Hi there, we use cookies to improve your experience on our website. You can update your settings by clicking the Privacy policy link at the bottom of the page. Just finished backpacking all over Cuba for 30 days and it's really such an incredible country.
Living expenses are cheap, the country has tons to see, and the Cubans are the most hospitable people I've ever met. Believe it or not, my flights getting there cost more than what I ended up spending when I was there Some advice: First of all, buy a good travel book.
Cheap reliable internet is just about non-existent in Cuba so don't count on researching on the web after you get there. Thus, 1CUP is roughly 0. For breakfast, try to get it included free in your casa price. If they refuse, only pay CUC max. Sometimes it's worth paying CUC extra just to wake up to a meal instead of having to hunt around for one.. For lunch, go to the peso stands it's all about the peso pizza, baby!
Ask around where "the best" or "el mejor" peso pizza or peso sandwich stand is, and a friendly Cuban will most likely point you in the right direction. Just about all of these stands are run privately just out of someones house so sometimes it's hard to find the good one. I never got sick from eating at any of these places but the portions and quality vary. Government restaurants are also an option as I explain below. For dinner, the casa particulars are going to do everything they can to get you to stay for dinner.
If the food they serve is anything less than spectacular, by all means, hit up the government restaurants. Because the food in Cuba extremely cheap. That 7CUC dinner offered at the casa probably cost them less than 20 cents to make. The cheap price of the government restaurants sometimes has it's downside though Many times certain foods on the menu wont be available because they ran out. The service is also really slow a lot of the time so don't go there starving.
