Cuba

Despite increasing hardships for locals, 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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What definitely not to miss in Havana

Eric Marshall Deteriorated though much of it is, what might be the most surprising thing to travelers about Cuba´s capital - still the most beautiful in the Caribbean - is how well-rounded it also is. Especially culturally, with restaurants, cafés, shops and ubiquitous music joined by high-quality museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts, with international as well as Cuban works, divided between a modern facility and the magnificent late-19th-century Centro Asturiano (Asturian social club);…

Started by Tripatini

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Las Terrazas, a Woodsy Cuban Eco-Treasure

The main reasons millions come to Cuba each year are (primarily) beaches and (secondarily) culture. But the lag in the country’s development since 1959 has been a boon for ecotourism, leaving the island with quite a few natural treasures for visitors to discover, from hidden waterfalls to castaway beaches, national parks, and conversatories. I recently discovered one such gem in the Sierra del Rosario mountains just over an hour’s drive west of capital Havana. Allow me to introduce you to Las…

Started by Iberia Airlines

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Havana´s gracious Vedado district

Ivan2010 Though mostly shabby and decrepit except for its UNESCO World Heritage colonial core, Habana Vieja, being restored for the tourism trade with the help of the Spanish government, the European Union, and other international donors, the capital of Cuba is truly one of the more remarkable cities in all the world, as millions of new visitors have been discovering each year since the régime started increasingly opening up the island to visitors in the years following the 1991 collapse of…

Started by Iberia Airlines

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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…

Started by José Balido

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José Balido March 8, 2026 at 2:44pm

After six years since my last visit to Cuba, last fall I dearly wanted to go be with my uncle Tito for his 90th birthday, but after doing extensive research and talking to people from there (including Tito himself, who said "by no means come"), I sadly concluded it was too dangerous healthwise due to rampant viruses and diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and hepatitis A afflicting much of the population as well as visitors. This came out subsequently, and sums it up pretty well. Of course, it also says that if you take the right vaccines and precautions, you should be OK, but better safe than sorry, and quite apart from the diseases, another huge factor is that the massive fuel shortage is resulting in power outtages every day for much of the day. So tragic. https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/visiting-cuba-now-h...

Visiting Cuba: Now, Health Advisory Urges Tourists to Get Vaccinated Against Key Diseases

Spain issues travel advisory for Cuba, urging travelers to be vaccinated against Chikungunya, Dengue, and Hepatitis A to ensure safe travel.
David Paul Appell March 4, 2026 at 4:39pm

Over many years visiting Cuba, I´ve met maybe 2-3 people with definite ancestry from the Taíno people who inhabited the island before the Spanish arrived, and who were almost entirely wiped out afterward. But I otherwise never came across really anything in the way of surviving Taíno heritage. That´s why I was interested to discover this: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/taino-indigenous-culture-pre-...
Giselle Balido March 3, 2026 at 1:32am

As recently as a year ago, the likes of Travel+Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler were writing glowing paens to Cuba travel. Nobody´s doing that now; Reuters gives us a look into the grim current state of the tourism industry here: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/sun-sand-empty-beaches-trump... Plus now even CN Traveler´s latest is no paen but rather a look at the same reality: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/what-to-know-about-traveling-to-cu.... And who knows, if the U.S. tries to pull a Maduro/Venezuela move here, all bets will really be off.

Sun, sand and empty beaches: Trump oil squeeze chokes Cuba's tourism

Cuba's Varadero peninsula is a postcard of a tropical paradise: turquoise waters, powder-white sand and palm trees.
Joseba Basabe December 24, 2025 at 11:43am

The fantastic beaches are after all what many Europeans travel here for! https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/beach-vacations/best-be...
Maria de los Angeles December 23, 2025 at 4:20pm

Yeah, yeah, the régime would say that, but we have to take anything these bastards say with a big grain of salt, given all the lies of the past 66 years. And that´s not what I´m hearing, anyway - the situation seems pretty dire, between the shortages, the blackouts, and the fact that some visitors along with a third of all Cubans are being infected with rampant viruses including dengue and chikungunya. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2re563gz1o?amp;at_campaign=rss

Cuba's tourism minister insists sector 'alive and kicking'

Visitor numbers to the country have fallen sharply in the face of renewed US sanctions.
Dave Acton June 15, 2025 at 1:03pm

Pretty cool - these days Cuba is hot with gay travelers (though this article doesn´t mention the island´s current hardships) https://www.travelandleisure.com/cuba-lgbtq-travel-destination-8647747
David Paul Appell February 21, 2025 at 9:48am

A recent look from Reuters at the diffiicluties visiting Cuba right now. In fact, we´ve been meaning to go this winter mostly to pay an overdue visit to my husband´s remaining relatives, but after talking to local friends we´ve regretfully decided we need to postpone it https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuba-tourism-struggles-black...

Cuba tourism struggles as blackouts and shortages deter visitors

As blackouts, food, fuel and labor shortages in Cuba grow more acute by the day, a trip to the Caribbean island has become a hard sell.
José Balido December 31, 2024 at 9:56am

About this there can be little doubt - although Cuba is also a tough destination to visit right now https://www.travelandleisure.com/cuba-best-cultural-destination-in-...
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.