What is the currency in the cube dollars or euros. Currency exchange in Cuba and what money to take on a trip
Having learned what currency is in Cuba, tourists are confused, since two types of money go in parallel here. One currency serves for the Cubans themselves and it is called the Cuban peso. And the second currency is intended for and is called convertible pesos or abbreviated KUK.
If you are not going to live on for a long time and came here as tourists, then you will not even see local Cuban pesos, since you will only pay with cookies. You will only need Cuban pesos if you decide to go to the local market. Payments in hotels, nightclubs, taxi fares and tourist buses only take place in cookies.
Now let's find out which currency in Cuba is more profitable to exchange for cookies. Unlike Asian countries, you should never take American dollars with you to Cuba, the exchange of which holds a huge percentage. It's all about the hostility of Cubans to everything American. If you didn’t take these percentages, then for $ 100 you would receive 100 cookies, not 90. If we talk about the rate of cookies to the dollar, it will be one to one, but since 10% is withdrawn for the operation, then you will only get 90 cookies.
Based on this feature, all civilized people take euros or Canadian dollars to Cuba, in the exchange of which they do not remove anything additional. You can exchange money in Cuba immediately at the airport. There are very few exchange offices in Cuba, but in large cities in the central part there should be a bank where you can exchange money. But then again, for example, in the center of Havana, the queue at the exchange office can stretch for several hundred meters, since this is the only exchange office in the area.
Cuban pesos (for locals)
But what currency in Cuba you will not need is rubles, because there is nowhere to exchange them here. As for withdrawing money from an ATM, it will be more profitable than changing dollars here, but the bank still charges interest for cashing out. Be sure to warn your bank before your trip that you are going to Cuba, because after withdrawing money from an ATM in Cuba, the bank can block your card and you will be left without money on an island where there is not even Internet.
What should a tourist know before going on vacation to Cuba? Cuba is not just a place for a beach holiday or a banal trip to the sea, Cuba is a special culture and history and a real time machine. Cuba is a dream! But we still recommend to prepare thoroughly for the trip. Here are some helpful things to know before you travel to Cuba.
1. Take cash with you
It's really a good idea at least for the first time. Not everywhere there are ATMs, not everywhere you can pay with a card. And after 8 pm, finding a working ATM even in Havana is oh so difficult. Some banks can even withdraw dollars from your ruble card, taking into account a commission that reaches up to 25%.
2. Prefer the Euro or the Canadian Dollar
The dollar is not respected in Cuba and that is why exchange rate unfavorable for him. In addition to the inadequate exchange rate for each exchange of dollars, you will also be "removed" a commission. It is much easier with the euro and the Canadian dollar (which is exchanged at a better rate than the euro) in Cuba. Although, since Cuba has relations with the United States in Lately warmer, the ratio to the dollar is also changing in the same direction.
3. Nuances of the Cuban exchange
Do not change money at the airport. As in many countries of the world, the exchange rate there is extremely disadvantageous. Also, money should not be trusted to street money changers - this is an easy way to get to know scammers. In tourist areas, as a rule, there are no problems with the exchange. In Havana, for example, you can change money at the reception of some hotels.
4. Cuba has two currencies
The national currency of Cuba is the Cuban peso. There are two currencies in circulation - the Cuban Peso and the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC or CUC). The first currency is applicable in general stores and in other areas of Cuban life, but the convertible peso is used in tourist areas. Cook is, in fact, money for tourists.
5. Keep purchase receipts
Try not to buy anything worthwhile without a check - proof of purchase may be required anywhere. Without a check, things can go as far as confiscation.
6. Be prepared to barter
In Cuba, you can easily trade your used sneakers for something, for example, tasty;) This is not a joke at all. Some tourists specifically take with them something that is valued in Cuba and can be exchanged for some interesting thing. In the reviews of tourists, for example, canned tuna or nylon tights are often found as such a means for bartering.
7. Don't Forget Your Insurance
Insurance is issued by a travel agency in your country. It is better to have it with you, because if you do not have it, you will be asked to take out insurance at the airport, and this will cost more.
8. Weak Internet
The Internet in Cuba is underdeveloped. Some hotels have an Internet cafe, but Wi-Fi is not everywhere.
9. Print all travel documents
Just in case, have your air tickets printed out. The Internet and the printer are not everywhere in Cuba. It is also best to have photocopies of all documents with you.
10. Visa-free country for Belarusians
A visa to Cuba for Belarusians is not required, subject to a stay of no more than 30 days
11. Large suitcases can be problematic.
There is a small nuance, which, of course, will not affect everyone, but it is impossible not to mention it. Some Cuban buildings have rather narrow doorways and similar staircases. With huge heavy suitcases this can be very inconvenient.
12. The best time of the year to visit Cuba
As with all islands in the Caribbean, Cuba must be aware of the hurricane and rainy season. The rains begin at the end of May, in June and last until August inclusive. All summer and until October there is a danger of typhoons with showers and winds. best time to visit Cuba - a dry season from November to April. The swimming season lasts all year round in Cuba.
13. A few words in Spanish
Even the simplest Spanish words from a phrasebook can diversify your holiday. Locals are very fond of talking to tourists, and if you answer them in a familiar language, they will definitely be friendlier.
14. Take care of cookies!
As a tip in the hotel, it is good to give one cookie. You will be grateful because average salary in Cuba is about 20 cookies.
15. Dance salsa!
Cuban salsa is known all over the world. You can take a couple of salsa lessons from the locals. You may not become an outstanding dancer in a couple of hours, but feel the local flavor to the fullest, and even have fun. If you are invited to dance somewhere, dress appropriately. Cubans don't like the fact that an official invitee can come in a T-shirt and beach shorts.
16. Bring ballpoint pens
Local children love to accept small gifts from tourists. Ballpoint pens are especially popular.
17. Rum and cigars
The most popular souvenirs are rum and cigars. When buying rum, keep in mind the excess baggage and the customs regulations of the country of destination. The most popular cigar brands in Cuba are Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, Hoyode Monterrey, Partagas.
18. Take a flashlight on a trip
If you are going to walk along the city streets in the evening, do not forget a flashlight. In the evening the streets are not lit. In old Havana, tourists are not recommended to appear after 22.00.
15,5$ (14.3€ / 984.7₽)– the minimum budget per day in Havana per person. This is enough for a room at the box office particular (double occupancy), meals and two trips by public transport.
Flights and insurance are not included in this amount. Tickets from Moscow in both directions will cost from 40 thousand rubles, and sometimes you can catch a charter sale with prices from $100 one way.
Screenshot from @samokatus telegram channel
Sometimes you can grab a tour for a week for 30-35 or even less than a thousand rubles, subscribe to the @samokatus telegram channel so as not to miss it all.
Insurance in Cuba will cost you about 160 rubles a day. Insurance can be picked up at the service. Turtle - Aviasales in the world of insurance, chooses from dozens of options the cheapest or the most suitable in terms of parameters. Turtle is our partner and we recommend him as the best insurance aggregator.
Cuba is still a socialist state with very unusual conditions for any traveler other than a package traveler. The biggest problem in Cuba is segregation: Officially, foreigners can only live in strictly designated hotels, eat at special restaurants, and travel on a separate bus line called Viazul.
Even the currencies in Cuba are two - for foreigners and for their own. The difference in living standards is enormous, the average salary of a Cuban is about 20 dollars, so in tourist areas, locals perceive foreigners solely as a source of profit. You can read the list of the most popular layouts for an unprepared tourist .
In 2012, the government of Raul Castro legalized private entrepreneurship, and it became easier for an independent visitor in Cuba: rooms and apartments for rent, simpler cafes and some private transport appeared. But all this still needs to be found, so Cuba still needs instructions for use.
Visa. Citizens of Russia do not need a visa to visit up to 90 days in half a year. Thisagreement between Russia and Cuba dated May 22, 2018 (it is not yet clear whether such long stamps are already being placed at the border). Previously, Russians could enter for 30 days and extend their stay two more times - for 30 days each. This was done inoffices of the migration service , they are in every major city and several districts of Havana. To extend it, you had to secure insurance and a residential address.
Money. There are two currencies in Cuba - CUC (or peso convertible) and CUP (moneda national). The first currency is intended for foreigners - they will have to pay in restaurants, hotels and in special buses.
The third option is to settle illegally with Cubans, whose contacts you can find with friends or on couchsurfing (no one settles for free, be prepared for this). The hosts take risks by taking you in - it's forbidden by law if there is no license and the host does not pay tax - but, on the other hand, this is an opportunity to earn some money.
How much does a connection cost?
Communication in Cuba is not very good. The state company ETECSA is responsible for communication, the contract can be concluded at the head office. Communication costs 0.3 cookies (19.1 ₽) per minute, the Internet is represented only by the GPRS package and it costs 1 cookie (63.5 ₽) per megabyte.
In the offices and kiosks of the same company, they sell cards with Internet access, which can be used in networks with public Wi-Fi. There are long queues at the head office, there are often no cards at the kiosks, but it is quite inexpensive - 1 cookie per hour (63.5 ₽) . More cards are sold by resellers on the streets. They aresame cards work in hotels.
How much does food cost in restaurants?
In Cuba, everything is complicated with food, so wherever you eat, the set of fresh products will be more or less the same. In tourist restaurants in Cuba, food is very expensive and, due to shortages, it is far from always good. Seafood and fish are definitely worth attention, but in restaurants the price for them starts from 13-15 kuk (825.9–953.0 ₽) for a not too big dish.
If you go to the beaches in the direction of Santa Maria, then prices are lower there and in Guanabo - you can have a normal lunch from 5 cookies (317.7 ₽) per person, lobster from 12 cookies (762.4 ₽).
In a cafe for Cubans, everything is much more democratic. Congri rice - mixed with black beans - and chicken can cost 50-60 pesos national (123.4–148.0 ₽), local pizza (take with pineapples, they are excellent in Cuba, unlike cheese and sausage) - 20 pesos (49.3 ₽) , spaghetti is better not to take, they are usually not very good.
There are enough bars in Cuba, but popular places like “ Hemingway's favorite restaurants ” (there are enough of them in the city: La Bodeguita del Medio, Restaurante Floridita, Los Dos Hermanos) are greatly overpriced - literally and figuratively, cocktails there cost 6-8 kuk (381.2 -508.2 ₽).
How much do groceries cost in the supermarket?
There are practically no supermarkets in Cuba - only currency shops, where there is a slightly larger variety of goods. Prices in such places are unreasonably high - a kilo of sugar can cost 1.5-2 cookies (127.1 ₽). By the way, if a local takes you to a store and asks you to buy him some food, keep in mind that most likely the store will be a currency store, and the seller will gladly cheat you for a couple of cookies. The only things that cost real money in such places are alcohol (the price of a good rum, Havana Club, starts from 3 cookies (190.6 ₽)) and tobacco products.
Everything else is better to buy in the markets and in simple shops away from Old Havana - yes, there will only be coffee, sugar, eggs, rice, beans, sometimes frozen chicken and some yucca, but all this will cost quite a bit, for example, 30 pesos nacional (74.0 ₽) for two dozen eggs.
How much do entertainment and museums cost
Havana is an open-air museum, and its main attraction is the quarters of Old Havana. But there are also separate places where tourists should look. From the Capitol for 5 cookies (317.7 ₽) there are tourist buses going back and forth to fortress El Morro, which was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century according to the project of the Italian engineer Gianbatista Antonelli. In the San Francisco de Paula area isHemingway House Museum - you can’t go inside, just look out the windows and walk around, but the place is beautiful. For only 1 cookie (63.5 ₽) you can look athistorical cemetery named after Christopher Columbus.
Be sure to take a look at Art Factory - most modern place in the city. This is a cultural center where contemporary art exhibitions and other events are held, but the main thing is that everyone here looks and behaves like ordinary residents of the metropolis, and in retro Havana this is amazing to the core.
How much do souvenirs cost?
It all depends on you - the Cubans are great at bargaining, initially setting terribly high prices, so you can pay 10 cookies or 1 for a magnet. $ per pack, sometimes cheaper).
How much more expensive compared to Moscow?
Due to currency segregation, it is both more expensive and cheaper at the same time - sugar, for example, can cost both 10 pesos (24.7 ₽) and 3 cookies (190.6 ₽). If you plan to go to restaurants, take excursions and stay in a hotel, count on the European price level. If you plan to live like a Cuban, it will be cheap.
When to arrive?
From May to September, the island can be tormentedCaribbean Hurricanes , be careful and watch the news. In addition, at this time it can be too hot on the island, and it often rains. In January it can be cool, up to 17-18 degrees Celsius. It is better to choose the off-season, although both in summer and in winter the weather and water temperature are excellent.. They can be spent on any purchase: air, trains, buses, etc.
Flights Moscow - Havana and package tours to Cuba
You can also travel to Cuba on a tour. Often they sell profitable package tours there: from 33,000 rubles per person for a week from Moscow. These can only be taken for flights.
Not everyone knows that there is not a single supermarket in Cuba (in the usual sense for us), most products are sold on coupons, the most famous Havana Club rum is drunk by the poor, and the most beautiful beaches are not in Varadero, but in Maria La Gorda. And that's not all.
Currency
There are two types of currency in use in Cuba: cookies (CUC) and Cuban pesos or coupes (CUP). Cookies are for tourists, coupes are for Cubans. The cookie rate is the same throughout the country and is approximately equal to one dollar. It makes sense to buy cookies in large hotels, this will save you from huge queues in city exchangers.
You won’t be able to buy kupa just like that, since they are not intended for tourists, but if you’re lucky, kupa can give change in the store. One cookie is equal to approximately 25 kup. Outwardly, the currencies are very similar, only the cookies are brighter, and the coupes are paler.
It is convenient to pay for hotels, gasoline and restaurants with cookies, but it is profitable to buy bread, vegetables, fruits, as well as any products that are mainly intended not for tourists, but for the local population. When paying with cookies, the price of the goods can be four times higher!
Transport
Public transport in Cuba is rather poorly developed, the Cubans themselves prefer to hitchhike, which is very popular here. The taxi mainly consists of retro cars, which are good not only for their intended purpose - to travel along Cuban roads, but also as a generator of likes on Instagram and Facebook.
You can rent a vintage car only with a driver. It is absolutely not necessary to go to a special agency for such a car, the owners of rare cars offer their services everywhere. On average, a trip over a distance of 10 kilometers will cost 5 cookies (≈ 300 rubles). When traveling a longer distance, it makes sense to bargain.