Havana City (Spanish Ciudad de la Habana) is the capital city of Cuba, and one of the fourteen provinces of the Republic of Cuba.
In the 1950s before the Communist revolution, Havana was one of the vacation hot-spots of the Caribbean, and since Cuba reopened to tourism in the 1990s, it has become a popular destination once again. Albeit with many fewer U.S. citizens, due to an almost total ban on travel maintained by the U.S. federal government. However, there will be lots of tourists at any time of year, so expect huge crowds and long lines in places.
El Habanero and Tribuna de la Habana [2] are the local periodicals. The H Magazine + Guide [3] is an interesting publication about Havana beyond common stereotypes.
Cuba has two currencies, the Cuban Peso (CUP) and the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC). Most tourist will be using the CUC for all purchases, hotels, taxis and activities. The CUP was created to replace all the US$ that was used in the tourist industry until the late 1990s.
For more information check the section on Money in the Cuba article.
Jose Marti International Airport (IATA: HAV) has three separate terminals. Terminal 1 is for internal (domestic) flights, Terminal 2 is mainly for charter flights from the USA and Terminal 3 is used for all other international flights.
Customs officials can be very strict, and will probably snoop out any suspicious electronics or other items. Customs officials and immigration officials also work slowly and baggage reclaim is very slow, so expect a very long wait when entering the country.
The local airline, Cubana de Aviación offers a good service, and if you want to travel from the Caribbean region, you can use CaribbeanJet [4] or CubaJet [5] (information and bookings available online).
Most trains in eastern Cuba have been suspended due to poor track conditions. Only the following trains were operating to Havana in September 2007. All services run on alternate days only.
Since these trains run every other day (when they are operating at all), you will need to confirm in advance that they are running on the day you wish to travel.
There is also the Hershey electric train running several times a day between Havana and Matanzas. The Hershey train cars are very dilapidated and will only appeal to the most die-hard train enthusiasts. The trip takes a minimum of four hours regardless of what the schedule says, and you will be standing since most of the seats are broken.
Hiring a car in Cuba will cost you from 33 to 106CUC per day. The car will have a special tourist plate, which means you will be required to give generous tips every time you park your car in a crowded place. Taking into account the all-around unreliability of Cuban transport, hiring a car can be the right choice for those who don't want any hassle whatsoever. Please keep in mind that picking up hitchhikers is almost a moral obligation for the "aware" tourist, especially when travelling between cities. Picking up a hitchhiker can be the best way to arrive to your destination without getting lost. CarrentaCuba.com [6] is a useful resource, you can select your car, check availability, and book online.
Viazul [7] operates an inter-city coach service to/from most major destinations including Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad, Varadero and Viñales. The main Viazul bus terminal is 3 kilometres southwest of central Havana.
