Organize your stay Cuba
Covid-19 : current situation Cuba
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, entry and travel restrictions may apply Cuba. Remember to visit the site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you leave for the latest information
Money Cuba
Following the disappearance in 2021 of the CUC (convertible peso), which was a currency invented for tourism, but also after months of difficult confinement and the consequent halt of tourism, the Cuban economy is in trouble. So much so that the CUP (Cuban peso), the national currency, has been subject to an uncontrollable devaluation for several months.
Therefore, the informed traveler should take into account two things:
First, we recommend that you take as much cash as possible with
you.To be on the safe side, you should bring 50 to 80 € per person per day of travel.
Secondly, to change your cash, three options are available:
You can go to an official exchange office managed by the state. At the time of our visit, the official exchange rate was 1 € = 25 CUP. This rate is stable. It is the same rate that is used in banks (whether you withdraw CUP or pay in CUP via an electronic payment terminal).
You can also choose to change your cash on the street. At the time of our visit, the unofficial exchange rate was 1 € = 90/100 CUP. This means that the exchange rate is almost 4 times better than the one practiced by the State. However, exchanging cash on the street is dangerously uncertain (you may end up with counterfeit money) but also illegal.
The third option is to ask trusted Cubans, who may be friends of friends or, better yet, the hosts of your casa particular
. By consulting with them, you will be able to evaluate the best way to change your cash. These people, who do not gain anything by ripping you off, will certainly offer you a satisfactory solution.
Budget & Tips Cuba
Cuba is not a cheap destination. It is true that the current monetary situation is rather favorable to tourists, but this situation is exceptional and is not expected to last
Small budget: count 50 € per day and per person. Accommodation in casa particular, cheap meals and bus transportation
Medium budget: with 70 to 90 € per day and per person, you will have the choice between casa and 3 stars hotel and will be able to eat in good restaurants. Transportation by bus or collective cab.
Big budget: with a budget of 150 € per day, you will live like a pasha. 4 to 5 star hotels and the most expensive meals on the island. However, you will have to extend your budget a little more to have your own vehicle
Passport and visas Cuba
Warning: a U.S. decree, which came into effect in 2021, i.e. in the midst of a pandemic and when Cuba was completely closed to the entry of foreigners, now renders the ESTA of any non-American traveler permanently invalid if he or she goes to Cuba. In other words, if you do not have a valid US visa (tourist or business, both of which take a long time to obtain) and you are staying in Cuba, you will be denied entry to the United States, even for a simple transit. A matter to be taken very seriously. Even though the protocol has been in place for more than a year and a half, the information was absolutely non-existent and not shared anywhere - not even on the ESTA website - in early May 2022! Therefore, until further notice, you will have to choose: Cuba or USA!
Two documents will be required to enter Cuba: a valid passport and a tourist card. The latter is issued by the Cuban consular authorities in Paris. It costs 22 €. Please note that the Cuba Linda association also provides its members with tourist cards (tel: 05 53 08 96 66 - www.cuba-linda.com). Approved French tour operators are also authorized to sell it for 27 €. You will need to show them your passport and your plane ticket. Although it is rare, you may also be asked to show proof of reservation for the first two nights in a hotel or casa particular. The tourist card is only valid for one month, with the possibility of a 30-day extension on the spot (twice maximum), subject to authorization by the Cuban immigration services and after payment of 25 €. For professional stays, a specific visa must be obtained from the Cuban Consulate (around 80 €).
To extend your stay after 30 days, you must go to the Dirección de Inmigración y Extranjería in Havana (Calle Factor, Final Talleres, Nuevo Vedado district - open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday). You will also find an office in Varadero and Santiago. Please note that you can only renew your tourist card twice, for a period of 30 days. You can only stay in Cuba for three consecutive months.
Mandatory medical insurance. You must take out health insurance to cover your medical expenses in case of hospitalization or repatriation during your trip to Cuba. This is mandatory (it was already in place before the pandemic), although you will not be asked for it upon arrival in Cuba. Please note that if you have a Visa or MasterCard card, you are automatically entitled to this insurance. Contact the insurance department of your card before you leave and ask them to email you the certificate of this insurance, in Spanish, which will include your travel dates to Cuba. It's completely free and fast! There is no need to subscribe to another health insurance that would have to be paid for (on average 25 € per person)!
Driver's license Cuba
To rent a car, motorcycle or camper van, you will be required to have a valid and appropriate driver's license. There is no need to apply for an international version of your driver's license. Cuba is bureaucratic, but not that bureaucratic either.
Health Cuba
Malaria is no longer present in Cuba, but it has not disappeared from the Caribbean, as it is still found in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The absence of malaria does not exempt you from protecting yourself from mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved clothing (at best impregnated with insecticide), applying repellents to exposed skin and using insecticides in the room (Chinese twists, electric diffusers) if you do not use a mosquito net (at best impregnated with insecticide). As for dengue fever, the risk is low outside of the epidemic periods, but it is more likely to occur during and after the rainy season, between June and October. You should also know that rabies is still present in Cuba, but cases of contamination are rare.
The health system. The level of health care in the country is one of the successes of the system established since the revolution. Cubans have free access to many health care services. In case of minor health problems (headaches, colds, etc.), you can ask a Cuban friend to go and get you some medicine without a prescription in a pharmacy intended for Cubans, because medicine is almost free for them and it will be much cheaper than going to an international pharmacy, as tourists who do not have access to the free health care system reserved for Cubans must do. However, you should know that some medicines are not available in Cuba, often because of the American embargo that prevents some laboratories from working with Cuba. For example, you will not find the morning-after pill in the country, even though other contraceptives are sold freely. Finally, you should know that the hospitals are generally very clean, even if because of the American embargo they often lack equipment, which can be a problem in case of heavy surgery.
Sea and beaches. The ocean and sea can be dangerous. Be aware of waves and currents, which can be very strong on some beaches. Avoid going too far from shore and swimming after a meal or prolonged sun exposure. Enter the water gradually. Beware of sea urchins, corals and other jellyfish. On beaches soiled by dog feces, it is common to get larva migrans, a skin disease that is easily treated.
Sun. Beware of sunburns. The tropical sun hits quickly! Be careful and avoid long exposures and the hottest hours of the day. Use effective sunscreens and don't hesitate to cover up with light canvas clothing and wide-brimmed hats, which are easily found in large artisan markets. Light-skinned children are particularly vulnerable. Please note: the sea breeze is deceptive and the clouds that sometimes prevail in the Cuban sky do not necessarily filter UV rays (you feel the heat of the sunburn on your skin when it is already too late). Excessive sun exposure is dangerous for the skin. In the short term, sunburns and other solar allergies are not so serious, but, in the long term, UV radiation causes accelerated aging of the skin with certain consequences: skin cancer at worst, but, for sure, a loss of skin elasticity (irreversible aging).
Zika. The risk of Zika is quite low in Cuba, as the country has embarked on a disinsectization program to eliminate mosquitoes throughout the country with the regular spread of a special product in inhabited areas. On the other hand, it is important to point out that Zika is not deadly. It is especially dangerous for pregnant women whose babies may develop malformations if the mother is infected. For other people, the symptoms are equivalent to a strong flu. They feel a great fatigue and there are no serious consequences on the health of the persons concerned.
Chikungunya. A few cases of chikungunya have been reported. They were travelers from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The best means of prevention is to use mosquito repellent to avoid being bitten by a mosquito responsible for the transmission of the disease.
Mandatory vaccination Cuba
In order to enter Cuba, you will be asked to provide a document proving a vaccination schedule against Covid-19 considered complete by your country of origin. We would like to emphasize here that this schedule must be recognized as complete by your country of origin, because this was not the case in the United States at the beginning of 2022, for example. The USA required a complete vaccination scheme according to their own protocol. Apart from that, no particular vaccine is required except the update of the classic vaccines (diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis). If you come from a country in Africa or Latin America where yellow fever is present, you will be asked to provide an international medical certificate proving that you have received the yellow fever vaccine within the last ten years. The hepatitis A vaccine is recommended. Vaccination against hepatitis B and typhoid is recommended for travelers who will be staying in the country for a longer period of time in rudimentary conditions.
Security Cuba
Cuba, unlike most Latin American countries, remains a safe country. Don't be unaware of this. Leave your identity and travel documents in the hotel safe or in the casa particular in a closed place, and only take your passport with you when you really need it (withdrawing money from a bank or cadeca, buying an Internet card, buying a bus ticket). If you are staying in a casa particular, be careful when you come back at night and do not let anyone enter the building at the same time as you, as robberies have been reported.
In general, avoid carrying a lot of money and valuables when walking around the capital. Also, stay alert after dark. In bars and clubs, robberies are more frequent, so leave with little money on you and don't leave your bag unattended because professional pickpockets prowl the touristy night spots, and it only takes a few seconds for your wallet to disappear. This advice is valid everywhere in the world, by the way. If you have a vehicle, opt for paid surveillance: Cubans will offer it to you in exchange for 1 or 2 €. More generally, avoid showing off your wealth, as you would anywhere else.
One last point concerning the jineteros (touts), very active in the biggest cities and often posted at their entrance. You are most often their only means of earning money since they are usually unemployed. Their objective is to get their hands on the gullible tourist to better get rid of his euros by earning a commission from him. Their strategies are well-tried and their approach is always friendly. An example: the jineteros offer you the address of a casa particular, on which they will systematically take between 5 and 10 € of commission, or even much more. The accommodation will therefore cost you more. And sometimes it is even enough for the repo man to follow you discreetly to make the owner of the casa believe that it is thanks to him that you are going to stay with him, which allows him to get his commission and also inflate the prices for you. The touts can finally stand in front of a casa particular and tell you that it is full and direct you to another one. So without getting paranoid, just use common sense and a minimum of intuition to detect the real from the fake.
For the latest information on local security, consult the "Advice to travelers" section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/voyageurs. Be aware, however, that the site provides an exhaustive list of potential dangers and that this sometimes gives a somewhat alarmist picture of the real situation in the country.
Time difference Cuba
There is a 6-hour time difference between France and Cuba. When it is 6 pm in Paris, it is 12 am in Havana. It is important to know that Cuba applies, as in France, the change from summer time to winter time (and vice versa), but not exactly at the same dates. Thus, twice a year (for 10 days the first time and 5 days the second time), the difference between Paris and Havana is only 5 hours.
Spoken languages Cuba
Spanish is spoken in Cuba. But English and sometimes French (thanks to the inexpensive courses at the Alliance Française) are also spoken.
Communication Cuba
Recently, it has become possible to buy a local SIM card in Cuba! To do so, go with your passport to an ETECSA office, the national telephone company, and buy a Cubacel SIM card. It is important to know that this card will cost you 75 CUP per day (0,70 €) and that a payment for a minimum of 3 days will be required from the beginning. Then, you just have to load your SIM card with phone credit, which you can use for calls, SMS and/or Internet data. What's new in Cuba is that 3G works very well throughout the country!
The other way to connect to the Internet is the traditional one, which is to connect to the public network or to private networks via ETECSA wifi cards. These wifi cards have a duration of 5h, 10h or 20h and can be bought in the ETECSA offices. When you connect to a wifi, your connection time will scroll. Once you are done doing what you need to do, remember to log off! Also, learn that once on Cuban soil, if you have an Apple smartphone (i.e. an iPhone), you will not be able to download any application. Make sure you do this before you get there. We recommend you to download the GPS application called Maps.me, which is very useful on the spot, as Google Maps does not work
Electricity and measurements Cuba
Bring a flat plug adapter for your trip to Cuba. Outlets are based on the American standard, and power generally flows at 110 volts. However, newer hotels tend to use 220 volts. Cubans use the metric system for measurements.
Luggage Cuba
As far as clothing is concerned, generally speaking, you should opt for light clothes, made of cotton or linen for example, both of which are well adapted to the humid and hot climate of Cuba. A few elegant outfits may be welcome as well, as Cubans pay a lot of attention to clothing in the evening. A bathing suit, of course, is a must, as is a beach towel and sunscreen. If you are traveling during the wet season, a small windbreaker or even an umbrella can save you from discomfort. If you intend to travel by bus, a small pillow and a blanket can be a great help, as drivers tend to push the air conditioning a little more than necessary. A mosquito repellent is also useful, as is a first-aid kit containing the basics (paracetamol, disinfectant, analgesics, anti-diarrhea medication and bandages, which are not available in Cuba). Finally, an electrical adapter (Cuban outlets are 110 volts and have flat plugs, as in the United States) for your electrical appliances can also be useful, as well as rechargeable batteries (the famous powerbank) and a flashlight (useful in case of power failure).
