Cuba
Seven cities I explored, three routes that actually work, and the practical page. I wish someone had handed me that the first time.
Updated September 2026
What nobody tells you before you land
Cuba runs on cash and patience. Foreign cards don't work — not at ATMs, not in shops — so you bring every euro you'll need and you slow down to the island's rhythm, because the buses, the internet and the queues all move at their own speed. Once you accept that, it's one of the most alive places on earth.
Havana is the reason most people come, but the colonial towns of the centre — Trinidad above all — and the tobacco valley of Viñales are what stay with you. The routes below string them together the way the roads and the shared taxis actually allow.
Fact sheet
Everything practical, on one page
Itineraries
Three routes that actually work
Seven days is Havana and the colonial centre. Fourteen is the whole west, from the tobacco valley to the beaches.
Old Havana at its own pace, then a shared taxi down to Cienfuegos and Trinidad — the prettiest colonial town in the Caribbean.
Viñales and its tobacco farms to the west, then the colonial centre — with a stop in Santa Clara for the Che memorial on the way back.
The full western loop, ending on the white sand of Varadero — the beach you earn after two weeks of cities and cobblestones.
City guides
Seven cities, walked one street at a time
La Habana
Old Havana, the Malecón at sunset, classic cars and live son in every doorway.
3–4 days · Coming soonViñales
The tobacco valley — limestone mogotes, horseback rides and cigar farms.
2 days · Coming soonTrinidad
The best-preserved colonial town in Cuba — cobbles, pastel houses and a beach nearby.
2–3 days · Coming soonCienfuegos
The "Pearl of the South" — elegant French-style boulevards on a wide bay.
1 day · Coming soonSanta Clara
The city of the revolution — Che Guevara's memorial and mausoleum.
1 day · Coming soonMatanzas
The "Athens of Cuba" — bridges, rumba and the birthplace of danzón.
1 day · Coming soonVaradero
Twenty kilometres of white sand — the classic Cuban beach to end on.
2–3 days · Coming soonAsked every week
Questions I get about Cuba
How much cash should I bring?+
All of it. Foreign cards don't work anywhere in Cuba — no ATMs, no shops — so bring every euro (best) or US dollar you'll spend, plus a buffer. Budget ~US$50–80 a day for mid-range travel.
How many days do I need?+
Seven for Havana and the colonial centre. Ten adds Viñales in the west; fourteen is the whole western half of the island, ending on the beach at Varadero.
How do I get around?+
Shared taxis (colectivos) and the Víazul tourist buses between cities; book Víazul ahead. Inside towns it's all on foot or by classic-car taxi.
Is the internet really that bad?+
Assume you'll be offline. Buy an ETECSA or eSIM data card, download maps and everything you need in advance, and tell people at home you may go quiet.
The podcast
I walked this before I wrote it
Every guide starts as an episode. Listen to the Cuba introduction — the context, the history and the honest bits — then come back for the routes.