Havana is a great city, vibrant, colorful and rich of history. Especially if you visit Old Havana, you’ll be surprised by the beauty of the streets and the vibes.
In this post we are going to see together how to get from Havana from Varadero.
Many tourists prefer to enjoy Havana for about a week and them move to other beautiful locations across the island. One of these preferred locations is Varadero. With its wide and white beach Varadero is one of the most famous places in Cuba. Full of resorts and hotels, you will have the time to relax and enjoy 100% the beach and other facilities.
Varadero is considered the place where you can relax more than explore and discover the culture and history of the island. Havana is definitely the place to be if you prefer to explore and plunge into the Cuban culture. Even better if you decide to stay to a casa particular and not a hotel.
Anyway, many tourists prefer to explore the city and then move to Varadero for a few days to end their vacations. Havana also has a great beach (Santa Maria del Mar) and it’s about 20/30 mins from the city. You can get there with a taxi or with a bus (via azul)
How to get from Havana to Varadero
>>TRAVELING TO HAVANA? DO IT LIKE A LOCAL! GET OUR MINI GUIDE FOR ONLY $7! CLICK HERE
If you are planning to get from Havana to Varadero there are mainly two ways to do that. The first one is by bus. You’ll be together with other travelers and you usually don’t make any stops or travel detours.
The other solution is to book a taxi with a driver who will drive you from Havana to Varadero. The trip is about 1 hour and half, so it’s going to be pretty light. If you travel with other people you can split the ride cost and enjoy the trip more “privately”.
Booking a private ride allows you travel at your one terms and eventually plan some stops during the trip to take some pictures or visit other areas.
>>TRAVELING TO HAVANA? DO IT LIKE A LOCAL! GET OUR MINI GUIDE FOR ONLY $7! CLICK HERE
Traveling to Varadero
I had the chance to visit Varadero a couple of times. As I said, there are several resorts and big hotels, most of them built during the 80′. I went to one of those places and, to be honest, you can’t really feel if you are in Cuba or not. I stayed there only one night.
I recommend you to book a casa particular in the area, your overall experience will be different!
Also, unless you are a “beach mode” person and you want to lay all day long on the beach, I recommend you to pass only a few days in Varadero and then move to other areas such as Havana, Vinales, Pinar del Rio etc.
How to get from Havana to Varadero: book a tour
As you might know internet connection in Cuba is not the best ever! It’s definitely improving but if you need to make reservations online and you already know your calendar it’s better if you book in advance.
On the link below, you can book your taxi from Havana to Varadero. It’s like a tour so you will also have the chance to visit the local attractions and travel with an authentic car.
Hello! In this post I want to show you how to rent a car in Havana and have a safe experience in this amazing city.
Cuba is a hot travel location right now (especially if you are American 🙂
If it’s the first time you are traveling to Cuba you probably have a million of questions and things you want to know before jumping on your airplane. That’s why you have this blog!
Are you ready? Let’s start!
Rent a car in Havana: the city
Havana is a large city divided in four main areas: Vedado, Old Havana, Miramar and Centro Havana.
Especially if you are visiting the Old part of the city (which is the most fascinating and touristic one) you will have some trouble moving with a car. Most of the area is pedestrian only and there are not many parking.
Also, there aren’t many rent a car in Cuba and the prices are definitely high. Furthermore the Old City is pretty chaotic and driving in the city might be a little tricky especially during the night time.
How to rent a car in Havana: the solution
Since I think you don’t want to make your stay in Havana a problem the best solution I personally recommend is to have a private driver driving you around the city. It’s not that expensive and you don’t need to care about traffic and other dangers.
Usually to have a private driver for the entire day in Havana is about $100 (CUC, local currency). I have different contacts so I can help you to book a driver if you need one (check the bottom of the page)
Plus, often times, the driver can give you some precious tips to help you discover amazing places. If you arrive at the Havana airport
That said, you can hire a private taxi driver with a classic car (almendron) who will drive you around the city of Havana for a tour or for the entire day if you plan to have an excursionin Vinales or Varadero
Conclusion
Despite renting a car might be the best solution if you want to have a trip across the island, it is absolutely better for you if you move with touristic buses or with a private taxi as I’ve previously stated.
If you need help to book a car just click on the link below and you’ll be able to book your car in Havana.
If it’s your first time in Cuba you’ll be impressed by your arrival to the Havana airport (Jose Martì). In this post I want to show you how to get from Havana airport to city center (Old Havana or Centro Havana). If you have booked a group holiday or with a tour operator you’ll probably have the transportation included and a bus bringing you to the hotel.
However I recommend to visit Cuba by your own, to better live the island and the Cuban atmosphere. You’ll be able to explore less explored places and alternative paths.
Arrival to the airport
If you are arriving with an international flight, you’ll see Terminal 3 and if you’re getting a local flight (USA or Caraibi) you’re probably arriving at Terminal 2.
After you’ve picked up your luggage, you’ll get out of the airport and you will be immediately plunged in the Cuban movida. You have two options now: change your money at the airport or grab directly a cab
Where to take a cab
You’ll be approached by several drivers once you’ll be out of the airport. You can trust all the taxi drivers over there because they need a regular license to stay in the airport. You can both take a “tourist cab”, you will recognize it because it is usually a yellow and black car, or an almendron cab.
>>TRAVELING TO HAVANA? DO IT LIKE A LOCAL! GET OUR MINI GUIDE FOR ONLY $7! CLICK HERE
What is an Almendron? Well an Almendron is the car you see in the picture of this post. It is a pre-revolution car, from the 50′ and they are the symbol of cuba itself.
Some of these cars still have the original engine (pretty crazy uhm? :-)) and some others have a Toyota or more recent one. These cars are also called taxi particular that means private or independent taxi. This is because, as you know, the most of the businesses are owned by the government.
But Cuba has recently allowed the entrepreneurial activities and so most of the taxi drivers are now self-employed. So if you decide do go with a particular, it doesn’t mean that it’s illegal but simply that he’s an independent worker.
If you want to book a taxito get you from Havana airport to city center just make a reservation on our trusted website below
Based on where you will house, usually a cab will cover you a standard cost that might go from 30 to 50 CUC (pesos cubano convertible) which has pretty much the same exchange rate of the Euro now.
Usually almendrones are really big, like six seats, and the trunk is really huge. So don’t worry if your spouse or girlfriend has three luggages 🙂
If you are going to visit Havana, you are probably staying in the Old Havana which is about 30 mins from the airport. During the route you will enjoy the view and your first impact with Cuba.
The cab is of course the fastest and safest way if you are looking at how to get from Havana airport to city center. There are also some buses available, but I never tried personally.
I usually take a cab when I arrive and if you speak Spanish you can start interesting conversations with the drivers, who are often very chatty. It’s a good way to start understanding the society from an “insider” and learn many things that are not listed in a guide.
>>TRAVELING TO HAVANA? DO IT LIKE A LOCAL! GET OUR MINI GUIDE FOR ONLY $7! CLICK HERE
How to get from havana airport to city center: my tips!
If you are lucky enough to be the only flight landing, the immigration line won’t be so long. Sometimes if there’s another flight coincidence the airport gets a little messy, especially Terminal 3.
Anyway, when you get outside of the airport you can immediately change some cash. The line it’s usually pretty long and it will take you sometimes half an hour or more to change your money.
If you want to book a taxi beforehand and you don’t want to worry about catching a taxi at the airport, you can book a private transfer online
A driver will meet you with a nameplate, will help you with your luggage and will wait for one hour for free if your flight was delayed. (and it often happens)
Otherwise I suggest you to ask a taxi driver if it’s ok for him to accept the money in your local currency. It shouldn’t be a problem to pay in euros or dollars. You can change your money later on in the city in a cadeca, hotel or the bank. The best solution would be to have a taxi waiting for you with your name.
I you want to book a cab in advance waiting for you at the Havana airport use the link below..
Hope this post on how to get from Havana airport to city center was useful for you. If you have any question just drop a line in the comments below or send me an email.
As I said I can help you with the reservation of a cab from the airport waiting for you when you’ll arrive, without pain and stress 🙂
If you want to book a taxi from Havana Airport to Old Havana or other areas, you can make a reservation right now. Click on the link below and you can easily book a taxi. The driver will wait for you at the airport with your name.
Everything is included and you don’t have to think about anything. The cabs are not almendron but newer taxi.
You’ll be able to simply book your cab and taxi service from the airport to the city center of Havana or even other locations such as Varadero. You will find a person ready for you waiting at the airport with your name.
Cuba2Day is your one stop to discover everything you need to know about this amazing island. Find out tips and news to better enjoy your cuban experience.
Your Cuban dream starts here!
