Valuable Tips for a Super Budget-Friendly Trip to Cuba

You may have heard someone say “Traveling to Cuba is not cheap at all”, but with the shared experiences below, you can easily put those words aside and plan your own budget-friendly trip!

Valuable Tips for a Super Budget-Friendly Trip to Cuba

What do you know about using money in Cuba?

The first thing you need to know when coming to Cuba is that this country has two different types of currency. While the locals mainly use a low-value currency called 'moneda nacional' or Cuban Pesos, tourists have to use 'Pesos Convertibles' or CUC.

However, tourists using CUCs spend much more than using Cuban Pesos. To make it easier to understand, when buying the same item like toothpaste, toilet paper, soap, cheese, etc., tourists using CUCs have to buy at a much higher price than the locals using Cuban Pesos.

Therefore, if you want to save money when using local services, tourists should exchange CUCs for Cuban Pesos. An important note is that tourists should not bring US dollars when traveling to Cuba, but only bring Euros.

Where to save money on your trip to Cuba?

If you are a budget traveler to Cuba, you must know the term “Casa particular” (translated as “private house”), many Cuban families have private rooms, and they usually reserve one to two rooms for foreign guests. Room rates at Casa particulars are usually quite cheap and tourists can also negotiate the best prices.

If you are traveling to Havana, you can easily find a beautiful room for 30 CUC in Vedado area. However, with a price of 15 CUC, you can only stay in small rooms and may have to use a shared bathroom.

However, if you travel to other areas of Havana, room rates and room quality seem to be inconsistent, so tourists need to know how to negotiate to get the best prices.

Some important tips when staying at Casas particulars

In most major cities and towns in Cuba, there are rooms for rent in the form of Casas particulars, tourists can easily recognize these houses by the green signs with the letter 'H' above the door.

Don't go with the 'touts' at the bus station:At bus stations, or when tourists are walking, you will quickly become the target of 'touts'. They will approach you and introduce you to rent rooms at Casas particulars, usually they will receive commissions from the owners of Casas particulars, so the room rates you rent will be much higher.

Avoid renting rooms in central areas or areas with many tourists:Usually, prices will drop significantly if you are willing to go further and into densely populated areas to rent a room.

Remember to negotiate prices before renting a room:Negotiating prices is the best way for tourists to get a good price, especially if you intend to stay for a week or longer. If you cannot reduce the price, you should also try to negotiate to get free breakfasts.

Where to eat on your trip to Cuba?

Usually, up to 95% of tourists eat their dinner and breakfast right at the homes of Casas. This is not a bad thing, and often the food here is more delicious than anywhere else. However, if tourists want to save more money, there are always tips for you.

Enjoy street food: Food carts selling street food are very common on the streets of Cuba, where tourists can enjoy flavorful dishes such as sausages, pizza, and meat sandwiches at very cheap prices.

With the dish 'pan con jamon y queso' (a sandwich with ham and cheese), tourists only spend 5 pesos if they enjoy it on the street. However, if you eat at a restaurant with equivalent quality, you will have to spend about 72 pesos.

Visit the farmers' markets: At these markets, tourists can buy foods like vegetables and fruits at very cheap prices.

Eat at local restaurants using Cuban Pesos: You should visit these restaurants if you want to enjoy meals similar to at casas, at a small cost. For just 40 pesos (less than 2 CUC), tourists can enjoy a full dinner with meats, beans, vegetables, etc.

Eat at special Casa hosts: You can ask Casa hosts to prepare small meals at low prices, or you can share meals for two, so instead of a meal for one costing about 5 CUC, a meal for two will only cost about 5 CUC.

Enjoy Buffet at hotels: For mid-range hotels, the price for a breakfast buffet is about 8 CUC.

According to Traveltimes.vn

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Reference: Travel guide Mytour