Cuba is not famous to be the best place in the world for an internet connection. Many Cubans waited years before having finally a decent internet connection and communicate with the rest of the world.

But now things are changing fast and you can finally connect to internet in Havana and use your smartphone and laptop.

Here is how and where to connect to the internet in Havana.

ETECSA, the national telco company, has finally installed in July 2015 several hotspots all over Havana. Cubans can finally connect to internet and chat with their relatives in the US and surf online.

That’s a big news since an internet connection is more than an internet access: It allows Cubans to finally discover what happens all over the world and discover the latest news.

How and where to connect to the internet in Havana: the places

Walking along the streets of Havana you can now find several hotspots. To get internet access you just need to buy a card which costs just $2 per hour and you can connect to wifi.

The most popular areas are in Old Havana. Most of the hotels now have the ETECSA connection and you can get in and ask for an internet card. They usually sell them in the reception or you can find the card at the ETECSA shops around the city.

Here are some spots where I have tested the wifi connection and where you can connect.

• Along Calle Obispo (Old Havana) there’s a hotspot next to the hotel “Ambos Mundos”. You can usually understand where the hotspot is based on the people you see along the street with the phone in their hands.
• Another place is in Calle Mercaderes, approximately at number 201. Also there, you’ll find people in the streets connected to the internet.
• The third place is all along the Avenida 23, from the Malecon to the famous ice-cream shop Coppelia

In case you can’t find a place to buy the cards you can buy them in the streets from some street-vendors. You’ll usually pay it a dollar more but sometimes it’s better instead of passing hours in line to buy one.

As I said before, internet is relatively new in Cuba and almost nobody has an internet connection home. The situation might change by the next months since new agreements by USA and Cuba are in place in order to improve telecommunications.

As of today, just few American companies are operation in Cuba. One of those companies is AirBnB which allows you to book apartment and rooms from the United States. In case you are interested to know more about this topic or to rent an apartment you can visit the post below

-> HOW TO BOOK AN APARTMENT IN HAVANA WITH AIRBNB

Hope this post about how and where to connect to the internet in Havana was helpful for you!

Now is your turn! Have you ever been to Cuba? Where did you connect to internet when you were there?

Let me know below!