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HavanaTravel Guide

Cuba6 stories

Cuba's time-capsule capital: crumbling pastel facades, 1950s American cars, live son cubano, and a seafront Malecón made for slow evenings.

Is Havana right for you?

When to come

November to April (dry season)

Around 32°C by day in August, 27°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

Havana is inWarm in JanuaryKind to a budget
When to go
January: around 27 degrees by day, 19 at night, 56 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
February: around 27 degrees by day, 19 at night, 59 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
March: around 29 degrees by day, 20 at night, 54 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
April: around 30 degrees by day, 22 at night, 58 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
May: around 31 degrees by day, 23 at night, 120 millimetres of rain, wet.
June: around 32 degrees by day, 24 at night, 168 millimetres of rain, very wet.
July: around 32 degrees by day, 24 at night, 125 millimetres of rain, wet.
August: around 32 degrees by day, 25 at night, 145 millimetres of rain, wet.
September: around 32 degrees by day, 24 at night, 176 millimetres of rain, very wet.
October: around 31 degrees by day, 23 at night, 140 millimetres of rain, wet.
November: around 29 degrees by day, 22 at night, 83 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
December: around 27 degrees by day, 20 at night, 58 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

November to April (dry season)

Average daily highs, recorded at Casa Blanca station, Havana, 1991-2020 normals.

Where this comes from

World Meteorological Organization; Climate-Charts.com — Weather box uses 'rain mm' rows.

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Havanaad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Havana

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Havana

Street performers on stilts in bright costumes drawing a crowd on a narrow street in Old Havana
01
Stays

The Generator Question: Picking a Havana Bed After the Chains Left

The international hotel groups walked out of Cuba in 2026, so the brand over the door now tells you almost nothing about a Havana room; the neighbourhood, the building and the back-up power tell you everything.

Cuba · 10 min
The steel Che Guevara mural on the Ministry of the Interior at Plaza de la Revolucion, a pink vintage car passing below
02
Destinations

The honest guide to Havana's seasons: when to go, and when to think twice

Havana runs on two seasons rather than four, and in 2026 a third calendar of blackouts and fuel shortages matters as much as the rain does.

Cuba · 11 min
A produce stall at a Havana agromercado, with rows of pineapples on wooden crates above heaps of tomatoes and avocados, hand-lettered cardboard price cards in pesos, and a painted mural of a smiling farmer in a straw hat on the green wall behind.
03
Food

Market mornings in Havana: what to taste and when to go

Havana's farmers' markets fill early and empty by noon — which one to choose, what to buy in which month, what it should cost, and where to eat it afterwards.

Cuba · 11 min
Pink and red 1950s American cars parked outside the Gran Teatro de La Habana and the Hotel Inglaterra
04
Hidden Gems

Havana off the calendar: the secret months worth the gamble

High season Havana is crowded and expensive; November and April into May hand you the same city at half the volume — but the gamble has changed shape this year, and it is worth understanding before you take it.

Cuba · 12 min
A pink 1950s American convertible parked on a narrow Havana street lined with weathered colonial buildings, with a Cuban flag hanging overhead
05
Destinations

Havana for First-Timers: The Complete Guide

Classic cars, colonial plazas, and the world's most romantic seafront promenade — how to make sense of Cuba's beguiling, complicated capital on a first visit.

Cuba · 2 min
The white and gold dome of El Capitolio rising above Havana's rooftops against a clear blue sky
06
Itineraries

Four Days in Havana, on Foot and Slowly

Three full days is the honest minimum and four is the right number, and the sequence matters more here than in most capitals because the rumba, the cannon and the electricity all keep their own timetable.

Cuba · 12 min
In pictures

Havana, framed

Overhead view of two street vendors beside a wooden handcart heaped with limes and avocados on a Havana street, Cuba
Photo: Sandor Rodriguez Castro / Unsplash
Start in Habana Vieja, Havana
Photo: Agnes Lee / Unsplash
Stone steps lead up to the University of Havana's Alma Mater statue under a stormy sky.
Photo: Tobias Schulz / Unsplash
A musician carries an upright bass down a narrow Havana street lined with pastel colonial facades.
Photo: Diego Gennaro / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Havana

See and do

Eat and drink

Before you go

Practical essentials for Cuba

Money

Cuban peso (CUP); the convertible peso (CUC) was abolished in 2021, so visitors now use the same currency as everyone else

Language

Spanish; English is limited outside hotels and tourist services

Power

Type A/B, with C and L also found; 110V (220V in some hotels), 60Hz

Getting around

Shared taxis and classic-car colectivos move people around the cities and Víazul coaches between them; there is no travel card, foreign cards are unreliable and US-issued cards do not work, so carry cash.

Tipping

Expected and genuinely matters — about 10% in restaurants, and small cash tips for musicians, guides and hotel staff.

Tap water

Tap water is not safe to drink; stick to bottled or boiled water.

Driving

Right-hand side; a national licence is accepted for visits of up to six months, so no International Driving Permit is needed.

Emergency

106 (police), 104 (ambulance), 105 (fire)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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