Entry requirements | Organizing your trip | Visiting | Eating | Paying | Speaking |

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Visa HQ

Diplomatic representations

List of Cuban Embassies abroad and foreign Embassies in Cuba

For more information

Embassy of Cuba in Greece
5, Sophokleous
152 37 Filothei
Phone: 2106855550
Fax: 2106842807
embacuba@hol.gr

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

The country's major towns have relatively comprehensive urban transport systems however, they are very often lacking in essential elements (very old bus fleets, lack of spare parts and fuel shortages).  It is therefore preferable to travel in taxis instead of buses because of the loss of time caused by this.

Maps of urban networks

Maporama
UT Library on line
Mapblast

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

Cuba has an adequate road infrastructure connecting the country's major towns.  However, a distinction has to be made between the quality public transportation by type: transport paid for in dollars being of good quality and the cheaper transport, of poor quality, usually used by the local population and paid for in pesos.  The Via azul bus company specialises in tourism transportation.  It has its own a modern fleet of buses with air conditioning and toilets.  It is a good way to travel on the island.  Even though the railroad network covers most of the country, the tracks and the trains have not been modernized and are a long way from the European quality of standards.

Rail companies

Flight from Greece

No aircraft company operates direct air connection from Athens to Havana. To find out air connections from Greece to Cuba click here

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

There are several car rental companies (Havanautos, Transautos, Panauto, amongst others).  A day rental costs around US $ 30. It is a good way to get to know the island however; it is advisable to be very careful on the country dirt roads where cyclists can be found even at night and very often without any light.  In the towns, Cubans usually use the urban bus network which is the most economical means of travel.  The use of this means of travel could be dangerous to tourists who have not been warned.

Road maps

Maps of the Country and towns
Interactive map of Cuba

Find an itinerary

Online maps of Cuba

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

Havana is the biggest city in the Carribean. It is one of the most beautiful Spanish colonial cities on the New Continent.  Presently, Trinidad is a real museaum town registered as a Unesco World Heritage site.  The "Isla de la Juventud" is a destination of predilection for diving enthusiasts.  The islets surrounding it are rare sanctuaries for tortoises, iguanas and pelicans.

Cultural

Carnival celebrations are part of Cuban traditions and they take place in several towns on the Island in August.  Cuba is also the birth place of several musical genres which the world dances to today: salsa, chachacha, mambo and rumba.

Nature

There are several places to go trekking in Cuba.  One of the most famous is the three day crossing, the Sierra Maestra, from Alto del Naranjo through the Pico Turquino to Las Cuevas.

Thermal

There are several spas in Cuba. The best known are Santa Maria del Rosario and Madruga.

Beach

The island has an abundance of beach resorts, the most famous being Varadero made up of a number of beaches stretched out over almost 13 miles.

Outdoor activities

Beach, trekking, diving...

Tourism organizations

Cuban Tourism Board
Cubamar travel agency
Havanatur agency

Eating

Food specialties

Cuban food known as "Creole cooking" is always made from "congri" (rice and black beans), fried plantains and salad (tomatoes, onions, cucumber, grated cabbage and avocado).  The food served in Cuba is largely dependent on the available supply of the day.  Beef which is a state monopoly is hard to find and expensive.  Pork, chicken, eggs, cassava, potatoes, green beans, beetroot, pineapples and bananas are amongst the country's most consumed products.

Drinks

Cuban rum is famous as well at their cocktails (Mojito, Cuba Libre, etc).  The local beers (Bucanero and Cristal) are consummed in great quantities.

Dietary restrictions

There are no food restrictions in the country.

Paying

Domestic currency

Cuban Peso

ISO Code

CUP

To obtain domestic currency

There are two types of currency: the Cuban peso(CUP) and the Cuban changeable peso (CUC) which is the currency used by tourists (1 CUC = € 0.80)

Possible means of payment

Most transactions are done in cash: the Cuban changeable peso (CUC) is the currency of reference. It is possible to change euros, Canadian dollars and Swiss Francs without a surcharge.  The "Cuban pesos" are used to buy food on the streets, pay for public transport and some cultural activities like the movies.  The "changeable pesos" are used for all the rest, concerts, out of town trips or taxis.
Card payments are often used to pay for hotels and car rentals.

Exchange rate on

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)

To find out the locations of ATMs in in Cuba, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Speaking

Official language

Spanish.

Other languages spoken

English

Business language

Spanish

Getting some knowledge

See BBC Spanish lessons website.

Free translation tools

Babel Fish - Free English-Spanish-English translation of texts and web pages
Systran - Free -Spanish- English translation of texts and web pages
Diccionarios.com - Free Spanish-English- Dictionary
Reverso dictionary - Free online dictionary
sensagent - Free Greek-Spanish-Greek dictionary
hexagone - Not Free Greek-Spanish-Greek translator

We can translate your foreign-language documents.

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Last updates: May 2012