TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
TBA |
| Currency |
(CUP)
Cuban Peso |
| Electrical |
110/220
Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 53, City Code, Habana 7+6/7D, Pinar Rio 8+4/6D, Guantanamo
Bay 99+4D |
Time:
GMT - 5.
Electricity:
110/230 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style flat two-pin plugs are
generally used, except in certain large hotels where the European
round two-pin plug is standard.
Telephone:
IDD to Havana only. Country code: 53. Outgoing international code:
119. Phonecards for both internal and external calls are readily
available from shops and kiosks (tourists must pay in US dollars).
Some calls must be made through the international operator, and
may be subject to delays.
Climate:
Hot, sub-tropical climate all year. Most rain falls between May
and October and hurricanes can occur in autumn (August to November).
Humidity varies between 75 per cent and 95 per cent. Cooler months
are January to April when the least rain falls.
Required
clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens most of the
year; the high humidity makes it unwise to wear synthetics close
to the skin. Light waterproofs are advisable all year round.
Food
& Drink: Restaurants (both table- and self-service)
are generally inexpensive. Cuisine is continental or Cuban with
a strong emphasis on seafood. Cuban food uses more garlic and
less chilli than elsewhere in the Caribbean. Favourite dishes
are omelettes, often stuffed with meat and/or cheese; maize fritters;
a thick soup made of chicken or black beans; roast suckling pig;
chicken and rice; plantains baked or fried; and local Cuban ice
cream. Tour food served in hotels is not always exciting but it
is adequate and will include chicken, fish, ham, cheese, fresh
papaya, melon, pineapple, mangoes, bananas, fresh vegetables and
green salads. Desserts are sweet and include pastries, flans,
caramel custard, guava paste and cheese.
Bars generally have waiter and counter service. Cuban coffee is
very strong, but weaker, British-style coffee is available. Cuban
beer is tasty but weak. Spirits are reasonably priced; rum is
good and plentiful and used in excellent cocktails such as daiquiris
and mojitos (pronounced ‘moh-hee-tos’).
Nightlife:
Nightlife is concentrated in Havana, Varadero Beach and in the
major tourist resorts. Cuba is renowned for its salsa dancing
and visitors can attend dance classes or swing their hips with
the locals at the Tropicana and Varadero Mumbo nightclubs. Much
entertainment may be planned by the visitor’s guide or tour
operator, and it is common to attend in organised groups. Even
medium-sized bars usually have a house band playing Cuban classics.
There is a choice of floor show entertainments, nightclubs and
theatres. The Tropicana nightclub stages spectacular open-air
shows. Theatre, opera and ballet are staged all year round in
Havana and seats are very cheap. Cinemas show films in Spanish,
but some have subtitles.
Shopping:
Special purchases include cigars, rum, coffee and local handicrafts.
The main hotels have a few luxury shops. There are duty-free shops
at the airport and in the centre of Havana. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat
0900-1800, Sun 0900-1200.
Tipping:
Moderate tipping is expected. However, as more foreigners pass
through Cuba, many people who would not normally merit them have
begun to demand tips. Some discretion may be required.
Currency:
Cuban Peso (peso) = 100 centavos. Notes are in denominations of
peso100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of peso1,
and 20, 5, 2 and 1 centavos. The US dollar is also legal tender
since 1993 and it is very difficult for visitors to use anything
else. In some tourist and large, urban areas, the Euro is also
accepted. Hard currency must be used in most transactions.
Currency
exchange: Money should be exchanged at official foreign
exchange bureaux, banks or international air- and seaports, which
issue receipts for transactions. ATMs are currently only available
in Varadero and Havana, but cash can be obtained in banks with
visa credit or debit cards. At official tourist shops, purchases
are made only in US Dollars, it is therefore advisable not to
change too much hard currency into pesos. Black marketeers may
offer as much as 20 times the official rate for US Dollars, but
tourists are advised to avoid them as severe penalties for black
marketeering are imposed. There are also many scams as moneychangers
on the street often give tourists old pesos instead of the new
peso convertible (equal, in theory, to US$1 for a Cuban within
Cuba).
Credit
& debit cards: Visa and MasterCard are increasingly
accepted provided they are not issued by a US bank, but check
with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant
acceptability and other services which may be available. American
Express and other cards issued by US banks are not accepted.
