Cuba travel coverage tends to fall into two camps: breathless romance about time-standing-still and vintage cars, or dense legal warnings about what Americans can and can’t do. Both miss most of what you actually need to know before you land in Havana.
Here’s the unvarnished version, from someone who spent two weeks on the island.
The Cash Reality Is More Extreme Than You’ve Heard
Cuba runs on cash. Not “bring some extra cash just in case” — bring every dollar you plan to spend for the entire trip, in cash, before you leave home. ATMs for foreign cards range from unreliable to nonfunctional. Credit cards issued by US banks do not work. Period.
The current exchange situation means you want to bring USD and exchange on the island. The informal rate you get from trusted casa owners beats the official rate significantly. Ask your casa particular host their first night — they’ll either help you directly or point you to where locals actually exchange.
Budget: Cuba is cheaper than most Caribbean destinations but more expensive than it was five years ago. Budget $60-100/day as a baseline for food, transport, and activities. Nice casas run $35-60/night.
Internet Exists But Treat It Like a Luxury, Not a Utility
You can buy ETECSA internet cards at hotels and some street vendors — 1 hour for about $1-2 USD equivalent. Connectivity happens at Wi-Fi hotspots (parks, hotel lobbies, some plazas). It’s slow. It works.
The practical consequence: don’t plan to navigate by phone. Download offline maps (Maps.me works well for Cuba) before you arrive. Screenshot your accommodation addresses and confirmation info. Book as much as possible in advance, because confirming on the fly from the island is painful.
This is actually fine. Being unconnected for most of the day is one of the things that makes Cuba feel different from every other destination.
Transportation Between Cities Is an Adventure
Viazul buses are the backpacker standard for intercity travel — fixed routes, booking in advance required. The Havana to Trinidad route takes about 5 hours and costs around $25. Book days ahead; they sell out.
Shared taxis (colectivos) are faster and only slightly more expensive — for shorter routes, worth it. Ask your casa host to arrange; they handle this constantly for guests.
Within Havana, classic car taxis are for tourist runs. For actual getting around, negotiate prices upfront in CUC or MLC or whatever the current accepted currency is — the system has shifted multiple times and will likely shift again. Your accommodation will brief you on the current reality when you arrive.
What to Actually Eat
The stereotype that Cuban food is bad exists for a reason — state restaurants (paladares competing with the state) historically underperformed. But private restaurants (also called paladares) have improved enormously in the past decade. The good ones in Havana are genuinely excellent.
La Guarida in Havana — located in a crumbling but magnificent mansion, has fed everyone from Beyoncé to various heads of state. The ropa vieja is exceptional. Expensive by Cuba standards ($20-30/person), worth it.
Local peso food (rice, beans, pork, plantains) from street windows and small places costs almost nothing and is often the most satisfying meal of the day. Follow locals, not tourists.
The Human Element
This is the thing you can’t really explain in advance. Cubans are extraordinarily warm with visitors in a way that doesn’t feel performed. They want to talk, to share, to show you something about their city. The conversations you have in Havana are unlike anywhere else I’ve traveled.
Stay in casas particulares (private homestays) rather than hotels — not just for cost, but because you’ll get a host family who will genuinely orient you to the neighborhood, feed you breakfast, and care whether you have a good trip.
Cuba is genuinely one of the more challenging countries to travel — logistics that work elsewhere don’t work here. It’s also one of the more rewarding. Come prepared, stay flexible, and give yourself enough time.
Best time to visit: November–April (dry season). Minimum recommended stay: 10 days to see Havana, Trinidad, and Viñales. Bring more cash than you think you need.