A New Yorker's Guide to Cuba Part 2: How To Get Around

So, now that you have your finances situated and know the basics about how money works in Cuba, the first thing that I want to mention is in regards to once you exit the airport.

Taxi/transportation to you hotel/home/Airbnb. This will be your first encounter with spending money, and this will be where you will spend a big amount at once. BARGAIN, BARGAIN, BARGAIN. Spending over $25 for a taxi is a ripoff so beware. Many taxi drivers will hike up the fare simply because you are a foreigner, or do not speak Spanish...we do not have the luxury of Lyft or Uber. The typical fare is $20. You need to bargain or you'll be taken advantage of.

Some Airbnb host will offer to pick you up from the airport like mine did for $30...again he overcharged us, but I did not know this at the time.

So, once you've reached your destination, and settled in, you're probably wondering how to get around. Unless you've go to Cuba to spend money as if your parents own an oil company, than your best bet is walking.

Make sure to download offline maps and certain apps that give you a lay of the land. There is no internet in Cuba without WIFI, and in order to use wifi you have to find a wifi spot- which can be hard to come across. Then, when you find a wifi that you can connect to and isn't shady, you'll need wifi cards. Beware of being overcharged for the wifi card. The max you should spend on one is $3 but you will find them for $1. A reliable (but not always) place to find wifi is El Malecon, which is the pier. Since many people know this is where to find reliable wifi, the signal can be very weak at times when there's a high volume of users.

Don't forget, if you'd like to take those typical tourist photos in the classic cars, it's about $30 to rent a car and get a tour of Habana Viejo and Habana. I say do it. If you're staying at an Airbnb and your host has a classic car, then thats more money in your pocket(for the photos, not the tour). Or if that doesn't interest you, then you can do the hop on- hop off buses for $10.

If you know someone who lives there, theres the option of taking "dollar vans". but Old haven is small enough that you can walk everywhere. Plan accordingly.

SO, you've seen all that can be seen, eaten all that can be consumed, danced, laughed, gone to the beach, explored, taken pictures, and now you are on your way back to the airport to face the realities of life back home. Make sure to buy some rum!