Everyone will find something in Cuba! Regardless of whether it is a relaxed family vacation in Cuba, a group tour or a romantic travel for two on white sandy beaches or in picturesque locations or an adventurous solo trip.
Cuba is considered one of the safest countries on the American continent. Women traveling alone or in groups can also enjoy an absolutely carefree vacation in Cuba. In spite of everything, you should observe general safety rules, e.g. do not leave expensive items lying around or carry a lot of useless cash with you. Leave unneeded items in the accommodation (casa), they are safe there.
There are no vaccination regulations for Cuba. You only need to provide proof of vaccination if you are coming from a yellow fever or cholera area. To be on the safe side, you should have the usual vaccinations such as tetanus, hepatitis A + B, polio and typhoid. Cuba is free of malaria, but infections from the Zika virus, dengue fever, diarrhea, cholera, ciguatera (a fish poisoning that occurs especially from April to September after eating sea fish that has ingested poisonous algae) and rabies (especially transmitted by dogs and cats) and bats). Due to the risk of infection with the Zika virus and dengue fever, mosquito prophylaxis such as B. DEET or Icaridin is recommended.
For a trip to Cuba, you should make sure that you bring enough sunscreen and insect repellent with you. You should have it with you, especially near the mangroves or the national parks. Mosquitoes show no mercy in front of tourists! A small first-aid kit with plasters, nasal spray, remedies for colds or fever, wound healing ointment, Voltaren gel, tablets for stomach upset and diarrhea, ibuprofen, etc. are also recommended.
Cuba has an extremely well developed, comprehensive network of partly highly qualified medical care. There is a polyclinic or doctor in almost every village. In the event of illness, you can be helped quickly and easily. However, you must have international health insurance to cover the costs. For example, the ADAC foreign health insurance for a few euros is highly recommended. Upon request, you will also receive a certified Spanish translation of the policy from the ADAC.
Yes, you need a so-called tourist card (link to picture in social media folder) to enter Cuba.
It can be purchased at the information desk at the airport or at the Condor counter. The validity begins with your entry and ends after 30 days. If you want to stay longer in Cuba, you can extend the visa twice for 30 days each time. This is possible in all major cities in the offices of the migration authority. It is not necessary to register there in advance. The cost of renewal is $ 25 each. Incidentally, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months upon entry.
The best time to travel to Cuba is between November and April. Then the dry season prevails and the hurricane season is already over. If you are a sun worshiper and you don't mind the heat, then Cuba is an ideal travel destination all year round.
Cuba is in the catchment area of tropical cyclones that form annually from June to November over the Atlantic and in the Caribbean. Cuba is also often affected and sometimes damage occurs. However, Cuba has a very well-functioning civil protection system, so that, in contrast to the neighboring islands and the USA, there are seldom human casualties. When storms are approaching, the Cuban media provide permanent information about the current situation.
One thing you should be aware of, you are traveling to a country with a different social structure and way of life. You should therefore ignore some of our western expectations and ideas during your vacation in Cuba. Most commonly used words in Cuba are “mañana” = tomorrow and “quizás” = maybe. The Cubans live in today.
If you want a relaxing, carefree vacation, it is highly recommended. Also, remember that the most popular cottages are fully booked as the fastest. In the main travel season from the end of October to May, you should definitely book your apartments in advance. This saves you unnecessary searches and protects you from unpleasant experiences. If you would like to decide spontaneously on site, we offer you our Kuba Flex program. You reserve a holiday home at a travel destination and stay as long as you want (subject to availability). Tell us or our agency about your next destination and the desired casa particular no later than one day before your planned onward journey. We will then book your desired holiday apartments for you and you will receive the confirmation before your departure.
You can put together your entire tour on our website and conclude it with a single booking. First, choose your desired travel destinations in Cuba. Choose your dream accommodation at this location and then the apartment you want. Enter the desired period for this holiday accommodation. If the apartment is available during this period, complete the process with "Add to tour". Our system then saves your wishes in a shopping cart under "My Tour". Once you have planned all travel destinations and holiday accommodations, you can call up the booking in "My Tour" and make a binding booking. In the booking confirmation, which you will receive by email within a few seconds, all your travel destinations and accommodations are summarized at a glance. If you are unsure or would like advice, you are also welcome to call and go through the reservation with an advisor. Our hotline can be reached daily until 10 p.m. European time on +49 40 300 310 60.
You will receive your complete travel documents with the addresses of your vacation rentals, the names of your hosts, telephone numbers as well as the details of our agencies in Cuba after booking and receipt of your payment in our accounts.
Our private holiday apartments offer you the best opportunity to experience Cuban everyday life up close. You live together with your hosts, our Cuban partners, under one roof, depending on the accommodation, sometimes with separate access to the booked apartment. In any case, your booked apartments offer absolute privacy and usually a higher standard than in some hotels. The price for a holiday apartment for 2 to 4 people is between 15 and 70 euros / per day, depending on the budget and requirements, i.e. between 7.50 euros and 17.50 euros per person / day. Sometimes your hosts offer a continental breakfast included in the price. A bathroom always belongs to the booked room. Many accommodations also have balconies, terraces or gardens. When you arrive at the casa particular, you will generally be invited to a typical Cuban coffee, a fresh juice or a delicious cocktail. You can find all details as well as equipment features and services on our page for your desired holiday accommodation.
We recommend that you take a taxi from the arrival airport to the first accommodation. In Havana, Varadero or Holguin, the trip from the airport to your accommodation costs between $ 15 (375 Pesos CUP) and 25 $ (625 Pesos CUP). If you want to explore Cuba by rental car, you should already download the MAPSME app and a Cuba map at home in your home country. In Cuba you only need GPS in your smartphone, then the navigation works. If you want to travel by bus (VIAZUL), your hosts will pick you up from the bus station. Just tell your hosts your planned arrival time. If you travel with the so-called collective taxis (Taxi collectivo), let yourself be driven to the Terminal de Omnibus. Even then you will be picked up there by your new hosts. You can recognize your new hosts by a sign with your name on it.
Warning / Notice:
It can increasingly happen at the train stations, but also directly in front of the holiday accommodation, that you are approached by friendly Cubans, so-called jineteros (smugglers). Sometimes with adventurous stories, they try to find other accommodation for you. In doing so, they are very inventive. Do not get involved, the only goal of these "unselfish" men or women is to collect additional commissions for this mediation, which is added to the price, by the way per day. In any case , knock or ring the bell at the booked accommodation. Your hosts have already received copies of your booking documents from us and are waiting for you. At the entrance of the accommodations that work with us you will find a distinctive sticker with the CUBA-EXCLUSIVO logo.
There are many ways to get there, including in Cuba. Your budget doesn't allow you to rent a car, no problem. Alternatively, you can take the ViaZul (coaches with international standards). Here (link) you can book all the connections and tickets you want from home. If you are looking for pure adventure, you can reach your next destination with a shared taxi. Often these are Oldsmobile. Sometimes up to 7 or more people travel in one car. There's no easier way to get to know each other, and you might even get valuable advice. If you are traveling with family and children, it makes more sense to book a taxi individually to your next destination. You can tell us your wishes when booking, then we can organize it for you. You can also ask your hosts, they also have contacts to taxis. As a guide: a trip from Havana to Playa Larga (diving paradise), 160 km, should not cost more than € 80, a trip to Cienfuegos, 270 km, no more than € 100, and Trinidad, 350 km, no more than € 150. The price refers to the car, not per person. If you want to go directly to the south of Cuba or to one of the offshore islands without a stopover, domestic flights are also possible. The center for this is Terminal 1 of Havana Airport. There are regular flights to: Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Baracoa, Camagüey, Guantánamo, Nueva Gerona and the islands of Cayo Coco and Cayo Largo.
You can cancel a booking at any time within the cancellation deadline set by the owner of the holiday accommodation free of charge. As a rule, cancellations are free of charge up to 7 or 14 days before arrival. Any advance payments made will be refunded to you within 5 working days. Outside the deadlines, you will be charged the cost of the first night. In the event of no-show, the entire accommodation costs are due. With regard to the current situation in connection with the Corona Virus, cancellations are also possible outside of the cancellation deadlines if an order from the authorities in your home country or in Cuba makes it impossible to travel. In such cases, however, the cost of the first night will be charged.
Yes, Cuba has a well-developed cell phone network. Friends or family can reach you easily and you can use your cell phone in Cuba. Please note, however, that the call charges if you want to call someone in Germany, for example, are € 6 / minute, an SMS can cost € 1. However, you have the option of buying a Cuban number from an ETECSA office. All you need is your passport. You will receive a prepaid card with a Cuban number. One minute of conversation with this number to Germany costs 1 €. The one-time costs are € 40 (1000 CUP), including € 10 call volume. Various providers on the Internet make special offers 1 to 2 times a month, for example you can buy € 20 credit and receive an additional € 40 bonus. Then one minute only costs about 30 cents. This means that you can talk to friends or family in a relaxed manner with constant cost control. With the key combinations * 222 # + dial button you can check your credit balance, with + 222 * 266 # + dial button the bonus balance. We recommend the company mobilerecharge for online top-ups, because of the simple and free registration and reliable service.
Permanent use of the Internet is also possible with the Cuban number. With the credit you can buy internet volume directly from your mobile phone (1 GB for 10 €). You can call this function with * 133 * 266 # + dial key in the mobile phone.
With your German mobile phone number, you can also use the Internet at the WiFi hotspots or, if available, in your holiday accommodation. The network for this is also very well developed in Cuba. However, you need a WiFi prepaid card for this. One hour of internet costs € 1, you can buy the prepaid card in the ETECSA office or at hotel lobbies.
You can recognize licensed accommodation for foreign tourists by the blue sign in front of the house with the words Casa Particular or Arrendador Divisas. Casas with a red sign are exclusively reserved for Cuban tourists. You can recognize the houses of the Cuban partners who work with CUBA-EXCLUSIVO by our sticker on the door.
In Cuba you can taste pure nature again. Most of the fruit and vegetables come from private farms and are therefore free of any chemical additives. The natural taste of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, but also bananas, avocados, mangoes and bananas will inspire you. Your hosts generally offer a continental breakfast consisting of white bread / rolls, fresh juices, fruit and vegetables, eggs, coffee, tea, etc. If you wish, you can also have dinner in your holiday accommodation. Some hosts are gifted cooks and will delight you with typical Cuban cuisine. In some holiday homes, breakfast is included in the price. You can find the information on this on the property's website. Meanwhile, there is also a good infrastructure of private restaurants in Cuba, some of them with very good quality. For every travel destination, we give you recommendations on private restaurants in the area on our website. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten and lactose-free meals are possible in our holiday homes and restaurants. Incidentally, the national drink of many Cubans is not rum, but beer. The own brands Crystal and Bucanero in particular are excellent beers and are also very popular with tourists. The only problem is often the availability. In any case, you should refrain from drinking tap water. We also recommend using mineral water to brush your teeth.
Your vacation enjoyment is important to us! That is why we attach great importance to completeness and correctness of all information when registering a holiday accommodation on our platforms. More than 500 houses were personally visited by our managing director or one of our agencies. If, despite everything, something is not to your satisfaction in a booked accommodation, please inform us at info@cuba-exclusivo.com or +49 40 300 310 60. Together with our agencies, we will take care of your request and help you immediately. In the event of serious deficiencies or discrepancies, we will offer you alternative accommodation with the desired features. It will be very helpful for the future if you rate the accommodations after your departure. This increases the reputation of the exemplary hosts, serves as an orientation for the next guests and points out points that other hosts need to improve.
Cuba implemented a currency reform on January 1st, 2021. The convertible peso (CUC) has been abolished and is no longer accepted as a means of payment. You can now only pay in Cuba with the Peso nacional (CUP), with euros, dollars, Swiss francs and increasingly with credit cards from VISA or Mastercard. The official exchange rate from euros to pesos is 1:25. On the street, courses of up to 1:50 are offered for one euro. To differentiate: Only people are shown on the valid peso banknotes. Peso Cubano banknotes are available in denominations of 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000.
In banks and ATMs you can withdraw money with VISACARD or Mastercard. However, we recommend that you take enough cash with you because the ATMs are sometimes out of order. Renting cars on site is only possible with a credit card. American Express cards are NOT accepted in Cuba. Beware of traps: a price tag of $ 10, for example on a menu in a street pizzeria, etc. means 10 peso national, not 10 dollars.
Type A, B, C and L sockets are used in Cuba. The mains voltage is 110/220 V at a frequency of 60 Hz. We recommend taking a travel adapter / power adapter (link to picture in SM template) with you. Buying in Cuba is often difficult and expensive.
Basically, you make the families in the casas particulares the greatest pleasure by spending time in their house and booking their holiday accommodation. In this way you not only support them financially, but also learn a lot about life in Cuba and contribute to a better mutual understanding. Particularly shiny children's eyes will quickly make it clear to you that gifts are not about size or value. Small coloring books, crayons, handicraft utensils of all kinds, soap bubbles, fizzy powder, candies, gummy bears or a small ball are all it takes to make children's hearts beat faster in Cuba. Due to the planned economy, everyday things are often in short supply in Cuba and are therefore welcomed. You may be approached on the street and asked for a bottle of shampoo, a bar of soap, toothpaste or other cosmetic items. Lighters and pens are also always in short supply and are always needed. Perhaps you have even a few garments that you can do without?
Music, dance and rhythm are the Cubans' elixir of life and run in their blood like in no other country. Even as a layman, you get goose bumps with enthusiasm just watching. With the right teacher you can learn the basics in just a few hours and taste this lifestyle and experience it yourself in various bars and clubs. Many of our partner houses offer dance courses or can find you the ideal teacher. A dance lesson generally costs around € 15, a weekly course around € 80.
In addition to the snow-white beaches, as far as the eye can see, with a crystal clear sea, there is also an incomparable nature in Cuba that will delight every hiker. No matter which part of Cuba you want to visit, each province offers various opportunities to hike and explore nature on foot. For example the valley of Vinales (province of Pinar del Rio), the national park Ciénaga de Zapata (province of Matanzas), the waterfalls of Topes de Collantes or El Nicho (provinces of Santi Spiritus and Cienfuegos), the ecovillage of Las Terrazas (province of Artemisa), El Yunque (Baracoa, Guantánamo Province), the Alexander von Humboldt National Park (Baracoa) or the King's Gardens (Ciego de Ávila Province).
At each of these places your heart will beat faster and you will be able to enjoy pure nature and unforgettable moments.
The nature and animal world is so diverse that no zoo can keep up. More than 15,500 animal species, including 950 fish, 850 butterfly, 350 bird and 120 reptile species live on the most famous island in the Caribbean. To be able to observe the animals here in their very own environment - an unforgettable experience! Apart from mosquitoes, neither flora nor fauna are dangerous to humans in Cuba. In some cases you can see animals and plants that actually only exist in Cuba or that are extremely rare, such as the mini hummingbird Zunzun or the smallest frog in the world. The mountain region of Soroa and the Baconao Park near Santiago de Cuba, for example, are true Eldorados for orchid lovers. There you can admire more than 700 different types of these beautiful flowers, 250 of which are only found in Cuba. Half of all plant species actually only exist in Cuba. The flora of Cuba is so extraordinary that many botanists around the world still dedicate their research to it today.
In Cuba it is 7 hours earlier in summer and 6 hours earlier in winter than in Germany. The flight time is approx. 10 hours.
Your journey takes you into the tropical lowlands, but also into the mountain areas, where there is a temperate climate with occasionally cooler nights. Therefore, thin cotton clothing works best, along with lightweight sweaters, long-sleeved shirts, and a rain jacket. Don't forget the umbrella as protection from rain and sun. Other important things are: enough memory cards, spare batteries, a flashlight, a pocket knife (do not pack in hand luggage), writing materials (paper is scarce in Cuba), all important data and insurance documents, copies of your passport, a travel guide and booking documents. A toilet roll or two is highly recommended.