Cuba - Lonely Planet [112]
Plaza Carlos III (Av Salvador Allende btwn Arbol Seco & Retiro; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) After Plaza América in Varadero, this is probably Cuba’s flashiest shopping mall – and there’s barely a foreigner in sight. Step in on a Saturday and see the double economy working at a feverish pitch.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Cubana Airlines (Map; 834-4446; Calle 23 No 64 cnr Infanta, Vedado; 8:30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-noon Sat) has its head office at the Malecón end of the Airline Building on La Rampa. You can buy international or domestic tickets here. If it’s packed, try the helpful Sol y Son (Map; 833-3647; fax 33-51-50; Calle 23 No 64 btwn Calle P & Infanta, Vedado; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-noon Sat) travel agency a few doors down.
Aerocaribbean (Map; 832-7584; Airline Bldg, Calle 23 No 64, Vedado) is another airline with domestic services.
Boat
Buses connecting with the hydrofoil service to Isla de la Juventud leave at 9am from the Terminal de Ómnibus (Map; 878-1841; cnr Av de la Independencia & 19 de Mayo, Vedado), near the Plaza de la Revolución, but they’re often late. You’ll be told to arrive at least an hour before the bus to buy your ticket and it’s best to take heed of this advice. Bus/boat combo tickets are sold at the kiosk marked ‘NCC’ between gates 9 and 10 and we found the staff quite unhelpful. Tickets cost CUC$55. Bring your passport.
Bus
Víazul (off Map; 881-1413, 881-5652; www.viazul.com; cnr Calle 26 & Zoológico, Nuevo Vedado) covers most destinations of interest to travelers, in deluxe, air-conditioned coaches. All buses are direct except those to Guantánamo and Baracoa; for these destinations you must change in Santiago de Cuba. You can board all Víazul buses at the inconveniently located terminal 3km southwest of Plaza de la Revolución, or at the Terminal de Ómnibus. Here tickets for Víazul services are sold immediately prior to departure in the Venta de Boletines office. You can get full schedules on the website or at Infotur (Map; Obispo btwn Bernaza & Villegas, Habana Vieja), which also sells tickets requiring you to board at its originating station in Nuevo Vedado.
Havana-bound, you can usually get off the Víazul bus from Varadero/Matanzas in Centro Habana right after the tunnel (check with the driver beforehand), but if you arrive from most other points you’ll be let out at the Nuevo Vedado terminal. From here city bus 27 will take you to Vedado or Centro Habana (ask). Alternatively a taxi will cost you a rip-off CUC$10 – unless you negotiate extra hard. Otherwise, if your bus stops at the Terminal de Ómnibus on Av de la Independencia, jump off there.
The 8am, 10am and 12pm buses to Varadero stop at Varadero airport. The 8am service also makes a scheduled stop at the Infotur office in Guanabo, Playas del Este. The two daily Viñales buses are scheduled to stop at Las Terrazas (at the Rancho Curujey). The 9:30am Santiago de Cuba bus stops at Entronque de Jagüey on the Autopista, as do the 8:15am and 1pm buses to Trinidad. The 8:15am Trinidad bus takes a different route from Jagüey via Playa Girón. It can drop you off (on request) at Playa Larga.
Buses to points in the Havana province leave from Apodaca No 53, off Agramonte, near the main train station in Habana Vieja. They go to Güines, Jaruco, Madruga, Nueva Paz, San José, San Nicolás and Santa Cruz del Norte, but expect large crowds and come early to get a peso ticket.
Taxi
Small Lada taxis, operated by Cubataxi, park on Calle 19 de Mayo beside the Terminal de Ómnibus. They charge approximately CUC$0.50 per kilometer. This translates as CUC$70 to Varadero, CUC$80 to Pinar del Río, CUC$140 to Santa Clara, CUC$125 to Cienfuegos and CUC$165 to Trinidad. Up to four people can go for the price. It’s worth considering in a pinch and is perfectly legal.
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VíAZUL BUS TIMETABLE
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