When to go
Cuba has two main seasons: the dry season goes from November to April; in this period the climate is more pleasant and the heat is not so hard to bear, but there will be plenty of tourists. The wet season spans from May to October, with, at least, one rain fall during the day. During July and August, Cubans are on holyday, so the beaches will be very crowded.

Entry Visa
To enter the country as a tourist, your passport must not expire before 6 moths from the date of arrival in Cuba and you need a retourn plane-ticket. Visa for many foreigners consists of a Touristic Card, called Tarjeta Turistica that is usually issued along with your plane ticket. Be sure your travel agency will also issue the Tarjeta, otherwise you'll need to apply at the nearest Cuban Embassy or Consulate; in this case you may be asked to show your booking at a state-run hotel (it depends on the Consulate or Embassy). The Tarjeta can be also bought at the Josè Martì Airport in la Habana. If you come from Mexico and you're not a Mexican citizen, you will be required to show your Mexican Touristic Card.

Visa is valid for 4 weeks and can be extended at any immigration office, showing your passport, Tarjeta Turistica and paying around 30 US$. Unless expressly required by you, when leaving the island, the Custom Officer will not stamp your passport; so remember to ask for it before leaving.

In case you booked a Casa with us, you can use the adress provided by us on the Tarjeta Turistica, being all our houses authorised by the Cuban Tourism Ministry.

Before leaving your country, please check the entry details at the Cuban Embassy in your country.

Legal currency
Cuba's official currency (for Cubans only) is the Cuban Peso; there are also 2 other legal currencies for the touristic zones: the Peso Convertible and the US Dollar. Starting November the 6th, 2004, US Dollars (US$) cannot be used anymore for cash payments in Cuba. Only the Peso Cubano Convertible (CUC) can be used for this purpose. The Cuban Peso Exchange Rate against foreign currencies is fixed by the Cuban Central Bank. The bank's site will show on-line exchange rates for list major foreign currencies, like exchange rate CUC-USD
(US Dollar), CUC-EUR (Euro), CUC-GBP (Great Britain Pound), CUC-JPY (Japan Yen), CUC-CAD (Canadian Dollar) and more. Check the following web pages to get up-to-date exchange rates for Cuban Peso Convertible CUC:

> Banco Metropolitano de Habana

Changes of US$ to CUC will be charged 10% commission; when returning to your country, you can change back your CUCs without any commission. COMMISSION IS NOT APPLIED if CUC are bought using GB Pounds, Canadian Dollars, European EURO or any other currency but USD; eventually, it will be cheaper, for tourists, to use GBP, EUR or CAD instead of the USD.

It is possible to change money in any bank in major towns like Habana, Santiago, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Camaguey, but also in tourist destinations like Varadero, Cayo Largo and Cayo Coco. Currency exchange is authorized also at major hotel chains throughout the country, so it's possible to change money (exchange rates an commissions may vary) almost everywhere.

Credit card - if not issued by a US Bank - are accepted everywhere, but remember, only by state-run businesses like hotels, shops, restaurants and travel agencies. You may be able to use your ATM card - if authorized by your bank - as ATM circuit is spreading through the country, but check with your bank if the card is accepted or not by Cuban Bank system.

Buses
The network of tourist bus is very wide, and covers all mass-destinations; this is the main reason why it won't be possible to go to isolated spots with the bus service. Bus company Viazul offers at least one journey a day towards the oriente provinces, along the road-spine of the Autopista Nacionàl and the Carretera Central. Seats on Viazul buses are sold out very quickly, and sometimes you will have to wait for the day after, so book your seat at least one day in advance; buses are of European standards, comfortable, with air conditioning. You will notice the difference with the ones used by Cubans (Astro buses); they're very old, windowless and usually their motor breaks down. Remember to take with you a bottle of water and something to eat, as stops are not so frequent; to check timetable, prices and road-network, visit the Viazul site.

In town, buses are called juajuas and are of different types; there are mini-vans, buses that have been donated by other countries (still with the original plate and signs in the original language) and, in la Habana, long vehicles called Camel, the real mass-transport in the Capital. All of them characterized by long queues at the bus stop. The ticket price changes, according to the destination, and is paid to a ticket seller standing at the door.

Car rental
If you'd like to drive, ther are several state-run car-rental companies. The cars are usually Japanese or French (Toyota, Peugeot, etc.) and have already gone for lots of kilometrs (compared to european standards), but are usually in fair conditions.

Renting rules are a bit different from Europe: the full amount of your rental must be paid in advance; in case you come back earlier, the correspondent amount will be credited back to your credit card. The car is given with fuel tank and must be returned empty, so everything's left in the fuel tank is a present to the rental company.

If you wish to book a car for your trip to Cuba, contact us and we'll send you a detailed cost-sheet and block a car at your name in one of the official car-rental agencies. Fill-in your request: click here.

Taxi
In Cuba there are different taxi companies, with different price-ranges, but, generally, affordable; in the last few years, a grapefruit-shaped taxi has become very common, and it's called Coco-Taxi. Usually, to grab a taxi, just raise your arm, and maybe an american car dating back to the 50s, already full of Cubans, stinking of petrol, but very charming, will stop to take you around la Habana for the price of 1 or 2 dollars. A not-to-miss experience!!

You can also use the taxi to go from one town to another, bargaining the price with the driver; usually the fare should not be more expensive than the correspondent bus ticket. Sometimes taxi driver wait outside the Bus Terminal for those who were not able to board the bus, offering the same journey for the same price of the bus. If you book a taxi to reach the airport, do it with great advance, as sharpness is not a quality of Cuban taxi-drivers.

If you'd like to book an airport welcome service through CubaDream, send us your detail; we'll send you price and availability. Click here.