Guide to traveling to Cuba, do not travel without knowing these 12 tips

Un trip to cuba It's like taking a trip to the past, full of wild nature y colonial cities.

But to visit it you have to be clear about several things before traveling and that is why we have prepared a good guide for traveling to Cuba.

The first thing you need to know is that it is a charming country, its people, its music, its towns, cities and of course, its virgin nature.

But above all I would highlight how safe the country is, in the face of all the confusing information that may arrive.

Although it is true that when you consider a trip to the island, it is necessary to be clear about certain things because in many aspects it is a peculiar country and it is not a normal trip.

We are going to give you all the information you need to know before visiting the country to be able to enjoy the trip to the fullest.

Guide to traveling to Cuba

The requirements to enter the country change as time goes by, but basically 4 things are needed.

1. A visa to enter the country.
2. Valid passport that does not expire before 6 months
3. Round trip flight ticket
4. Travel insurance

Throughout the article we will talk to you about several of these points.

1 Is travel insurance needed to travel to Cuba?

For travel to Cuba, as in reality all over the world, It is essential to do so with travel insurance.

But not just because they ask you to, but because the situation in the country is what it is, and if something happens to you, you need to have top private travel insurance that will get you out of possible trouble.

In some areas of the island there are hardly any medications and if you have a health problem, it is essential that you have insurance that includes everything, including possible repatriation to be able to treat you.

We always travel with him IATI travel insurance, of which we recommend the Star Insurance, which is the most complete and has a very cheap price in relation to what it offers.

It won't cost you more than 6 or 7 euros a day.

And if you hire it through this link you have a 5% discount.

2 How to apply for a Visa to travel to Cuba?

For Traveling to Cuba it is essential to have a tourist visa that, due to the peculiarities of the country, it must be obtained through the specialized tourist agencies that are authorized by the cuban government.

The agency provided it to us EnjoyCuba, which is the most powerful agency in the country and with which we made all the reservation arrangements.

El visa price to travel to Cuba it is 25 euros.

And one thing to keep in mind is that as soon as you enter the country, you automatically United States It puts you on its blacklist of people who have visited countries that support terrorism.

Due to this, for later travel to United States It will not be enough for you to request the ESTA Authorization, if not you must apply for a special visa several months in advance of your trip at the embassy.

3 What is the best time to travel to Cuba?

This Caribbean island has mild temperatures all year round with maximums of 30 degrees and minimums of 20 degrees.

That is why at any time of the year you will have very pleasant temperatures.

But it is true that there is a rainy season, so the dry season would be ideal.

This dry season goes approximately from November to April or May.

During the summer months in Europe the humidity is much higher and the temperatures higher.

4 How to connect to the Internet in Cuba?

To understand how the Internet works in Cuba, you have to think about what the Internet was like in the world years ago, so its use is limited and flat rates do not exist.

If you are going to travel to Cuba, you will probably want buy a sim card to have Internet in the country.

There are several options for SIM cards, as well as to connect to the Hotel wifi.

That is why we have prepared an article where we talk in depth about all the options there are to connect to the Internet in Cuba.

• How to have internet in Cuba?

5 Travel with a travel agency

There are destinations in the world where, due to their circumstances, it is necessary to resort to a travel agency to visit it with guarantee.

And this country is a clear example of this, since there are certain things that are difficult to solve if you do not travel with a travel agency.

And I am going to give you two examples that we will develop in depth later in the article.

In Cuba there are no companies like Booking o RentalcarsTherefore book a hotel or rent a car It is not easy at all if you do not use a local agency.

It must be taken into account that most services are property of the STATUS and has certain quotas for each agency, which makes tourism centralized in these agencies.

And that is why, to organize our trip, we resort to the aforementioned EnjoyCuba, which is the most powerful agency in the country.

They take care of the targeted, flights with free bags, hotel reservations, car rental, phone cards and everything you may need.

On certain services, they are even able to get better prices than any traveler can get.

They also have a service 24 hour service in case you have any problem during the trip.

In our experience it is one of the most efficient agencies with which we have traveled throughout the world, and one of the ones that have helped us the most to personalize our trip.

6 How money works in Cuba

In Cuba there are two official currencies, CUP and MLC.

CUP that is the street currency and MLC is a Virtual Currency which works as a wallet card linked to the price of the dollar, and which can only be obtained by exchanging it with important foreign currencies that are not dollarsand euro or japanese yen.

As you can guess, the dollar is not accepted in Cuba.

In practice, the tourist has to forget about the MLC and focus on using the CUP, and if possible change on the street, which is the best way to help the Cubans themselves.

Depending on where you change, the price varies greatly and can increase the cost of the trip 4, 5 or 6 times.

In any case, you should know that the functioning of money on this island is a quite complex issue that is closely linked to the problems that the country has in general.

That is why we have made an explanatory article for you

• How does money work in Cuba?

7 What is essential to see in Cuba 

From a tourist point of view it is an amazing country, but unfortunately the vast majority of tourists leave the country having visited only Havana and the tourist area of Varadero.

It is the typical plan offered by travel agencies, but if you only know that part of the country, you miss the essence of the island.

En Cuba there are colonial cities like Trinidad, Casas Particulares Cienfuegos o Casa Particular in Santiago de Cuba which are truly amazing.

Not to mention the wild nature areas from the east of the country, with cities like Baracoa, Holguin, which is where it arrived Christopher Columbus: Cayo Saetia.

Without forgetting corners as special as the Keys, Bay of Pigs o Casa Particular in Viñales.

Since we have been lucky enough to tour the entire island in one 15-day car route, we leave you an article where we tell you what for us are the most beautiful places on the entire island.

• 14 Cities to see in Cuba
• 10 essential things to see in Havana 
• What to see in Trinidad

8 What to eat in Cuba

Cuba is not a country that stands out especially for its gastronomy.

In its favor it must be said that the world situation does not help at all, but despite this, there are several dishes that you must try.

Most restaurants they always have basic dishes how are the Combined dishes de rice with beans y pig, chicken o prawns grilled accompanied by salad.

Another of the fixed ones are the meats or fried plantain as a chip, one of our favorites.

But there are not only these basic dishes.

It is essential to try the Ropa Vieja, Cuba style rice, Yucca, Sandwich Cuban, Cenchilated amarones, Locust o octopus cooked in different ways.

And if you go for different dishes, you should try the sheep in chilindrón sauce.

9 Where to Sleep in Cuba

The theme of accommodations on the island it is quite varied.

Depending on the trip, we would recommend trying several options.

When it comes to booking it is quite complicated because, as we have mentioned before, platforms like Booking o AirBNB They are not operational, or if they are present, it is with a minimum offer.

You have to understand that the hotels in Cuba are from STATUS or mixed with private companies such as Melia, Iberostar o Cubanacan.

In our opinion and after sleeping in many hotels, without a doubt the best and most modern are the hotels Iberostar, above all the two from Havana (Iberostar center e Iberostar Packard) On Iberostar from Trinidad and Coral Level of Cayo Cruz.

They are the only ones that, in our opinion, are within the European quality standard.

Another option is to stay in private homes.

In our opinion, this option is part of the Cuban experience because it is the best way to understand the country and to talk and share experiences with local people.

Cubans are charming and welcoming people, which is why we always recommend spending at least one night in accommodation of this style.

This type of accommodation is usually booked when you go by road and arrive in a city the old-fashioned way, seeing the signs advertising it and hiring it at the same time.

Another option is to talk to the specialized agencies in the country as EnjoyCuba, that also facilitate this type of experiences and have a large list of private houses where to stay depending on the city you are going to visit.

10 How to rent a car in Cuba

Our trip consisted of tour the island by car at our leisure so it was essential hire a rental car.

The rental cars in Cuba are controlled by the STATUS, there are no private companies where they can be hired.

What is the question then?

Each agency has car quotas at their disposal. for their clients, so going individually to reserve a car can be an impossible mission.

And just in case you manage to get it, it must be said that they are extremely slow and delivery times are not usually met.

It is quite common to have to wait 2 or 3 hours for your car to be delivered, because in this country things are very slow.

That is why we turn again to EnjoyCuba, who were in charge of making the reservation and were rushing the rental people so that the delay time was much shorter.

In just one hour of waiting we had it, it is not the agency's problem, but rather the rental company's problem, which is the slowest we have seen in the country.

Of course, the car was brand new and one of the most modern in the entire country, something to highlight in Cuba, where the cars are very old.

11 Taxis in Cuba

In Cuba there is two types of taxis, the legal and the illegal.

The yellow ones are the legal ones, and they are also from the State, and then there are the old cars that can take you like taxis.

This happens in many countries and in Cuba, for example, the price is the same, so our recommendation is that you always ride the yellow ones, which are the ones who pay taxes and keep everything in order.

Also in cities like Havana there are cocotaxis, which are also official taxis, but egg-shaped almost like a tuk tuk Asian

12 How to book excursions in Cuba

If you are only going to want to book excursions like the visit to Viñales from HavanaOr a visit to Cienfuegos and Trinidad you have two options.

Hire it with EnjoyCuba inside the travel pack, or on excursion pages such as Civitatis.

These two are the most reliable sites for this type of experiences and where the quality of the visit and the guides is guaranteed.

Among the activities you can do in Cuba, the classic car ride through Havana, visit a cigar workshop o fishing on the boardwalk with a local fisherman while you drink an authentic and famous Cuban rum.