Cuba Travel Guide
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Cuba From Wikitravel North America : Caribbean : Cuba Contents For other places with the same name, see Cuba (disambiguation). Understand Cuba [1] (http://www.cubatravel.cu) is the largest Caribbean island, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Regions Atlantic Ocean. It lies 145 km (90 miles) south of Key West, Florida, between the Cayman Islands and the Cities Bahamas, to the west of Haiti, and northwest of Jamaica. [+] Other destinations Parks Understand [+] Get in Visa and legal issues Before the 1959 Revolution, Cuba was a popular tourist destination for United States citizens, mainly due to Location By plane the large number of casinos catering to gamblers put up by the American mafia. Revolutionaries claim the By boat Batista dictatorship was a government that neglected many of its own citizens health and welfare in order to [+] Get around maintain itself in power. Many Americans had beach homes during the summer and rich American companies By bus owned large factories and land with the cooperation of Fulgenicio Batista, the ruling military dictator. Since By taxi the Revolution, Cuba has been subjected to a trade and economic embargo by the United States. While travel By car between the two neighbors is restricted, it is still possible, though illegal for most US citizens. Since 2009, US Hitchhiking and the "Amarillo" citizens with relatives living in Cuba are allowed to visit Cuba for a period of time, but only once every year. Flag By train [+] By plane After 1959, Cuban tourism was mostly for Cubans only, and the facilities were not renewed until the 1990s, [+] Cubana de Aviación when Cuba lost financial backing from the defunct Soviet Union and opened its doors to foreign tourism. Now many European, Canadian, and even American visitors come to the island. In the typical tourist regions operated by Aero Caribbean Quick Facts [+] Aero Caribbean like Varadero and Holguin a lot of modern 3-star to 5-star hotels are available, while in less popular tourist regions visitors are still able to rent rooms in many Cuban homes (called casas particulares). Capital Havana operated by Global Air (Mexico) Government Communist state By bike Due to several long-standing factors (e.g. bureaucratic ineffectiveness, the U.S. embargo, lack of resources, Currency Cuban peso (CUP), Cuban By boat convertible peso (CUC) and the loss of Soviet subsidies) much of the country's infrastructure is in need of repair. In major tourist When To Go Area 2 destinations there will generally be few problems with either power or water, although such outages may 110,860 km Talk Population 11,382,820 (July 2006 est.) See occur. Electricity outages have been common in Cuba, except in tourist facilities that have a generator. 2006 was designated the Year of the Energy Revolution in Cuba, and many small generators have been installed in Language Spanish, Castilian Do Religion Nominally 85% Roman [+] Buy an attempt to avoid blackouts. Since Venezuela began providing Cuba with cheap oil and the refinery in Catholic prior to Castro [+] Money Cienfuegos relaunched, the energy situation has improved. Many tourist accommodations offer 220V as well assuming power; Protestants, as 110V power sources. Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Exchanging currency Muslims, and Santería are Traveler's Checks also represented ATMs and Credit cards Regions Electricity 110V/60Hz or 220V/60Hz Banks (North American, European, or Italian plug) Merchandise Western Cuba (Pinar del Rio, Havana, Matanzas, Isla de la Juventud) Calling Code +53 Medical Tourism The capitol, the rolling hills of Pinar del Rio and an off-the-beaten-path island with good scuba diving Internet TLD .cu Eat add up to an exciting region Time Zone UTC -5 Drink Central Cuba (Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Santi Spíritus, Ciego de Avila) Sleep Learn Eastern Cuba (Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, Ads by Work Granma, Guantánamo) Google [+] Stay safe ScotiaGold Scams Cities Passport Visa [+] Stay healthy The First Police, Fire and Medical contact numbers Havana – cosmopolitan capital with a swinging nightlife Trip Is On Respect Us! Apply [+] Contact Baracoa – a quaint beach-side town, and Cuba's first capital, said to be the For Phone setting for the town in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Your News Solitude. ScotiaGold Television Passport Pinar del Rio – center of the cigar industry Visa. www. Santa Clara – Home of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's most successful battle during the Revolution. A mausoleum is erected on the outskirts of town and now holds what are Scotiabank. said to be his remains, recovered from Bolivia in the 1990s. com/ Passport Santiago de Cuba – coastal city rich in Caribbean influence Trinidad – World Heritage Site with charming, colonial-era buildings Varadero – popular beach area, east of Havana, filled mostly with tourists. Other destinations Cayo Largo – a small island with nudist facilities Isla de la Juventud – a large island south of Havana Jardines del Rey – an island chain of beach resorts including Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo Statue of Che Guevara above his mausoleum, Santa Clara. Maria la Gorda – a tiny village with some snorkeling and diving options Varadero Beach – 20-kilometer-long beach of fine white sand and waters Parks Viñales – A national park in Pinar del Rio province, with mountains and caves. It has the best-developed tourist facilities of Cuba's national parks. Parque Nacional La Güira (La Güira National Park) – Another national park in Pinar del Rio province, with mountains and caves, but without many tourist facilities. Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario – A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Sierra del Rosario mountains of Pinar del Rio province. The principal sites are Soroa and Las Terazzas. Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata (Ciénaga de Zapata National Park) – A national park in Mantanzas province, similar to Florida's Everglades National Park, with vast swamps and world-famous birdwatching, scuba diving, and beaches; and the site of the 1961 American Bay of Pigs invasion. Viñales National Park Gran Parque Natural Topes de Collantes (Topes de Collantes National Park) – A national park in the Sierra del Emcambray mountains, straddling Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, and Sancti Spiritus provinces. Parque Allejandro de Humboldt (Guantanamo privince) approx 40km from baracoa, offeres walking, and conservation movements Get in For information specific to U.S. citizens see Americans in Cuba Visa and legal issues A tourist visa card (visa de tarjeta del turista) is necessary for travellers from most nations. This visa, which is really little more than a piece of paper on which you list your vital statistics, costs between 15-25 CUC (or 15-25 Euro), depending on where purchased. It can be purchased at the Airport in Cuba on arrival, however it should be noted that many airlines will require a valid tourist visa card before boarding flights. It is usually valid for 30 days and can be extended once for another 30 days at any immigration office in Cuba (for 25 CUC) - beyond this you would need a flight out of Cuba within the extended visa period. Canadians are the exception, getting 90 days on arrival and can apply for a 90 day extension. Your passport needs to be valid at least six months past the end of your planned return. From Canada, the tourist card is normally provided on the flight. It can be purchased at Cancun airport if departing from there, and similar in most other Latin American gateway airports. Please note that if departing the UK and many parts of Europe at least (this may apply to other countries), you will require to have the visa before boarding the plane. Boarding may be denied (this is because the airline will then get a $1,000 fine from the immigration authorities) and airplane ticket lost. In the UK, applying for the visa is a very simple process and can be done by post or in person at the Cuban embassy in London. If you apply in person, you get the visa straight away. It can also be done through online agencies. Regular tourists who renew their 30 day visa are eligible to depart the country (to any destination) and return immediately enjoying a further 60 days (30 days plus a 30 day extension). You are only allowed two consecutive stays in this manner. If you want to stay with friends or family in Cuba you have to go with your intended host within two days after arrival to a migration office and pay 40 CUC for a 30 days family visa. Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda (28 days), Barbados (28 days), Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, CIS (except Ukraine and Uzbekistan), Dominica, Grenada (60 days), Liechtenstein (90 days), Macedonia, Malaysia (90 days), Mongolia, Montenegro (90 days), Namibia, Singapore, Slovakia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia (90 days), Turkmenistan who can stay 30 days without visa. It is important to note that there is also a departure tax of CUC 25, to be paid in cash when departing Cuba by airplane; this is not required for boat departures. This tax is not well publicised but it is essential to remember it. You will run into significant difficulties if you do not have enough cash to pay this tax when leaving the country. An ATM is available at the airport but these facilities are not as reliable in Cuba as in other places. Cuban customs [2] (http://www.aduana.co.cu/agr3.htm) can be strict, though they sometimes go easy on tourists. By plane Jose Martí International Airport outside Havana is the main gateway and is served by major airlines from points in Canada, Mexico, and Europe. There are also regional flights from other Caribbean islands. Cuba's national carrier is Cubana de Aviacion [3] (http://www.cubana.cu/) , connecting the island to a handful of destinations in Mexico, South and Central America, Canada and Europe.