Hello, my beautiful friends!
Are you considering traveling to Cuba for your next destination travel?  If you are, you will have so much fun I promise!

For those people that love cities filled with untouched history and rich culture that remains unspoiled by franchises and traditional tourism, you should consider traveling to Cuba. Cuba is your destination and it’s the perfect time to go.  The vibe in Cuba is amazing; people are so welcoming and humble.  Cuba takes you back in time to the 1950s with its retro cars and crumbling buildings/mansions that you find beauty in. Honestly, this island has so much to offer and I experienced it all along with my fiancé for five days! We visited two different places in Cuba, which were Old Havana, and Varadero, both amazing places but total opposites, I’ll explain more in detail later on.

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You cannot say you went to Cuba without visiting Old Havana.  In Old Havana, you find so many historical fortresses, grand cathedrals, and colorful colonial buildings. Not to mention, the people watching all along the Malecon is incomparable, you can spend hours just taking it all in.

Now, Varadero, on the other hand, is a beach town and the water is quite spectacular.  So if you are more interested in going to museums and exploring the historical part of Cuba, Old Havana it is, on the contrary, Varadero is solely for a beach vacation.  We stayed in Varadero for 2 days and we had a great time!

Here is a guide for your trip that consists of places & different tips we research before traveling to Cuba.

WHERE TO STAY

We loved all of our 3 Airbnbs, yes,  Airbnb operates in Cuba.  By using this link here you can also receive up to $40 credit to use towards your first booking.  We not only booked one Airbnb, but we booked 3 Airbnbs instead since we landed in Havana, we then decided to stay there and explore for two nights! We weren’t disappointed let me tell you.  After we checked-in at our second Airbnb and our host was so hospitable, we loved it! Not to mention, we had a terrace just for ourselves to enjoy the beautiful sunsets at Varadero.   After that, we decided to head back for our last night in Cuba in Old Havana, why? Because we loved it so much! We just wanted to explore more of it!

PLACES TO VISIT

• Catedral de San Cristobal
• Plaza Vieja
• Castillo de la Real Fuerza
• Plaza de San Francisco
• El Capitolio
• Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta
• Hotel Inglaterra
• La Cueva Saturno
• Playa Varadero

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. If you want to travel from Havana to Varadero – you can make it a day trip but honestly with 2 days is more than enough.
2. It cost us 100 CUC one way to get from Havana to Varadero with a private driver and it took us about 2 hours.
3. Traveling by bus – Viazul – book week in advance (about 20 CUC per person).
4. Don’t rent a car in Cuba, it’s quite expensive, you aren’t able to drive through many streets, and parking looks like it can be a challenge. Anyways, its very easy to walk through all of Old Havana.
5. Take cash with you and exchange it to CUC at the airport, don’t rely on credit cards.
6. You will find dual pricing in most places (CUP and CUC). Noncubans only should have CUC.
7. Mandatory travel insurance for Cuba, customs make sure you have it.
8. Get your Cuban visa; we were given one by our Airline.
9. Use Galileo Offline Maps since the internet really hasn’t taken off yet in Cuba.
10. Dance the night away by learning how to salsa, if you don’t know yet!

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BEST WAY TO FLY TO CUBA

• Spirit
• American Airlines
• Delta
• Frontier
• United
• JetBlue
• Southwest
• Alaska

Flights can vary in price depending on the season, but you can find deals around $250 USD.

Hope all these tips really help you out as you are planning your trip to this beautiful country and during as well!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out through any social media!