Look for the blue sign-posts. These will mark the stops, and also give you information on routing, and schedules. Mopeds: You can find rental places throughout town.
You'll need: a drivers licence but I've heard even a learners permit works. Personal experience: We tried to hire one mid-day and were told it was not possible - I'm not sure why since there were so many in the lot. I think going at the beginning of the day to rent one would be fine. Coco Taxi: motorized tiny cars with a round enclosure - think of a car-sized orange.
You can hire them for the day, or simple point-to-point travel. Horses: There are also horse-drawn caleches carriages available for hire. Things to do in Varadero Varadero Cuba is a place to relax and enjoy the slower way of life. There are a couple of things you shouldn't miss in Varadero: Parque Josone : A park in the middle of Varadero filled with birds, vendors, music and camel rides for the kids.
Located at the center of town you will most likely drive or walk past it. Tropicana Matanzas : The newest Tropicana - the most famous cabaret of Cuba. It's a full scale production with Cuban dance, music and history in dazzling costumes and lighting effects.
The show is around hours and costs 49CUC. Delfinario : A dolphin show that also includes an option to actually swim with the dolphins.
Bellamar Caves : One of the oldest tourist attraction in Cuba it has been open to visitors since the 's. Many steps and quite warm, you should be in moderate physical condition to visit. I have a full guide to booking a Bay of Pigs Scuba Dive here. You can pay for things directly in Euros in some major resorts and beaches but it is best to convert your money. Again though, keep CUC's on you. Markets will only take CUC I suggest reading up on all my posts regarding using money in Cuba - especially if you are American.
How to get tickets to the Tropicana and other shows in Cuba. How to get to Varadero from Havana and other tips. Best Restaurants: Varadero. Packing List: Cuba. Best Cuba Travel Tips - Why Travel to Cuba? Where to Stay in Varadero Cuba Most hotel packages are "all-inclusive", especially those further up the peninsula.
North American tourists make up the majority of the visitors here. If you don't want to go the all-inclusive route I would stay at a Casa Particular.
I booked mine on Airbnb. What to eat and drink in Varadero Cuba All of the recommendations for food and drinking in Varadero can be found here In the town of Varadero, there is everything from open-air marketplace-type food stalls to the local version of fast food. Many restaurants serve sit-down dinners and lunches. Chicken, pork and fish are the most frequent items, but beef is not hard to find. Menus are usually posted outside.
How far is Havana from Varadero? Here's the quick answer if you drive this relatively short distance without making any stops. Even though you can drive this distance straight through, it might be more interesting to stop along the way. You can scroll down to calculate how many hours it would take if you drive with stops. Now let's assume you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line between Varadero, Cuba and Havana, Cuba.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula. The straight line flight distance is 15 miles less than driving on roads, which means the driving distance is roughly 1.
This is a relatively short flight in a private plane, but you might be planning to book a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination.
Scroll down to see a more realistic calculation that takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time. Let's say you're actually planning a road trip to Havana, and you want to stop on the way to explore. If it's a real road trip, you might want to check out interesting places along the way, or maybe eat at a great restaurant. That's what Trippy is perfect for, helping you figure out travel plans in detail.
Drive for about 22 minutes , then stop at Cueva de Saturno and stay for about 1 hour. Next, drive for another 22 minutes then stop in Matanzas and stay for 1 hour. They are not dangerous, but in most cases they will eventually try to scam you in some way. They will suggest a great bar or restaurant and then they will either make a commission from you if you go, or they will join you and ask that you pay for them.
There is always a scam involved. The best advice I can give you is, just treat Havana like it was your home city. If you were walking along the street in Montreal or New York or Toronto and some random guy started trying to make a conversation and then invites you to a bar, would you just go? Probably not. So dont let your guard down in Havana either.
There are parties which go on all night. But you should know that since cuba is very poor, most locals do not have much money to party. A lot of the big parties and discos are filled with tourists who have money to burn. Parties rarely go on until morning.
Things almost always die down by 2 or 3 am. Public transportation sucks. Buses will be packed and if its your first time in Havana you will find it very difficult to get on the right bus to go where you want.
Even locals have trouble. I would suggest using the communal taxis but if you dont speak any Spanish those might be a challenge too. You can use the yellow taxis. They are more expensive but you can negotiate the price. Estimate that during the day, a ride across town should cost no more than 5 or 6cuc. Always negotiate the price before you get on. No tipping is necessary. As for the currency, you will probably be using mostly cuc.
The local pesos are useful but they are mostly used for buying street food and produce. Most restaurants and bars will only take cuc. Casas only take cuc. Any souvenirs will be in cuc. Yellow taxis are priced in cuc. You might exchange like 10 cuc into local pesos mn and use it for buying street food. So if you see a little food stand selling a juice for 3 pesos, you know it is for 3 pesos mn and not cuc. If a food stand is selling a cookie for 1 peso, you know it is 1mn and not 1cuc.
The food stands rarely indicate which currency they are pricing their things in, so it can be confusing, but just remember that street food is almost always priced in mn. And you can pay for the street food in cuc too, but if you hand over a large denomination, you might not get exact change. For example, if you buy a cookie and it costs 1mn… If you pay with a 5cuc note, then it will be hard for the server to give you change.
If you pay with a 1cuc note, then she might give you back 20mn. Its not exact, but at least its something. You might have to ask her directly to give you back more change… But if you paid with a 5 cents cuc, then that would be the best option and you would not get any change.
Anyway, maybe the currency sounds complicated but it really is not. You will get the hang of it pretty fast. Do i need to book the casas ahead of time? I will be going around mid august, not sure if itll be really booked.
I am also thinking of staying overnight in the Vedado area! I would recommend that you book the Havana casas ahead of time. August is low season, so you should be able to find a casa easy enough by just walking raound the city and looking for the houses that have the casa particular sign outside and then ringing the door and asking about availability… But thi will take some time.
And if you have luggage with you, in the hot summer sun, walking around Havana looking for a casa might not be ideal. If you are sure of your dates and know that you will be going to Havana and spending a night, then you should book online, ahead of time.
If you have some doubts and are uncertain, what you can do is contact my assistant in Cuba, when you are leaving Varadero to go to Havana. Her name is Claudia and she speaks perfect English. She can find a suitable casa for you on short notice. Have a great trip. Hi, yes there are larger taxis. You can take a mini van. I think that can take up to 7 or 8 passengers. You get to walk around. In old Havana you get to see old squares, old building, people, art, music, taste cuban food.
Its a good introduction. Its not large.. So you just basically walk down some streets, get lost and you have fun. Thanks mario for the quick reply!! Im soooo looking forward to this!! If we do decide to stay over a night….
Hi, I would say, take a walk around Centro Havana as well. If you have a chance, a quick trip to Regla, with the ferry is nice too. Or to Casablanca to walk near the statue of Christ to get a view of Havana from accross the bay. I enjoy that. Also, in Vedado, you might want to walk along 23rd street. And if you are there for an evening, check out the Malecon, near the corner of 23rd. On a weekend night, it is the fun place to be. We will be there during the weekdays.
Should we still buy the bus tickets a head of time? If so, where to u buy it from or how? Hi, sorry for the late reply. This change happened in March But if you are going to Old Havana you can get off the bus at the first stop once it arrives in Havana.
Just tell the driver you want to go to old Havana and he will stop the bus when you are close-by and let you off. Always arrive to the bus station 30 minutes before the scheduled departure to check in.
I always recommend you buy tickets ahead of time because the bus will be packed on weekends and you will have trouble getting a seat without a reservation. I was just wondering if you know if there are any buses that go from Varadero airport to Old Town Havana? If you are landing at the Varadero airport and planning to go directly to Havana, you can take the Viazul bus directly from the airport.
The Viazul bus going from Varadero to Havana departs 3 to 4 times per day and travels from the town of Varadero all the way to Havana. On every trip, the bus stops to pick up and drop off passengers at the Varadero airport.
The bus stops directly in front of the departures area of the airport. Once you land in Varadero and get out of the airport terminal, simply turn left and walk about 10 meters. You will be standing in front of the Departures terminal. The Viazul bus will arrive at this location according to the schedule indicated below.
Note: There is no terminal and there is no Viazul signage. But simply stay in this location, and rest assured that the bus will come. There are usually other foreigners waiting in this area too, all for the Viazul bus. Here is a youtube video showing the bus.. The Viazul bus is white, with a large Viazul logo printed on the side. It is difficult to miss.
When the bus comes, simply ask the driver if you can buy a ticket to ride to Havana. The fare is 10 CUC. Space is limited, but usually sufficient. The bus usually does not wait around very long, so be sure to have all your baggage in order and your money in hand. You can also book your ticket online, ahead of time, at the following link. Because with the recent influx of tourists to Havana, the bus gets filled up fast. Note: I do not recommend asking other bus drivers or taxi drivers for help in finding the Viazul stop or about the arrival schedule.
Most of the time they will simply tell you that the bus no longer comes to the airport, or that the last bus just left and you will have to wait hours for the next one. Then they will offer to take you to Havana themselves for a cheap 90 CUC fare. The Cuban taxi drivers waiting at the airport are always hungry for money, and will try to take advantage of a situation to make a little extra from a confused tourist. Simply remember to wait in front of the departures door of the airport and have faith that the Viazul bus will arrive according to the schedule.
The trip from the Varadero Airport to Havana takes about 2. Although the distance from the Varadero airport to Havana is only about km, the bus makes several short stops along the way to the main Havana terminal. The bus usually makes a 5 minute stop in the city of Matanzas to pick up additional travelers. Next, the bus stops at a roadside cantina at the midway point between Varadero and Havana. This stop will usually last about 20 minutes and is a good opportunity to eat something and stretch your legs.
The bus makes another quick stop in the town of Guanabo, on the outskirts of Havana. The Viazul bus makes 3 stops in Havana. You should get off at the stop which is closest to your destination hotel or casa. The first stop occurs in Downtown, Old Havana. If your hotel or housing arrangements are located in Old Havana or Central Havana, you should get off at this stop.
There will be taxis waiting to bring you directly to your destination, although you will likely be within walking distance of your accommodations. Mention ahead of time to the bus driver that you want to be let off in Old Havana.
The second stop will occur about 5 minutes later, when the bus enters the Vedado neighborhood. The bus will stop near the corner of Calle 27 de Noviembre Street close to 29th and L.
This location is directly beside the University of Havana and just a block away from the Habana Libre hotel. If you are staying in the Vedado neighborhood, get off at this stop. You will be within easy walking distance of all the major hotels and most of the casas particulares in Vedado, but you can also just take a short taxi ride to get to your destination.
Finally, the bus makes its last stop at the main Viazul bus terminal at the corner of Ave de La Independencia and Calle 19 de Mayo near the Plaza de la Revolucion in the eastern corner of Vedado.
Hi very informative article. I just have one question. Is it best to wait until in Cuba to book the hotel or is it best to book the hotel in advance before leaving for Cuba?
Any advice will be much appreciated. Hi, do you mean the hotel in Varadero or in Havana? In Varadero you will likely be staying in a resort hotel.
You should absolutely book this before you travel. In Havana you will probably be staying in a casa particular. Hotels are state owned and are expensive and mostly fully booked. Most tourists stay in casas particulares which are private apartments and rooms for rent. They are usually better than hotel rooms and cost much less. I suggest you book your Havana casa in advance. Once you get to Havana you will want to walk around and explore the city and have fun.
Its best to have a place reserved ahead of time. Hi Mario, you are so helpful!! Thank you for all the great information! Our dilemma is a wee bit different. There will be 5 of us looking for a day excursion to Havana from Varadero in November, but my mother has mobility issues cane or walker so a walking tour of several hours will not be possible for her. Do you have any recommendations that might work for us? Thanks in advance!!
There are a few different options which I think will work. Basically, the first step is to get you a taxi a minivan to bring you from Varadero to Havana. This is relatively simply and my team can handle it. It would be the same price for the return trip. I might be able to find a cheaper option. We can do a driving tour of Havana.
You will be able to see the different neighborhoods of the city. The tours generally last 2 hours. You would also have to pay the minivan driver a bit extra for driving around Havana.
The guides and the drivers are usually separate people because most drivers in Cuba do not speak much English, while guides can speak multiple languages. As described, you would have the chance to see a good overview of Havana. But it should be noted that most parts of Old Havana are off limits to vehicle traffic.
So the minivan would not be able to show you those areas. If you wanted to walk along some of the main promenades and see the old squares, you would have to walk. And most of the streets are cobblestone, so your mother would probably have issues with that. She might be interested in relaxing at a cafe while the group takes an hour to explore the older sections of the city. I will send a copy of this message to your email.
If you are interested I can give you more details and you can then chat with my assistant in Havana to work out the final plan.
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