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There are a variety of options to travel around Cubas cosmopolitan cities, the 300 odd unspoiled beaches, bays and inlets surrounded by the beautiful crystal clear waters.
By Air
Cubana airlines have an extensive domestic air network that services all of the regional centres, and flights within the country are not expensive, but prices have been on the rise.
By Bus
Viázul is the bus company in Cuba that is geared towards tourists. Its buses are air-conditioned and uncrowded and all passengers are required to pay in dollars. Privately owned trucks (camiones particulares) have taken over much of the passenger transportation business, especially in eastern Cuba.
Astro is the bus line that most Cubans use. Most seats are only available to Cubans, who pay in their local currency, but two seats are reserved for anyone, including foreigners, wishing to pay (a much higher fare) in convertable pesos. This fare is slightly cheaper than Viazul. The seats reserved for Cubans are always sold out, sometimes weeks in advance. Astro recently renewed their fleet with 300 new Chinese coaches that are as confortable as Viazul (without the washroom). Although the new buses have proven to be unreliable and often break down, they are still better than the old buses that Astro used to run. Astro has a much more extensive network than Viazul, so it can be useful for tourists.
By Car
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 Many Cubans hitchhike as a means of getting around; locally the activity is known as hacer botella (literally 'to make a bottle' with the hand). Government vehicles are legally required to pick up hitchhikers if they have the room, and town exits and major crossroads often have yellow-clad amarillo officials armed with clipboards to organise the Cubans waiting for a ride.
You will find an unusually large number of old U.S.-made cars on the street. Popularly known as "Yank Tanks," these are pre-revolution imports from the 1950s that have been nursed along for half a century, because the Soviet-made cars available during the Cold War were too scarcely allocated for most Cubans to buy (and other cars remain too expensive today). Car rental starts from CUC 65 per day (including insurance) plus the cost of a full tank of gasoline. The refundable deposits start around CUC 200. Rental cars are for the most part fairly new, imported European or Asian models.
By Taxi
Taxis are the most convenient way to get around within the big cities. There are several types of taxis, including the official government taxis, the private and potentially unlicensed "yank tanks", and the small three-wheeled coco-taxis.
They're fairly abundant and not hard to find - they tend to group in front of large hotels, but it will usually be cheaper to find one elsewhere.
By Train
The train system has deteriorated rapidly over the past several years. There are some inexpensive, comfortable train routes, particularly between major cities, but otherwise the bus is now the way to go.
By: Shabina Sanad
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