Cuba / Getting There

Flights

Being the largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba consists of a number of international airports and is very well connected. Cubana de Aviacion, Aerogaviota and Aerocaribbean are Cuban airlines and offer a wide network both international and domestic.

From Canada, Air Canada and low cost Air Transat and WestJet offer flights from many cities.

Europeans have a choice of a number of low cost airlines such as Air Berlin from Germany or Air Caraibes from France. Charter airlines such as Thomson Airways in the UK, ArkeFly in the Netherlands and Condor in Germany are selling both flight-only deals or packages. Scheduled airlines from Europe to Cuba include Air France, Iberia, Air Europa, KLM and Virgin Atlantic

South and Central America are also very well connected with especially Havana, airlines include Copa, LAN and TACA.

There are still no airlines allowed to fly from America to Cuba so Americans wanting to visit are advised to fly to nearby Jamaica, Cayman Islands or the Bahamas and continue their journey with a Cuban airline or Cayman Airways or Bahamasair.

Passport/Visas

In order to travel to Cuba, US citizens must be licensed by the Department of Treasury. Only select categories of travellers, usually for family reasons and certain restricted businesses, are licensable. US citizens who are licensed require a passport valid for at least three months and a visa for entry. With these exceptions, travel to the country is illegal under American law due to the US embargo. Some Americans do however visit by travelling through a third country, for instance Mexico or Jamaica.

Other nationalities are free to visit Cuba. Travellers must have a valid passport to enter the island as well as proof of a return or outward journey.

Most tourists must buy a tourist visa card (visada tarjeta del turista) before travelling, these can be purchased from a Cuban embassy or a tour operator. It is usually valid for 30 days and can be extended once for another 30 days at any immigration office in Cuba - beyond this you would need a pretty good reason. The tourist visa is stamped upon arrival and is removable from your passport.

Tourist Information

Cubatur runs information desks in tourist hotels but these mainly sell tickets for organised trips. The best source of information for independent travel is almost always the local people.

Outside Cuba, information can be obtained from:

Canada

Cuba Tourist Board, 1200 Bay St, Suite 305, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 2A5, t 416 362 0700

Cuba Travel, 1st Floor, 154 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JT, t 020 7240 6655