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In this section you will know important and first hand information that will be very useful to plan your trip and also during your stay in Cuba.
In Cuba exist diverse regulations that control the kind and quantity of products you can bring when you come, or take with you when you leave. These regulations are referred to firearms, explosives, cigars, works of art, paintings, electric devices and some others. Below we offer you a direct link to the website of the General Customs of the Republic of Cuba where you will find all the information you need about the Cuban Customs. It is VERY IMPORTANT for you to look at the information shown in this website because some of the objects you bring to Cuba or some of the objects you may want to take with you when you leave Cuba, could be confiscated in the customs or you will have to pay a high tax for them in the best case. Click here to go to the website of the General Customs of the Republic of Cuba or type the following address in your navigation bar. http://www.aduana.islagrande.cu Go upIn Cuba the line voltage is 110 Volts with a frequency of 60 Hertz so if in your country the line voltage is 220 Volts with 50 Hertz you will need to bring with you an AC adapter 110 V/220 V. Go upClimate Here we offer you a link to Yahoo Weather where you can check the weather in Havana and other cities of Cuba for today and to get a forecast for the following days. Click here to see the Weather in Havana. Go upThe Post Offices in Cuba offer you multiple and diverse services. You can get information about them in the following website: http://www.correosdecuba.cu/ Go upCuba is governed by the time zone -5 GMT. Where the GMT time is the time of the Greenwich Meridian. This time zone (-5 GMT) is the same time for the east for the United States. Go upCuba is an unusual country speaking about currencies. Almost all the countries have a single currency but Cuba has THREE currencies, yes THREE currencies, and all of them are valid to buy products, but not in all places. We will explain you now. Currency 1. Cuban Peso: It is the official currency of the country. It's only valid to buy food in certain markets and some products in small stores. The exchange is 24 Cuban pesos for 1 Convertible Cuban Peso and you can exchange this currency in any of the exchange houses of the country. DON'T HURRY to exchange American dollars for Cuban pesos when you arrive to Cuba, the Cuban peso will be almost useless for you because you will have to pay in Convertible Cuban Pesos for the 95% of the products you will buy. PLEASE NEVER EXCHANGE CURRENCIES TO AN UNKNOWN PERSON IN THE STREETS, YOU COULD BE SWINDLED!!! Currency 2. Convertible Cuban Peso: It is a currency which use is established by the Cuban government and has an equivalent value of 1.11 American dollars. With this currency you will be able to buy any product: food, clothes in almost all the stores of the country, pay your room, the entrance to discos, museums, theaters, etcetera. Currency 3. Euro: The Euro is the official currency of the European Community and in Cuba it is only valid in the city of Varadero. In the rest of the cities of the country this currency is not valid. Once in Cuba if you need to exchange Euros to any other of the currencies that are valid in the country you will have to go to an International Financial Bank (IFB). Credit Cards: You can use your credit card to pay in restaurants, hotels and to get cash in the automatic cashiers. Note: The only credit cards available are VISA, MasterCard and TransCard. Go upThe television and video standard used in Cuba is the NTSC M. If you plan to bring a video to watch it here you will have to verify the video format to be NTSC M. Go upIf you had any problem in Cuba you will always be able to go to any police officer in the city or to any police station. Police officers dress a blue uniform and use a gray beret. The telephone number of the police is 106 and you can call them from any available phone in the city. Go upIn Cuba several religions are practiced. Among the most important we have: Catholic religion: It is the most practiced, having as patron saint of Cuba the Charity Virgin of the Copper, that is in the Church of the Copper in the province of Santiago de Cuba. The name Cooper comes from the place where the church is. Santería: It is part of the Cuban identity and one of the most popular religions. In this religion exists a great religious syncretism because in the Santería are mixed elements of the religions brought by the African slaves and of the Catholicism. Protestant religions: As for example Baptists, Adventists, Witness of Jehovah. In a minor scale we can also find the presence of Jews and Muslims. Go upAlthough we hope sincerely you won't need medical services in Cuba, we give you here all the details of a clinic where you can go if it is the case. This information could be very useful for you. In Cuba if you are a tourist and you have any health problems you should go to an International Clinic. You can go to The Central Clinic Cira García: Address: Calle 20 No. 4101 esq. Ave 41, Playa, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba. Tel: (53 7) 204 4300 at 09. Telefax: (53 7) 204 2640 and (537) 204 2660. Email: faculta@cirag.cu Website: www.cira.sld.cu This clinic offers you different services, among them we have:
Go upTelephone Services The Cuban Telecommunications Company S.A. ETECSA offers you new possibilities to call home. You can choose from a range of prepaid cards and to make national and international calls. You could buy these cards in several sale points which are all over the island like the minupuntos and the telepuntos. In these sale points you will also have telephones to make your calls. There are also public phone booths all over the city where you will be able to call. Rates are the following:
Minipunto
Internet Go upPublic Transportation Public transportation in Cuba consists of buses and a device you have never seen if
For all these reasons we recommend you not to use public transportation, use taxis to move from one place to another. There are in Cuba several kinds of taxis, we will explain you now. Taxis
The price of these taxis is 10 Cuban pesos which is equal in dollars to USD $0.40, a very moderate price for you, keeping in mind that you will travel more comfortable than in public transportation.
The price of these taxis is higher than private taxis and you will have to pay the journey in American dollars. These taxis are easily recognizable because they all have bright colors, as yellow for example, and they have also signs depending the taxi agency. Here we give you the telephone numbers of several taxi agencies.
Car Rentals If you are looking for a car to drive the island, nothing easier. You can rent a car in any of the hotels, airports, or in many car rental points in the city. Here you have a list of some of them:
Transportation by Bus: Once you are in Cuba if you want to go to visit other provinces, you can make the trip in comfortable buses. You can buy a ticket in the agency called ViaAzul. Below we give you the contact info. ViaAzul: Transportation by bus. Address: Avenida 26 No. 1152. Nuevo Vedado. Ciudad Habana. Cuba. Tel: (53 7) 881 1413 Go up
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