If you’re looking to travel to Cuba but aren’t sure if you can go or how to do it, have no fear. It’s super easy!
In February, I traveled with my sister and (senior citizen) aunt from Los Angeles to Cuba and it was one of the best travel experiences of my life. I had a great time and highly recommend visiting this amazing little island. Here are some travel tips, especially for those of you from Los Angeles!
Alaska Airlines offers direct flights from LAX to HAV. Since January 5th, Alaska Airlines has been operating non-stop flights from Los Angeles to Havana. The flights are about 5 hours long and the ride is incredibly smooth (Alaska is a GREAT airline!). Your Alaska Airlines boarding pass can be used as proof of health insurance (though you will never be asked for this).
Buy your visa at LAX. As a U.S. citizen, you need a visa to travel to Cuba. There are two ways you can get the visa: 1) ordering it online (it’s mailed to you for about $93) or 2) buying it at the airport. Cuba Travel Services has a counter at the Alaska Airlines Cuba check-in (you cannot use the self check-in kiosks for Cuba flights) where you can purchase a visa for $100 right after you check in for your flight. It’s a few dollars more expensive, but it’s legit and saves you the trouble of having to order it online.
Travel in January or February. These are Cuba’s “winter” months. We traveled for President’s Day weekend and experienced a cool breeze throughout our stay. The mornings were brisk, the afternoons warm, and at times, the nights were a little chilly (enough for a light sweater). You’ll get minimal humidity during these months!
Stay at an Airbnb! Make sure you book your Airbnb listing early on. We booked our travel one month out and while there were still listings, it can take time for Airbnb hosts in Cuba to get back to you since there is limited wi-fi. Our Airbnb listing was a casa particular in the center of Havana and cost $25 USD for three people per night.
Make reservations for restaurants while you are still in Los Angeles. Friends who had been to Cuba all recommended the same 3–5 restaurants. That’s because there are not a slew of restaurant establishments and those happen to legitimately be the best ones. La Guarida and Dona Eutimia were two places we ate at and both were a bit pricey by Cuban standards ($15) but delicious. You can email these places for a reservation, yet make sure you don’t wait until the last minute to do so. Also, eat at El Chanchullero (which is one of the few places that doesn’t require a reservation).
Use the People-to-People requirement. If you’re confused about whether U.S. citizens are allowed to travel to Cuba, here’s the deal: President Obama lessened travel restrictions to Cuba last year, but tourism is still not allowed. You must go under one of the 12 categories, one of them being “people-to-people travel.” This means that you are traveling to learn about the island and its people (almost like an educational exchange opportunity). You will never be asked about this people-to-people requirement, but to be safe, you should develop an itinerary that has educational learning experiences (like visiting museums and having cultural exchange conversations with Cubans) just in case you are paranoid, like I was. Again, we were never asked for any such documents both upon entering Cuba and returning back to the States. And we even made it to the beach in Cuba!
Budget about $100 USD per person per day. We followed everyone’s suggestions and took Euros, which we then exchanged for CUCs. $100 CUCs is a ridiculously generous budget and we never even came close to spending that much per day. Even if you splurge (unless you have really crazy spending habits), you’ll likely spend closer to $50-$60 USD. The exchange rate is about 1 Euro = 1 CUC. Another tip here: when you land in Havana, exchange all your money at the airport. You will have to wait about 1.5–2 hours but it’s the only time you’ll have to do it (if you have money left over, you can exchange it back once you’ve gone through security. There is a Caja de Cambios in the waiting area for your Alaska Airlines flight home).
If you speak Spanish, do the 10:30 a.m. group tour at the Museo de la Revolucion. This is the museum dedicated to the communist revolution and is worth checking out. It’s self-guided, unless you get there early for their 10:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. Spanish guided tours. There are only two guided tours offered per day and they’re both in Spanish. The museum gets pretty busy, which is why I recommend doing the morning one.
Walk everywhere. Cuba is incredibly safe and beautiful. My aunt, sister and I walked everywhere without a problem. As in every other part of the world, use street smarts and be a savvy traveler. Don’t dress flashy, wear jewelry, or do things that will cause you attention. Take comfy tennis shoes and let yourself get lost in the beautiful architecture that dominates the city. At night, it’s still safe to walk though there’s plenty of three (and four) wheel options like bicycle taxis, motor taxis, and regular taxi cars.
Have patience. As my sister said, “a visa will get you into Cuba, but patience will get you through.” Be prepared to stand in lines everywhere and to wait on simple things like getting breakfast at a local coffee shop. It is what it is. Once that Cuban coffee arrives, you will see that it was totally worth the wait. If you’re traveling with senior citizens (like we did) schedule in mojito and ice cream breaks every few hours. There are no (working) elevators in Cuba. The weather can be hot and if you’re walking everywhere, it can take its toll. The best recommendation here is to not go with any expectations and to just go with the flow. Cubans are amazing people and if you speak Spanish like I do, you’ll be treated even better. Enjoy being off the grid for once and soak in a part of the world that is unlike anywhere else.
Happy Traveling!
Note: The recommendations laid out in this post are personal travel tips meant for friends and family. They are not the official authority on country or travel matters nor do they represent the views of anyone but my own.
