My husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary in Havana, Cuba, a destination that I've wanted to check out for awhile, but which (until now) has been kinda tricky getting to! Havana is magical and fascinating, a city that’s in transition and full of history and hope. Definitely an experience that I recommend!
Getting to Cuba was quite an experience in and of itself! This will likely change soon, but as of right now, Americans can still only travel to Cuba if their trip falls within one of 12 authorized purposes. My husband and I traveled as photojournalists but shortly after booking our trip, the US government further eased restrictions on travel by allowing individuals to travel under the people-to-people category, rather than having to book through an organization or tour group.
We purchased tickets and our visas through Cuba Travel Services. Flights out of New York were booked, so we flew down to Tampa first. While this first leg of the trip was definitely an experience in and of itself, I would recommend avoiding flying to Havana from Miami or Tampa (instead, shoot for foreign countries like Canada or Mexico). Despite having to check in four hours before the flight, our plane from Tampa to Havana was delayed about two hours (one hour of which we sat on the tarmac in the sun without any AC and not much water). Most of the passengers were Cuban and most had trolleys filled with stuff – everything from flat screen televisions, air conditioners, ceiling fans, PVC pipe, medical toilets, you name it. And all of that stuff had to be loaded onto the plane. Once we landed in José Martí International Airport (terminal 2) we waited another 4 ½ hours to get our luggage. There was nowhere to sit, nothing to eat, no place to really get water – so, a little bit rough. Luckily, we sat next to a woman who was traveling to the Isla de la Juventud for missionary work and she was gracious enough to share her Cliff bar and keep us company during the long wait. Just in case you don’t get so lucky, I definitely recommend bringing some snacks!
Despite some inefficiencies at the airport, the trip was totally worth it, so don't let this dissuade you. And leaving Cuba was much easier. Our flight out of José Martí was delayed an hour, but only because a woman on our flight realized after boarding the plane that she left her purse in the airport and the crew delayed the flight so that she could go back to find it. Going through US customs, I noticed that most people were only asked if they had brought back any cigars and, if so, how many (you can only bring $100 in alcohol and tobacco products.). Interestingly, I was asked my purpose for traveling to Cuba (maybe because I didn’t bring back any cigars, my husband did). I briefly explained that I was a photographer and was down there shooting photos, and the customs agent was fine with that and didn’t ask to see any proof or anything like that. We paid our exit tax through Cuba Travel Services, but be sure to set aside $25 a person for leaving Cuba if you don’t go through a travel service.
Once in Havana, we stayed at an amazing casa particular (which I highly recommend, especially over any super touristy hotel). We booked through Airbnb. Our host, Magaly, was simply incredible. For only 5 CUC$ a person, she made us an insane and crazy generous breakfast every morning -- she would show up in the kitchen at about 6 am to start cooking for breakfast that was served at 8 – seriously, SO MUCH FOOD! We gorged ourselves and ended up not eating again until dinner – which was perfect since we were out exploring most of the day. Our flight back to the US required us to check in at 5 am (despite the fact that the airport didn’t open until 6:15, but that’s another story), and Magaly got up around 3 in the morning to make sure we were awake, to give us some coffee and a light breakfast, and a hug before we left.
Magaly gave us great recommendations, including our favorite spot, Art Pub. This place had the best mojitos and Cuban sandwiches (but you have to take my husband’s word on that one since it had meat)! And the people there were awesome – they even invited us out one night after they got off work! I would also seriously suggest Paladar Los Mercaderes and La Guarida. Get reservations at both. I took the photos below when we went to make reservations at La Guarida – they had hung all the tablecloths and napkins to dry on the second floor below the restaurant in this spectacularly dilapidated room – it was a really beautiful and cool thing to see!
We walked all over Havana and always felt safe – even in the quiet, non-touristy areas and despite being the only gringos there with huge cameras around our necks! Except for some begging (which we see in New York every day), the Cubans we spoke to were all awesome! During our first cab ride in an antique car, while stopped at a red light, our driver got us some peanuts to snack on (you can see his in the white paper cone in the picture below). It was small gestures like this that really made our trip to Havana.
We spent most of our time walking around Habana Vieja, Centro Habana, and the Malecón. There's so much to see, even after a few days in Havana, we were still discovering new places and streets just blocks away from our Airbnb!
Other tips for a trip to Havana – bring cash! Most places don’t have ATM machines and those that do won’t take US credit cards. We didn’t have cell phone service and didn’t seek out wifi – but enjoyed our time off the grid and the chance to be present in the moment! I also downloaded an entire map of Cuba from HERE Maps that could be accessed offline -- totally invaluable since it had GPS and the ability to search (sometimes) for locations.
I also tried learning as much Spanish as possible, but was quite surprised to find that a lot of Cubans (especially in the touristy sections of La Habana Vieja and most restaurants) spoke English – but I insisted on using my broken español nonetheless! Also, definitely bring a guidebook. We ripped the Havana section out of our Lonely Planet Guide to cut down on weight, but used that and their Spanish phrasebook constantly! But mainly, my #1 tip for traveling to Cuba is to go!! (But definitely write me any questions you have!)
