Havana: Getting there & around

Orientation

Havana is built around a harbour in western Cuba, 170km (105mi) southwest of Key West, Florida. Old (Colonial) Havana sits on the west side of the harbour, spilling west into the lively hotel and entertainment district of Vedado. A tunnel links Old Havana to East Havana and its endless high-rise flats. The bulk of Havana's working-class population lives in industrial areas to the south of the town, extending as far as the international airport 25km (16mi) to the southwest.

Getting There

• bus

  Astro buses reserve four seats for dollar sale on most departures. (Tourists can pay in dollars, locals in pesos.) Apart from Astro, there's a hard currency company called Viázul, which requires all passengers to pay in dollars.

• train

  Trains to Batabanó leave twice a day (2½ hours), and four trains a day go to Wajay (one hour). In July and August only, there's a train from here to Guanabo three times a day except Monday (1½ hours). There are also daily trains to Artemisa and Güines.

• air

  Cubana airlines has an extensive domestic air network that services all of the regional centres, with Havana as a major hub. Flights within the country are not expensive, but prices have been on the rise. Most domestic flights are on smaller propeller aircraft, and they are 25% cheaper if booked in conjunction with your international ticket.

• road

  Many Cubans hitchhike as a means of getting around and locally the activity is known as hacer botella (literally 'to make a bottle' with the hand). Government vehicles are legally required to pick up hitchhikers if they have the room, and town exits and major crossroads often have yellow-clad amarillo officials armed with clipboards to organize the Cubans waiting for a ride.

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Getting Around

• bus

  Since 1995 the public-transport crisis in Havana has been eased by the introduction of Metro Buses. These huge 300-plus passenger buses are hauled by trucks, all have the prefix M before their number and are colour-coded: M-1 Alamar-Vedado via Parque de la Fraternidad (pink); M-2 Parque de la Fraternidad-Santiago de las Vegas (blue); M-3 Alamar-Ciudad Deportiva (orange); M-4 Parque de la Fraternidad-San Agustín via Marianao (green); M-5 Vedado-San Agustín (red); M-6 Calvario-Vedado (corner of 21 and L) (beige); M-7 Parque de la Fraternidad-Alberro via Cotorro (red - they ran out of colours).

  As you can see, many of the Metro Buses leave from Parque de la Fraternidad on the southern side of the Capitolio in Centro Habana. At the originating places of these buses there will be two lines, one for people who want a seat ( sentados ) and another for those willing to stand ( parados ). The second line moves faster and is best if you're only going a short distance and have no luggage. There is sometimes a third line for pregnant women ( embarazadas ).

  The camello is known as the 'Saturday night movie' because it contains sex, violence and adult language (the warning that precedes the weekend movie on Cuban TV).

  It can be intimidating at first. Expect to be crushed by the crowd. It's imperative that you move toward the back exit doors as soon as you get on because you're not allowed to exit through the door where you boarded. This can be a real problem (but not impossible) if you're only going one or two stops and can't reach the exit. Be alert to pickpockets who may spot you at the bus stop and get on right behind. Before boarding, empty your pockets into a handbag you can clutch in front of you. If the bus looks impossibly crowded, just step back and wait for the next, as they run every 10 minutes and the next one may be less crowded (ha!).

  To go from Centro Habana to Vedado, catch the M-1 on Agramonte beside the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and stay on until the last stop, which is on Calle G, near the monument to José Miguel Gómez. To get from Vedado to Centro Habana, you're better off on the regular No 200 bus (stops across from Centro de Prensa Internacional) or the P4 (stops across from Coppelia).

• car

  There are lots of car rental offices in Havana, so if you're told there are no cars or there isn't one in your price range just try another office or agency. All agencies have offices at Terminal 3 at Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí.

• taxi

  The cheapest taxis are the older yellow and black Ladas, which are state-owned but rented out to private operators. They won't wish to use their meters, as these are set at an unrealistically low rate, but you can bargain over the fare. They're not supposed to pick up passengers within 100m (328ft) of a tourist hotel.

  Private pirate taxis with yellow license plates are a bit cheaper, but you must agree on the fare before getting into the car, and carry exact change. There are usually classic car taxis parked in front of the Inglaterra.

• ferry

  Passenger ferries shuttle across the harbour to Regla and Casablanca, leaving every 10 or 15 minutes from Muelle Luz, corner of San Pedro and Santa Clara, on the southeast side of Habana Vieja. Since the ferries were hijacked to Florida in 1994 (and later returned) and again in 2003 (the hijackers never made it outside Cuban waters), security has been tightened.

• train

  Cristina Station handles local trains within the city limits. Cristina was the first train station built in Havana, and it's worth checking out if you're spending some time in Havana and want to get around cheaply.

• cycle taxi

  Two-seater bici-taxis will take you anywhere around Centro Habana for one or two dollars for a short/long trip, after bargaining. It's a lot more than a Cuban would pay, but cheaper and more fun than a tourist taxi. A recent law prohibits bici-taxis from taking tourists and they may wish to go via a roundabout route through the back streets to avoid police controls - a cheap tour! If they get stopped, it's their problem, not yours.

• Disabled Travellers

  Cuba's inclusive culture translates to disabled travelers, and while facilities may be lacking, the generous nature of Cubans generally compensates. Sight-impaired travelers will be helped across streets and given priority in lines. The same holds true for travellers in wheelchairs, who will find the few ramps ridiculously steep and will have trouble in colonial parts of town where sidewalks are narrow and streets are cobblestone. Elevators are often out of order. Etecsa phone centres have telephone equipment for the hearing impaired and television programs are broadcast with closed captioning.

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