Organize your stay Cuba
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 in tourism, the Cuban economy is in a bad way. So much so that the CUP (Cuban peso), the national currency, has been subject to uncontrollable devaluation ever since.
With this in mind, the well-informed traveller should take two things into account:
Firstly, we recommend that you take as much cash with you as possible. To be generous, count on €70 to €80 per person per day of travel.
Secondly, to change your cash, there are three possible options:
You can go to an official state-run exchange office. At the time of our visit (since 2023), the official exchange rate was €1 = 125 CUP. This rate is stable. It's the same rate you'll find in banks (whether you're withdrawing CUP or paying 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 = 300 to 350 CUP. In other words, a rate almost 3 times more advantageous than that charged by the State. However, exchanging cash on the street is not only dangerously uncertain (you could end up with counterfeit bills) but also illegal.
The third option is to ask trusted Cubans, who may be friends of friends or, better still, the hosts of your casa particular. By consulting them, you can assess the best way to change your cash. The latter, who have nothing to gain from ripping you off, will certainly offer you a satisfactory solution.
Bank cards. Generally speaking, only embossed Visa cards are accepted for payments and withdrawals. Mastercard and American Express are rarely accepted.
Budget & Tips Cuba
Cuba is not a cheap destination. Admittedly, the current monetary situation is rather favorable to tourists, but this situation is exceptional and is not expected to last.
Small budget : allow €50 per person per day. Accommodation in casa particular, inexpensive meals and bus transport.
Medium budget: at €70 to €90 per person per day, you'll have a choice of casa or 3-star hotel, and good restaurants. Transportation by bus or shared cab.
Big budget: at €150 per day, you'll be living the life of a pasha. 4 to 5 star hotels and the most expensive meals on the island. However, you'll need to stretch your budget a little further if you want your own vehicle.
Passport and visas Cuba
Warning: an American decree, which came into force in 2021 - in other words, in the middle of the pandemic, when Cuba was totally closed to foreigners - now renders the ESTA of any non-American traveler definitively invalid if he or she visits Cuba. In other words, if you don't have a valid U.S. visa (tourist or business, both of which take a long time to obtain) and you're staying in Cuba, you'll be refused entry to the U.S., even if it's just for transit. A matter to be taken very seriously. Even though the protocol has been in place for more than three and a half years, the information is absolutely non-existent and shared nowhere - not even on the ESTA website (at least in summer 2024)! Until further notice, you'll have to choose between Cuba and the USA!
You'll need three documents to enter Cuba:
- a valid passport
- a tourist card (Tarjeta Turistica, abbreviated TT)
- a completed DViajeros form .
The tourist card is issued by the Cuban consular authorities in Paris. It costs €22. Please note that the Cuba Linda association also issues tourist cards to its members (tel.: 05 53 08 96 66 - www.cuba-linda.com). Approved French tour operators are also authorized to sell them for €27. You will need to show them your passport and plane ticket. The tourist card is only valid for one month, with the possibility of a 30-day extension on the spot (twice maximum). In addition, from the end of 2024, it will be possible to obtain a tourist card via the Internet, on the evisacuba.cu website. For stays for professional purposes, a specific visa must still be obtained from the Cuban consulate (costing around €80).
Finally, don't forget to fill in the DViajeros form before your trip, and keep the document available on a digital (or printed) device: you'll be asked for it when you arrive in Cuba. To fill it in, visit https://dviajeros.mitrans.gob.cu.
Compulsory medical insurance. You must take out health insurance to cover your medical expenses in the event of hospitalization or repatriation during your trip to Cuba. This procedure is compulsory (it was already in place before the pandemic), although you won't be asked for it when you arrive in Cuba. If you have a Visa or MasterCard card, you are automatically entitled to this insurance. Contact your card's insurance department before you leave, and ask them to e-mail you the insurance certificate, in Spanish, showing the dates of your trip to Cuba. It's completely free and quick! There's no need to take out any other health insurance, which would have to be paid for (on average €25 per person)!
Driver's license Cuba
To rent a car, motorcycle or camper van, you'll need a valid driving license. There's no need to ask for an international version of your driver's license. Cuba is bureaucratic, but not that bureaucratic either.
Health Cuba
Malaria no longer exists 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 uncovered skin and using insecticides in the bedroom (Chinese twisters, electric diffusers), failing which you should use a mosquito net (at best impregnated with insecticide). As for dengue fever, the risk is low outside epidemic periods, but more likely during and after the rainy season, between June and October. Rabies is still present in Cuba, but cases are rare.
The health system. The level of health care in Cuba is one of the successes of the system put in place since the revolution. Cubans have free access to a wide range of medical services. In the event of minor health problems (headaches, colds, etc.), you can ask a Cuban friend to go and get you some over-the-counter medication (if there is any in stock, of course!) from a pharmacy intended for Cubans, as the medicines are almost free for them and it will cost you much less than going to an international pharmacy, as tourists who do not have access to the free care system reserved for Cubans must do. However, you should be aware that some medicines are not available in Cuba, often due to the American embargo which prevents certain laboratories from working with Cuba. For example, you won't find the morning-after pill in the country, even though other contraceptives are freely available. Finally, hospitals are generally very clean, although the US embargo means that they are often short of equipment, which can be a problem in the event of major surgery.
Sea and beaches. The ocean and sea can be dangerous. Beware of waves and currents, which can be very strong on some beaches. Avoid going too far from the shore or swimming after a meal or prolonged exposure to the sun. Enter the water gradually. Beware of sea urchins, coral and jellyfish. On beaches soiled by dog droppings, it's not uncommon to catch larva migrans, a skin disease that's easy to treat.
Sun. Watch out for sunburns. The tropical sun strikes fast! It's important to be cautious and avoid overexposure during the hottest part of the day. Use effective sunscreens, and don't hesitate to cover up with light canvas clothing and wide-brimmed hats, which you can easily find in large artisan markets. Fair-skinned children are particularly vulnerable. Please note: the sea breeze can be deceptive, and the clouds that sometimes hang over the Cuban sky do not necessarily filter out UV rays (you can feel the heat of the sunburn on your skin when it's 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 definitely a loss of skin elasticity (irreversible aging).
Zika. The Zika risk is fairly low in Cuba, as the country has embarked on a mosquito control program to eliminate mosquitoes throughout the country, with the regular spread of a special product in inhabited areas. It is important to note that Zika is not fatal. It is most dangerous for pregnant women, whose babies can develop malformations if the mother is infected. For other people, symptoms are the equivalent of the flu. They feel very tired, but there are no serious health consequences.
Chikungunya. A few cases of chikungunya have been reported. These cases involved travellers from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The best means of prevention is to use mosquito repellent to avoid being bitten by the mosquito responsible for transmitting the disease.
Mandatory vaccination Cuba
No special vaccinations are required, apart from the usual ones (diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis). If you are arriving from a country in Africa or Latin America where yellow fever is present, you will be asked to produce an international medical certificate proving that you have received the yellow fever vaccine within the last ten years. Vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended. Vaccination against hepatitis B and typhoid is recommended for travellers who will be staying in the country for longer periods in rudimentary conditions.
Security Cuba
Cuba, unlike the rest of Latin America, remains a safe country. But don't be careless. Leave your identity and travel documents in the hotel safe or in a locked place in your casa particular, and only take your passport with you when you really need it (to withdraw money from a bank or a cadeca, to buy an Internet card or a bus ticket). If you're staying in a casa particular, be vigilant when you return in the evening, and don't let anyone enter the building at the same time as you, as we've had reports of robberies.
As ageneral rule, avoid carrying a lot of money or valuables when walking around the capital. Also, remain vigilant after dark. In bars and clubs, robberies are more frequent, so leave with little money on you and don't leave your bag unattended, as professional pickpockets prowl touristy night spots, and it only takes a few seconds for your wallet to disappear. A tip that applies worldwide, 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, as everywhere else, avoid showing off your wealth.
One last point about jineteros ( touts), who are very active in the larger cities and often stationed at their entrances. In most cases, you are their only means of earning money, since they are generally unemployed. Their aim is to get their hands on the gullible tourist, the better to relieve him of his euros and earn a commission from him. Their strategies are well-honed, and their approaches are always friendly. For example, jineteros will offer you the address of a casa particular, on which they will systematically take a commission of between €5 and €10, or even much more. The accommodation will therefore cost you more. And sometimes it's even enough for the repo man to follow you discreetly to make the owner of the casa believe that it's thanks to him that you're going to stay with him, which enables him to collect his commission and also inflate the price for you. At last, touts can stand in front of a casa particular and tell you that it's fully booked, only to direct you to another one. So, without getting paranoid, just use your common sense and a modicum of intuition to detect the real from the fake.
For the latest information on local safety, consult the "Conseils aux voyageurs" section of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/voyageurs. Be aware, however, that the site provides an exhaustive list of potential dangers, which sometimes gives a rather 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's 6pm in Paris, it's 12pm in Havana. As in France, Cuba switches from summer to winter time (and vice versa), but not exactly on the same dates. So, twice a year (for 10 days the first time and 5 days the second time), the time difference between Paris and Havana is only 5 hours.
Spoken languages Cuba
Spanish is spoken in Cuba. But English and sometimes French (thanks mainly to the Alliance Française's inexpensive courses) are also spoken.
Communication Cuba
It's now possible to buy a local sim card in Cuba! To do so, take your passport to an office of ETECSA, the national telephone company, and buy a Cubacel sim card. This card will cost you €25 (6 GB of data and a telephone number). Then simply 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 of connecting to the Internet is the same as always, namely by connecting to the public network or to private networks via ETECSA wifi cards. These wifi cards last 5h, 10h or 20h and can be purchased at ETECSA offices. When you connect to a wifi, your connection time scrolls. Once you've finished doing what you need to do, remember to log off! Please note that once you're on Cuban soil, if you own an Apple smartphone (i.e. an iPhone), you won't be able to download any applications. Make sure you do this before you arrive. We recommend that you download the gps application called maps.me, which is very useful on location, as Google Maps doesn't work.
Electricity and measurements Cuba
Take a flat-plug adapter with you on your trip to Cuba. Plugs and sockets are based on the American standard, and current generally flows at 110 volts. Newer hotels (and more and more casas particulares), however, tend to use 220 volts. Cubans use the metric system for measurements.
Luggage Cuba
As far as clothing is concerned, you should generally opt for lightweight garments, such as cotton or linen, both of which are well-suited to Cuba's hot, humid climate. A few smart outfits are also welcome, as Cubans are very particular about what they wear in the evening. Swimwear, of course, is a must, as are beach towels and sunscreen. If you're traveling during the wet season, a small windbreaker, or even an umbrella, can save you a lot of trouble. If you're planning to travel long distances by bus, a small pillow and blanket can be a great ally, as drivers tend to push the air-conditioning a little too far. Mosquito repellent is also handy, as is a first-aid kit containing the basics (paracetamol, disinfectant, analgesics, anti-diarrhoea medication and bandages, which are impossible to find in Cuba). Finally, an electrical adapter (Cuban sockets are 110 volts and have flat plugs, as in the U.S.) for your electrical appliances is also useful, as are rechargeable batteries (the famous powerbanks) and a flashlight (handy in the event of a power cut).
