Punctual
leaves from Donald Sangster International
Airport in Montego Bay (Jamaica)
at 10.00 my plane no. KX621 of the Cayman Airways Company to Grand Cayman International
Airport (Cayman Islands), (one-way
ticket price from Montego Bay to Havana, with a
stopover in Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands): USD
277.00).
Punctual
arrival at 10.55 am at Grand Cayman International Airport
(Cayman Islands). There are 6 hours of time
zone, compared to Italy.
To enter
the Cayman Islands (British
Overseas Territory)
for tourism reasons, a visa is not required for a stay of up to 90 days. The
customs declaration form must be completed. There is no screen at this airport
to see if your flight is on time.
To reach
the center of George Town from the airport, the capital of the Cayman Islands,
located 4 km
west, or you can take a taxi at a cost of 15 USD, or you have to go outside the
airport area and take minibus n. 4b or by walking for about 1 km towards the center,
minibus n. 2b. The cost is 2.5 USD. You pay before you get off. The remainder
is given in KYD. Anyway all minibuses head to the Terminal located in Edward Street, near
Heroes Square.
With a
5-hour delay my plane no. 1 leaves from Grand Cayman International Airport
(Cayman Islands) at 6.30 pm. KX832 of the Cayman Airways Company in the
direction of the José Marti International Airport of Havana (Cuba), (price of
one-way ticket from Montego Bay to Havana, with a stopover in Grand Cayman
(Cayman Islands): USD 277.00).
Arrival 5
hours late, at 19.30, of the José Marti International Airport of Havana (Cuba), located 25 km southwest of the center
of Havana.
There are 6 hours of time zone, compared to Italy.
To enter
Cuba, for tourism reasons, up to 30 days, it is necessary to be in possession,
before arriving in Cuba, of the tourist tarjeta and to obtain it you must
personally present yourself at the Consulate, located in Milan in Via Pirelli,
30, not far from the Central Railway Station, open from Monday to Thursday,
from 9.00 to 12.00, with passport, return flight booking, hotel or casa
particular booking for the first night. The cost of the visa is 22 €. The
tarjeta turística is released the same day.
The staff
of the Milan Consulate is extremely slow and it is always crowded and therefore
you have to take into account that you will lose an entire morning.
A much
faster method, albeit a little more expensive (25 Euros instead of 22 Euros),
is to contact a visa agency. In Milan
it is located just below the Consulate (www.cubapoint.it). Among other things,
the same agency is also open in the afternoon and on Saturdays and also issues
the visa instantly. The assistant has you fill in the Tourist Tarjeta in both
parts and hands it over to you, after paying 25 Euros and without asking you
for your air ticket or hotel reservation. By doing this you save a lot of time
by paying only 3 Euros more than what the Consulate requires.
As of May
1, 2010, all travelers, foreigners and Cubans residing abroad, upon entering
the country, must necessarily have an insurance policy that also covers any
medical expenses to be incurred on the island. The policy must be issued by
insurance entities recognized in Cuba (see list of companies
published on the website www.asistur.cu) and can in any case also be purchased
at the border at the price of 1 CUC per day, through Cuban insurance companies.
In this regard, it should be noted that the Cuban institution responsible for
assisting tourism, with particular regard to the medical-health aspect, is
ASISTUR which normally operates in a timely and efficient manner. However, it
should be noted that the speed and quality of the service provided by ASISTUR
depend on the relationship that this same entity has with the chosen insurance
company, on the type of policy underwritten and on the promptness with which
the latter guarantees the reimbursement of expenses to the entity. to support.
The Travel
Policy Sicuri.com is also accepted as the staff in charge of the stipulation
reiterated by email that the Cuban Consulate in Italy has communicated that all
insurance companies are valid for the Cuban Government, except those American.
The Safe Travel policy is underwritten by Europäische Reiseversicherung AG, a
German company with its head office in Munich.
Therefore Safe Travel policies are valid and accepted for your trip to Cuba.
At the
border of the José Marti International
Airport in Havana, I handed over the tourist tarjeta,
which was stamped and divided into 2.
A half was returned to me which must be returned before
leaving the country. Instead, I was not asked for the insurance policy, which
is mandatory by law.
Then I
handed the Customs declaration to the clerk, who let me pass without checking
my hand luggage, the only one in my possession.
Two
currencies circulate in Cuba,
the Cuban peso (CUP), also known as the national currency, and the Cuban
convertible peso (CUC), which is equivalent to the US dollar. The ratio between
the CUC and the CUP, for natural persons, is 1 to 24. Most goods and services
can however be purchased exclusively in convertible pesos.
Circulation
of US dollars (USD) in cash is not permitted. If exchanged in the bank, they
suffer a further increase of 10% in addition to bank charges for exchange
transactions.
However,
the CUC is the so-called tourist currency as with this currency services are
purchased at prices similar to those in Europe
and you cannot pay for buses, cheap restaurants, ect.
It is
therefore advisable to have both coins and understand with a little intuition
which coin to use. It's not that trivial.
In the
Departures Hall it is possible to exchange money, not US dollars and it is
possible to have only Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC). The exchange rate is very
disadvantageous: 1 Euro = 1.04 CUC.
I took a
taxi to reach the uncomfortable Viazul Bus Station, located on the corner of
Calle 26 and Zoologico, 3 km
southwest of Revolution Square. I shared it with 2 other Swiss tourists. In the
end he asked us for 40 CUC, but I, in agreement with my traveling companions,
paid 10 CUC. The journey took about 40 minutes.
Getting
around Cuba
is not as easy as in other countries. Transport is not as efficient and
frequent and there are many limitations for tourists and so I opted to travel
with the most reliable and expensive bus company in Cuba, Viazul, which even allows you
to book the ticket via the Internet, but only up to one week before the trip.
However, once you have printed the ticket you still have to go, one hour before
departure, to the Viazul Desk of the Bus Station, to check in online, which
allows you to print the actual ticket which you will then deliver to the driver
first to get on the bus. Viazul Buses usually have a bathroom in tow, but they
don't offer you food or water. Sometimes they break and arrive late at their
destination.
To reach Santiago de Cuba from Havana (about 800 km journey), there are 3
Viazul buses a day that depart at 6.30, 15.00 and 00.30 and arrive after about
15 hours and 30 '. The bus stops at various intermediate destinations, almost
all of which are touristic. The cost of the ticket is 51 CUC.
The Viazul
Bus Station is located together with the railway station 2 km north of the historic
center, which can be reached by paying 4 CUC for a taxi or 20 CUP for a motor
taxi. To reach the Castle of La Roca del Moro, declared a World Heritage Site
by Unesco and located on top of a promontory 60 meters high, at the
entrance to the port of Santiago de Cuba, 10 km southwest of the city, I hired a taxi
that for 12 CUC, took me to the aforementioned castle, waited for me for an
hour to allow me to visit it and finally brought me back to the historic center
of Santiago de Cuba.
The
entrance to the Castle of La Roca del Moro, declared a World Heritage Site by
Unesco, costs 4 CUC. The castle is open every day from 8.00 to 19.30.
The
historic center of Santiago de Cuba
appears safe even in the evening and can be easily explored on foot.
To reach
Camagüey from Santiago de Cuba, there are 3
Viazul buses a day that depart at 6.30, 16.00 and 00.30 in the direction of Havana and which also
stop in Camagüey after about 6 hours. The cost of the ticket is 18 CUC.
The Viazul
Bus Station, the Alvaro Barba Bus Station, of Camagüey, is located 3 km south-east of the
historic center, which can be reached by paying 3 or 4 CUC for a taxi or 0.20
CUP for the bus you take. on the main road and drops you off at the Casino Campestre
on the eastern edge of the historic center. Remember that on local buses, CUCs
are not accepted, only CUPs and that it is not possible to have change. You put
the coin in the special box as you go up.
The
historic center of Camagüey, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, appears
safe only during the day and can be easily explored on foot. After sunset, pay
close attention.
To reach
Santa Clara from Camagüey, there are 3 Viazul buses a day that depart at 6.30,
14.25 and 23.45 in
the direction of Havana and which also stop in Santa Clara after about 5 hours
and 30 '. The cost of the ticket is 15 CUC.
The
Terminal de Omnibus Nacionales of Santa
Clara, where the Viazul buses also depart and arrive,
is located 500 meters
away. north of the monument to Che, on the Carretera Centrale, 2.5 km west of Parque Vidal,
which can be reached by paying 2 or 3 CUC for a taxi or 0.20 CUP for the bus
that takes you on the main road and leaves you right at Parque Vidal. Remember
that on local buses, CUCs are not accepted, only CUPs and that it is not
possible to have change. You put the coin in the special box as you go up.
To sleep in
Santa Clara on
a budget it is possible to stay in one of the particular houses, located around
Parque Vidal, at a minimum cost of 20 CUC, for a double without breakfast.
The
historic center of Santa Clara
appears safe even in the evening and can be easily explored on foot.
To reach Cienfuegos from Santa Clara,
I took the 11.25 am Viazul bus in the direction of Trinidad which also stops in
Cienfuegos
after 1 hour and 30 '. The cost of the ticket is 6 CUC.
The
Cienfuegos Bus Station, where the Viazul Buses also depart and arrive, is
located at the intersection of Calle 49 and Av 56, about 1.5 km east of Parque Josè
Marti, which can therefore be reached on foot.
To sleep in
Cienfuegos on a
low budget, it is possible to stay in one of the particular houses, located all
over the historic center, at a minimum cost of 20 CUC, for a double without
breakfast.
The
historic center of Cienfuegos
appears safe even in the evening and can be easily explored on foot.
If, on the
other hand, from Cienfuegos
you want to reach Punta Gorda, you can take Bus n. 1 that passes in Calle 37,
with the frequency of about every hour, or on a kind of Rickshaw at a cost of 2
CUC.
To reach
Varadero from Cienfuegos, there are 3 Viazul buses a day that depart at 9.15,
10.00 and 17.45 in
the direction of Havana and which also stop in Varadero after about 4 hours and
30 '. The cost of the ticket is 16 CUC.
The Terminal
de Omnibus of Varadero, where the Viazul Buses also depart and arrive, is
located in Varadero Est, at the intersection of Calle 36 and Autopista Sur, 1 km abundantly southwest of
the Parque Central, which can therefore be reached on foot .
Varadero is
the most touristic and exclusive area in all of Cuba, where there are fabulous
beaches, shopping centers, luxury hotels and resorts and where therefore
finding cheap accommodation is not so easy but with a little commitment you can
also find it in 30 CUC.
Varadero
looks safe even in the evening.
To reach Matanzas from Varadero, there are 3 Viazul buses a day
that depart at 12.00, 16.00 and 19.35 in the direction of Havana
and which also stop in Matanzas
after about 1 hour. The cost of the ticket is 6 CUC.
The
Matanzas National Bus Station, where the Viazul Buses also depart and arrive,
is located on Calle 131, at the intersection with Calle 272, an abundant 1 km south of Plaza de la
Vigia, which can therefore be reached on foot.
To sleep in
Matanzas, spending
little, it is possible to stay in one of the particular houses, located in the
historic center, at a minimum cost of 20 CUC, for a double without breakfast.
The
historic center of Matanzas
appears safe at least during the day and can be easily explored on foot.
To reach Havana from Matanzas,
there are 3 Viazul buses a day that depart at 1.10pm, 5.10pm and 8.45pm from
Varadero. The trip takes about 2 hours. The cost of the ticket is 7 CUC.
Keep in
mind that this bus ends its journey to Havana at
the inconvenient Viazul Bus Station, located on the corner of Calle 26 and
Zoologico, 3 km
southwest of Revolution Square, but also stops first in Habana Vieja on Calle Cuba , where
Rickshaws and Taxis await you offering disproportionate prices to take you to the
Hotel. In the end, being 11.00 pm, I agreed to be taken by rickshaw for the
price of 4 CUC to Hostal Peregrino in Calle Industria, after a ruthless
bargaining. Had it been day I would have gone on foot, since it was less than 1 km away.
Hostal
Peregrino gave me a double room in a particular house without breakfast for the
price of 20 CUC.
Habana
Vieja, you can easily go around on foot and appear safe both day and night.
To reach
the José Marti International Airport of Havana (Cuba), located 25 km south-west of the
center of Havana, spending only 1 CUP, you need to take Bus no. 12, which
leaves every half hour on the road west of the Parque de la Fraternidad, in the
direction of Santiago de Las Vegas, along AV Simon Bolivar, Av Salvador
Allende, Av de Carlos de Made Cespedes and Av Boyeros. From here it will be
necessary to walk over 1 km
to reach Terminal 2 and 2 km
to reach Terminal 3. For Terminal 1, instead get off at the next stop. Ask the
driver when to get off as if you don't know the area it's not all that
intuitive.
My complete travel report
with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:
http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2017/07/viaggio-ad-haiti-repubblica-dominicana.html