Cities: La Habana and Vinales
Total Duration: 4 days
Where to stay: Casa Particular (Airbnb) in Vedado or Old Havana
When? April 2019
Flight: $580 on United (EWR > HAV and friends went from IAH > HAV)
MAP OF TOP SPOTS
THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU GO
Create an itinerary. I do this before every trip, but it’s crucial in Cuba. You will need a detailed itinerary of what to do each day (restaurant reservations, tours, list of addresses/phone numbers). WiFi access is unreliable (Wifi offered in the airport does not work) and it’s not easy to find places to eat or grocery stores for water. All activities we planned for “Support the Cuban people” which may be asked for at US Passport control.
Convert your currency in the US. There’s a higher tax to convert straight from US dollar to Cuba CUC, so you’ll save some money if you convert from USD to Canadian dollar/Euros/Pounds before you go. You can easily convert this currency to Cuban CUC at the Cadeca in HAV airport or any bank. Make sure you get CUCs while in Cuba and not CUP! CUPs are used by locals only, but look very similar to CUCs. Make sure your bills have a picture of a monument on it and not a person’s face.
Download offline Google maps and Spanish translators. Doesn’t hurt to practice your Spanish before you go either! Both of these were super useful.
Figure out WiFi. We went without WiFi/data for the duration of the trip, but suggest finding an Airbnb that offers wifi (it’s not common), so you can plan your day more easily. You can also buy wifi cards that can be used in certain areas, but these need to be purchased at hotels.
Be aware of catcalling. We found Havana to be generally safe, but felt very uncomfortable with all the whistling and stares, so I’d recommend going with guys. The locals told us Cubans love Indian women, so we got even more attention than other tourists.
THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Go to Vinales Valley. Our favorite activity in Cuba! We did a 6 hour horseback riding tour around the valley and stopped by a cigar, coffee, honey farm and also tried local rum. It’s a 2.5 hour drive from Havana so recommend this as a day trip or even spend the night! The homes in Vinales are super cute and much more up to date than Havana. Highly recommend arranging the tour and transport with Riding Vinales. Awesome experience and the horses are well taken care of.
Take a Classic Convertible Car. If you’re near any of the top hotels (Hotel Cuba Libre or Hotel National) you can ask them to arrange a ride for you. $40 for one hour. Skip the tours since they are more expensive and your driver can easily point out landmarks.
Take a salsa class. We went to La Casa de Son for a 2 hour class. So fun! Drink some mojitos in the back bar.
See Old Havana. Just walk around and see all the cute/colorful buildings! Skip La Floridita
Go to Varadero or Santa Maria beach. We unfortunately didn’t have time for the 2 hour drive to Varadero (ranked one of the best beaches in the Caribbean), but the beaches around Havana were also pretty! The locals love Santa Maria beach which is a 30 min drive from La Habana (check out the spot right before Tropicoco Hotel).
Go to Fabrica de Arte Cubano before 8pm. Don’t go later – trust us. There are massive lines. We never managed to get in, but people rave about how cool this place is. Mix of art, music and bar.
Drink lots of Mojitos. And eat churros, maduros (sweet plantains) and Ropa Vieja. We had to search for good food, but managed to find great options at places like Habana 61 (our fav and not expensive), La Guarida, and Mas Habana.