How to get there and transport

All that tourist who wants to visit the Island must go provided with visa, you can proceed with it in the Consulates or across your agency of trips, and the passport must have a minimal validity of 6 months. This tourist's visa has a maximum duration of 30 days (price 17 Euros). In case you are going to use particular houses of rent or hotels you will have to use the tourist's visa, then in the customs control they will ask you where you will lodge, in case you use particular houses you indicate the name and direction to him(her) of someone of the houses that you should have contacted (below(down) I give many). 
Those that use the houses of his(her,your) Cuban relatives will have to travel with the visa type A-2 that only is sent in the Consulate (price 56 Euros) and will be able to ask you to credit the kinship by means of family book, if your spouse is Cuban, or his(her,your) passport, as well as the bill of plane or his(her,your) fault the information of place and dates of to enter and gone out for the country. East is acquired by a maximum precedence from 60 days to the date in which you are going to initiate the trip.
 
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If you want to prolong the stay one more month, over 30 days that appear in the visa, you must realize the following steps one week before his(her,your) maturity. To obtain the postponement of the flight of return, the receipt of payment goes if you lodge at particular house or guest's card if you lodge at hotel, passport, visa and bill of plane with new date, as well as stamps for value of 25 dollars (they sell in the banks). In case you are in Havana, you will realize the step in the office of Control of Foreigners - immigrations and Alienage, placed in street 20, between(among) avenues 3ra and 5ta (Miramar), in schedule of 8:30-12:30 and 1:30-3:00 from Monday until Friday (every Wednesday only in the mornings). Those that want to be one third more or fourth month will have to go out of the country and turn with new visa (it would be the third month) and will be able to renew it for a fourth month following(continuing) the steps explained for the second month. The majority they go to Cancún and return with the new visa of 30 days.

For the case of which you are going to remain in house of a Cuban friend, whom logically you do not pay for the lease, you you must present to realize the management in the office of Foreigner's Control with your friendship provided with the writing property of the housing, as well as stamps for value of 40 dollars.
Those who are going to recover activity since(as,like) journalistic have to obtain a specific visa. Logically, students, workers and businessmen can obtain visas in major time. 
You can obtain more consular information in the page of the Embassy of Cuba in Madrid, where they indicate the Consulates to you in the country, with schedule and steps that can fulfil you (visa, marriage(couple), etc), as well as the manners and schedules of attention to the public; that of the Consulate of Barcelona or that of Seville, or that of the Embassy in Canada (they have versions in Spanish, Englishman(English) and Frenchman).
For the Cuban who have left the country of definitive form and have the emigrés' category, whenever they wanted to travel to the Island they had to request the permission of  entry, which in many occasions was delayed until months, with the consequent insecurity of if the visa would come in time. From June 1, 2004 they have the possibility of coming to his(her,your) Consulate with the passport in effect and of requesting that it "is" "enabled" (without economic cost), with what already there will not be necessary the request of the permission of entry and they will be able to travel to Cuba in any moment for a maximum stay of 30 days, extendable for other 30 more for the Direction of Immigration and Alienage.

To the island they demolish the most important regular companies. From Spain they make it Cuban of Aviation, Iberia, Spanair (it(he,she) realizes the flight to daily and shared with Cuban) and Air Europa. These they all land in the airport Jose Martí, in Havana, and only Cuban of Aviation he(she) has a weekly flight with scale in Santiago de Cuba (with return from Havana), very interesting for those who want to visit the whole Island and to want to do it from East to West, with the consequent saving of kilometres
I always have travelled with Cuban and have bought the bill in the agency of trips Metropólitan of Madrid (C/Galileo, 25, telephones: 91-448-54-13 or 91-448-55-59), they have very competitive prices and manage the tourist's visa. I offer you his(her,your) in force prices with Cuban. Also, you can go to the agencies specializing in trips to Cuba: Trips Guamá-Havanatur (in Madrid, Paseo of Havana, 28, Madrid. Telephone 91-7823787 and 88, in Barcelona 93-3184545, in Bilbao 94-4245532, in Valencia 96-3510991, in Las Palmas 928-461091, in Santiago 944-574918, in Seville 95-4536897), Sol y Son from Madrid - the mayorista and retailer of Cuban of Aviation - (telephone 91-3080592), Trips Zeppelin. With very competitive prices Bolitur Travel is (before Mikonos), has his(her,your) central headquarters in the same plant(floor) of the Cuban Consulate in Madrid (street Conde of Peñalver, 38, 6 º), with telephones 91-4012385 and 91-4024162, besides it(he,she) has a branch in Seville (in Ronda de Capuchinos, 4-1 º), with the telephones 95-4368967 and 95-4368968. Besides in Madrid you can resort to  Caribbean Destiny (telephones 91-5323076 and 91-5312790). Other one of the agencies that promise to be is CCJ Travel Plus (in Madrid 91-542 60 09, C/Princesa, 31, 2 º-2B; in Barcelona (93 301 71 12), Paseo de Gracia, 11. Esc A-7 º-2; in Valencia (96 352 15 43), C/Universidad, 4, 5 º-3D). So many Metropólitan, Zeppelin, as CCJ Travel Plus, they are in the habit of announcing his(her,your) tariffs in the pages of international information of the Sunday edition of the diary "El País". In Barcelona you can buy the bills of plane in the agency People Express (Rambla Sant Josep, 95).
The Hispanic - Argentine agency Interaméricas they facilitate bills of plane to you to realize the flight from Cancún. Another Argentine agency that offers "natural marvels of Cuba and ecosafari" it is Lindotour. For the Mexicans, the company Viñales Tours promises to be as "the mayorista number 1 in trips to Cuba", they have offices in Mexico City DF, in Cancún, in Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Those who take North America as a point of item(game) can give him(you,them) a return for the pages of the Company Celimar (The) (United States) - exits from Miami, New York and Los Angeles and destinies Havana, Cienfuegos, Camagüey, Holguín and Santiago - and of To. Nash Travel Inc. (Canada). From November 1, 2001 the American Continental company Airlines has three daily flights Miami - Havana, one weekly New York - Havana and demolishes two times a week to Camagüey and Cienfuegos (regular flights, though technically they have the consideration of charter).
From 1999 there exists also the possibility of travelling in flights charter between(among) Miami and the cities of Havana, Camagüey and Holguín, and for October, 1999 the North American authorities announced direct flights from New York, The Angels and Miami, always and when you should possess(should rely on) the authorization of the Department of the Exchequer and of the Office of Control of Foreign Properties. These flights the journalists, civil servants of the USA will be able to use them, not professional, investigative sportsmen and the Cuban - American who want to visit once a year to his(her,your) family and who invoke humanitarian motives. Also I offer you a list with all the regular companies and charter of the world that they demolish to the Island.
If you want to realize a trip from Europe to Cuba in ship sailboat (15 meters of length), you can contact the French with Kuna Voile Ventures. 

To the margin of the kilos that allows you to take the air company, in general 20 kilos for the class tourist, some companies raise a bit this weight (Cuban you authorizes 30 kilos, Air Europa 40, except changes of last hour), the customs authorities allow you to introduce in the country the personal effects that reasonably you could need in your stay (clothes, footwear, chamber(camera), objects of bathroom, etc). If they think that you take many things, they will be able to stop to enter(approach) you up to 250 dollars of objects, of which 50 dollars are exempt from rates, but for the remaining ones they will be able to impose a rate of hundred on you for hundred of his(her,your) value. The application of these rates depends on the customs officer that you touch and the voluminous of your baggage. I have taken in my trips 30 kilos for person and have not had any problem. But he(she) remembers that to take an overweight of baggage, over these 20-30 kilos, it can be a weapon of double edge and, though some companies allow you to take many kilos, then in the Customs you can take a good displeasure(grief) to you when they could receive(charge) from you an important price for these kilos of more that they could think that you go. In your baggage you can include up to 10 kilos of medicines, the maximum that there allow you to take the customs Cuban authorities, providing that these go in his(her,your) original packings(packages) and correctly identified, but he(she) remembers that these medicines will be included in the total weight of your baggage, in no case it is a weight added to the set of your baggage.
If you want to know in advance what you can take to Cuba and what quantity, as well as what is prohibited, you can give you a return for the page of the General Customs, where besides you can obtain information about the articles that you can extract of the country and the conditions (cigars, art, books, antiquities, etc). There are specially protected the articles that have a top antiquity at the age of 50 and do not allow his(her,your) exit of the country. In advance, I will say to you that it(he,she) is final prohibited, even it will be requisitioned you in the Customs (if they plunder it from you), the pertaining to meat products (sausages, etc) and lacteal or his(her,your) derivatives, though they are packed to the emptiness, only allow  1 kilo for person of pertaining to meat products and providing that it(he) is tinned.
Don't forget that to the exit of Cuba every traveler has to pay in the airport a rate of 25 dollars. Do not get impatient in the control of passports if you run against a civil servant of rather jealous and exhaustive Interior in his(her,your) work, they are slow enough and distrustful, look and re-look so much at theirs you as(like) to your documentation.
For the lovers of the crossed distances, as button of sample I will say to you that Havana is far from Madrid in straight line 7.453 km, from Rome 8.724 km and from the Canadian Ottawa 2.546 kms.

In case you choose for a combined trip, you can obtain good offers with a week of accomodations in hotel nearly more than it(he,she) would cost the flight to you. Between(among) the most important Spanish agencies they are: Falcon Travel, Marsans, Trips Sol-Meliá, Politours, Guamá, Imágen and Destino (in collaboration with Viajes Cuevas de Altamira) - with a wide offer, different and exclusive-, People Express, between(among) others. From Mexico you have the already mentioned Viñales Tour. To organize the trip with all those complements that could happen to you you can contract with CubanParadises (branch in Internet of the Dominican COTURCA).
Those that want to organize his(her,your) own(proper) stay in Cuban hotels, which not always appear in the offer of the packages combined of the traditional agencies, have the possibility of reserving across Internet in the establishments of the group Cubanacan and in the own(proper) pages of some of these as the hotel Brisas Trinidad (quite included), the Villa Tarará (in the beach and to only 20 minutes of Havana, with independent houses), or those that there offers to you the chain Islazul, with centers in the whole country and varied offer of city, beach or places of high ecological value. 

The country offers you a great variety of manners of transport, from renting your own(proper) car, with or without chauffeur, to contracting the services of a bici-taxi. Besides, in the small cities they offer to you the services of transport of animal(rude) traction (car of horses), particular good or of pre-established route.
The condition(state) of the principal highways in general is acceptable, but in many of the secondary ones the floor(flat) has pot-holes and they lack border. Crossing the Island from Pinegrove of the Rio up to Guantanamo one finds the principal highway, which happens(passes) for the majority of the capitals of province. This one has range of highway (good condition(state)), and he is known by " eight tracks ", from the city of Pinegrove of the Rio happening(passing) for Havana and up to(even) near Jatibonico, in the limits of Sancti Spíritus's province with Blind person of Avila. Also a small section of highway exists to the exit of Santiago de Cuba in direction towards Havana.
Havanautos you rents cars of small to great size, 4x4 and even ciclomotores, with prices that range between 50 and 87 daily dollars for periods up to 6 days, according to the category of the vehicle, prices that diminish all those more days use them, 45-80 $ up to 13 days, or 35-68 $ from 30 days. Also you can choose for Cubacar's offer, but in all the cases I recommend to you you to read very well the conditions of the contract and he(she) remembers that the liter of fuel is to 0 ' 95 of dollar. Another company that also offers you his(her,your) services of rent of cars  is Micar, with an extensive desire and bases of withdrawal and delivery of the vehicles in the whole country; the most economic thing is a Fiat One (50 dollars if you take it less than seven days and 40 if to overcome 13 days) and his(her,your) fleet has, between(among) others, Peugeot 307, Toyota Corolla or the van of more passenger's capacity Toyota Hiace (120 dollars for less than seven days and of 100 if to overcome the 13). 
The corporate group Transtur has a wide and varied offer of services, rent of cars of different scale, taxis and cars and minibuses with chauffeur for your displacements so much in city as(like) to travel to other cities, as well as the rent of buses for big groups.

For the most comfortable or those that do not want to be exposed to scares in his(her,your) displacements by Havana, I recommend to them the use of the Panataxi (they are of yellow color and in Havana his(her,your) service can request in the telephone 55-55-55) or Turitaxi (cars white Mitsubitsi, telephones 33-55-39 to 42), both to very attainable prices and they use taximeter, though Panataxi is a bit cheaper. For example, a taxi Jose Martí receives(charges) from you between(among) 15 and 18 dollars from Center Havana to the airport.
If you are a lover of the old cars of the fifties you can rent them (with driver) in many places of the big cities, in Havana you find  points as the surrounding areas of the Capitol, the park Carlos Manuel of Lawns, the walk of the Meadow or at the edge of the hotels. You have to square the price and for very small that is the distance they will ask you for for fewer 3-4 dollars.

To see everything calmly and of two in two, it(he,she) rents a bicitaxi, a peculiar way of transport in which also you have to fit the price, is cheaper than the ancient cars. Also from approximately the year 2000 another possibility exists to move for the city of Havana, is the Coconut - taxi, a vehicle with form of half an egg of yellow color, which it(he,she) allows to travel to two persons and a minor. It(he,she) is more agile in the city that the taxi, they receive(charge) from you half a dollar for kilometre, just about as a taxi, and you will be parked them at the edge of hotels and in Old Havana close to the street market of crafts.

Several are the types of matriculation of the vehicles that circulate along Cuba. If the color of bottom(fund) is yellow it(he,she) corresponds(fits) to a car or Particular motorcycle (the majority they are "machines" - cars previous to the victory of the Revolution-, as well as those that the Cuban has obtained later for missions in the exterior or works in the Island, as the cut of cane); the cars that the tourists rent have matriculation of black color and the identifying one initiates for the letters TUR; besides you will see cars and trucks with matriculation or red of blue color that belong(concern) to the State or his(her,your) companies, these take the State legend or Opening. It does not surprise you that any buses have a sheet on other one, they are vehicles proceeding from international donations to those that they support under the Cuban sheet the one that had in his(her,your) country of origin, I have seen someone of orange color of the urban lines of Seville.

An alternative to see the city of Havana is to take one of the buses of Vaiven, with tours for 4 dollars and frequency every 50 minutes.

Besides all before mentioned, you can resort to the traditional buses in which it is paid in Cuban currency (I) (weigh), but have care with the "camels" (buses constructed in Cuba with a road tractor of truck and tow type bus enabled for the public), the shared or enclosed taxi to do hitchhike to a particular car (matriculation with color of yellow bottom(fund)) and to square the price.

This page has been translated by Reverso of Softissimo