Cuba Travel Guide

Cuba — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Northwest Caribbean.
Language: The official language is Spanish.
Area: 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 110/230 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style flat two-pin plugs are generally used, except in certain large hotels where the European round two-pin plug is standard.
Population: 11.24 million (2008).
Population Density: 102.5 per sq km.
Capital City: Havana. Population: 2.15 million (2008).
Government: Socialist Republic. Gained independence from Spain in 1898.
Head of State: Raúl Castro, since 2008.
Religion: Roman Catholic majority. There are also minority Afro-Cuban religions.

Recent History

Long-term dictator Fidel Castro Ruz, premier 1959-76 and president since 1976, finally stepped down as Cuba's leader in February 2008. He had withdrawn from public life due to ill health in 2006, naming his brother Raúl Castro as acting head of state. Raúl was confirmed as leader shortly after Fidel's announcement.

It marks a fascinating point in the country's history. The constitution of Cuba, most-recently amended in 2002, guarantees that the Communist Party (PCC) should remain not only the sole legal party in Cuba but also ‘the leading force of society and state'.

The US introduced a trade embargo in 1962. The US Obama administration relaxed travel restrictions, connected to the embargo, on Cuban Americans visiting Cuba in 2009.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +53. Etecsa phonecards for both internal and external calls are readily available from shops and kiosks. Some calls must be made through the international operator, and may be subject to delays.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. The mobile network Cubacel is administered by ETECSA (www.etecsa.cu), which offers prepaid cell service via phone cards available at Cubacel offices. GSM telephones operating on 900MHz enjoy national coverage, those on 800MHz have coverage in Havana, Varadero, Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo only. Phone rental in Cuba can be unreliable; if you must have cellular service, bringing your own handset with roaming activated is advised.

Internet

Available at hotels and many principal Etecsa offices internet cafes. Some websites are censored by the Cuban government, while others cannot be accessed due to the US embargo.

Media

Expect to be starved of printed information in Cuba. All media is state-controlled and Western newspapers are not available. CNN, BBC World and their ilk are available in most hotels. International news websites can be accessed in Cuba and blogs from the island are proliferating rapidly. Journalists must be accredited by the Centro de Prensa Internacional in Havana and operate within the confines of laws against anti-government propaganda. The insulting of officials carries penalties of up to three years in prison. Private ownership of electronic media is prohibited by the constitution, and foreign news agencies must hire local journalists only through government offices. Papers are in Spanish, although the Communist Party daily newspaper, Granma, publishes a weekly edition, called Granma International, in English, Italian, German, Portuguese and French. TV channels include Cubavisión, Tele Rebelde, Canal Educativo, and Canal Habana. Radio Habana Cuba is an external broadcaster broadcasting in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

Post

Correos de Cuba post offices are located throughout the country. Sending a letter to the USA or Europe costs CUC$0.65. It typically takes two weeks or more for mail sent from Cuba to arrive at its destination. Negotiations between the United States and Cuba regarding postal service are ongoing: as of April 2011, only 'light mail' (letters weighing up to 18 ounces) would be accepted by Correos de Cuba for posting to the USA.Mon-Fri 0800-1500. Many luxury hotels have small post offices on site, or can sell stamps and post letters out of hours.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2011
20 May Independence Day
25 Jul Days of Rebelliousness
10 Oct Anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence in 1868
25 Dec Christmas Day

2012
1 Jan Liberation Day
2 Jan Victory of Armed Forces
1 May Labor Day
20 May Independence Day
25 Jul Days of Rebelliousness
10 Oct Anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence in 1868
25 Dec Christmas Day

Contact Information

British Embassy in Cuba

Calle 34, no. 702 e/7ma y 17, Miramar, Playa La Habana, Cuba
Tel: (7) 214 2200.
Website: www.ukincuba.fco.gov.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1530.

Infotur, Havana

Calle Obispo esquina Calle Bernaza, La Habana Vieja, Cuba
Tel: (7) 866-3333.
Website: www.infotur.cu

Embassy of Cuba in the UK

167 High Holborn, London WC1V 6PA, UK
Tel: (020) 7240 2488 or 0870 240 3675 (recorded information line).
Website: www.cubaldn.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700 (embassy); Mon-Fri 0930-1230 (consulate).

Cuban Tourist Board in the UK

154 Shaftesbury Avenue (first floor), London WC2H 8JT, UK
Tel: (020) 7240 6655 or 09001 600 295 (24-hour brochure request line; calls cost 60p per minute).
Website: www.travel2cuba.co.uk