{"id":570,"date":"2016-08-29T17:22:26","date_gmt":"2016-08-29T16:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/?p=570"},"modified":"2016-08-29T17:22:26","modified_gmt":"2016-08-29T16:22:26","slug":"havana-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/havana-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Havana Travel Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_587\" style=\"width: 778px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-587\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-587\" src=\"http:\/\/45.77.89.248\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_20160816_201605-1024x631.png\" alt=\"Malecon (c) Seb Charrot 2016\" width=\"768\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_20160816_201605-1024x631.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_20160816_201605-300x185.png 300w, http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_20160816_201605-768x473.png 768w, http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_20160816_201605.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-587\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Malecon (c) Seb Charrot 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>My girlfriend and I recently travelled to the incredible city of Havana for 10 days \u2013 an experience I would highly recommend.<\/p>\n<p>Before travelling I did a fair bit of research and found some travel tips and suggestions (I\u2019ll provide links to the most useful of these at the end of this post). While some tips came in handy, others were either inapplicable to Havana (versus the more rural areas of Cuba) or out of date (a lot has changed in Cuba, in a relatively short time).<\/p>\n<p>So I thought I would make own additions to the raft of tips online. Tips that I wish I had read before heading out there.<\/p>\n<p>Note: These tips were accurate as of August 2016, and only apply to Havana, so your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n<h1>VISAs<\/h1>\n<p>This caused some substantial stress in the run-up to our holiday, as I had forgotten to check whether we needed VISAs to travel from the UK to Cuba. Some Googling will tell you various things, including how to apply for one for \u00a335 per person, but forget all that. The facts are:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Yes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/foreign-travel-advice\/cuba\/entry-requirements\">you need<\/a> a Tourist Card<\/li>\n<li>Air Canada <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aircanada\/posts\/836519649729265?comment_id=836521193062444&amp;comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R4%22%7D\">provides one<\/a> on the flight<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.co.uk\/Travel-g147270-c104245\/Cuba:Caribbean:Tourist.Card.Visa.html\">I\u2019ve read<\/a> that any Thomson Holidays flight also provides them &#8211; to be honest I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if every airline did. In any case, it&#8217;s academic, since the Havana Airport <a href=\"http:\/\/havana.airportcuba.net\/customs.html\">website also states<\/a> that you can buy one at the airport for 20 CUC.<\/p>\n<p>PS &#8211; I read that you need to keep 25 CUC (per person) spare to pay an exit tax at the airport. As far as I can tell, this is poppycock:\u00a0nobody charged us, we kept the money until we got on the plane, then realised\u00a0we were left with an extra 50 CUC which we couldn&#8217;t exchange outside the country!<\/p>\n<h1>Money: A Tale of Two Currencies<\/h1>\n<p>Cuba uses 2 currencies: the CUC (pronounced \u201ccook\u201d), which is the tourist currency, and the CUP, the local peso. As a traveller you will almost certainly be only concerned with CUC.<\/p>\n<p>Havana was, as far as I could tell, exclusively a cash-only economy. Not a single business or hotel took credit\/debit cards.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Check your monuments<\/header>\n<p>All CUC notes have pictures of monuments on them, and are worth 25 times as much as the local peso, which have pictures of men on them \u2013 so always check the change you\u2019re given. A great mnemonic to remember: \u201cMonuments are 25 times bigger than men\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<h1>Exchanging Money<\/h1>\n<p>The CUC is a closed currency, which means you can\u2019t get it outside the country. You\u2019re generally encouraged to therefore bring all your money as cash with you and exchange it once you land. This is what we did but I personally found it quite stressful to carry all that money around \u2013 and I never felt very secure relying on the hotel room safes.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Don\u2019t exchange money at your hotel<\/header>\n<\/aside>\n<p>There are various exchange places dotted around known as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trulycuba.com\/tourist-guide\/cadeca-currency-exchange-houses\">CADECA<\/a>s (short for Casas de Cambio) \u2013 the exchange rate is set by the government (and tied to the US dollar) so if you go to any of these you know you\u2019re getting the best deal. Other places, such as hotels, will exchange money but their commissions\/rates are scandalous \u2013 don\u2019t use a hotel unless you\u2019re in dire need. The airport also has a cadeca out front, so I\u2019d recommend using that to get some initial dough.<\/p>\n<p>As it turns out there are a number of banks and ATMs scattered around Havana from which you could withdraw money. This isn\u2019t without risk \u2013 as you\u2019ll have to check beforehand that your card and bank are accepted (don\u2019t take that for granted). If I was to visit again I might consider using an ATM and taking less hard cash with me.<\/p>\n<p>We were travelling from Scotland, so it\u2019s worth noting \u2013 Scottish pounds are not accepted. Thankfully we knew this beforehand, so took a combination of English pounds and Canadian dollars.<\/p>\n<h1>Touring<\/h1>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Get a tour on your first day<\/header>\n<p>This is something I try to do whenever I travel somewhere new and I know I\u2019ll be staying a while. It helps you get a sense of the place, gives you a day to ask questions of the local guide, and means you\u2019re orientated for the rest of your trip. Highly, highly recommended.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>We got a tour from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cubanconnectiontour.com\/\">Cuban Connections<\/a>\u00a0and our excellent guide was Anthony. He spent the whole day taking us around the centre, to the private harbours out west of Havana, to the forest areas at the back of Vedado where the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Santer%C3%ADa\">Santeria<\/a> worshippers sacrifice animals, to Old Havana, then home in a 50s convertible. Outstanding.<\/p>\n<h1>Eating<\/h1>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Eat exclusively at paladares<\/header>\n<\/aside>\n<p>For years the only restaurants in Cuba were state-run, and the word on the street is that the food wasn\u2019t great. However changes in 2010 have caused an explosion of privately-owned restaurants knowns as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paladar\">paladares<\/a>, where the food is diverse and incredible.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll find the best-rated ones on Tripadvisor but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.co.uk\/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d2477831-Reviews-El_Chanchullero_de_Tapas-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html\">Chanchullero<\/a>, near Centro, is an absolute must-visit. I would also highly recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.co.uk\/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d2626346-Reviews-NAO_Bar_Paladar-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html\">Nao<\/a>, in Old Havana; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.co.uk\/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d5960965-Reviews-El_Litoral-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html\">El Litoral<\/a>, halfway between Vedado and Centro along the Malecon. The atmosphere at these places is warm, vibrant and homely. Nao and many other restaurants also allow bands to come in and play quick sets, then leave again, and they lend a great authenticity to the experience.<\/p>\n<p>If I ever go back I\u2019ll eschew any visits to state-run restaurants, which are OK but no more, draw up a list of paladares, and eat my way through it.<\/p>\n<h1>WiFi<\/h1>\n<p>Incredibly, WiFi is fairly prevalent, not ridiculously slow, and moderately cheap, too.<\/p>\n<p>You can identify most state-run WiFi networks as they\u2019ll have \u201cETECSA\u201d in the name \u2013 this is the telecommunications provider for Cuba. You can buy WiFi cards in most hotel lobbies, and they\u2019ll work for any ETECSA WiFi network you find. These last an hour at a time (you can pause and resume) and generally cost 4 or 5 CUC (e.g $5 or \u00a34). Hot tip though:<\/p>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Buy your WiFi\u00a0from Hotel Ingleterra<\/header>\n<p>The cheapest WiFi cards are to be found at Hotel Ingleterra, across from Parque Central in the centre. Their cards cost 2CUC each.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<h1>Cigars<\/h1>\n<p>The obvious export choice is to grab some fine Cuban cigars the share out upon your return. This is a fine idea since they are ridiculously cheap compared to prices back home.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Buy your cigars from Hotel Ingleterra too<\/header>\n<p>Somewhat defying my expectations, the shop in Hotel Ingleterra had the best prices I could find for Romeo y Julieta.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>By the way &#8211; make sure you check the export limits. When we left, we were allowed 50 cigars each, and 1.25L of alcohol. I\u2019ve heard that unlabelled cigars aren\u2019t looked upon well, so may not be worth the risk. Smoking unlabelled cigars while you\u2019re in Havana, however\u2026 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Get cheap cigars from the factory<\/header>\n<p>For great prices on unlabelled cigars, try taking a tour of a cigar factory. Every factory worker gets 5 free cigars a day. After the tour, our guide took us into the cloakroom and sold us some cohibas for dirt cheap.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<h1>Avoid Buena Vista \/ Bar Taberna<\/h1>\n<p>I\u2019m loathe to include something so negative but this is an important point.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Don&#8217;t go to the Buena Vista Social Club<\/header>\n<p>Do not go to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.co.uk\/Attraction_Review-g147271-d9791266-Reviews-Buena_Vista_Social_Club-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html\">Buena Vista Social Club<\/a>\u00a0held at the Bar Taberna near Plaza Vieja.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The missus and I were keen to catch a music show, and on paper this should have been a great event: a multitude of Cuban legends, most of which were grammy winners, performing a show while you got a 3 course dinner and free cocktails. What I hadn\u2019t deduced was that if these performers had won grammies, that would have been in the 50s. Sadly, the show was a tired affair \u2013 the place was half-empty, and the music was the same as we\u2019d heard from a dozen street bands (who had been better). The food was the worst we had the misfortune of consuming: the saddest, rubberiest, cheapest and most inedible meal I\u2019ve had in a long time.<\/p>\n<p>We judiciously drank all our cocktails in an effort to kill any microbial or bacterial flora we may have consumed, but unfortunately that was in vain. The next day, and for the week after, Buena Vista left its mark not only in the memories of a mediocre night, but in the form of a syncopated rumba in our bowels. Trying to walk around Havana while remaining at all times within dashing distance of a toilet is tedious and not conducive to fun exploration.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Avoid, avoid, avoid.<\/header>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: If you go, make sure you\u2019ve packed some Immodium.<\/header>\n<\/aside>\n<h1>Miscellaneous<\/h1>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Learn some Latin American Spanish.<\/header>\n<p>Not many people speak English in Cuba. You will be very well served by the merest of Spanish. I listened to some helpful\u00a0podcast series, and bought a phrase book (see Links section for links to both). I also downloaded an offline Spanish dictionary to my phone, which helped. The fact I already spoke French made Spanish a lot easier to grasp.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Download the Tripadvisor app, and save the Havana data offline<\/header>\n<p>Simply the best travelling app \u2013 for finding activities and restaurants, or for navigating. I use this everywhere I go, it\u2019s essential.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Stock up on water.<\/header>\n<p>Wherever you can, grab another bottle. It\u2019s way too easy to dehydrate, and it\u2019s common to spend hours without coming across anywhere that looks like they sell water.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Agree taxi fares up-front<\/header>\n<p>Saves some embarrassment once you get there. There are licensed taxis which cost a bit more \u2013 but you\u2019ll find that random members of the public will become a taxi driver if they think you need one. Up to you if you feel comfortable with that. We had one occasion where things felt sketchy \u2013 2 guys were in the car with us, took us on a detour to try to sell us cigars, then demanded more money than we\u2019d agreed when we finally got to our destination.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Expect to be delayed<\/header>\n<p>Nobody is on time and nobody cares. Be prepared to wait hours in a queue for the smallest thing \u2013 because Cubans seem not to feel societal pressures to hurry up. We were the only flight landing into Havana, at midnight, and it took 90 minutes to get our luggage.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<header>TIP: Watch the sunset on the Malecon<\/header>\n<p>Said to be \u201cthe world\u2019s longest sofa\u201d, the Malecon is a low fortified wall which runs the entire Northern coast of Havana. It\u2019s low enough to sit on \u2013 and hundreds of people do. Go for a stroll along here at sunset and watch dozens and dozens of Cubans chill quietly in singles and pairs. Kids play football on the road, one or two guys might be playing guitar, while others jump into the sea. It\u2019s a beautiful experience and will be one of my lasting memories of Havana.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<h1>Conclusion<\/h1>\n<p>There are a million things to do and see in Havana and it would be daft of me to try to enumerate them all here (not least because I am no expert). Take some time to do your research beforehand, and learn some Spanish, and you\u2019ll be in a great position.<\/p>\n<p>Havana is an amazing place \u2013 it took us a few days to acclimate to the fact that it was so different, and so remote, like a time capsule frozen half a century ago.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an exciting time for Cuba \u2013 relations with the U.S. are being normalised, the city of Havana is in restoration after it was named a Unesco Heritage Site, changes to the law mean that private businesses are booming. There\u2019s a feeling of optimism. Visiting Havana was fantastic, and I would recommend it to anyone.<\/p>\n<h1>Appendix: Links<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>Book: <a href=\"http:\/\/shop.lonelyplanet.com\/south-america\/latin-american-spanish-phrasebook-7\/\">Latin American Spanish<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Book: <a href=\"http:\/\/uk.phaidon.com\/store\/travel\/wallpaper-city-guide-havana-9780714866550\/\">Wallpaper City Guide: Havana<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/travel\/cuba-travel-tips-visa-transport-currency-9992600.html\">The Independent: Cuba Travel Tips<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cubarocks.co.uk\/useful-spanish-phrases-for-cuba\">Useful Spanish Phrases for Cuba<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/radiolingua.com\/shows\/spanish\/one-minute-lam-spanish\/\">One Minute LAm Spanish<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/travel\/destinations\/caribbean\/cuba\/articles\/Cuba-readers-tips-recommendations-and-travel-advice\/\">Telegraph: Cuba: Reader&#8217;s Tips<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/americas\/travel-tips-and-articles\/first-time-cuba-things-to-know-before-you-go\">Lonely Planet: Things to Know Before You Go<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/m.roughguides.com\/article\/cuba-travel-tips\/\">Cuba: 10 Travel Tips for First-Timers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My girlfriend and I recently travelled to the incredible city of Havana for 10 days \u2013 an experience I would highly recommend. Before travelling I did a fair bit of research and found some travel tips and suggestions (I\u2019ll provide links to the most useful of these at the end of this post). While some&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/havana-tips\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Havana Travel Tips<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":""},"categories":[26,16,19],"tags":[61,97,171,173],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebcharrot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}