Cuba

General Info

Last visited

November 2014

Food

Roast pork and rice dotted with black beans always tastes fine, Cubans know how to prepare it. Have crayfish from time to time, it is nowhere cheaper than here. Beef is not that common in Cuba. You can order steaks, of course, but they might taste better elsewhere. If you stay in a casa particular you will be served tasty coffee from the good old Italian coffee maker. A plate of fruit such as papaya and pinapple should also be part of a breakfast. In the afternoon have a bag of Churros (a fried dough pastry) from one of many street Churrerias. A Caribeans country favourite drink is rum. Some drink it pure (the older the better and more expensive). Ernest Hemingway prefered Mojitos and Daiquiris. Cristal and Bucanero are beer brands. Both are tasty.

Transport

You will arrive by plane at Havanna, Varadero, Santiago de Cuba or maybe Holguin. It takes half an hour by taxi from the airport to Habana Vieja. Cities in Cuba are free of traffic jams. Most of the Cubans don't have a car. They simply can't afford it. 50 year old American vehicles are still in use all everywhere. Hire a ride in a classic cabriolet for an hour in Havanna and shoot a couple of pictures. Foreigners either take cabs in Havanna or use the double-deck bus which circles every half an hour from Habana Vieja to Miramar and back. Take Viazul to travel long distances. The bus company connects cities and well visited places such as Viñales. You can book ahead by internet or go to the bus-station a day or two earlier to make a reservation. Hire a car, if you want to visit remote places, afford a cab or share one with others. Cab drivers often tout travellers at bus stations or travel offices to offer rides. Other means of public transport are rarely used by foreigners.

Beaches

Playa Ancon is a long narrow strip of white sand. There's a cluster of palm trees and a handful hotels. Straw umbrellas are scattered around and free for anybody to use. A shuttle bus connects Trinidad with the beach. There's enough space even in the area of the hotels.
Varadero's beaches are divided by cliffs. The beach at Hotel Melia Varadero is white sandy. There are palm trees, straw umbrellas and beach chairs for guests. The beach is quite populated, but there's enough space for everybody. The sea is very shallow along the beach.

Revolution

Cubans suffer from the embargo which is in place for almost 50 years. Nevertheless the 'official' Cuban citizen is proud to be a follower of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and their companions. Numerous museums dedicate to the late history. Foreigners who don't know who Camilo Cienfuegos or what Granma is, they most probably will do when they go back home. Let's exclude tourists who only visit Cuba for the all inclusive program. Those might even not know which country they are in.

Visa and entry requirements

Foreigners of most countries do not need a visa but a tourist card per person is required. Air Canada provides tourist cards in the aircraft for free. The Embassy in Switzerland claims 48 CHF and you have to travel to Berne to pick it up personally. Edelweiss Air charges 50 CHF at the gate. Stories about mobile phones with GPS are not allowed or every traveller must show a health insurance certification are most probably just stories. Officers didn't ask for anything alike at customs.

Do

...Buy a phone card at ETECSA (the Cuban telephone company) for 10 CUP to do room-reservations by phone. You can only pay in CUP (local money).
...Have some local money at hand to buy phone-cards, fruit and other little things. 10 USD is enough for a week.
...Take time, a lot of time. Be early at a place. Things last longer to get done. The receptionist might end the conversation with her workmate before she serves you. The Viazul agent might not use a second finger typing seat reservations even though the queue gets longer and longer. If the moneychanger doublechecks the amount, lucky you. He might check it 10 times or more.

Don't

...Rely on the internet. WiFi is expensive and only available in multi-star hotels. Either do all your bookings at home, use a phone card or travel around without booking.
...Be impatient.

Itinerary recommendation: Western Cuba
Day 1:
Zürich - Havanna: flight (eg. Air Canada via Toronto) / 18hrs
Day 3:
Havanna - Viñales: bus (Viazul) / 3.5hrs
Day 5:
Viñales - Trinidad: bus (Viazul) / 9.5hrs / direct bus via Havanna
Day 6:
Trinidad - Playa Ancon - Trinidad: bus / 30min one way
Day 7:
Trinidad - Valle de los Ingenios - Trinidad: historic train / 2hrs one way
Day 8:
Trinidad - Varadero: bus (Viazul) / 4.5hrs
Day 12:
Varadero - Havanna: bus (Viazul) / 3.5hrs
Day 14:
Havanna - Zürich: flight / 18hrs

Havanna

Havanna used to be the metropolis of the Caribean 50 years ago. It still demonstrates its charm with the Capitolio, its buildings around Parque Central as is Gran Teatro de la Habana, hotel Inglaterra, the famous hotel Nacional de Cuba. A communist country must provide a monumental square where military parades are performed as is the Plaza de la Revolución. The dark side of the city is its decay caused by mismanagement and especially by the boycott of the US and Western countries against Fidel Castro and its regime. It takes you two days or maybe more to explore Havanna. Stroll through calle Obispo. Have a drink at Café Paris. Buy a ticket on the double-deck bus. Watch the sunset from the top bar at La Torre building in Vedado. Take a ride in a classic cabriolet to the other side of the bahia. Be on the malecon when the Atlantic ocean hits the rock and produces meters high fontains. Take pictures of all those old American cars which are still being the main part of the vehicles circulating the city. Visit museums. Museo de la Revolucion is a must. Follow the trails of Ernest Hemingway and have a Daiquiri at El Floridita or a Mojito or two at La Bodeguita del Medio. Some people like Vedado, I personally prefer to stay close to Havanna vieja which is touristy but who cares.

Viñales

Viñales is the perfect place to relax. A small town surrounded by bizarre hillocks called Mogotes. Horseriding, cycling, hiking are the activities most visitors do during daytime. At night you can listen to live music and dance. Some bands play music in the afternoon under the gallery roof which protects them and the beer drinking audience from the winter rain. The valley is famous for its tobacco plantations apart from the Mogotes. A good spot for pictures is close to Mural de la Prehistoria. Take the gravel-road at Campismo Dos Hermanas and walk or drive (by bike) to the viewpoint which is a kilometer or two away from the junction and you have the perfect Mogote skyline in front of you.

Trinidad

This colonial town with its colorful facades, cobblestone alleys, classic cars is a must for each visitor's itinerary. You can easily stay here a couple of days. Take an excursion by train to the Valle de los Ingenios and visit the haciendas of the sugar barons. Take the bus to Playa Ancon and stay at the beach for a day. In the evening there are several places where bands are playing salsa music and folks are dancing. The plaza beside the church gets packed with people after 9 p.m. Restaurant Sol Ananda's furnishings could be part of a museum. Its food is very tasty and the staff are friendly and efficient.

Varadero

Haven't been elswhere so I can only write about Hotel Melia Varadero which is a recommendable place to stay for two to four days. Relax, stay at the beach, eat and drink. The beach is white, fine sandy, just what you can expect from a place at the Caribean.

Links

Cuba junky - A good site to book casas particulares and to get information for transportation.
Hurricanes
Visitcuba - Information about cities and casas particulares
Hotelreservation

Salsaband - Viñales

Classic car in front of Capitolio - Havanna