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Going to Cuba?
US Travel information Travel information to Cuba for Citizens from the United States of America, visit our seperate page specially for you.
US citizens to Cuba
STEP ONE! 
Frequently Asked Questions Page

 

Visa / Touristcard
Cuban rules say: you have to book an accommodation for the first night. If you booked a flight, no accommodation and ready to fill in your visa, this visa will ask you in which hotel you are staying ... fill in any address of a hotel or casa particular and look real innocent going through customs. The experience tells, it is also ok to fill in an address of a licensed casa particular. However, if customs has a strict day they can demand to book a hotel, if you didn't, they will make a reservation for you.
You can order your visa through the Cuban Embassy or Consulate in your country and some travel agencies and flight companies

- Cuban Embassies and Consulates worldwide
- Hotels in Cuba
- Flights to Cuba
- Car rental in Cuba
- Thomas Cook
Cuban visa or tourist card

 

 

Luggage, Bags, Clothing & other stuff

A well locked suitcase, or a lock on your backpack is best. You can also decide to plastify your backpack or soft weekender at the airport of your departure. Remind when you are traveling with more people and rented a car, bring soft bags! In Dec / Jan it can be chilly at nighttime. So bring something warm too in these months. Bring clothes with you which you might not like anymore, and give it to Cubans at the end of your vacation, clothes are expensive for a Cuban.
Anti muscito stuff, some areas are overloaded with these bichos.
Leave you're jewelries at home, you don't need them on this Island.
Cubans need not only ballpoints, soaps, clothes, toothpaste, toys ... but everything which for us is normal. Medical stuff is needed as well, even glasses. Please take some stuff with you to donate.


Customs
Cuban aduana

Havana airport is more relaxed than Varadero or Holguin, but remind this ... All your stuff is getting scanned!!! Every suitcase is passing the x-ray!!!
Check out the Cuba-custom website to see what is and what's NOT possible to bring in.
Money can do some help sometimes ... But if "they" decide it is not allowed ... it just isn't allowed ... sorry! Besides this not ALL aduana people are charmed for getting bribed
Remind that when bringing in new stuff, you might have to pay tax.
There is a 25 CUC (convertible pesos) airport departure tax

- Cuban customs website >>

 


Socket or outlet Cuba

Electricity
Cuba has 110 volt, some more luxury hotels also 220
Sockets are as shown in the picture, same as in the USA.

To make it yourself easy ...
Buy your travel adapter through the Amazon
advertisement at the right.

 


 

Photo Equipement
Take everything with you from home, rolls are available at dollar stores (if you still uses those), but the quality is not as good as you are used to have, mostly only 100asa. It is smarter to bring a small digital camera and some memory cards, Havana and Santiago de Cuba are less safe as it was in the past. Many people are being robbed from their camera. Burning a CD is possible in some stores in Havana and maybe some other cities but don't count on it. Better bring extra memory cards or an image tank to store your pictures on.

 

Crime
It is a wise thing to read our crime page
- Crime in Cuba >>

 

 

Internet
There are possibilities to go on the internet in most hotels and there are small offices from Etecsa all around the island. Internet in Cuba is slow so forget uploading your pictures through the Cuban Internet connection.
You can bring your laptop without problems with the Cuban customs. Wireless is only possible from some top-end hotels like Saratoga and Melia Cohiba in Havana.
 

 

Infotur Tourist Office
Infotur is a tourist service that can be found in many places throughout Cuba. They provide tours, excursions, transport around the Island, postcards, maps, printed guides, posters, magazines, newspapers and souvenirs.
They also sell pre-paid phone cards which are good to stock up on since a $10.00 card only gets you a few minutes when making an international call.
They can confirm airline flights as well. Disabled access is available.

Address: 521 Obispo, La Habana, Cuba

 

Cuba Weather

  • The whole year through about 28 / 29 C degrees. The East of Cuba is always a few degrees warmer than the West
  • Most rain fall in May till October, during these months short but heavy rainy showers can fall, mostly at the end of the day.
    Areas like Baracoa and Moa in the east of Cuba do have to most rainy days, because the mountain which come from the Atlantic Ocean
    The dry season is from Novenber till April.
  • Most sunny hours in July and August, Cuba has short days in winter, at 18.00 it is getting dark. In summer the sun is very powerfull.
  • Dec / April Colder then usual, specialy at night
  • June / September Hot humid, every end of the day a rainy shower
  • June / end of November Huricane season (possible)
  • High and low (tourist) season December / Januari, Easter, July / September

 


Cuban Pesos

 

Money
First of all: Don't exchange money in the street ... EVER!

 

Foreigners and money exchange
After November 8 2004 Cuba only except convertible pesos (CUC). This means you have to bring Euros, CAD, Pound Sterling (whatever hard currency) with you to exchange it into CUC (convertible pesos).
Besides this you can bring your credit card with you to get money from the bank in Cuba.

For the local people The Cubans
Pesos Cubanos
This currency is more or less only used by Cuban citizens.
Of course you, as a foreigner also can exchange your CUC (convertible pesos) into the "normal" national currency CUP. This CUP you can use for bying at local markets.

- More detailed explanation Cuba and money>>

 

Recommended Cuba Forums and Discussion Boards

 

 

Cuban Events

January

  • 1 - Liberationday
  • Feria Internacional de Artesanias, Pabexpo, Havana. Kind of International fair

 

February
  • First 2 weeks - Jornadas de la Cultura Camagneyana
  • End - Carnival in Habana
  • Every second year - Habana International Jazz Festival
  • First half of Feb. - Feria Internacional del Libro, Fortaleza de San Carlos. A book fair.

 

March

  • Festival de Monogolos y Unipersonales (Havana), A competion for actors, writers, producers and dancers, from the whole country. Some foreigners are also giving monologues.
  • Taller Internacional de Teatro de Titeres (Matanzas), Performances of the most important puppet theatres, with seminars, acts and workshops.

 

April
  • Semana de la Cultura (Baracoa)
  • Electro-acoustic Music Festival Varadero
  • La Huela de Espana (Havana), Gran Teatro de la Habana en Castillo de la Real Fuerza. A Festival for Cuban/Spanish Culture, concerts, classical dance, Flamenco and Theatre.
  • Taller Internacional de Teatro de Titeres (Matanzas), Performances of the most important puppet theatres, with seminars, acts and workshops.
  • Festival Internacional de Percusion (Havana), Concerts, courses, readings and documentairies about Cuban percussion instruments.
  • 1-15 Bienal del Humor de San Antonio de los Banos, Museo del Humor, San Antonio de los Banos. Fetival of humor, with exhibitions, readings and performances.
  • Festival de Arte Danzario (Havana and Camaguey), Festival for all kind of dancing, Readings, seminars and workshops, the teachers and dancers will be Cuban and from other countries.
  • Los Dias de la Danza, Festival of performing Cuban dance groups. May 29, the International day of dancing, is the day the Premio Nacional de la Danza, a nacional reward, will be hand out in the Teatro Mella Havana.

 

May

  • 1 - Primero de Mayo (Labor Day), Meetings, parades, processions trough the whole country. The most important will take place in Havana at the Plaza de la Revolution.
  • First week - Romería de Mayo (Holguin)
  • Half May - Fierro Internacional del Disco Cubadisco, (International music album fair in Pabexpo Havana).
  • Festival de Arte Danzario (Havana and Camaguey), Festival for all kind of dancing, Readings, seminars and workshops, the teachers and dancers will be Cuban and from other countries.
  • Fiesta Nacional de la Danza (Santa Clara), The best dancers will perform through the whole province. The festival will end with a big party in Santa Clara.

 

June

  • End - Fiestas Sanjuaneras (Trinidad)
  • Festival of Caribbean Culture
  • Half June - Festival de Boleros de Oro (Santiago, Moron, Havana), Concerts of the best Cuban and foreign Bolero singers, readings as well.
  • 1 till 15 - Encuentro de Bandas de Concierto (Plaza de la Revolution, Bayamo) Performances of National and International bands. Readings, workshops.
  • End of June - Fiesta del Gallo (Moron), Parades in the sign of the rooster, the symbol of the city.
  • Every other year at the end of June - Jornada Cucalambeana, Encuentro Festival Iberoamericano de la Decima (Las Tunas), Most important festival of the Rural Cuban Culture. Concerts and performances of poets, musicians and repentistas (impromptu). Readings and litarairy meetings, exhibitions of local activitie and theatre.
  • Carnaval in Havana, a parade of decorated cars driving from Hotel Nacional to Calle Belascoain and music performances of comparsas (prosession group who prepare this the whole year). During the weekends free concerts at the Piragua.

 

July

  • Last week - Carnival santiago de Cuba, Parade of decorated cars through the streets of the city, music of comparsas and a show of the Tropicana at Santiago.
  • 25-27 July - Celebration of the National Rebellion, every year in a different city. The official tribute because of the Moncada barrack attacks at July 26 1953. Fidel Castro will always speech at one of the Revoltion Squares in a Cuban city. Lots of concerts etc around the country.
  • Festival de Titere (Havana) puppet festival in Havana Vieja
  • Fiesta del Fuego (Santiago de Cuba)
  • Festival Internacional de Musica Contemporanea de Camaguey, Big festival about todays music, with concerts, workgroups and a roundtable for discussions about Cuban music en foreign composers.

 

August
  • 13 August Fidel Castros birthday (1926)
  • End of August, ones in 2 years - Festival Internacional de Musica Popular "Beny More" (Cienfuegos) Festival of the popular Cuban music and its most important representatives, with readings etc about Beny More.

September

  • 8 - Festa de la Virgin del Cobre (Santiago de Cuba)
  • Second half of September - Festival de Teatro de la Habana, 2 times a year event with performances of dance, opera, puppettheatre, streetacts and pantamime.
  • Metamoros Son (Santiago), Festival of Son, 2 years event.
  • Festival de Teatro de Camaguey, National Theatre competition, a tribute to Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda.

 

October
  • 10 October - Day of Cuban Culture
  • Havana Festival of Contemporary Music Trinidad (10 days)
  • Second half of Oct. - Fiesta de la Cultura Iberoamericana (Holguin) Festival about the Spanish culture with concerts, exhibitions, readings and festivals.
  • Second half of Oct. - Festival Internacional de Ballet de la Habana, Teatro Garcia Lorca Havana. A wide open view on classical ballet, organised by the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

November

  • End - Semana de la Cultura Trinitaria Trinidad
  • Salon de Arte Cubano Contemporeano, Centro Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana (twice a year). A expo competition of modern art with rewards to win. Next to this expo,, discussions and readings.
  • Festejos de San Cristobal de la Habana
  • Festval International de Coros, Sala Dolores, Teatro Heredia (Santiago de Cuba)
  • Second half of Nov. - Festival de Raices Africanas "Wemilere", Guanabacoa. African parties.
  • Festival Cubadanzon, Teatro Sauto, Matanzas. Performances of danzon orchestras and dancers, courses and trades

 

December
  • First half of Dec. - Festival Internacional Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano (ICAIC) International Festival of Latin American Film Habana. The most important Cuban movie festival with lots of foreign famous people. The cinemas show the newest Latin American movies.
  • First half of Dec. - Fiesta Guantanamera, Guantanamo. Demonstrations en readings about Afro Cuban religions.
  • Dec 17 - Dia de San Lazaro, Santiago de las Vegas, El Rincon. Religious Cubans go to the church of Rincon....a lot from far away by feet.
  • 8 till 24 - Parrandas di Remedios. Cuba's most popular nacional party.

 


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