🛫 Terminal 3 — The Main International

Airlines: Cubana de Aviación (the Cuban flag carrier, Russian Sukhoi-equipped), Air France (Paris CDG), KLM (Amsterdam, codeshare), Iberia (Madrid daily), Air Europa (Madrid), Aeroméxico (Mexico City), Copa (Panama City), Avianca (Bogotá), Aerolíneas Argentinas (Buenos Aires), Conviasa (Caracas), Wingo (Bogotá), TUI Airlines (Frankfurt seasonal), Condor (Frankfurt seasonal), Eurowings (Düsseldorf seasonal).

Layout: Two-storey 1998 terminal with 8 contact gates plus 6 remote stands. Walk time check-in to furthest gate: 8–12 minutes. The 1998 build shows visible wear; air conditioning is unreliable in the public hall but better at the gates. Most travellers from Europe arrive here.

📥 Terminal 2 — The Former US Charter, Now Mostly Caribbean

Airlines: American Airlines (under OFAC license, when permitted), Delta (when permitted), JetBlue (charter under license), regional Caribbean carriers, occasional charters. The 2017 Trump-era restrictions on US-Cuba charters cut traffic substantially; the post-2021 Biden-era partial reopening, then the 2025 Trump-era readjustments, have left T2 underutilised. As of 2026, T2 is again primarily a charter facility with limited scheduled service.

Layout: Single-storey concourse, 4 contact gates plus remote stands. The 2017–2025 dance of US sanctions has cycled this terminal through different states; check your airline’s confirmation for current terminal assignment.

Tarjeta del Turista · ~€22–US$50

Most western passports need a Tourist Card for Cuba — not a visa stamp but a separately purchased entry permit valid for up to 90 days. Buy it from your airline (Iberia, Air France, KLM, Aeroméxico all sell at check-in for €22–30 or US$22), at the Cuban consulate in your home country, or sometimes on arrival at HAV (~US$50, US dollar bills only, exact change preferred). UK passport holders have a slightly different process (separate card colour, identical price). Lost cards at the airport on departure cost €25 to replace.

Currency Reality · CUP, MLC & Cash USD/EUR

Cuba’s 2021 monetary unification ended the dual CUC/CUP system; the Cuban Peso (CUP) is the only legal currency now. The official rate is ~24:1 USD; the informal market rate runs 280:1 to 350:1 USD depending on the day. Hotels and state shops use MLC (Moneda Libremente Convertible), a dollar-pegged digital currency loaded on a card. For practical tourism: bring USD or EUR cash, exchange a portion at the unofficial rate via your hotel or trusted casa-particular host; foreign cards almost don’t work; ATMs frequently empty.

US OFAC Sanctions · 12 Categories

US citizens and residents face OFAC sanctions on Cuba. General tourism is not authorised; you must fit into one of 12 categories: family visits, official government business, journalism, professional research, educational activities, religious activities, public performances, support for the Cuban people (the most-used), humanitarian projects, private foundations work, exporting telecom info, certain authorised export/import. Most US travellers use the ‘Support for the Cuban People’ category, which requires staying at private casas, eating at paladares, and avoiding state hotels. Records must be kept for 5 years.

⭐ Official Airport Taxi (Cubataxi)

HAV runs licensed Cubataxi (state-operated) desks immediately past Customs at T3. Pay at the desk in cash (USD or EUR); they don’t take card. The price is fixed by destination zone. Yellow cars only.

📱 No Uber, No Apps — The Cuban Reality

Uber, InDriver, Cabify, DiDi and all ride-hailing apps don’t operate in Cuba. Cuba’s tight regulatory environment, the lack of normal banking integration, and US sanctions affecting Cuban-domiciled US-payment-network access prevent them. The closest equivalent is the ‘A la Carta’ private-car service bookable through your hotel or casa particular host. WhatsApp-based informal car services (drivers operate through their own networks) are common but require local language and contact.

🚌 Public Bus — Don’t

The P-12 public bus route theoretically connects HAV to central Havana for ~10 CUP (a few cents at the unofficial rate). Skip it. No luggage racks, gets dangerously crowded at peak hours (‘la guagua’), no schedule reliability, and the route involves transfers most tourists wouldn’t navigate. There’s also a Tour Bus from the airport but it operates only during the morning/evening hotel pickup waves. Cubataxi or pre-arranged private car is your only realistic airport-transfer option.

🎌 To Varadero — Different Airport, 130 km East

If your destination is the Varadero beach resort area (130 km east of Havana), check whether your flight is to HAV or to VRA (Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport, Varadero). Most charter flights and some scheduled European services route directly to VRA, saving the 2-hour transfer from HAV. If you’ve booked HAV but your hotel is in Varadero, allow 2 hours by Cubataxi (~€120–180 per car). Pre-arranged transfers via your hotel are typically €100–150.

✨ Sala VIP T3 (international airside, paid walk-in)

Lechón (slow-roasted whole pig, served with rice, beans and yuca) is Cuba’s national dish. The T3 food court does it for ~€8–12 a plate — not gourmet but a credible airport rendering. Skip the airport McDonald’s and Burger King — you can have those anywhere. Try the moros y cristianos (black beans and rice cooked together, the “Moors and Christians” named for the colour contrast) on the side.

Cuba grows excellent specialty coffee in the eastern Sierra Maestra mountains. Café cubano (small, strong, very sweet espresso) is the local default. The T3 food court does it for ~€1–2. Café con leche (with steamed milk) is the breakfast version. The HAV coffee is genuinely good — better than most Caribbean coffees, comparable to good Colombian or Jamaican origin.

Havana Club rum — the export-gift default — Havana Club Añejo 7 Años at €15–20 a bottle, Havana Club Selección de Maestros at €25–35, Havana Club Maximo for the splurge at €1,200+. Cuban cigars are the world’s most prestigious; Cohiba Behike, Cohiba Esplendidos, Romeo y Julieta Churchill, Montecristo No. 2 at duty-free for €15–180 each. Limit your import to your home country’s allowance — US travellers traditionally face cigar/rum import restrictions, and the rules cycle with administration changes; check current OFAC. EU passport holders can typically bring 50 cigars + 1 litre of rum duty-free into the EU. Cuban coffee whole-bean at €5–10 a bag.

The Mojito was invented in Havana in the 16th century as a precursor cocktail (El Draque) and codified into the modern form in the 20th. The Sala VIP T3 bar makes a credible airport rendering with Havana Club rum, fresh mint, lime and sugar (free with your access). Order it “tradicional” not “turistico” for the proper version. Pair with a Cohiba duty-free for the iconic Cuban combination.

Cuba’s currency situation is famously chaotic. Bring USD or EUR cash — both work, EUR slightly preferred at most casinos and casas particulares. Don’t rely on cards; foreign cards rarely work due to US sanctions affecting payment networks. Don’t exchange at the airport — the official Cadeca rate is poor; exchange a portion through your casa particular host or a trusted hotel at the unofficial rate (10x better). Bring more cash than you think — the country lacks the modern card infrastructure of even nearby DR or Cancun.

Internet access in Cuba is limited but improving. Most casas particulares now have Wi-Fi (often Cubacel-tier slow). For mobile data, buy a Cubacel SIM at the airport on arrival — ~€25 for 20 GB / 30 days. Cubacel is the only mobile carrier in Cuba; international roaming is expensive and limited. Cubacel eSIM exists as of 2024 for compatible iPhones — buy online before travel for a smoother arrival. Most hotel and public Wi-Fi requires a Nauta card — ~€1 per hour, sold at hotels and ETECSA offices. The Wi-Fi is slow but functional for messaging.

Cuba tap water is not safe to drink, including airport washroom taps. Bottled water airside runs ~€2–4 for 500 ml. Sala VIP T3 has free filtered water. In casas particulares and hotels, hosts provide bottled water; supplies sometimes run short during the high season — bring iodine tablets or a Steripen as backup if you’re going off the beaten path.

Cuba is widely regarded as among the Caribbean’s safer destinations for solo female travellers — violent crime is rare, tourist-area police presence is active, and the general orientation is towards visitors. The catcalling (‘piropos’) is constant but mostly harmless; ignore it. Avoid the Centro Habana area at night east of the Malecón; daytime walking through Habana Vieja, Vedado, and Playa is fine. Don’t hail street taxis; use Cubataxi or pre-arranged car only. The HAV airport itself is safe and well-policed.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30; peak risk is mid-August through October. Cuba gets hit roughly every 3–5 years. If booking June–November, get travel insurance with hurricane coverage; book directly with airlines for easier rebooking. Cuba’s heat year-round is intense: 28–33°C daytime, 23–26°C overnight, humidity 75–90%. December–April is the dry season with consistent sunshine and lower humidity — the best time to visit.

Tipping is significant in Cuba because Cuban state-employed workers earn very low official salaries. Tip 10–15% in restaurants and paladares; €1–2 per drink; €5–10 per day for casa-particular hosts; €1–2 per bag for porters. Tip in EUR or USD bills — it’s far more valuable to the recipient than CUP at the official rate. Small bills (€1, €5, US$1, US$5) are best. Cigars and Mojitos at private bars are tip-friendly: round up generously.