Travelling in Cuba

General Notes

• Tourism remains under state control in Cuba and on occasion hotels of a similar standard to those listed in the itinerary may be used. Advance notification of this is not always possible.
• In Havana we use 4 and 5-star hotels, although as a general rule, categories equate to one star lower by British standards. Throughout the rest of Cuba hotels are of a simple 2–3 star standard, with private facilities.
• The Cuban peso is not circulated outside of Cuba so we recommend taking currency in pounds sterling and changing on arrival. Bureaux de Change are readily available in the majority of hotels. US dollars are still not an accepted currency and nor are credit cards drawn on American banks.

• Cuba is generally safer country in which to travel than most. However, begging is more widespread and may be exacerbated by tourists handing out money, soap, pens and chewing gum to people on the street. If you want to help, pharmacies and hospitals accept donations of basic medicines, schools happily take pens, paper, crayons etc, and libraries take books.

• Basic medicines, toiletries, sunscreen and insect repellent are not widely available in Cuba and we recommend taking your own supplies.
• Most food in Cuba involves some kind of meat served with national dish rice and beans and the concept of vegetarianism is not well known. However, tropical fruit and salads are widely available and most hotels offer a selection of international dishes.