Cuba

Bring cash. Foreign cards frequently do not work at all

Cuba requires more preparation than almost any Caribbean neighbour, mostly on money. Foreign bank cards frequently do not work, US-issued cards do not work at all, ATMs are unreliable and the exchange situation has been volatile. The practical answer is to bring enough cash for the whole trip in euros or pounds and budget carefully.

It is worth the hassle. Havana is a city of crumbling colonnades, 1950s American cars kept running by improvisation, and a musical culture that is genuinely lived rather than performed for visitors. Trinidad is a preserved colonial sugar town. Vinales has limestone hills, tobacco farms and horses as everyday transport.

Staying in casas particulares, private homes licensed to take guests, is both cheaper than hotels and where most of the good experiences happen, since it puts money directly into households rather than state enterprises. Expect shortages, expect the internet to be limited and expensive, and expect the gap between the tourist economy and daily Cuban life to be uncomfortable to observe.

Annual events and festivals

• Carnaval de Santiago de Cuba (Jul) — the biggest and oldest carnival in the country, with conga lines through the streets.
• Havana Carnival (Aug) — floats and comparsas along the Malecon.
• Las Parrandas de Remedios (Dec) — two neighbourhoods compete with enormous fireworks displays and floats. Chaotic and loud.
• Havana International Jazz Festival (Jan) — a serious festival in a country with a serious jazz tradition.
• International Festival of New Latin American Cinema (Dec) — the most important film festival in Latin America.
• Havana Biennial (varies) — a major contemporary art event across the city.
• Triumph of the Revolution (1 Jan) — marks the 1959 revolution.
• Fiesta del Fuego, Santiago (Jul) — celebrating Caribbean culture and traditions.
• Romerias de Mayo, Holguin (May) — a youth arts festival with a pilgrimage up a hill.
• Cuban National Ballet Festival (Oct-Nov) — Cuba has a globally respected classical ballet tradition.