I share my personal experience of rest! Find out how much it costs to travel to Cuba in 2021. Tips for smart savings. I am telling you how much money we spent.
Take a look: How to go to Cuba now - there you will find the latest tourist reviews, conditions of entry in case of a pandemic, a list of available resorts and prices for tours. See also the list of open countries. Below we talk about the rest in Cuba before the start of the pandemic.
Last year we flew to Cuba. The country is bright and colorful - we liked it! We spent 12 interesting days on Liberty Island: we visited Havana, Trinidad and Varadero, swam in the Caribbean and the Atlantic, and spent only 27 500 ₽ per person. This overview will help you understand prices in Cuba and plan a great vacation. Go!
Currency rate: 1 CUC = 1 US dollar = 25 CUP.
Cuban currency
Cuba is an unusual country! There are two currencies here at once.
CUC - cook, or, as the Cubans themselves say, si-u-si. These are convertible pesos, which are used to pay for housing, excursions, restaurants, transport, souvenirs. The landmarks of the country are painted on the banknotes. The cookie rate is pegged to the US dollar: 1 CUC = 1 $.
CUP - national peso. The money depicts portraits of the country's leaders. In CUP, Cubans receive a salary, with this money you can pay for goods in stores, food in cafes for locals or travel on a city bus. 1 CUC = 25 CUP, but in exchangers they give 24 national pesos for a cookie.
I exchanged some of the cookies for pesos and sometimes paid with them. I advise you to buy national pesos too, but very little, because they rarely come in handy.
Attention! All exchangers take a commission on transactions with the dollar - as much as 10%. Therefore, come on vacation only with euros, otherwise you will lose a lot. The exchange rate is the same in all exchangers, even at the Havana airport.
Tour prices in 2021
How much does it cost to travel Cuba in 2021? Expensive! Caribbean exoticism comes at a tidy sum. Prices are high due to long distance flights, expensive hotels and food on the island. But I am glad that the Russians do not need a visa.
The high season runs from November to April. Read more about the seasons in Cuba >>
My observations on the cost of vouchers:
- Last minute tours are rare. Better to buy a ticket a month or two before departure - it's cheaper.
- The cheapest tours are in Varadero.
- The lowest prices are in April, at the end of the high season.
Almost all tourists believe that you need to rest in Cuba only in "five" and "all inclusive"otherwise you will be very disappointed. Service in many hotels is not very high, so accommodation should be carefully selected based on reviews. Find out: where is the best vacation in Cuba.
I recommend buying tours on Level.Travel and Travelata services - they are looking for tours at the best price from 120 tour operators at once and they have a convenient hotel rating system. I myself buy vouchers only there and in no case at travel agent offices in the city. See also my tips: 7 ways to buy a tour cheaper.
How much are tours to Cuba for two for 11 nights from Moscow:
| 2-3 * with breakfast | from 90 000 ₽ |
| 4 * all inclusive | from 135 000 ₽ |
| 5 * all inclusive | from 165 000 ₽ |
Hotel prices
Things are complicated with hotels in Cuba. The problem is that, due to US sanctions, international services like Booking and Rumguru cannot operate normally there. The choice of accommodation on Booking is very scarce (10-15 hotels in Varadero and Havana each) and there are no reviews, which complicates the choice of a good hotel.
Fortunately, there is an alternative! By some miracle, despite the state blockade, Airbnb operates in Cuba, and there you can rent casa particular - housing from local residents. I booked all my accommodation in Cuba there, the choice is huge and there are a lot of reviews. In Varadero we rented a room in a guest house for $ 47 per day (yes, it is expensive there), in Havana - an apartment for $ 19, in Trinidad - a house for $ 23. In the search settings, I always choose "whole housing", because I love privacy. But if you want to save money, then you can live in a separate room in the apartment where the owners themselves live.
Check out my tips for booking on Airbnb.
Conclusions are simple... If you want to travel to Cuba on your own, then book rooms, apartments or houses with locals. If you want to relax in the "five", then it is better to buy a tour.
Ticket prices
How much does it cost to fly to Cuba in 2021 (round trip):
- Direct flights of Aeroflot from Moscow to Havana - from 46,000 rubles.
- Flights from Moscow to Havana with a connection in Istanbul start from RUB 31,000.
- Flights from St. Petersburg to Havana with a connection in Paris - from 32,000 rubles.
- Last minute charters from Moscow to Santa Clara - from 31,000 rubles.
- Last minute charters from Moscow to Varadero - from 42,000 rubles.
Flights to Cuba can be found for you at the best price by Airlines and Skyscanner comparing prices of all airlines. See also: how to buy air tickets cheaper.
We flew to Cuba from the Dominican Republic and then flew to Mexico. If I were flying from Russia, I would choose flights with a connection in Istanbul or Paris, because it is difficult to catch a cheap charter for the required dates.
Food prices in Cuba in 2021
Many tourists scared in their reviews that food in Cuba is very expensive. This is not true. Yes, it is more expensive here than in Asia, but the prices are quite adequate. Our average bill for two in a budget restaurant or cafe is 15-20 CUC. In some places we managed to eat for 10-12 CUC. Alcoholic cocktails cost 1.5-3 CUC, a meal in a restaurant - from 5 CUC. And a delicious lobster can be bought for only 8 CUC!
There is no choice in stores, so don't expect to be able to cook yourself. Fruit is also very scarce.
Transport prices
We traveled to different cities and used different transportation. Let's see how much it costs in Cuba.
City bus... Shock awaits you now! A ride on any city bus on Liberty Island costs only 1.25 ₽, or half a peso! Can you imagine? There are such buses in Havana, Varadero and other large cities. Even from the capital's airport, you can leave for this money, bypassing cunning taxi drivers.
Buses between cities... Here you will have to spend money. In Cuba, only Viazul operates for the transportation of tourists, and tickets for local tourists are not sold (they are much cheaper). If you speak Spanish, you will be able to agree, if not, then only "Viazul". A bus from Havana to Varadero costs 10 CUC, to Trinidad 25 CUC. Expensive!
Taxi... There are two types of taxis in Cuba - for residents and tourists. Cubans ride old, broken vehicles, while tourists ride in retro taxis and inflate prices greatly. Travel from Havana airport to the center - 20 CUC, from Varadero to Havana - 80-100 CUC. The average taxi ride around the city costs 5-7 CUC. Try to bargain so that it is no more than 0.5 CUC per kilometer.
Rent a car... With this in Cuba, everything is very, very bad! You can rent a car only on the spot, cars are almost never available, and they cost 80-120 CUC per day. Mopeds - from 30-40 CUC.
Excursion prices
This is tough, comrades! The prices for excursions in Cuba will make your head spin. Let's see how much they cost:
- Drive to Havana from Varadero - 240 €.
- Nat. park, lake and crocodile farm - 280 €.
- Vinales Valley - 150 €.
- Large sightseeing tour of Havana - 120 €.
- Author's tour of Havana - 62 €.
- Diving course with 3 dives - 200 CUC.
- Sea fishing - 80 CUC.
- Catamaran ride - 70 CUC.
- Yacht travel - 50 CUC.
- Horseback riding - 20-60 CUC.
- Coral reef snorkeling - 40 CUC.
- Jeep Safari to Yumuri Valley - 80 CUC.
As you can see, the prices are high. Traveling around the country on your own will be much cheaper. But if you do not have such an opportunity, then I advise you to take excursions from trusted Russian-speaking guides on the Tripster, and not in the offices on the spot. So at least don't buy a pig in a poke.
The entrance to the museums of Havana costs 3-10 CUC for tourists and 25 times less for locals. Severe discrimination.
For an hour sightseeing trip on a retro convertible in Havana with a mini-lecture in English, the men ask the Capitol for 40 CUC. When you ask why it is so expensive, they begin their song: they say, gasoline is expensive, the engine eats a lot, and in general they are all poor here.They do not want to give in in price, because there are more than enough people who want to ride.
How much do rum and cigars cost in Cuba
I'm not interested in rum or cigars. But most tourists think that visiting Cuba and not bringing these two things is akin to a crime.
Cuban rum in the store costs 4-25 CUC per liter. The cost depends on the brand and aging. Keep in mind that it is allowed to export up to 2 liters of strong alcoholic drinks per person from the country.
The cost of cigars in Cuba depends on the manufacturer. Romeo & Julieta will cost 4-7 CUC per piece, Montecristo Petit Tubos 5-7 CUC. Box of 25 pieces - 30-50 CUC.
Cigars from street vendors are cheaper. However, seasoned tourists take Cuban cigars only from official master producers. The fact is that street vendors roll cigars inaccurately and use low-grade raw materials. Open the box immediately after purchase. This way you can make sure that the stated quantity of cigars is inside and that they are of the correct quality.
Unlike rum, there are no restrictions on the export of cigars from Cuba. The main thing is that a batch of more than 23 pieces should be equipped with special packaging and a hologram.
Learn about 18 reasons to love Cuba.
How to save money while on holiday in Cuba
- Take only euros to Cuba, because when exchanging dollars, a commission of 10% of the amount is charged.
- Don't look for where you can profit from currency exchange. All exchangers in the country are state-owned, so the exchange rates are the same everywhere.
- Relax in Varadero - this is the cheapest resort in Cuba.
- Rent Cubans on Airbnb. Choose accommodation with good reviews.
- Check the price when ordering food in restaurants, sometimes the menu is not given, but is voiced orally.
- Explore Havana, Trinidad and other cities on your own, not on a guided tour.
- Use cheap public transport.
- Negotiate the price with the taxi driver before you get into the car.
Let's calculate how much an independent vacation in Cuba in 2021 for two for 10 days costs:
Total cost of a trip to Cuba for two for 10 days - 120 thousand rubles... At the same time, the cheapest tour to Varadero can be bought from 90 thousand rubles, but in addition you need to spend money on food. Conclusion: the cost of rest in Cuba on a tour and on your own is about the same. Plus, budget for excursions.
