Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

Almost all visitors to Havana arrive by air at the José Martí International Airport in Rancho Boyeros, 25km (16mi) southwest of town. Scheduled flights arrive regularly from Canada, the Caribbean, central and South America, and Europe.

The main gateways for US travellers visiting illegally continue to be Cancún, Mexico City, Nassau and Toronto.

Asociaciones de Transportes por Omnibus (Astro) operates Cuba's national bus service, running to all the provincial capitals and many outlying towns once or twice a day.

The train system has deteriorated rapidly over the past several years. Although there are still some inexpensive, comfortable routes, particularly between major cities, buses are now the preferred way to go.

Cuba boasts Latin America's most extensive system of roads, and renting a car is definitely the easiest, if not the cheapest, way to see the country.

Getting around

Getting around greater Havana by train is definitely the way to go. The Estanción Cristina, located a few kilometers southwest of central Havana, handles all train traffic within the metropolitan area.

Guaguas (city buses) are sometimes called aspirinas, indicating that their rare appearances relieve the pain of long waits in lengthy lines. Shortages of fuel and spare parts have taken many buses out of service and are largely to blame for the delays.

Metered tourist taxis are readily available at all of the upscale hotels, with the air-con Nissan taxis charging higher tariffs than the non air-con Ladas.