| Getting
There
The majority of visitors to Cuba come by
air and fly into Havana's new modern terminal
at José Martí International Airport.
Cuba has international airports in Havana,
Cayo Largo, Varadero, Camagüey, Holguín,
Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos. Cubana,
the country's national airline, has regular
service to and from Europe. There is a weekly
flight from London. There are usually two
flights weekly to Cuba from Europe. Aeroflot,
the Russian airline and KLM from
Amsterdam both have weekly flights to Havana.
Iberia offers daily flights from
Madrid. LTU flies from Germany. Viasa,
Venezuela's airline also flies to Cuba.
Cubana offers service from Central
and South America. There are also flights
from nearby countries like the Bahamas (Cubana),
Jamaica (Air Jamaica), the Dominican
Republic (Cubana), Costa Rica (Lacsa
Airlines), from Mexico City and Cancún
(Mexicana Airlines and Aeromexico)
and Panama (Copa). You can keep up
on Cubana's schedules by accessing their
website at: http://www.cubana.cu/
Here is a list of major airline offices
in Havana:
Aeroflot-Russian Airlines
Tel: 33-3200, Fax: 33-3288 or http://www.aeroflot.ru/eng/
Air France
Tel: 66-2642, Fax: 66-2634 or http://www.airfrance.com/
Air Jamaica
Tel: 66-2247, Fax 66-2634 or http://www.airjamaica.com/
COPA
Tel: 33-1758 Fax: 33-3951 or http://www.copaair.com/
Cubana Airlines
Tel: 3-4949 or http://www.cubana.cu/
Grupo Taca
Tel: 33-3114 Fax: 33-3728 or http://www.taca.com/
Iberia
Tel: 33-5041 Fax: 33-5061 or http://www.iberia.com/
LTU International Airways
Tel: 33-3524 Fax: 33-3590 or http://www.ltu.com/world/
Mexicana de Aviación
Tel: 33-3531 Fax: 33-3077 or http://www.mexicana.com
There are frequent flights from the Canadian
cities of Toronto, Montreal and Quebec to
Havana, Varadero and Santigo de Cuba. Contact
Air Canada (416) 925-2311 or Cubana
(514) 871-1222. Affordable charter flights
are also available from Canada. Canadian
charters usually fly directly to Havana,
Varadero, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos Camaguey
(Playa Santa Lucía), and Holguín (Guardalavaca).
Canadians can find low priced flights in
the Saturday travel section of most newspapers.
Regents Holidays is one of the many
Canadian companies flying to Cuba. They
have colorful brochures about their packages
and charters to Cuba. For further information
contact them at 6205 Airport Rd., Bldg.
A Suite 200, Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1E1
Tel: (905) 673-3343 Fax: (905) 673-1717.
Several charter and tour companies are
currently working out of the US Expatriate
Cubans and journalists are the only people
permitted to travel to Cuba at present.
Others may apply for a visa through the
Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C.
However, you may circumvent the current
restrictions by flying from Mexico, the
Bahamas, Costa Rica or another country.
Once you get there the Cubans will not stamp
your passport.
Destination Cuba is a new company
which offers licensed charter flights and
trips from the U.S. to Cuba. To get in touch
with them, call 800-493-8426 www.destinationcuba.com.
We recommend their services highly. You
may also want to check out http://www.cubatravel.com/ for reservations
from Mexico. Cuba Update, a bi-monthly magazine,
has information about special tours to Cuba.
Contact them at 124 West 23rd Street, New
York, NY 10011, Tel: (212) 242-0559.
To see the country, Cubana de Aviación
offers domestic flights to other points
in the country from Havana. They fly to
the following cities: Baracoa, Bayamo, Camgüey,
Ciego de Avila, Guantánamo, Holguín, Las
Tunas, Manzanillo, Nueva Gerona, and Santiago
de Cuba. For domestic flights, Cubana's
office in Havana is at Calle Infanta, corner
Humbolt, Plaza. Tel: 70-5961. For international
flights another office is located at Calle
23 No 64, Vedado, Havana, Tel: 78-4961 or
33-4949.
Some adventurous individuals travel to
Cuba by sea. Those people traveling this
way should contact the harbor master's office
before you arrive. Give them details about
your crew, boat and passengers. Don't forget
to do the same when you leave the country.
We have an American friend who lived at
the Hemingway Marina for over a year. He
really enjoyed his stay. What made it even
better was the fact that he had a satellite
TV system on his yacht. He said watching
programs from the States really helped him
survive some dull moments.
The Hemmingway Marina is located
at the western end of Havana. It is a self
contained and duty free port with its own
lodging and completes services.
In addition to the Hemingway Marina, visitors
may anchor their yachts at the Marina
Tarará (eastern beaches), Varadero,
Marina María La Gorda in Pinar del
Río Province, Marina Puesto del Sol
(Cayo Largo), Marina Jagua (Bay of
Cienfuegos), and the Marina Cayo Guillermo.
Another friend, who is a famous travel
writer, has entered the country several
times in the last few years by boat from
the United States. He even brought a motorcycle
into the country. He didn't have problems
except for one time when trying to leave
the country. When he was about to leave
on a private yacht, he was subjected to
a thorough search and asked many questions
about what he was doing in Cuba. He was
eventually allowed to depart about an hour
later after he had politely cooperated with
the immigration agents.
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