What is Cuba?
The Republic of Cuba is the largest island state between the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Cuba is a socialist state, a parliamentary republic in which the monopoly of government is in the hands of the Communist Party. After 1959 The Revolution came to power by Fidel Castro (August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016), which created a new power. HavanaSi has become a witness of events – the new president of Cuba, Miguel Diaz Canel, was elected on 19.04.2018.
The country has more than 11 million inhabitants, and its culture is based on Aboriginal, Spanish, African slave and American culture. There are two currencies in Cuba: CUPs (local only) and Pesos convertibles CUC (tourist pesos). The Peso to Pesos convertibles ratio is 25 to 1. The ratio of one peso convertible to USD is close to one. In the following articles, we will call Pesos convertibles – tourist pesos or CUC.
Flights.
It is worthwhile to pay more attention to their planning and decide whether you are looking for a quicker trip and a cheaper or simply convenient flight. Travel agencies or airlines themselves usually offer a 2-week round trip to Cuba.
The price of such a ticket is usually lower. HavanaSi decided that 2 weeks was too little, so we bought all the tickets back and forth separately. One member of our team lives in London, so we chose to fly in London. We flew from Vilnius to London and from there to Madrid. After 10 pm flight from Madrid and we were already able to inspire the ancient capital of Havana. We flew with Ryanair and Iberia.
Note! Don’t delay flight searches, get started right away, the sooner you start, the more likely you are to find cheaper flights. Our flight cost is 650 Eur / person. 🙂
Another important aspect is the time of the year of travel. HavanaSi chose spring in the beginning of April. April met with the hot sun, and tropical rain only hit once! The air temperature did not fall below +30 degrees Celsius. From May onwards, Cuba begins the “winter” – a rain and hurricane season that lasts until October. So when choosing a travel time, our advice would be to choose between November and May.
When planning a trip to Cuba, you must make a tourist card – a visa. HavanaI read a visa in London because our common passenger lives there. Another representative office is in Helsinki. There are also agencies in Lithuania that can take care of your Cuban visa. The cost of a visa may vary from 35 euros to 55 euros, depending on where you book. Travel and health insurance is also required, which is recognized by the Cuban authorities. Read more about the tourist card and how to order it here: http://misiones.minrex.gob.cu/en/finland/consular-services
Traveler Memo:
1. Airline tickets (about 650 eur / person)
2.Travel visa and insurance (50 eur / pers + insurance)
3.Travel Period (November to May)
