Cuba: country facts, travel advice and health

OsmAnd: offline maps, with Wikivoyage available as a download inside the app.Organic Maps: quick, simple offline maps built on OpenStreetMap data.Airbnb: for booking private stays, which it may list in Cuba.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 1 of 5: Most payments are made in cash, so carry enough of it.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Cuba

Cuban Peso · $ · CUP

Do not rely on your bank card working; bring enough cash for the whole trip.

Never change money with people on the street; travellers have been given fake or local notes.

Change money at banks or exchange houses in town; their rates beat those at hotels and resorts.

At private restaurants, pick ones with a printed menu showing prices to avoid being overcharged.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Cuban Peso in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Navidad

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · Triumph of the Revolution Triunfo de la Revolución

Sat, 2 Jan 2027 · Victory of Fidel Castro Día de Victoria de las Fuerzas Armadas

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day Día de los trabajadores

Sun, 25 Jul 2027 · Day before the Commemoration of the Assault of the Moncada garrison Conmemoración del asalto a Moncada

Mon, 26 Jul 2027 · Commemoration of the Assault of the Moncada garrison Día de la Rebeldía Nacional

Tue, 27 Jul 2027 · Day after the Commemoration of the Assault of the Moncada garrison Conmemoración del asalto a Moncada

Sun, 10 Oct 2027 · Independence Day Día de la Independencia

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Cuba say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 6 May 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

Advises against all but essential travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 25 Sept 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Fake taxi drivers and tour operators

Travel only with your own tour operator; from the airport, take a registered yellow taxi.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Deliberately punctured hire-car tyres

If a tyre goes flat somewhere remote, keep driving to the next town before stopping.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Travellers not vaccinated against hepatitis A are advised to get the vaccine.

Vaccinations

Travellers who have not had the hepatitis A vaccine are advised to get it.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Havana

The capital, with a big-city buzz and lively nightlife.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

One Cuban radio station runs news around the clock and announces the time every single minute.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: El Himno de Bayamo. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

9 World Heritage sites in Cuba, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $107.4 billionSource: World Bank · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $9,605Source: World Bank · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	tobacco, nickel, liquor, zinc ore, precious metal ore (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	10.9 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	46.2 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	80.1 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Christian 58.9%, folk religion 17.6%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, Muslim <1%, other <1%, none 23.2% (2020 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	110,860 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeastSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	communist stateSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+53Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).