Cuba might not strike you as the safest place to be traveling solo, but after walking around Havana and the beaches by myself for two weeks, I can say that I really wasn’t worried the whole time. Well, besides when a guard stopped me and asked what country I was from. Definitely thought I was going to jail for being unaccompanied for a second there.
If you don’t at least know a few basic phrases in Spanish, you are going to have a really tough time solo traveling in Cuba. Aside from helping you get around, knowing basic Spanish phrases will also help anti-target you as a tourist, and prevent you from getting over-charged or hustled.
Casa Particulars are people’s homes that rent out rooms to travelers and tourists. Many of them house exchange students from the U.S. so are a great way to meet other people, learn about the area you’re in, how and where to go, and even can help you with translations.
Casa Particulars are also much cheaper than staying at a hotel, and usually include the option for home cooked meals! It’s a lot easier now too to find them because most big travel-finder sites list them, and even offer deals since it’s a relatively new concept!
Save up to 25% on Hotels in Cuba!
It’s slightly embarrassing to see tourists wearing the souvenir Cuban fedora or Che hats for some reason. Actually, it’s kind of funny to see the Che barets that people wear because they look cool, when they have no idea that they are basically representing Communism. Anyway, don’t wear a souvenir hat. You’ll look like a tourist, and get treated like one.
The only way you’ll be able to communicate with anyone back home (without spending a crap load of money) is by using Wifi, but it’s not always easy to find. Most hotels will let you buy an hour of Wifi per day, but I learned that if you go to the cellular stores, you can find the same Wifi cards for cheaper, and then can just bring them to the hotels to use.
Towards the end of my trip I started running low on cash, and since there are no ATM’s or ways to withdraw money from American banks in Cuba…that kind of sucked…a lot. Cabs usually range from 5-10 CUC, and while I had no problem walking…that limits you to the main areas of Havana.
Then I discovered that you can take those touristy double decker red buses, or the air conditioned charter buses from Parque Central in Havana Vieja for only 5 CUC and they will take you all over town and even further out to the beach!
Someone asked me about what my opinion was on solo traveling in Cuba and I said I wasn’t scared the whole time, and she said, “I was thinking more because it gets lonely”. This is true. I didn’t even have anyone to miss back home besides my dog, and my friends, but the fact that I couldn’t use my phone, or even connect to Wifi after 6PM was a huge bummer.
I ended up watching a lot of Telanovelas, super old American movies, Baliwood movies, and writing enough content to get me through a year of blog posts.
Although most people are extremely happy about relations in the U.S. improving…there’s still kind of this rule where U.S. citizens are not allowed to have “free time” or be in Cuba for “touristic purposes”. As I mentioned before, I almost started crying when the guard came up to me and asked where I was from, not to mention the three people at the airport who asked to see my passport when I arrived. I’m sure the most punishment you’d get is a fine, but I’d suggest avoiding dealing with the government as much as possible.
UPDATE: Now that relations have improved and most touristic activities are allowed in Cuba, you really don’t have to worry about this one. In fact, the government officials will probably love you.
Havana is great and all, but there are so many other places in Cuba that it would be a shame to go all the way there and just stay in one place! As I mentioned before, you can take the tourist bus to nearby beaches, or take a tour of the outskirts of Havana. If you have time, you can even go see the tobacco fields in Viñales or the resort beaches in Varadero!
Most taxi drivers will offer you their card or number after giving you a ride in case you need one later, it’s pretty much like marketing to them, and they really will come get you if you call them. Also if you happen to make friends with a local, (like a young, non-threatening-looking one) take their number in case you want someone to potentially hang out with or ask advice on things to do.
“Paladares” translates to “house-restaurant”, and is kind of the same concept as a Casa Particular. A family converts part of their home into a restaurant and they are able to keep the profit from it. What makes them unique though is that you get to see these great houses, even mansions, and get an authentic meal for not nearly as much as a restaurant would charge you!
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wow amazing and helpful post for travelers thanks
Hi Alyssa:
I am traveling solo to Cuba at the end of June for 2 weeks. Your post was super informative. What were the benefits of staying in the Vedado area as opposed to Old havana, which is where I was planning on staying? I am not so interested in nightlife as I am possibly just hanging out with a beer and photographing and people watching. I am planning a few days in Havana, Vinales and Trinidad then back to Havana. My concerns are about the amount of cash I seem to need to bring (Im an American), missing some great places (obviously 2 weeks is not enough), and my minimal Spanish (I speak some and have taken lessons in Nicaragua and traveled solo to other Spanish speaking countries such as Colombia and Spain, but it's always a concern). Again, thanks for your post and if anyone else reads this post and will be in Cuba during this time- please email me :)
Vedado was cheaper, quieter, and more local. But if you're going solo and want to be around people, Havana Vieja might be a good choice! You'll definitely love hanging out on the Malecon with a beer! Have you seen my other Cuba posts? I have really long lists of things to do in Havana and outside of Havana, so it will be hard to miss something! If you're going for 2 weeks I'd bring around $500 in American cash -- you can sometimes use it to pay for things (it's worth more than their currency) but you can also use your debit card to get money out, so the cash is really just a back up.
Last but not least - don't worry about your Spanish...the majority of tourists who go to Cuba can't speak any Spanish at all, but it's always a nice gesture to attempt learning a little and speak a little! Have a fab time in my "homeland" ;)
Hey Emmie!
I just read your previous article about traveling alone in Cuba, it was really informative, thank yoU! I have just booked my flight for my first trip there in about a month and I had some questions I was hoping you could answer.
As for the visas, now that relations are much better between Cuba and the US do you think I still need to apply for a visa? When booking my flight I chose the Education: people to people option but I am unsure if I still need to acquire anything else.
Also, as a single, white, 26yo traveling alone, I just wanted to see if there were any housing recommendations you could give me- always better to go off a recommendation than sifting through Air B and B. I have traveled a lot but this will be my first solo adventure so I just want to make sure I am being smart.
I was also curious about money- will I have access to my money there? If not I assume I will have to bring enough to last me (Sun-Fri) so I was wondering if you had a rough idea of your daily cost or just anything I should consider.
I appreciate any help!
Thanks,
Gabby
Hi Gabby! Not sure if you were replying to someone else (my name is Alyssa but you wrote Emmie?) but to answer your questions -- you don't need to apply for special visas anymore, you can simply just get a tourist visa at the airport. AirBnB will probably be your best bet unless you want to pay more for a hotel, but to be honest, the AirBnB's are probably nicer! When I went they didn't have that option yet so I can't really refer a specific one! For money, I always budget around $50/day for food, transportation etc. You should bring U.S. cash and get it exchanged at the airport because it's sometimes hard to find banks in town! Most importantly, don't worry! Havana is awesome and you're going to have an incredible time! xx, Alyssa
Hi Gabby- when will you be in Cuba- I am traveling solo from June 28th to July 12.
I'm thinking about planning a solo trip to Havana. I've read on several websites that many vendors don't take credit cards and ATMs are almost impossible to find. Did you carry cash on you? Any insights on how you handled the financial part would be really appreciated! I think that's what I'm most nervous about.
Yeah definitely bring cash from the U.S.! You can exchange it at the airport or at a few big hotels like the Hotel Nacional. You can also sneakily pay for a lot of things with U.S. dollars, because they're worth more than the local currency! If you're worried about carrying a lot of cash, you can also use Traveler's Cheques for back up!
Hi I'm just wondering if it's safe to take taxi alone at night? My flight lands in HAV at 11:30pm and I need to take taxi to get to Havana. Should I wait until morning? Or is it just very safe and there's no worries?
Hi Laura! The airport is probably not a great place to stay till morning and there's nothing nearby hotel-wise, but there are definitely a ton of cars waiting at the airport at all times to take people from Havana, and most work under the government so they should be safe. I would just make sure you have your hotel name, address, and maybe even a screenshot (or print out) of the GPS directions from the airport to the hotel. Also make sure to ask how much it is before you get in. If anything, I think you might also be able to coordinate a pick up through your hotel if you're staying at one, or if not, through a site like CubaJunky.com! Let me know how it goes! I'll be back in Cuba at the end of the month!
Thank you in advance! I want to study with the curanderos (healers) in Cuba. Do you have any ideas how I would put an required itinerary together?
I'm planning a trip to Cuba in January - I'm so glad I found your post!
@kristimiller I am going in January too! I am beyond excited. Although I am nervous, this is the first time ill be traveling alone!
Hi Emmie! I am traveling alone in January too! What dates are you goin? I'm kind of nervous too! You can email me at aliyamarie@gmail.com if you like
Don't be nervous! Traveling alone is such an awesome adventure! You'll love it, and Cuba for sure!
Thank you! Hope you have an incredible time!!
What's the name & location of the Paladares you posted here? DYING to go there next week!
It didn't have a name haha! All I know is that it was in "Vedado" (not to be confused with Varadero), and that it's about 11 blocks down (South) of the Presidente Hotel on one of the residential streets. It's a beautiful area with all of the old mansions, albeit, quite sad to see their current conditions, but this place in particular you cannot miss..it was one of the biggest mansions I saw there...with a shack-like tarp roof over the front lawn where they created the little restaurant!
I don't eat seafood/meat...what's there to eat in Cuba otherwise? Is rice/beans and salad going to be my food the whole time?
Good tips Alyssa. I also traveled to Cuba, in 2014, and found the people to be very inviting and friendly. I'm not a single female, but even as a white male wondering around the strange streets of Havana, I never felt unsafe. I was propositioned for drugs, but that's about it!
One correction is that traveling independently to Cuba purely for tourist activities is still not technically legal. I wrote in depth on this topic here for anyone who's interested http://www.stridetravel.com/blogs/travel-to-cuba-what-you-need-to-know-now.html
That's what I thought!!! I thought they were just getting a little more lenient. Thanks for sharing what you know!