Havana, colonial towns, tobacco country and a travel experience unlike anywhere else in the region.
Before you go
When to go
December to April is dry and cooler. Hurricane season runs June to November.
- Dry Dec–Apr
- Hurricane season Jun–Nov
- Hot and wet in summer
- Carnival in July
How long you need
Ten to fourteen days — Havana, Viñales, Trinidad and Cienfuegos.
- 10–14 days
- Havana 3 nights
- Viñales and Trinidad
- Casas particulares
Getting around
Private taxis and colectivos between cities; Viñales and Trinidad are best by road.
- Private transfers
- Colectivo shared taxis
- Domestic flights are unreliable
- Slow but scenic
Practicalities
Bring cash — card acceptance is limited and unreliable. Internet access is patchy. Australians need a tourist card.
- Cash is essential
- Limited card acceptance
- Tourist card required
- Patchy internet
Highlights
Havana
Vintage cars, crumbling colonial grandeur, the Malecón seawall and a music scene that runs every night of the week.
- Habana Vieja on foot
- Malecón at sunset
- Live music in Vedado
- Stay in a casa particular
Viñales and the west
Limestone mogotes rising out of tobacco fields, worked with oxen, and farm visits that show how cigars are actually made.
- Tobacco farm visits
- Horse riding through the valley
- 3 hours from Havana
- Two nights is right
Trinidad and the centre
A colonial town frozen in the nineteenth century, with a beach nearby and the Valley of the Sugar Mills behind.
- Cobbled colonial centre
- Playa Ancón
- Casa de la Música steps
- Valle de los Ingenios
Planning notes
Cuba is unlike anywhere else in the region and needs more preparation than most Caribbean destinations. Bring cash — card acceptance is limited and unreliable, and Australian cards can fail entirely. Internet access is patchy and usually paid. Casas particulares, private homes licensed to take guests, are both better value and a far better experience than the state hotels. Australians need a tourist card, arranged before travel.
Where this leads
Blog attracts, things to do informs, tours convert — in that order.
- Journal in Cuba
- Things to do in Cuba
- Tours in Cuba
- Talk to a Cooee travel specialist