Cuba

Travel to Cuba

Most flights to Cuba land at Jose Marti International Airport near Havana. Cuba's national airline is Cubana Airways and AeroCaribbean is the other principal carrier. The flight time from London to Havana is eight hours.

On arrival in Cuba

From Jose Marti International Airport you can get taxi to the centre of Havana for about 25CUC. There is also a bus service from Terminal One to Havana centre. The bus is much cheaper if you are prepared to wait for it! If you're on a package holiday transfers to the resort are likely to be organised by your travel agent, so check in advance.

Getting around Cuba

The best mode of transportation around Cuba for tourists is the public bus run by Viazul. They operate comfortable, air conditioned coaches suitable for long distance journeys. They are reliable and run an extensive service to all the popular Cuban destinations such as Varadero , Santa Clara, Cienfuegos and Trinidad. In Havana there is another newer bus service called Yu Tong that offer a cheaper mode of transport to the taxis. Each town has a terminal where buses (or even trucks!) stop to pick up passengers and serve local destinations. This mode of transport is more for the students than the tourists.

If you're planning on visiting a lot of Cuban destinations then consider hiring a car. There are even specialist companies if you want to hire one of Cuba's iconic 50s motors. The Cuban authorities have done everything possible to make car hire easy for tourists, nonetheless you might still be affected by things like petrol shortages so top up when you can! Off the main highways roads can be in bad condition so drive carefully and remember to stick to the right.

One really cheap way of getting around Cuba is to hitch hike. Hitch hiking is very common in Cuba, and even encouraged by the government and you'll notice gatherings of locals around motorway junctions as they wait for their ride. There are even hitch hiking vehicles, known as 'Amarillos' after the uniforms of the administrators, which stop along the major highways to pick up hitch hikers. As a tourist you're not officially supposed to hitch hike, but most cars will pick you up in exchange for a few CUC.

There is also a trainline in Cuba, running between runs between Havana and Santiago de Cuba, with major stops at Santa Clara and Camagüey. Trains also run to other cities such as Cienfuegos, Manzanillo, Morón, Sancti Spiritus, and Pinar del Rio however the only reliable train is the overnight Tren Francés between Havana and Santiago de Cuba, which runs on alternate days.

Internal flights are recommended if you're planning on travelling larger distances. Both Cuban airlines Cubana de Aviación or Aero Caribbean offer routes between the major Cuban cities.

Travelling further afield

It is easy to fly from Cuba to a whole host of Latin American destinations. Note that although regulations on visiting Cuba are relaxing in the USA it is still not possible to fly there from the USA. Most Americans who visit Cuba will have to fly via Mexico or Canada first.