Practical information : Treat yourself (& others) Cuba
Timetable
In Havana, as in the rest of the country, stores and boutiques are generally open from 9 to 10 a.m. until 5, 6 or even 7 p.m. every day except Sunday.
Budget & Tips
Bargains are rarely found in Cuba's tourist centers. The best way to get good prices, especially on handicrafts, is to visit the country's villages. For classic Havana souvenirs, we recommend a trip to the San José craft market (in the south-east of Habana Vieja). For anything to do with musical instruments, you'll have to cross the country as far as Santiago to find a bargain!
Because of Communism, there's no real culture of bargaining in Cuba. But you can still bargain in boutiques, large tourist centers or craft markets, if prices seem excessive.
Good to know: in Europe, you're allowed to bring back a maximum of 50 cigars and two bottles of rum per person. You should also be aware that cigar prices (like rum prices) are the same in every store in the country, as they are set by the State, so don't waste your time comparing prices from one store to another.
What's very local
Cuba's star products? Rum, tobacco, music (instruments and CDs), gourmet products such as coffee and honey, as well as works of art (paintings and sculptures in particular) and handicrafts (clothing, jewelry and decorative objects).
Tourist traps
In the capital, as in the country's other tourist cities, we recommend that you beware of the "guides" who offer to assist you with your purchases, as they charge a commission if they take you to certain craft stores, which is passed on directly to you in the price of your purchases.
The black market(mercado negro) was set up to compensate for the shortcomings of the official market, and offers just about anything you want, at prices lower than those of the tiendas or shoppings, where everything is paid for in MLC (i.e. euros, dollars or pounds). Cubans can also find illicit products such as beef and lobsters. Now firmly entrenched in Cuban society at all levels, the black market has created a veritable parallel economy. Many products are offered to tourists in this way: lobsters, cigars, ETECSA Wifi cards... Not to mention the abundance of counterfeit goods.
It is not advisable to buy any of these, however, as customs may ask you to show receipts for the purchase of items such as cigars and objets d'art when you leave the country, and may confiscate the goods if you do not have these invoices. When it comes to cigars at unbeatable prices, if they are not simply fake, they may have been stolen from one of the island's tobacco factories, and may not have passed all the required quality controls.