Despite everything, the Caribbean's most impressive island offers one of the world's great travel experiences, from its music and culture to Havana and its other cities, as well as beaches and nature.

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In Cuba, Go West, to Pinar del Río & Viñales

  marcin jucha For visitors to Havana, one of the most popular day and overnights trips besides colonial wonder Trinidad is a visit to the far west of Cuba, the mostly rural province of Pinar del Río (whose locals, by the way, have over the years endured much teasing by other Cubans as guajiros – "country-bumpkin" peasants – though at least these days inaccurately, as far as I’ve been able to tell).  It’s home to not only the eponymous city – which makes for a charming visit in its own…

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Started by José Balido
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The colonial (and beachy) charms of Trinidad

When I started visiting one of Cuba’s earliest settlements (founded in 1514), down in the central south coast some five or so hours from Havana, in the late 1990s, Trinidad was a sleepy little colonial gem in the rough – as in, fairly shabby like most other Cuban towns, seemingly trapped in amber, even smaller feeling than its population of a little over 70,000. The colonial quarter was all about cobblestone streets lined with those retro old U.S. cars parked in front of low-slung,…

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Started by José Balido
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Welcome to Santiago de Cuba, the country's second city

When it comes to cities in Cuba, capital Havana does hog a disproportionate share of the attention – and it’s not hard to understand why. But at the southeastern tip of this island country, 540 miles (870 kilometres) from the capital, is another which amply deserves to be part of any visit to Cuba. One of the first of many settlements in the Americas to be named after mother country Spain’s revered pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela, the bayside port of Santiago de Cuba is this country’s…

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Started by Tripatini
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  • María José December 10, 2024 at 1:33pm
    Apparently things are quite dire these days on the island, and for tourism, about to get even more so: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly7ndxjzv2o
    Hit by blackouts, Cuba’s tourism industry now braces for Trump
    Cuba's hotels, already hit by power cuts, are now worried about Donald Trump's re-election.
  • Dave Acton April 5, 2024 at 2:59pm
    Havana is praised as of of the Caribbean's gay-friendliest cities: https://travelnoire.com/gay-friendly-caribbean 
    The Most Gay-Friendly Cities in the Caribbean - Travel Noire
    Several Caribbean cities have experienced a wave of progress and acceptance, turning them into thriving havens for gay vacationers.
  • Jorge Carlos Tejada Sobrino September 18, 2023 at 8:58am
    One of the best things about a visit to Cuba - especially Havana - is that music is everywhere, and here the Wall Street Journal riffs on the highlights of the capital´s music scene: https://www.wsj.com/articles/havana-music-scene-travel-guide-cf68f60a
    For an Unbeatable Music Scene, Head to Havana
    How to explore the Cuban capital’s deeply rooted music culture from a surreal historic ballroom to a classic nightclub straight out of ‘The Godfather…
  • John Kipper August 8, 2023 at 12:52pm
    Here´s an update on post-pandemic Cuban tourism from CBS´ Miami affiliate. Apparently it´s slower than they´d like, so they´re aiming to boost eco, cultural, health, and boating - and double their arrivals from China! https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/video/cuba-aims-to-improve-tourism-in...
  • Jordan Simon April 21, 2023 at 11:37am
    About a month ago, the New York Sun ran a piece about the return of tourism to Cuba post-pandemic, with special attention toward Havana and how regular Cubans are struggling off the gussied-up tourist track. The Sun is a right-wing paper I don't usually read, but I've gotta agree with them on this one: https://www.nysun.com/article/after-a-pandemic-implosion-tourism-re...
    After a Pandemic Implosion, Tourism Returns to Cuba
    In the real Havana, as opposed to the restored and polished Habana Vieja, people are struggling more than at any other point since the 1959 revolutio…
  • Max Pesling March 15, 2023 at 4:55pm
    A recent report on how the island's shortages and other economic vicissitudes are affecting visitors: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/no-fuel-no-problem-tourists-...
    No fuel? No problem: Tourists in Cuba brave worsening shortages
    British birdwatcher Harriet Babeo arrived at Cuba's Bay of Pigs earlier this week and promptly racked up 80 species for her list including the world'…
  • José Balido November 17, 2022 at 5:31pm
    I've been back many times to the island where I was born, but regrettably, though I've always had curiosity, I never managed to get to the Isla de la Juventud (which I still think of under its pre-Communist name, the Isla de los Pinos, Isle of Pines). So I was fascinated to see this BBC Travel piece. Next time I'm back, I won't miss it! https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221115-isla-de-la-juventud-cub...
    Isla de la Juventud: Cuba's remote nature paradise
    From pirate haven to ecological hotspot, Cuba's "Treasure Island" is a far-flung gem home to some of the Caribbean's rarest animals.
  • Max Pesling June 3, 2022 at 10:41am
    Well, the Biden Administration finally just got around to lifting the restrictions the previous régime had imposed on travel of U.S. citizens to Cuba. All well and good, but one of the outstanding questions remaining, though, is how quickly tour operators and cruise lines in particular will jump back into the market, given how abruptly the rug was pulled out from under them in 2019 - and given the prospect that another right-winger may well occupy the White House in a mere 2½ years: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/travel-to-cuba-just-got-easie...
    Travel To Cuba Just Got Easier, As U.S. Lifts Trump-Era Flight Restrictions
    The Biden administration wants to ease open the door for leisure travelers. But there will still be plenty of restrictions in place.
  • José Balido June 16, 2017 at 11:21pm

    Well, the big Cuba reveal today looks like pretty weak tea. The main restrictions seem to be tightening categories of Americans ‘legally’ allowed to visit; shifting travel more from FIT to groups; and no spending at hotels/restaurants connected with companies owned by Cuban military. Which is A. basically unenforceable, and B. will be sidestepped by Castro régime with some fancy administrative footwork. 

    http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/trump-cuba-policy/index.html


  • David Paul Appell June 13, 2017 at 4:44pm

    This NYT piece that just came out says they might also go back to applying for specific licenses instead of the more blanket ones allowed right now. But even if that's the case...

    "Still, travel to Cuba before the countries restored relations was easier than many people think, Cuba travel experts noted. It may become a question of doing more homework to make sure your purpose for travel fits one of the permitted categories."

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/travel/what-you-need-to-know-tra...

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