I turned 30 and wanted to celebrate with my boyfriend abroad. Cuba was at the top of my bucket list because I wanted to go there before the country came into contact with western influences. In Cuba you really go back in time. Vintage cars in different colors, rum, cigars, and salsa - I was totally into it. We planned a 3-week trip but ended up staying 9 days. In this blog I will tell you why.
Trinidad
Highlights⚡️
- Cuba is beautiful! Colonial buildings, old-timers, and buskers are everywhere. Walking down the streets, you see children playing football barefoot and the elderly playing dominoes together. There is a lot of color and that allows you to take beautiful pictures 📸
- Because there are no western influences (yet), there are no standard American companies, such as Starbucks or McDonalds and almost no internet. There are several WiFi hotspots where you can use the internet for an hour with a scratch card. You can buy these tickets at an ETECSA office or in a 5-star hotel (twice as expensive). There is a whole process where you must show your passport and sign a document, and that is why I immediately wanted to buy 20 hours of internet (3 weeks, 2 people). The lady behind the counter immediately started laughing. ‘You can buy 2 hours’ she said 😅
- Sleeping in a ‘casa particular’ (room or house of a local) is a really nice experience. We booked everything in advance through Airbnb, including breakfast. Fresh fruit, a slice of bread and a fried egg with a fresh smoothie. A nice start of the day I would say. In addition, you support the locals, because for many this is their main income 🏠
- I guess this goes without saying, but if you're a rum and cigars fan, you'll have the time of your life here. There is more rum and cigars to purchase than a bottles of water! 🍹
Trinidad
Lowlights 😵💫
- The food in Cuba is bad; not seasoned or just out of stock. It is also difficult to have lunch somewhere or to get a snack. For us this was really a big disappointment because food is a very big part of our travels 🍴
- The range in shops is very limited. For example, we wanted to buy a bottle of water in Havana, but there was no water to be found anywhere. The same goes for snacks, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, and shampoo. So be prepared and bring this with you 🛒
- Exchange money at the airport; we chose to leave Cuba early and so we had some CUC (Cuban money, especially for tourists) left. At Havana airport there is one counter where you can exchange your money back to euros. You could only do this in Cuba, so we had to stand in line. With every exchange the cashier made, he recounted his entire cash register. This took him 15 minutes per person. I'm a firm believer that they do this on purpose so people can't get their money back. Result: people got out of the line to catch their flight, and those leftover CUC were suddenly a souvenir 💸
Havana
Havana
Trinidad
Route and transportation 🚗
In Cuba you travel from city to city with Viazul buses. This tour bus is comfortable and must be booked in advance. Are there no more buses? Arrange a taxi collectivo via your accommodation. This is a taxi that you share with other tourists. I know that people also rent a car, but I personally think that is very brave in a country where you cannot use the internet and where English is not spoken well. We have also seen people pulled over with car trouble. I would play it safe and just reserve for the bus.
Because you can't get on the internet quickly, I advise you to book as much in advance as possible. Especially your accommodations. We chose casa particulars through Airbnb. All our hosts were super sweet and helpful.
In the cities themselves you can take an old-timer taxi. They're not falling apart just yet, but they drive from A to B 🙋🏽. You can also take a bicycle taxi. If you are dropped off somewhere, always agree a time with your driver at what time he/she can pick you up again.
🗺️ Route for 9 days
Havana (2 days) 🎶
The capital of Cuba and you can see that too. Colonial buildings, vintage cars and music everywhere. A city that really impresses. As far as I'm concerned, the city itself is one big attraction. We stayed here for the first 2 days and then took a taxi collectivo to Varadero.
Varadero (2 days) 🏝️
Varadero is located on the beach and here you will also find the large tourist resorts. The beaches are beautiful, and the water is crystal clear. We stayed in a casa particular, and I happened to share my birthday with the host. On the day of my birthday we came back from the beach and the host had his birthday party. The whole family started singing to me. We wanted to go out for dinner, but they insisted we stayed to eat with them. We ate brown beans with chicken and got a piece of cake. As I type this, I get tears in my eyes, because this was so special! These people don't have much but were so sweet and hospitable. It was a birthday to never forget ♥️
Trinidad (2 days) 💃🏽
In preparation for our trip, I read (just like you do now) a lot of blogs. And literally in all blogs it says that Trinidad is the nicest place in Cuba. When we arrived, our host of our casa particular told us that you have an old and a new part of the city. He told us the route and off we went. Within an hour we had seen all of Trinidad. That evening we ate on a rooftop. Potatoes were out of stock so we got banana chips but there was live music and rum.
The next day we took a taxi to Playa Ancon, a beach where you could relax. That did not go well; bad food and people who are bothering you with sales tricks. We couldn’t leave because we had agreed a certain time with the taxi driver.
Back in Trinidad we had a drink at Casa de la Musica, which is located near the square 'Plaza Mayor'. There was live music and people dancing the salsa. I looked at my boyfriend and I said to him; "I think I've seen enough of Cuba." The combination of wandering around, but actually having nothing to do, long bus rides to the see the next cities and the bad food, made me want to leave. And that’s when we took the bus back to Havana.
Viñales (2 days) 🐎
So I haven't been here myself, but I'll put it on as a route option anyway, because a friend of mine said it's really beautiful. She took a ride by horse through the valleys and visited tobacco farms there. So, according to her, highly recommended!
Havana - last day 🚬
I would recommend the trip in Havana. On the last day we took a casa particular in a completely different part of the city and were able to discover a new part of Havana.
Havana
When food = life 🍛
It is no longer a secret that I am not a fan of the food in Cuba. Prepare yourself well by looking up good restaurants in advance and saving them in your offline map. Can you make a reservation in advance? Then do so. Below are some tips:
Havana🍸
Varadero 🥧
Trinidad🍍
Varadero
Havana
Havana
Good to know before you go 🤭
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To enter Cuba, you must bring a printed English statement of registration of your health insurance. Request this from your health insurance
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You need a visa for Cuba. You can arrange this via this website up to a few days before departure!
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Your passport must be valid for 6 months upon departure from Cuba
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The best time to travel is between November and March. The hurricane season is from June to the end of October. We went at the end of October and luckily we had no problems
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Cuba used to have two currencies. The one currency is the Cuban peso CUP (for Cubans) and CUC (for tourists and Cubans). This double currency has since been abolished, so everyone now pays with CUP. There are almost no ATMs available, so change your money on arrival at the airport. I calculated about 30 euros per day, per person and that was more than enough
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Download as many apps as possible that you can use offline. A translation app and a navigation app are a must! Check this blog for apps I use while traveling
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Bring a universal world travel plug
Would I recommend traveling to Cuba? Absolutely! It is beautiful and you must see it. However, I would combine it with another country, or I would make a stopover in Havana on a transit. We eventually combined the trip with Orlando and Miami and that was a really nice combination.