along the sea with a wide promenade. Go down Lealtad and take a few hundred meters to the left. The bar consists of many beautifully decorated small bars over 5 stories , and they have a roof terrace. Here you can have a drink or a better dinner, they have many good fish dishes, and hear the waves strike the shore.
Shops are a matter for themselves. They are mostly a door in a wall with a semi-dark room with no windows inside. There are some stacks of canned food and little else. Much of the merchandise trade is done by the sellers delivering right on the door. So it is not easy to buy food if you want to avoid restaurants. At best, you may be lucky to find a fruit seller and live on bananas.
Most cafes and casas have WiFi. But to gain access, you have to buy time from the state-owned company ETECSA. It costs 1 CUC per hour and you get cards with login codes.
The reason for the queue outside ETECSA is that they, and other public offices, only let one person into the building at a time.
Another thing to note is that Cubans do not form a line when standing in line, but a cluster. Then you have to keep track of your place yourself. Call “ultima” when you come, and the last man will make him known.
What to do in Havana
Much of Havana’s experience is just walking around looking at the partly dilapidated city, the old cars and the people.
When you are tired of it, and if you like art museums, Museo Bella Artes can be recommended. But not the international by the place as mentioned above. It contains only rather boring European art from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as some fragments of Roman and Egyptian excavations. Then the Cuban Museum located few blocks closer to the sea, by the Revolution Museum, is far more interesting. It contains mostly Cuban art from the 19th century, some very good. The Revolution Museum is also worth a visit. And maybe one of the Americas largest cemeteries in Havana, Necrópolis de Colón can be of interest. It is quite fascinating to stroll there among sculptures and mausoleums.
Most hotels are located in the Verdana district west of Barrio Chino. They are expensive and modern hotels, and Verdana is a relatively well-kept district that lacks the old charm of old Havana.
Havana is still full of the characteristic vintage American cars. Many, especially convertibles, are used to cruise tourists in, while most are regular used cars. I was picked up by a 1957 Ford when I took a taxi to go to Viñales. The cars look amazingly well maintained, not rust to see. But the one I was picked up could need new shock absorbers and full overhaul of the chassis. It shook and rattled violently.
If you choose to travel with a so-called Collectivo, you run the risk of driving all the way to e.g. Viñales with a vintage American. The cars drive around and pick up people and go off when they are full. It is an experience, but reliability is not good. I saw two of them with the bonnet up on the road to Viñales. Around a crowd of tourists stood in the sun and hoped the driver could fix the car. Security is not much to brag about either. No seat belts and loads of steel without deformation zones. Minus 10 in NCAP.
Bus to Vinales
Viñales is located about 200 kilometers west of Havana and is one of the most scenic areas in Cuba. It is very popular for hiking and biking.
Several bus companies serve Viñales, which is a major tourist destination. Viazul is supposed to have the best and most accurate buses. They are located in Terminal de Omnibus Nacionales, or simply Terminal Viazul, about 40 minutes walk from Barrio Chino, around 7-10 CUC by taxi. It is possible to book a ticket online, but only 3 (!) weeks in advance. If you have not booked you should go at least 2 days in advance to buy a ticket, as it can be sold out quickly and the purchase itself takes its time. In addition, the ticket must be confirmed at least 30 minutes before departure, after which it is no longer valid.
I showed up at 10:30 and then there were 6 people in front of me in line. Unfortunately, there was a quarrel going one in the single serving hatch that was in use, and it went on for half an hour. Then it took about 10 minutes per expedition, so I spent 1.5 hours buying the ticket. By the time I left, the queue had grown enormously and extended far down the stairs from the second floor where the sale is. So even without arguing persons, there was probably at least two hours of waiting time, even though the second hatch was now also serviced.
The day I was leaving, I left at 7 am, even though the bus was going at 8.40 am. (On the internet it says 8:00). I was unsure of further procedure as there is absolutely no information to get. It turned out to be unnecessary. Just before 8am, ticket confirmation began where you change the ticket into a boarding card. Half an hour before departure, this ended and the remaining tickets were instead sold to those who were on standby. There were 4 seats available when we drove.
The bus terminal has absolutely no sign of departure times, where the buses leave or number on the tracks. So I was a little worried about how to find the bus. Fortunately, a man came and picked us all up and lead us to a door. There we were let in one by one to check in our luggage.
The whole process of traveling the 200 kilometers to Viñales is very similar to the flight across the Atlantic, except that everything takes longer time.
Many other companies operate from the same terminal, and I think in theory you can take other buses, but you should know Spanish good to be able to ask your way around
The bus left at exactly 9:00, 20 minutes late. The tour itself went smoothly. It is 4 lane road almost all the way with a reasonably good standard. The road is also used by mopeds and horses so the speed was moderate. There was a 10 minute stop where we got to stretch our legs, and a stop when the co-driver was buying flowers. I guess they have two drivers in case one should become inoperable.
Viazul tickets: https://www.viazul.com/
