Cuba is a country that is almost isolated from the world due to the US embargo, but Cuba is always a destination that makes many people admire when images of ancient architectural works, colorful vintage cars... are shared on social networks. How can I avoid this "temptation" when even the great writer Ernest Hemingway chose Cuba to live for nearly 30 years and left behind 7 famous literary works such as "The Old Man and the Sea", "The Endless Festival", "The Island in the Ocean"...
Old Havana
Cubans mostly walk, walking 4-5 km is common here. When I heard the owner of the casa particular (Cubans call homestay) where I stayed say that, I also wanted to "live like a Cuban". The first place I went to was the large Plaza de la Revolution, with the highlight being the José Martí memorial, and the Government Office with the facade being the steel portraits of Che Guevara and Camilo Ciènfuegos - two national heroes of the Cuban Revolution. Many political demonstrations led by Fidel Castro took place here. Today, this square is the site of major national events such as the May 1st International Labor Day parade, July 26th National Revolution Day, etc.
Nearby is El Capitolio, whose design reminds me of the US Capitol Building in Washington DC (USA). El Capitolio used to be the National Assembly of the Cuban Government before the Cuban Revolution succeeded in 1959, so many people still call it the Cuban National Assembly Building. Currently, this building is used as the Cuban Academy of Sciences. In front of El Capitolio, you can easily receive many invitations to experience classic cars from drivers lined up in the parking lot. Although they put a price tag of 80 CUC (about 1.6 million VND) for an hour of experience, you can completely negotiate for less than half the price. If you don't want to go right away, you can walk a short distance to Havana Vieja - the center of Old Havana.
The signs that help you recognize the old town are the streets paved with square, even stones and the street corners filled with the sounds of street performers. Old Havana always has a reason to keep tourists, from the old apartments that generations of Cubans still live in to the magnificent Baroque architectural works: Plaza de la Cathedral; the places where Ernest Hemingway used to live, used to live, used to drink... There is not a single minute that I feel bored when wandering around this old town of Old Havana.
As the afternoon wore on, I headed to Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta, the start of Havana’s famous 8km long Malecón. One of the main attractions of this street was fishing, which was played by the men of Havana who lived nearby. Others gathered to watch the sunset, which is the best place to watch the sun set in Havana.
After spending the next half day admiring the ancient architecture along the road from the casa particular to the center of Old Havana, going to La Bodeguita del Medio to enjoy a classic Havana Mojito, I took the ferry to the Casablanca district. The attraction here is at the top of the hill, where you can see the house where the national hero Che Guevara lived and the giant statue of Jesus Christ facing Old Havana. Walking along that beautiful road for about 2 km, I came to Fort Saint Charles - also known as La Cabaña, built around the 18th century. This is the best spot to admire the panoramic beauty of Havana from the old city to the high-rise hotels in the new city.
I like to sit on this side of the fortress in the afternoon to watch the sunset with a bottle of Cuban-made Cristal beer in hand, with some chill music playing from the speaker I brought along. At this time, La Habana is more splendid with the street lights, with the light emitted from the old apartments. And, to mark the passing of a peaceful day, they also fire a cannon from the nearby San Carlos fortress at 9 pm every night. This is a quite unique experience that you should not miss when coming to Havana.
Peaceful Viñales
When talking about Cuba, you have to talk about cigars. When wandering around Havana, you will receive many offers to buy cigars from Cuban people. About 150 km from La Habana is a village growing and producing cigars in the town of Viñales.
Life in Viñales is quite peaceful, not as bustling as in La Habana but that does not mean it lacks vitality. Many houses in a row have signs “Casa Pariticular”, many restaurants in between tell me: Viñales is also an attractive destination that can keep tourists here to stay for a few nights.
The most interesting way to get to the tobacco plantations was by horseback. With just a few basic instructions from the horse rider, I was easily able to jump on the horse and spend a little over an hour riding over rough dirt roads. When I saw thatched roof houses in the distance amidst green gardens, I knew I was close to a tobacco farm.
The farm owner took me to see the tobacco garden and the tobacco drying house, talked about the time of harvesting the leaves, how to dry them, how to flavor them. Then he sat down, took the worn board on his lap and started rolling the cigar. In less than 5 minutes, from a handful of leaves, a beautiful cigar was formed through his skillful and steady hands.
In Cuba, each farm must sell 90% of its harvest to the state, and the farmer only keeps the remaining 10% for his own use or to sell to tourists. If you have come all the way here, do not hesitate to buy cigars to bring home, the price is only about 1 CUC (25,000 VND) for a cigar, 1/3 - 1/4 cheaper than other branded cigars.
vibrant Trinidad
Trinidad is about 320 km from Havana and took me almost 8 hours by bus to get there. It was one of the first towns to be settled by the Spanish and quickly became rich from sugarcane, cattle and tobacco production. Much of the colonial architecture in the palaces and colorful houses is still well preserved, making Trinidad one of the best preserved historic towns in North America and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
The town of Trinidad is like a wildflower blooming on the mountainside with rows of red-tiled houses, colorful walls and shiny cobblestone streets, stretching from the slopes of Candelaria Mountain to the green Caribbean coast.
I went to the iconic Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos (National Museum of the Conquest of the Bandidos) in Trinidad to learn about the 1960s resistance, and climbed to the top of the bell tower for a bird’s-eye view of Trinidad. Near the museum is Plaza Mayor, where many sugarcane, sugar, and slave trades took place in the 18th and 19th centuries. The plaza is surrounded by the colorful houses of the landowners of the time, many of which are now museums.
Next to Plaza Mayor is the most vibrant area in Trinidad - The Steps. When you don't know what to do, just come here to sit, order another Mojito and sip while watching the people passing by. It can be said that coming to Trinidad without sitting on these steps is considered a big mistake for that trip. There are bands playing from morning to night. However, after 8 pm, this area begins to become a magnificent outdoor Salsa dance hall. Fences are set up all the way to the last step, you have to pay 1 CUC (about 25,000 VND) for the entrance ticket. When you get there, whatever you order is calculated separately, but it's always fun. If possible, learn to dance Salsa, Disco... before going to Cuba, then when you go to The Steps to dance and interact, it will be very fun.
Despite its historical significance and old houses, music is always playing on every street corner of Trinidad. It could be from a loudspeaker of Trinidadian youths gathered on that street corner, or from a tiny house compared to the size of the sound system and of course from acoustic street bands.
Trinidad gave me an interesting experience of sitting on the roof, drinking chanchara (a typical Trinidadian cocktail with honey, lime and rum), eating grilled lobster, watching the sun set while listening to salsa, disco, chachacha music played by a live band right there. I can say that just sitting here for an afternoon is enough to enjoy all of Trinidad!
Another option for panoramic views of Trinidad is to climb to the top of Loma de Vigia, about 3 km from the center of Trinidad. The path is quite easy, just a little steep, but once you get there, the view is worth the effort. This is where Trinidad's communication antenna is located, there are guards and... beer and other drinks are sold to add to your sunset viewing experience.
Cienfuegos - Pearl of the South
In 1819, the colonial town of Cienfuegos was founded as a center for the sugar, tobacco, and coffee trade. And in 2005, UNESCO designated the Historic Center of Cienfuegos a World Heritage Site because it is the best example of early 19th-century Spanish Enlightenment urban planning.
Unlike many cities in Cuba, I found the streets here to be wider and quite quiet without the bustling music on the street corners. The first place I went to was José Martí Park, around the park there are many outstanding architectural works such as the Museo Provincial with neoclassical architecture built in 1893 to be a casino, the Cienfuegos Cathedral built in 1833, the Tomas Terry Theater built in 1888 and the Ferrer Palace built in 1918...
Next to José Martí Park is Santa Isabel Street, lined with souvenir stalls, leading straight to the Muelle Real pier. Here you can sit and have a beer or a Mojito at the pub right next to it, or sit with your feet in the water and watch the sunset.
Mornings start late in Cienfuegos. Shops and restaurants stay open late. After breakfast of Cuban apple pie, I take a nearby taxi to Playa Ranchon, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.
Here, you can join scuba diving at the nearby Diving Center. There are two dives every day at 9am and 11am. You need to be there 15 minutes before the dive starts to complete the registration procedures and prepare the diving equipment. The sea in Cuba generally does not have many fish but is famous for its beautiful coral reefs.
Varadero beach city
I also spent the last two days of my trip at the beach. Varadero is known as the largest beach resort in the Caribbean because it has about 20 km of continuous coastline with blue sea, white sand, and golden sunshine. The beach in Varadero is even more beautiful than in Cienfuegos, the sea water is so blue that it is pleasing to the eye, the water level is so low that I walked almost 2 meters away from the shore and the water was only up to my chest.
Varadero is a typical seaside and nightlife city. During the day it is quite quiet and quiet, mainly tourists sunbathing or swimming, others go to Josone Park to lie on the green grass to read books. If these activities do not appeal to you, you can book a tour to Cayo Romero Island for a day of swimming and snorkeling.
It is difficult to explore the whole country in 10 days, but at least I had many experiences and opportunities to learn about Cuban life from the city, to the countryside, to the remote towns and even to the beautiful beaches. On the flight back, the melody and lyrics of Havana by Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello kept repeating in my mind as a message I wanted to say:
“…Havana
Half of my heart is in Havana
He took me back to East Atlanta
Oh, but my heart is in Havana…”
More information
Visa:You need to apply for a Cuban visa (also known as a Tourist Card) before flying to Cuba at a cost of 20 USD. Note, remember to carefully check the information about transit visas in the country you plan to transit.
Trip:Cuba is located halfway around the world from Vietnam, close to the US, Mexico… so to get here you need to fly at least 2 times and transit in another country. From Vietnam, you can fly transit in France, Canada, Mexico… I find the cheapest, most convenient flight route and the best flight time is to fly with Aeroflot and transit in Moscow (Russia). The total journey time is 34 hours, including transit time.
Time:Cuba has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons, so the best time to visit Cuba is from December to April, when it is the dry season, with blue skies and lots of sunshine. Conversely, from about May to November is the rainy season. Cuba often has hurricanes from about August to October.
Transportation:
- In Cuba, most people walk if the distance is about 4-5 km.
- Moving around the city, you can negotiate the price with taxi drivers because they hardly run by the meter. Cuba has local buses but they are always crowded and have to wait in line for a long time.
- To travel between cities, you can choose Viazul because you can book tickets online before the trip, or go to the bus station to buy tickets before the departure date.
- In many small cities like Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Vinales, you can also travel by horse-drawn carriage.
Money:Cuba has two currencies in circulation. The Peso (also known as the CUP or MN - moneda nacional) is the currency used by Cubans to trade with each other. The CUC is the currency used by tourists in Cuba. Reference exchange rate: 1 CUC = 23,500 VND, 1 CUC = 25 CUP.
Cuisine:Cuban cuisine has a strong Spanish flavor and style. Most Cubans cook at home, so there is not much street food. You have to go to state-run restaurants or Paladar restaurants run by Cubans to earn extra income.
Other notes:
- Cuba does not have widespread Internet and 4G SIM cards are not sold to tourists. To access the Internet, you need to go to a Wifi hotspot in the city you are visiting, buy a scratch card and log in to use it.
- Prepare a lot of 1 CUC coins to tip every time you go to a restaurant, a pub, or when you take the bus with luggage,...
- Be careful with offers to buy cigars from locals.
Estimated costs:Round-trip airfare costs around $1,500, and daily living expenses average around $45.
