3 days in Cuba

Two years ago, my friend Jane and I travelled to Cuba for just 3 days. If you’re wondering why only 3 days - we were working in the Cayman Islands, only a 30 minute flight away, so whilst it was easy enough to sort a quick trip, unfortunately we weren’t able to stay longer!

We decided to split our time between Havana and Viñales (the mountainous region dotted with tobacco and coffee plantations). There were many more places I would have wanted to explore, including Cuba’s famous beaches and scuba-diving spots, so do bear these in mind when you’re planning your itinerary!

I love taking photos when I’m travelling, however this trip we were out and about all day, I really limited how much time I spent using my phone and camera because we weren’t able to charge up much! I did however come back bursting with stories to tell and things to say about this beautiful country.

GENERAL INFO

I found Cuba to be one of the friendliest and safest places I’ve travelled to. The country isn’t yet overrun with tourists, so most locals are happy to see you! The streets of Old Havana were so vibrant and full of character, with locals playing music, singing and dancing. Viñales was like stepping back in time again; a traditional settlement surrounded by mountains and agriculture, with horse-riding and cave exploring. And the mojitos are to die for.

Language

Locals generally speak Cuban Spanish. With a basic level of understanding and speaking of Spanish, I was able to communicate with our AirBnb hosts and others without a problem. I think having no knowledge of Spanish might have been frustrating. Some locals do speak English.

Money

There are two currencies used in Cuba. As tourists, you’ll only need to worry about one; the CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso). 1 CUC = 1 USD.
Getting out money is not easy. We did a ton of research on this and found that our best/easiest option was to convert our USD at the airport. The exchange rate was a killer, but it saved time and effort locating somewhere in Havana. Most places don’t accept USD or credit cards.

Getting Around

Taxis are everywhere in the cities and at the airport terminal, so no worries there. You can usually pre-book a taxi from the airport through your accommodation, however ours never turned up so we just hopped in a regular one. Our AirBnb hosts also organised our transport between the different areas, so it was really stress-free! There is a bus service for tourists (Viazul) and we found these surprisingly comfortable.

From Havana - Viñales, our airbnb host organised a red Colectivo taxi (20 CUC per person), which took 2h30; faster than a Viazul bus.
There was less choice going in the opposite direction. Our Viazul bus stopped off on the way, so it took us 3h30.

WIFI

WIFI is extremely limited - it is not in bars and restaurants as in other countries. You actually have to buy WIFI cards and find hotspots in the streets. Whilst we left our planning and finer details to the very last minute, it is important to book accommodation and pick out places you want to go before you arrive. We downloaded maps & pinned locations beforehand. It’s definitely difficult to do research once you’re there.

Food

We’d heard from a few sources that the food would be a bit hit and miss (more often a miss) so we took a lot of snacks, a loaf of bread & some spread with us. I’m so glad we did.

We had one absolutely amazing meal in Old Havana of freshly caught fish, rice and Cuba libre (rum, coke & lime). I can only remember the street name, but highly recommend looking along here: Peña Pobre. Along the same street we had a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, fruit juice, ham and cheese. Other than that, we did not have good luck with food!

Water

It isn’t safe to drink tap water here! Be cautious with ice in your drink/salads too. Both of us were really ill on the third day, we think from something we ate or drank. I recommend taking a large reusable water bottle, but unfortunately you will still have to buy water in small plastic bottles.

Accommodation

We researched a lot and found that the hotels (mainly located in Old Havana) were incredibly expensive. The choice of apartments on AirBnB was fantastic (although a lot were booked up a few weeks before). The places were affordable (I was travelling on a budget) and we found good options in ideal locations. Something we loved about Cuba was the hospitality and kindness from our Airbnb Hosts. It’s worth bearing in mind that most often, you can eat and drink at the more upmarket hotels on their rooftops without staying there.

Old Havana AirBnB - $55 USD per night for a double room with a beautiful balcony and terrace area
La Víbora, Havana AirBnb - $35 USD per night for a double room with balcony
Viñales AirBnB - $32 USD per night for a gorgeous apartment with 2 bedrooms and a massive roof terrace with a hammock overlooking the mountains

Flights

We flew from the Cayman Islands to Havana. Flights were fairly expensive – $350 US return for 2 x 30 minute flights. Check out apps like Skyscanner and Kayak for deals.

When To Visit

Due to our work schedules, we travelled in mid-April. Warm, dry weather is between November and April and daytime temps are 25 - 30 degrees C. May to November is the rainy season – showers tend to be short and humidity is lower.

GUIDE

Old Havana / Habana Vieja

This is the city-centre (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities forming Havana. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still has the original city walls.

Things to do: Wander round Habana Vieja. So much incredible character, brightly coloured buildings, musicians playing in courtyards and couples dancing salsa in the street. We found a lovely courtyard called Plaza Vieja with a few bars on the upper levels where we sat with a mojito watching the world go by.

Hotel Inglaterra - traditional rooftop bar overlooking grand buildings and gardens
El Malecon - the promenade along the ocean. This was buzzing with activity; locals and tourists all gathering for the sunset. Bands were playing by the ocean and we ended up dancing salsa with one.
El Capitolio - the very grand National Capitol Building
Parque Central - a green park lined with trees and surrounded by vintage cars
Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski - stunning hotel with a rooftop pool and bar overlooking the city

San Carlos de la Cabaña is the biggest fortress built by the Spanish Empire in the Americas. Every night at 9.00 PM, the cannon is shot, reminiscence from colonial times
Fábrica de Arte Cubano (Cuban Art Factory) is a mixed space that combines concert hall, art gallery, movie theatre and bars
Hotel Nacional - one of the fanciest hotels in Cuba. This place had plush sofas with live music and cocktails

Getting around: You can walk everywhere! This way you can explore the streets along the way, find charming restaurants and stop to listen to bands singing in the parks.

Photo tip: Hotel Inglaterra rooftop overlooking Paseo del Prado, a promenade leading down to El Malecon (the water).

Viñales

Viñales is situated a 2 hour drive SW of Havana. The Viñales Valley is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Things to do: A guided tour of the valley, stopping off at one or more of the plantations. You can hike, cycle or horse ride. We took a horseback excursion to a tobacco and coffee plantation - home to one of the best cigars in the world, apparently. We tried their cigars - we’re not smokers but we were pleasantly surprised! Our tour ended up being 5 hours - for a non-horse rider, this was a struggle!

The "Mural of Prehistory" is located in the Valley and is normally part of the tour, as well as a stop off at one of the 3 limestone cave systems.
The morning market and botanical gardens in town are worth a visit.

Getting around: We walked from our AirBnB into the centre of the town, which is just the one main road. We took a horseback tour around the mountains, which I highly recommend!

Photo tip: The "mogote" hills - natural karst rock formations that are dotted across the landscape. They look rather surreal as they stand isolated surrounded by flat land. They’re made even more photogenic by the contrast of the valley’s vibrant orange soil.

3 DAY ITINERARY

DAY 1: OLD HAVANA

Land in Havana, Cuba – Taxi to AirBnB in Habana Vieja – Welcome talk from our host – Explore the area for the afternoon - Rooftop drinks at Hotel Inglaterra - Walk to El Malecon along Paseo del Prado for sunset - Dance salsa along to the bands playing on the waterfront - Food and drinks in Old Havana.

DAY 2: HAVANA TO VIÑALES

Breakfast in Old Havana - Explore for a few more hours – Taxi to Viñales – Lunch and drinks at AirBnB – Afternoon horse ride tour around the valley – Dinner in Viñales Town.

DAY 3: VIÑALES TO HAVANA

Morning in Viñales town - Visit the market and botanical gardens - Bus to Havana - Welcome to AirBnB - Explore the area and walk to dinner near the river.

DAY 4: HAVANA

Last morning exploring Havana town - Drinks at Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski - Traditional car ride along El Malecon to our AirBnB - Taxi to airport.