Lonely planet Havana guide 

Order the Lonely Planet Havana for 11.99 US$!  (Edition 3/2001) 

Getting there and around 

José Marti international airport :  

• If you don't have a reservation for a hotel or a casa particular, you can be forced to book a hotel for 1 till 3 nights at customs when entering the country.  
• Taxi to towncenter (10 US$ , 25 km)  
• Terminal 1 & 2 handle domestic flights.   
• Terminal 3 is brand new building and handles only the international flights   In Habana town, a taxi will cost 2 to 3 US$. 

Place to stay 

Hotel Deauville : room (70$) with double bed, TV, AC and bathroom. Hotel has a swimming pool, disco and restaurant. It’s situated at the malecon. 

We stayed at the apartment of Aida Valdes Rodriguez , Calle 23 y L nr. 301, apartment c 4, Vedado, tel. 32-3012. Room (25$) with double bed, AC and fan, refrigerator, shared bathroom. Very quiet. It's situated just in front of Hotel Habana Libre.  

Sra. Maria del Carmen, Reyes Diaz, Calle 2 nr. 470, c/19 Y 21 - Vedado, Tel 3-6754. Price is 20 US$ without and 25 US$ with AC all with shower. The place is owned by a friendly widow. Rooms are clean, the place is quiet but a bit away from the center. For 2 US$ you can take a taxi to the center. There's a market and a very good paladar nearby. Along the paseo, you can be in Malecon in 10 minutes (7/2000)"  

Nearby is Casa de Estillo, Calle 17, nr. 811, c/274 - Vedado, tel 3-9185. Price is 25 US$ for a room with AC and shower. The house and rooms are a bit bigger then the previous one and it's owned by an older couple.  

Casa del Cientifico, Prado 212, Habana vieja tel. 62-4511 or 63-8103 Situated on the famous Prado, just 1 or 2 blocks away from el parque central. They have clean rooms (25 - 35 US$). Shared bathroom with cold/warm water, a restaurant and a patio. The staff is friendly (4/99).  

Jorge Diaz, Gervasio n° 209, e/ Concordia y Virtudes, Centro Habana, Tel. (53 - 7) 70 04 89, 10 USD for three, 5 USD for dinner and 2,5 USD for breakfast. A beautiful and large colonial house with a big patio. It doesn’t show from the outside. Several rooms (fan). Very quiet. Jorge runs the place with the help of two brothers. Furthermore there’s Eddie, Down Syndrome, who’s very sweet. Jorge speaks Spanish, French, German, English and Russian (the latter not of big help I suppose). Havana Vieja is within walking distance (5/99, Jacky Cillen).  

Raudelina Rodriguez, Amistad #203 at the corner of Amistad and San Rafael, above a shop called "Liquoreria" ( 150 meters from the Hotel Inglaterra). tel. 53 7 62 61 81 A very nice, colonial house with 4 rooms (two double, two twin beds), all with balcony and fan, and two bathrooms (hot water, towels), everything very clean, in the center of La Habana. meal service possible. Pricing app. $20 per room, or $10 per person. Raudelina (60-er) only speaks spanish, but knows to organize everything you may need...(6/2000)  

Daisy Castro Perez, Lealtad #308 entre Neptuno y San Miguel Centro Habana, tel. 78 50 38. An English speaking lady. She has two double bed rooms with AC and private bathroom in a flat situated on the first floor of a colonial house, 20 US$ (6/98).  

Guillermo and Iliana, San Lazaro #119 between Genio and Crespo Apartment 43, 4th floor (top floor), Centro Habana. Parallel street to Malecon. Tel: 7-630648 or 7-638256 (ask for Guillermo). US$15 for a room with double bed and fan. Shared bath (very clean) with hot water. Elevator. Safe place. May also rent out entire apartment. Friendly and helpful. The couple speaks only Spanish. (2/00)   

America Larramendy Benitez, Calle san José 1116, entre infanta y san fransisco, apt 305, Centro Habana Tel : 785960 or 707435  Two rooms (double bed) with AC (25US$ each/night). You can freely use the rest of the house when you want to OR you can rent the whole house for 40US$/day. The lady of the house can also offer breakfast or dinner, washing/ironing clothes and other facilities. (3/00)   

Marta Diez, Infanta # 24 Apto. 301, e/. 23 y Humboldt, Vedado Phone:  +53  7 70 5981 Marta rents rooms near te Hotel Nacional, the rooms are private ,safe and comfortable with air conditioning, fan. Independent entrance, private bathroom with large hot water reservoir. There is a shared bacony in the casa with a very nice view on the sea, boulevard and the streetlive. Price: $ 25 (10/2000).  

Villanzon Family, Calle 21 No.203, entre de J y K, Vedado, Ciudad de la Habana, tel 321066. Triple room for US$15, in what must have been an impressive town villa in the last century, some of the original furniture and decor. Shared bathroom with the room next door. We didn't have AC but the fan worked just as well. Quiet and very close to Copelia (the ice cream place) and the Hotel Nacional (Ariana Fattori 6/2000).  

Casa particular Marta Roche, Consulado No. 16, Apto. 2, entre Cárcel y Genios, Centro Habana - near the Paseo, ten minutes walk from old centre. Facilities: nice room, twin and single bed, airco, private bathroom, friendly lady. Costs: $25 per night. (1/2002) E-mail: cloud@correo.unam.mx Tel: 61 6905   

Casa Teresita, calle 21 nr 4 apto 54, Vedado. Spacious room (25US$) with private bathroom, AC, fan, TV, fridge, Hot & cold water. Laundry and breakfast (2US$) possible. In walking range of hotel Nacional (bank, taxi, tel) and the Malecon. (1/2003)  

Some casas particulares have their own website:  

Maria Esther Barrios seems to have a nice place charging between 25 and 30 US$ for a double with AC, TV, VCR, hot water and they have a safety deposit box.  

Cubatrip.com is a website made by a Swiss guy to help out some Cuban friends who don't have the means to promote their Casa Particular. You can book a casa through his site. There are about 14 option from 20 US$ to 50 US$. The advantage is that with this reservation you should be able to pass customs (without having to book an expensive hotel), and if you don't like the Casa anyway, you're not obliged to take it.   

Casa Particular is a website made by a group of Cuban families owning different casas particulares all over the country (Havana, Trinidad, Santiago de Cuba,…) You can make a reservation or ask info. I worked with them during my stay in Cuba.  

La casa Vicky : Nice house and room (AC, large bed, adjacent bath), very nice people, excellent home-cooked food. The hostess is an English teacher and translator, and speaks perfect English. Within walking distance of the beach and the Copacabana Hotel.  

All Havana Rooms is setup by a Cuban living in Canada. The site has rooms for rent only in Havana. You will find also a message board, a list of travelagencies in the world specialised in Cuba and stuff about the US-Cuba relation.   

Havana rentals is a web site offering accommodations, pictures, detailed information,and the most important, a direct mean of contact with the Cuban landlords. A complete service so the client from his/her country will be able to book in advance a private accommodation in Havana city. You can request the type of accommodation you want and from within Havana they make direct contacts and arrange bookings.  

Casa Particular is setup by a Britisch person who support his friend (field operative in Cuba) in bringing on customers to casas particulares.  

The Nash Travel site has a good description of upper class hotels. It's a Canadian travelagency. 

Restaurants/Paladares 

Restaurante Dona Nieves, Calle 19 nr. 812 c/274 - Vedado, Tel 30 6282. This is an excellent restaurant, good food and great atmosphere. Count on 15 to 20 US$.  

Heladeria Coppelia close to Havana Libre (Vedado), which is a state-run icecream bar. During the whole day Cubans are queing to obtain a seat in the UFO look-alike building. Tourist don’t have to wait and receive immediately a seat if they go to the dollar section. If you want to eat with local people in the pesos section, you stand in line like everyone else.   

Hotel Habana Libre (Vedado) which has shops, restaurants and a bank. A good place to relax in luxury.  

Tong Po Lau

Restaurant Hanoi entre Calle Brazil en Calle Bernaza, state-run cheap and good restaurant with fast service.  

Bar "Los Marinos", which is on a fixed boat near the harbour at the east end of the Malecon. A great view all over the bay, people are a good mix of travellers/tourists and cubans, fair prices and some good dancing music.  

Paladar Casa Barbi, Vedado. The food is acceptable and the prices between $8.00 to $12.00. In this place a lot of graffiti with signatures and pictures of international movie stars can be found. It’s said that every American famous visit's the place. The service is adequate. (10/2000) 

Internet 

Bibliotheque of science : aside the Capitolbuilding, 5 US$ / hour ('99), sometimes you'll have to queue. 

What to do

Habana 

Habana has a rumorous and glorious history. However, the buildings and monuments look a bit shabby nowadays, so you'll see only a glimpse of what the city used to be.   There are 4 parts in Habana:  

• Habana Vieja features the plaza de la catedral, with the catedral de la Habana and el palacio de los Condes de Casa Bayona (museo de arte colonial, US$ 2).The plaza de armas with the fortress ‘el castillo de la Real Fuerza’ (free entrance) and el palacio de los Capitanes Generales with in front a wooden street. Finally, the street ‘Calle oficios’ with a lot of small museums (antique cars / coins from the colonial periods / Arabian art and culture).  
• Centro Habana has the Capitolio Nacional, (similar as the US capitol building in Washington, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 4.30 pm, US$ 3), the Gran Teatro de la Habana (Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 7 pm, US$ 2), the museum de la revolucion (everything about the Cuban revolution, Tuesday to Wednesday, 10 am to 5 pm, US$ 3), and the fabrica de tabacos La Corona   
• The Vedado district has especially the Plaza de Revolucion with the memorial Jose Marti and the big picture of Che Guevara on the wall of El ministerio del interior. Hotel Nacional builded in neo-colonial style ,the university area, the Cristobal Colon Cemetery and the Rampa which is the main street in Vedado with restaurants, disco's and airline offices (Iberia, Aeroflot,…).   
• The Malecon is the boulevard along the sea where it’s pleasant to walk especially in the evening.   Also have a look at the anti-imperialist slogan opposite the Swiss embassy.   Just outside Habana across the canal de Entrada, here are two Spanish fortresses. The "Castillo de los tres santos reyes magnos del Morro" with a maritime museum (daily, 9am to 6 pm, US$ 2) and a lighthouse (US$ 2). The "Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana" (daily, 10 am to 10 pm, US$ 3) with a museum of Che Guevara in his former headquarter and a museum of old weapons.   

Freelance tourguide : English and Spanish. She can show you all the highlights and many facilites in town. Her name is: I. Erahisy Soler C.  Adress: Cristo No. 43, Apto 4, 2e Piso entre Tte Rey y Muralla, La Habana Vieja E-mail: infobisp@teleda.get.tur.cu Tel: 611022   

Around Habana 

Pinar del Rio and Vinales :You can book a one-day excursion in the lobby of the main touristhotels. . This will cost you 44 US$. In Pinar del Rio you'll visit a rum and tobacco factory including their shops. In Vinales you'll see the Mogotes, (steep hills on a flat landscape), visit a cave by boat ("Cuevo del Indio") and El mural de la Prehistoria (It’s an 180m long artpainting on the side of a mogote).  

Guanabo is a small town 30 km east of Habana, especially popular amoung Cuban tourists as a beach resort. It has nice beaches, a good atmosphere, many restaurants/paladares and lots of casas particulares 

Places to stay  

Angela Rico - Terrera #46606 - E/466 y 468 - Guanabo, tel. 011-53-7-96-2885 . Here you can rent a one-bedroom apartment, clean, private bath with hot/cold shower, private entrance & patio, double bed, air-conditioning, kitchen with fridge for 25 US$ per night low-season and 30 US$ per night high-season, meals are extra. If you require more bedrooms, this lady can make arrangements for your reservations by telephone (she speaks English) as she makes arrangements with her Spanish speaking neighbors for you (kind of rental-agent).  

Raoul Lopez Corrales, Calle 488 nr. 507 entre la 5ta y 5ta D, Guanabo, tel. 96-2306. Two well equiped and clean houses in a quiet neigbourhood not far from the beach. They have two or three bedrooms, living-room, kitchen, terrace. They will charge 10 or 15 US$ for each person a night. Price depends on the season (high/low) and house. Breakfast is possible (3-5 US$) (1/99).  

Soroa (95 km west of Habana) is a mountain resort area.  

What to do  

All the attractions are just outside the village close to the resort ‘villa Soroa’.  

El salto de Soroa : It’s a 40m high waterfall situated in the tropical forest. To get there, you will have to do a small nice walk with many steps. You can swim at the foot of the fall (admission US$ 2).  

Orquidiario : A garden with more then 500 different species of orchids. The best season to visit is springtime. There are guided tours (45 min., 10 am till 4 pm).  

Mirador de Venus : A 500m high hill with a good view on Soroa and surroundings.  

Place to stay  

Chez Pepe, Jose de Jésus Hernandez Manquez, carretera Soroa, km 51/2 Candelaria. The place is well marked with a sign. Room with airco and private bathroom (10 US$ pp.). Private parking. Friendly people. They serve excellent food. 

Getting away 

To Santiago de Cuba:  

• Night train (43 US$) (6/98)  
• Domestic flight (90 US$) (1/99).  
• Viazul Bus : Daily departures at 15:00/20:00 hrs, with arrival at Stgo de Cuba at 6:50/11:35 hrs and daily returns at 20:00/15:30 hrs and arrivals to  Havana city at 11:30/07:20 hrs. 45 minutes of dinner time included in the trip. Intermediate stops: Entronque de jagüey, Santa Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camagüey, Tunas, Bayamo, Holguin. For more info look at general info 1 (link to website Viazulbuswebsite)  

Habana-Cienfuegos  

• Official taxi will cost 21 US$  
• Astro bus is 14 US$ pp (5/99)  
• Viazul Bus : Every day. It's a intermediate stop on the line Havana-Trinidad-Havana. For more info look at general info 1 (link to website Viazulbuswebsite) 

Habana-Trinidad:  

• Viazul Bus : Every day.  For more info look at general info 1 (link to website Viazulbuswebsite)  

Habana-Camaguey:  

• Domestic flight: 1 or 2 flights a day, 72 US$  
• Viazul bus :It's a intermediate stop on the line Havana-Santiago de Cuba-Havana.  For more info look at general info 1 (link to website Viazulbuswebsite)  

Habana-Holguin:  

• Domestic flight: 1 or 2 flights a day, 82 US$  
• Viazul bus : It's a intermediate stop on the line Havana-Santiago de Cuba-Havana. For more info look at general info 1 (link to website Viazulbuswebsite)  

Habana-Vinales:  

• Daily Departures from Havana City at 09:00 and arriving to Viñales at 12:15 hrs with a daily return from Viñales at 13.30 hrs and arriving to Havana City at 16:45 hrs. Duration of the trip: 3,15 hrs. Intermediate stop: Pinar del Río. For more info see general info 1 (link to viazulwebsite)  
• Taxi : 50 - 60 US$  

Habana-Varadero : 

Viazul bus has three frequencies daily. Intermediate stop at Matanzas and Varadero Airport. Duration of the trip: 3 hours. For more info see general info 1 (link to Viazulwebsite)     

Go on to Cienfuegos  

For questions on Cuba  send an e-mail to Steven Buvens.