Telephone
Country code/city code:
When calling from outside Cuba, dial (53) 7

Havana city code:
For calls from other parts of Cuba, dial (07)

Guide to Havana

Hotels & Casas Particulares

Lodging: Budget hotels are available in the $50 to $75 range, and business class hotels run $85 to $250 a night. Package tours that include meals are a popular and economical way to go.

A more economical alternative is to stay in one of the many "casas particulares" (private homes) that rent rooms throughout Havana and other major cities in Cuba. The rooms are usually air conditioned and clean, though plumbing can sometimes be an issue. Some homes allow guests to bring friends over to visit, though it is important to ask in advance and to abide by whatever rules regarding visitors that your host imposes. A single discrete companion for the duration of your stay usually won't ruffle feathers, but inviting over a series of recent acquaintances can put your host in serious legal jeopardy and destroy their livelihood.

Rooms with a double bed run $25 to $35 per night, depending on the location and amenities. A two-bedroom apartment costs about $40, and it's possible to get a 4-bedroom house for $120 a night. Breakfast -- generally coffee, eggs, toast, fruit and juice -- is frequently included or available for around $3 per person, and sometimes dinner and laundry service is available. Hosts at casas particulares are friendly and gracious and provide a great introduction to Cuban life outside of the mainstream tourist industry, which is run by the government in partnership with big foreign operators. The home owners must pay a license fee to the government of up to $200 per month, irrespective of their vacancy rates.

Be sure to have name of the hotel or the address of the home at which you will be staying with you when you enter Cuba, as authorities at the airport will require you to write the location on your tourist card. For this reason, be sure to call ahead and make an advance reservation at a hotel or a licensed home for at least your first night. Without that, expect a hassle and delay at the immigration counter.

Hotels in Havana