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Travel and Tourism in Cuba
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Cuba.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 1
- Climate
- Cuba is bordered on the south by the Caribbean Sea and on the north by the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida. Prevailing trade winds combine with warm waters of the Gulf Stream to produce a mild and semitropical climate. Cuba's mean temperature is about 77°F (25°C) in winter and only slightly more, perhaps 80°F to 85°F (26°C), in summer. Averages range only between 70°F (21°C) and 82°F (27°C) for the coldest and warmest months. Summer readings as high as 100°F (37°C) have been recorded. Occasional near-freezing temperatures occur only in mountain areas. Relative humidity varies from 60% to 70% in the daytime and from 80% to 90% during the night, regardless of the season, of which there are only two. The dry season lasts from November to April. During the May through October rainy season, Cuba receives up to 75% of its yearly rainfall, which averages 54 inches (137 cm).
- Language(s) Spoken
- Spanish (official)
- Ethnic Groups
- White 64.1%, Mulatto or mixed 26.6%, Black 9.3%
- National Holiday
- Triumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 21 30 N, 80 00 W
- Location
- Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida
- Airports
- 136
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Old Havana and the UNESCO World Heritage Site
Old Havana — Havana Vieja — was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, one of Cuba's first such designations. The historic center and its system of fortifications represent the best-preserved colonial city in the Caribbean and one of the finest in the Americas, containing more than 3,000 buildings of historical significance spanning five centuries of construction. The Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad, the City Historian's Office led for decades by the visionary Eusebio Leal Spengler until his death in 2020, has overseen an ambitious program of restoration that has transformed large sections of the historic center from picturesque ruin into carefully restored architectural masterpiece — while ensuring that the restored area continues to be inhabited by Habaneros rather than converted entirely into a tourist zone.
The heart of Old Havana is organized around four principal squares, or plazas, connected by the narrow streets and lanes of the colonial grid. Plaza de Armas, the oldest public space in Havana, was the original center of colonial power.
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Medical care in Cuba does not meet U.S. standards. While medical professionals are generally competent, many health facilities face shortages of medical supplies and bed space. Many medications are unavailable, so travelers to Cuba should bring with them any prescribed medicine in its original container and in amounts commensurate with personal use.