Cuba Travel Tips: What You Need to Know Before You Go

Cuba is a wonderful destination, but not one you prepare like its Caribbean neighbours. You do not arrive empty-handed counting on your card and the hotel Wi-Fi. The country is going through a hard stretch, and a little planning changes your whole trip.

Here is the advice that really matters, the kind travellers repeat once they are back, far from the brochure platitudes.

Safety: the real level of risk

Let me reassure you upfront: Cuba remains one of the safest countries in the region for travellers. Violent crime against tourists is rare. You can walk around Old Havana or Trinidad in the evening without particular worry.

The real annoyances are more mundane: pickpocketing in crowded spots, and above all scams. Keep your things close on buses and along the Malecon, leave your passport and the bulk of your cash at the casa, and carry a photocopy instead.

Shortages, the real difficulty of the moment

This is the point brochures skip and the one that weighs most day to day. In 2026 Cuba is going through a serious logistics crisis: fuel shortages, frequent power cuts, and a lack of basics from food to medicine.

In practice, expect power cuts that are sometimes long, which also kill the air conditioning, the hot water and sometimes the water altogether. Fuel is scarce, which can delay buses and excursions. And in shops, everyday hygiene items like soap, toilet paper and toothpaste are hard to find.

The fix is simple: come equipped. A strong power bank, a head torch, enough toiletries to last, and a good dose of patience. See these constraints for what they are, a facet of the country, not a reason to give up on it.

The scams to know

They are rarely malicious, but they come up constantly. Knowing how they work is enough to defuse them.

• Fake cigars: this is the number-one scam, and it accounts for most of the complaints tourists file with embassies. Someone offers you boxes of big brands in the street, supposedly straight from the factory. It is junk. Buy your cigars in an official shop, with seal and receipt.
• Jineteros: these very insistent touts steer you towards a restaurant, a casa or an exclusive festival of the day. They take a commission added to your bill. A firm, smiling no gracias settles it.
• Taxis without a meter: always fix the price before getting in, never after. Have a sense of the fare beforehand by asking your host.
• Wrong change: recount, especially when you are given change in pesos. Errors in your disfavour are not uncommon.

Money and payments

This deserves your full attention before you leave. Bring your entire budget in cash, in euros or dollars. ATMs are rare and often out of service, and cards from US banks do not work.

On the ground, casas, paladares and private taxis often take currency directly, with the euro worth a little more than the dollar. Keep some Cuban pesos for small street buys. Change small amounts at a time, since the rate moves fast and you do not need to convert everything at once.

Health and pharmacy

Do not leave without a complete first-aid kit: this is the tip every traveller hammers home. Cuban pharmacies are severely understocked.

• Painkillers, antibiotics (with prescription), anti-diarrhoea tablets, plasters, antiseptic.
• Sun protection and insect repellent, both essential.
• Your personal medication in enough quantity for the whole trip.
• Water: drink bottled or filtered, tap water is not safe for an unaccustomed stomach. A filter bottle cuts down on plastic.

Travel insurance with repatriation is strongly recommended, and it is in fact required to enter the country.

Culture and etiquette

Cubans are warm and resourceful, in a very tough economic context. A few gestures make a difference. A tip of a few euros to your host or guide matters enormously given salary levels. Bringing a few items that run short locally, such as soap, pens or common medicines to leave at your casa, is always appreciated.

A word of Spanish opens every door: few Cubans speak English or French outside the most touristy circuits. And steer clear of head-on political debates in public, out of respect for the people you meet.

What goes down well locally

Here is a practice that costs almost nothing and changes your encounters. In a country facing shortages, bringing a few everyday items to leave with your hosts is much appreciated. Nothing showy, just useful.

• Hygiene products: soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary items.
• School supplies: pens, notebooks, coloured pencils for children.
• Common, in-date medicines: paracetamol, plasters, vitamins.

These gestures build a real bond with the families who host you, well beyond the tourist transaction. And they lighten your suitcase for the way home.

Staying reachable on the ground

Getting online in Cuba is not automatic, and it may be the biggest gap with the rest of the Caribbean. The network belongs to the state operator, public Wi-Fi runs on prepaid cards at hotspots, and mobile coverage fades fast outside the cities.

To stay reachable without chasing an ETECSA card on arrival, set up an eSIM for Cuba before departure. It connects by roaming to the Cuban mobile network over 3G/4G in the main cities. One honest note: data in Cuba stays slow and uneven outside tourist areas, and no operator can promise otherwise. So download your offline maps too.

Orange’s advantage here is its roaming agreements, which connect you to the local network with no paperwork, plus 24/7 support and an eSIM that is fully refunded if you do not use it. Enough to travel with peace of mind, even in a country where a connection has to be earned.