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Top 10s across Cuba

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The largest island in the Caribbean, and the one that reads least like a resort brochure. Cuba runs on colonial cities, tobacco valleys and a live music culture that never needed a stage.

Cuba at a glance

Best months

Mar–Apr · Nov

Ideal length

10–14 days

Budget / day

$60–120

Language

Spanish

Getting around

Víazul buses and shared colectivo taxis

When to visit Cuba

A dry season worth planning around, and a hurricane season worth reading the forecast for.

Full month guide →

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best: March and April, dry and warm with the winter crowds gone Peak: December to February, the dry season everyone books at once Good: November, the rain stopping and the prices not yet risen Off: May to October, hot and wet, with hurricane season running June to November

Quick answer · where to go in Cuba

Give Havana four nights: the old town, Centro and Vedado are three different cities. Then go west to Viñales for the tobacco valley, or east along the spine: Cienfuegos for the waterfront, Trinidad for the cobbles, Santa Clara for the revolution’s battlefield. Further on, Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba hold the more Caribbean half, with Baracoa at the far end. Varadero and Cayo Coco are the beaches. March, April and November are dry and quieter.

2 Cuba city guides

Each guide ranks the things worth your time, with a map and a daily budget.

Havana

Cuba · 10 picks

Santiago de Cuba

Cuba · 10 picks

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

The bee hummingbird, the smallest bird on earth at about 6 cm and under 2 grams, lives only in Cuba.

Stereotypes, sorted out

The clichés you have heard, what is actually true, and how to fit in.

"Cuba is frozen in 1959"

The realityThe cars are real and so is the peeling paint, but the country has changed twice over. The dual currency went in 2021, private small businesses were legalised the same year, and mobile data reached ordinary phones in 2018. What looks like preservation is mostly scarcity.

"There are two currencies and tourists use the special one"

The realityThere were. The convertible peso (CUC) was withdrawn in 2021 and the Cuban peso is now the only legal currency. The country has since partly dollarised, so some shops price in US dollars and the rest in pesos. What you need is cash you brought with you.

"Americans cannot go"

The realityThey can, and thousands do. US law restricts the reason: travel must fall under one of twelve general licence categories, and beach tourism is not one. Most go under "Support for the Cuban People": private homes, private restaurants, and records kept for five years.

"It is a cheap Caribbean island"

The realityIt is not. Shortages mean much of what a visitor buys is imported and priced to match, and payment is unforgiving: US cards have never worked and other foreign cards are unreliable. Budget in cash, and expect a guesthouse dinner to cost what it would in southern Europe.

"Everything is state-run and identical"

The realityThe best meals, the best rooms and most of the interesting shops are private. Casas particulares have been legal since 1997 and paladares since the early nineties, and the 2021 reform let both incorporate properly. State hotels and state restaurants still exist and are rarely the better choice.

A pink 1955 Chevrolet taxiA son band at the next tableRum, mint and mojitosChe on every wallCigars rolled on a thighDominoes on the pavementThe art of resolver

Cultural notes that actually help

Bring every peso you plan to spend, in cash, in clean and undamaged notes. Cards issued in the United States do not work at all, other foreign cards have become unreliable, and there is no way to fix a shortfall once you are there.
Power cuts are part of the day, not an emergency. The national grid has collapsed repeatedly since 2024 and rolling blackouts are routine outside the resort strips. Carry a power bank and a torch, and choose a guesthouse with a generator if you need one.
Stay in casas particulares. A licensed private room costs less than a state hotel, the breakfast is better, and your host is the person who will find you a colectivo, a mechanic or a doctor.
Ask before photographing people, and expect to be asked for something in return by anyone in costume in Old Havana. That is a job, not a scam, and a small note settles it.
Tip in cash and in the local currency. Ten percent covers a sit-down meal, and small notes matter more than the amount because change is hard to come by.
Do not drink the tap water anywhere, including Havana. Bottled or properly filtered water only, and that includes the ice outside established restaurants.
Politics is discussed freely with visitors and carefully in public. Listen more than you push, and never put someone’s name to an opinion online.

Famous Cuban faces

The names behind Cuban music, sport, screen, writing, art, dance and public life. Pick a field.

Celia Cruz

The voice that carried Cuban son and salsa around the world

Fidel Castro

Led the 1959 revolution and ran the country for nearly five decades

Alicia Alonso

Prima ballerina who founded the Ballet Nacional de Cuba

Javier Sotomayor

Holds the men’s high jump world record, set at 2.45 m in 1993

Ana de Armas

Havana-born actress who went from Cuban cinema to Hollywood leads

Benny Moré

El Bárbaro del Ritmo, the great voice of son and mambo

Ibrahim Ferrer

Bolero singer the Buena Vista Social Club brought out of retirement

Omara Portuondo

Singer whose career runs from the 1950s Tropicana to the Buena Vista Social Club

Chucho Valdés

Pianist and founder of Irakere, the band that welded jazz to Afro-Cuban percussion

Gloria Estefan

Havana-born singer who took the Miami Sound Machine global

Teófilo Stevenson

Heavyweight boxer with three Olympic golds who never turned professional

Mijaín López

Greco-Roman wrestler with five consecutive Olympic golds

Omar Linares

Third baseman and the star of Cuba’s Olympic-winning baseball teams of the 1990s

Guillermo Cabrera Infante

Novelist of Three Trapped Tigers, who spent his exile in London

Nicolás Guillén

National poet, who put Afro-Cuban rhythm into Spanish verse

Carlos Acosta

Dancer who went from a Havana ballet school to principal at the Royal Ballet

Lizt Alfonso

Choreographer whose company blends ballet, flamenco and Afro-Cuban dance

Camilo Cienfuegos

Revolutionary commander whose disappearance in 1959 made him a national icon

José Martí

Poet and journalist, and the intellectual author of Cuban independence

Compay Segundo

Guitarist and songwriter, the elder statesman of the Buena Vista Social Club

Wifredo Lam

Painter who folded Afro-Cuban imagery into European modernism

Arturo Sandoval

Trumpeter and Irakere co-founder who rebuilt his career in the United States

Silvio Rodríguez

Songwriter at the centre of nueva trova

Ernesto Lecuona

Composer of "Malagueña" and "Siboney", who took Cuban music into the concert hall

Camila Cabello

Born in Havana, raised in Miami, a pop career built on both

Ana Fidelia Quirot

Middle-distance runner who came back from near-fatal burns to win the world 800 m title

Andy García

Havana-born actor, Oscar-nominated for The Godfather Part III

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Director of Memories of Underdevelopment and Strawberry and Chocolate

Alejo Carpentier

Novelist who coined "lo real maravilloso", the idea magical realism grew out of

Reinaldo Arenas

Novelist and memoirist of Before Night Falls

Amelia Peláez

Painter of the Cuban avant-garde, known for still lifes built like stained glass

René Portocarrero

Painter of Havana cityscapes and cathedral interiors

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes

The planter who freed the people he had enslaved and began the war of independence in 1868

Vilma Espín

Chemical engineer, revolutionary, and founder of the Federation of Cuban Women

Must-try Cuban food

The criollo plate, the street sandwich, the coast and the rum. Pick a category.

Ropa vieja

Shredded beef stewed with peppers, onion and tomato. Usually called the national dish.

Picadillo a la habanera

Ground beef with olives, raisins and capers, spooned over white rice.

Ajiaco

Root vegetables and several meats in one pot, the oldest dish on the island.

Flan

Caramel custard, the default dessert and rarely a bad one.

Arroz con leche

Rice pudding heavy with cinnamon and lime peel.

Mojito

White rum, lime, sugar, mint and soda. Havana’s most successful export after the cigar.

Cuba libre

Rum and cola with a squeeze of lime, named for the independence slogan.

Lechón asado

Whole pig slow-roasted over coals, the centre of Christmas Eve and every celebration.

Vaca frita

Beef boiled, shredded, then fried crisp with lime and raw onion.

Fricasé de pollo

Chicken braised with potato and olives, the standard weekday dinner.

Tamal en cazuela

Fresh corn cooked down to a soft mash with pork. The tamal without the husk.

Moros y cristianos

Black beans cooked into the rice until the grains turn dark. It comes with everything.

Congrí

The eastern version, red beans and rice cooked together with pork fat.

Arroz con pollo

Rice and chicken cooked in one pot, gold with annatto.

Tostones

Green plantain smashed flat and fried twice, salted while hot.

Maduros

Ripe plantain fried soft and sweet, the counterweight to everything salty.

Yuca con mojo

Boiled cassava under garlic, sour orange and hot oil.

Pan con lechón

Roast pork in a bread roll with raw onion, eaten standing up anywhere on the island.

Frita cubana

A beef and chorizo patty under a nest of shoestring potatoes, in a bun.

Croquetas

Ham or chicken béchamel, breaded and fried, sold from every counter.

Pan con timba

Bread, a slab of guava paste and white cheese. The cheapest snack there is.

Langosta a la plancha

Caribbean spiny lobster grilled with garlic butter, easiest to find on the south coast.

Camarones al ajillo

Shrimp in garlic and oil, with bread to finish the pan.

Pargo frito

Whole red snapper fried, usually with rice and tostones alongside.

Enchilado de mariscos

Seafood in a light tomato and pepper sauce. Despite the name, not hot.

Cucurucho

Coconut, honey and fruit packed into a palm-leaf cone. A Baracoa speciality.

Guayaba con queso

Guava paste and white cheese, eaten in the same mouthful on purpose.

Dulce de leche cortada

Milk curdled with lime and cooked down with sugar, an old country dessert.

Daiquirí

Rum, lime and sugar, shaken cold. El Floridita froze it and never looked back.

Café cubano

Espresso whipped with sugar as it brews, served in a thimble and drunk in one.

Guarapo

Sugar cane pressed to order and drunk cold, with lime if you ask.

Ron añejo

Aged rum drunk neat. The reason the cocktails work.

Malta

Sweet, dark, non-alcoholic malt drink, sometimes cut with condensed milk.

Know before you go

The essentials for planning a Cuba trip, including the ones nobody warns you about.

Currency

Cuban peso (CUP)

The peso is the only legal currency since 2021, and some shops price in US dollars. US cards fail and other foreign cards are unreliable, so carry the whole trip in cash. Change at a bank or CADECA.

Language

Spanish

Cuban Spanish drops word endings and the s, which takes even confident speakers a day or two. English is common in Havana’s tourist streets and the resorts, and thin elsewhere.

Power

110V and 220V · Type A/B/C/L

Both voltages are in use, sometimes in one building, with American, European and Italian sockets. Bring a universal adapter and a dual-voltage charger, and check the socket label first.

Emergency

106 police · 104 ambulance

No single number: 106 for police, 104 for ambulance, 105 for fire, answered in Spanish. Ambulances are thin outside the cities, and Cuba-valid medical insurance is an entry requirement.

Blackouts

Frequent, plan around them

The grid has collapsed nationwide several times since 2024, and rolling cuts of many hours are routine outside the resorts. Carry a power bank and a torch, and keep paper copies of essentials.

Visa

Electronic visa, applied for in advance

Apply online through the foreign ministry’s own system. Fees and conditions vary by nationality. Cuba-valid medical insurance is checked at the border, and the D’Viajeros form is filed before you fly.

US travellers

Twelve licence categories, not tourism

Travel must fit one of twelve general licence categories, and beach tourism is not one. Most go under "Support for the Cuban People" and keep records for five years. Read the Treasury’s own terms.

Getting around

Víazul coaches and colectivos

Víazul coaches sell out, so book ahead. Shared colectivo taxis leave near the terminals, charge per seat and are usually faster. Domestic flights save a day to Santiago de Cuba but cancel often.

Where to stay

Casas particulares

Licensed private rooms, legal since 1997, beat state hotels on price, breakfast and information. Your host also finds the colectivo, the mechanic or the doctor.

Tipping

About 10 percent, in cash

Service is rarely on the bill. Ten percent covers a sit-down meal, and small notes matter because change is scarce. Table musicians expect something, as does anyone in costume you photograph.

Tap water

Not drinkable

Do not drink it anywhere, Havana included. Bottled or properly filtered water only, and be careful with ice outside established restaurants. A filter bottle saves a lot of plastic on a two-week trip.

Internet

ETECSA data and wifi, patchy

ETECSA sells prepaid data and wifi, slow and unreliable, worse in a power cut. Download maps, tickets and translations before leaving a city, and warn people at home about gaps.

Cuba travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Cuba?+

Ten days is the honest minimum for more than the capital. Four nights in Havana, two in Viñales, then two or three in Trinidad with a stop in Cienfuegos or Santa Clara on the way. Two weeks lets you carry on east to Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba, which is where the island stops feeling Spanish and starts feeling Caribbean. Distances are long and transport is slow, so plan fewer stops than you think.

Can Americans travel to Cuba?+

Yes, but not as ordinary tourists. US law allows travel under twelve general licence categories published by the Treasury, and most independent visitors go under "Support for the Cuban People", which means staying in private homes, eating in private restaurants and keeping a record of the trip for five years. No application is needed if your travel fits a category. Read the Treasury’s own guidance first.

What do you need to enter Cuba?+

A passport, an entry visa applied for through the Cuban government’s electronic system, proof of travel medical insurance valid in Cuba, and the online D’Viajeros declaration completed shortly before you fly, which returns a QR code the airline and immigration both ask for. The fee and the fine print vary by nationality, and the rules have moved more than once, so check the foreign ministry’s own page before you book anything.

How do you pay for things in Cuba?+

In cash you brought with you. The Cuban peso is the only legal currency since the convertible peso was withdrawn in 2021, but the country has partly dollarised, so some shops price in US dollars. Cards issued in the United States do not work, and other foreign cards have become unreliable. Bring euros or US dollars in clean, undamaged notes, change what you need at a bank or CADECA, and treat any working ATM as a bonus.

What about the blackouts?+

They are real and they are routine. The national grid has failed completely several times since 2024, and rolling cuts of many hours a day are normal outside the resort strips. Bring a power bank and a torch, ask your guesthouse whether it has a generator, and keep some flexibility in any plan that depends on a fridge, a lift or an airport. It changes a trip; it does not stop one.

How do you get between cities?+

Víazul runs the long-distance coaches tourists mostly use, and the seats sell out, so book ahead. Shared colectivo taxis leave from near the bus terminals, charge per seat, and usually beat the bus by an hour on the same route. Domestic flights save a full day between Havana and Santiago de Cuba but cancel often. Renting a car is possible and expensive, and fuel queues are the reason most people do not.

Cuba by theme

Themed Top 10s across the island.

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Cuba on Wimup Videos

Films to watch before you book.

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Havana Travel Guide

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