How to get to Varadero
Like no other country, Cuba attracts the Russian traveler with its beaches. And the point here is not only in the ideal Caribbean landscapes, but also in the special spirit and mood prevailing on the Island of Liberty. People fly to Cuba to feel nostalgic for the old days, when sterile cleanliness reigned on store shelves, and people knew how to rejoice even in the simplest trifles. Cubans in this sense are very similar to us before, and therefore the answer to the question of how to get to Varadero is looking for and finding for themselves thousands of tourists who have decided to return to the past for at least a few days.
Choosing wings
Two airlines make direct regular flights to Cuba from Russia - Aeroflot and Cubana, but their boards fly from Moscow to Havana. There are two possible options to get to the beaches of Varadero - either buy a ticket to Havana and go to the selected hotel from there, or fly to the famous Caribbean resort with a transfer at one of the European airports:
- You can fly directly from Moscow to Havana on board Aeroflot. The price of the issue is from $ 700. Travel time is 12.5 hours.
- You can get to Havana cheaper with Air France and KLM planes. Their prices for tickets to Cuba are traditionally more humane than those of other carriers. The cost of the flight is from $ 600, you will have to spend 13 hours in the sky.
- The cheapest option is to buy a ticket to Varadero airport on a Belgian flight or on board Lufthansa. With a connection in Brussels or Frankfurt, the journey will take at least 20 hours. The price of flights depends on how early they are booked and on the time of year. Approximately, for the round trip, you will have to pay $ 700-$ 800.
Varadero Airport receives many international flights every day and is in second place after Havana in terms of the number of passengers served. The air harbor of the most popular resort in Cuba is located 20 km from the center of Varadero and bears the name of Juan Gualberto Gomez.
When asked how to get to Varadero from the international airport, Cuban taxi drivers are most likely to answer. For their services, they will ask from $ 40 to $ 50, depending on the degree of self-confidence. With the ability to bargain and the availability of free time and desire to do so, you can always "drop" the price to $ 25-30.
The second and cheapest way to get to the hotel strip is by using public transport. It is presented at Varader airport by Viazul buses. They go to the resort area several times a day, the journey takes about half an hour, and the price of the trip is $ 6.
- Viazul bus timetables, ticket prices and other useful details can be found on the website - www.viazul.com. The resource has an English version.
How to get to Varadero from the capital
Choosing the Moscow - Havana flight option, you can kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, you will be able to save a lot when buying an air ticket, especially if you try to book your seat in advance. Experienced independent travelers take advantage of the special offers e-mail service that can be subscribed to on the airline's websites. The second advantage of a trip to Varadero via Havana is the opportunity to get acquainted with the many sights of the Cuban capital, the central part of which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage of Humanity lists.
Once at the Havana airport, decide what you would like to do next. If you are interested in old Havana, you can get to the city either by taxi or by public transport:
- Leaving the international terminal, walk a couple of tens of meters to the left. The taxi rank is located here, as is the bus stop for the shuttle that runs between the terminals. Taxi drivers will ask for about $ 25 for their services. You can bargain with them indefinitely, but you will hardly be able to drop the price. The shuttle will take you to the Terminal 1 stop for just a few cents. There, crossing the road, you will see the stop of the city buses R15 and R12, going to the Varadero and old Havana area.
- If sightseeing in Havana is not your plan, you can take a taxi from the capital's airport and head to Varadero in comfort. The cost of the service will be approximately $ 100 per car. Once you get to the center of Havana, you can find a taxi for $ 70- $ 80. At the airport, prices for everything are always higher.
- The second way to get to Varadero from the capital is to go to the Viazul bus station in Havana and buy a flight to Varadero. They leave at 8.00, 10.00, 13.00 and 17.00 and in three hours arrive at the most popular Cuban resort. The price of the trip is $ 10.
The most profitable option is to find representatives of travel companies and hotels among those who meet at the Havana airport and arrange a transfer to Varadero with them. Usually this service costs about $ 15 -20 $, but in this case it is not worth relying on one hundred percent luck for obvious reasons.
All prices in the material are approximate and given for March 2017. It is better to check the exact fare on the official websites of the carriers.
Post-instruction on how to get from Havana airport in Cuba to Havana and the most popular resort on the island - Varadero.
- Havana Airport Code: HAV
- International airport name: José Martí International Airport
- Airport address: Avenida Nguyen Van Troi, Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba
- Local time: GMT -5
- Opening hours: around the clock
- Visa: a visa to Cuba for Russians and Belarusians is not required when staying on the island for no more than 30 days. Citizens of Ukraine must obtain a visa to visit Cuba. The validity of a passport to visit Cuba is at least 1 month from the end of the trip. Upon arrival in Cuba, a migration card must be filled out in duplicate.
- Currency of Cuba: Cuban peso, 1 peso = 100 centavos. Current exchange rate: 1 Cuban peso = 0.03 US dollars or 2.2 rubles. Money can be easily changed at the airport, because the course is the same everywhere.
- Date of construction of the airport: 1930
- Passenger traffic at Havana airport: more than 4 million passengers
- Airfare Moscow - Havana: from USD 390 in two directions
- Regular Aeroflot flights from Moscow fly from Russia to Havana airport.
- Havana airport location: Cuba island, 11 km south of Havana
- Distance to resorts: Havana Airport - Varadero 170 km
- Airport Phone: (53 7) 266 4644 / (53 7) 33 5777
- Havana airport weather throughout the year: the hottest months and the warmest sea are from July to September (average air temperature: +30 +32 ° С, average water temperature: +30 ° С), the coldest and windiest months are from January to March (average air temperature: + 25 +27 ° C)
- Services at the airport Havana: ATMs, post office, currency exchange offices, paid Internet, smoking areas, travel agencies and tour operators, car rental offices, taxi stand, VIP lounge, pharmacy, elevators, playroom for children, rum and cigarette shop, restaurants, cafeterias ... The airport has no luggage storage, hotel and free internet access.
- Beaches closest to the airport: Playa de Este (42 km from the airport), Playa de Haymanitas (22 km from the airport)
Brief description of the airport
José Martí International Airport in Havana is the largest international airport on the island of freedom, the hub for Cuban Airlines Cubana de Aviación. The airport connects Cuba with other islands in the Caribbean, the United States and Latin America, and Europe. The airport in Havana is the only airport in Cuba with regular direct flights from Russia. Travel time Moscow - Havana - 13 hours, flights depart every day.
Havana airport terminals
The Havana airport has 4 passenger terminals and 1 cargo terminal.
- Terminal 1 - Cuba domestic flights
- Terminal 2 - charter flights from the USA
- Terminal 3 - international flights (including flights from Russia)
- Terminal 5 - Flights from the Caribbean
Shuttle buses run between individual terminals.
Among the most popular ways to travel from Havana airport to the city center and resorts are bus, taxi, shuttle, rental car.
Shuttle bus
This travel option is available to those who have purchased a package tour with a transfer to their resort. Upon exiting the airport terminal, you will be greeted by a representative of your tour operator, who will tell you which bus you need to board. Some tourists who fly to Cuba on their own agree with the transfer guides in advance and travel to their hotel in a bus with other tourists at a price of 25-30 COOK per seat.
Bus to Havana and Varadero
There are no direct, comfortable buses from the airport to the center of Havana. Local buses leave from Terminal 1 but are charged with Cuban Pesos (CUP) rather than Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC). The fact is that the money that is exchanged in exchange offices for tourists is a Cuban convertible peso, created specifically for the tourism industry and foreign exchange shops. Inhabitants of the country make payments in Cuban pesos.
Some tourists are sophisticated and leave the airport on the highway, where they can wait for hours for the city bus P12 or P16 to get to Havana on a budget. The fare on such a bus is 10 pesos for an adult and 5 pesos for a child. The opening hours of the route are approximate; even airport employees may not know it - from about 6 am to 9 pm. However, for me the search for such a bus and its long wait in the heat is a dubious pleasure, especially after many hours of transatlantic flight.
To get to Varadero, you must first take a taxi to the bus station in Havana. The address of the bus station in Havana from which buses depart: Ave. 26 y Zoológico, Nuevo Vedado. Buses on the most popular route - Havana - Varadero - run 4 times a day. Travel time is 3 hours, ticket price is $ 10. In Varadero, the bus station is located at Calle 36 y Autopista. Bus tickets are available for sale online at Viazul.com or at the ticket office at the bus station. In addition to Viazul buses, Cuba also has a budget bus carrier Astro Bus.
Car rental
All Havana Airport car hire companies are located in the arrivals area or near the car park. Terminal 3 houses the local car rental offices Cubacar, Rex, Havanautos and Via Transgaviota. It is recommended to book a car in advance, because during the high season, the demand for rental cars often exceeds the supply. Depending on the season and car class, prices vary from 50 to 125 cookies per day. It is obligatory to purchase insurance for the price of 15 cookies per day.
It only makes sense to rent a car at the airport if you go straight from the airport to your resort. If you want to first explore the capital - Havana - then you will not need a car in it. In this case, you can rent it later in the capital itself.
Travel time by car from Havana airport: 30 minutes to Havana, 1 hour to Playa de Este, 2 hours to Varadero. On the roads of Cuba, one can often find Russian cars of the 1950s: Zilas, Zhiguli, Muscovites. The traffic is not too busy. By car, you will be able to reach the most remote corners of Cuba and will not depend on public transport. For example, to the popular among Russian hotels Iberostar, Amigo Atlantico, Brizas del Caribe.
If you do not want to drive yourself, you can order an individual excursion with a driver around the island - which will take into account all your wishes.
Taxi transfer from Havana airport
Airport transfers are one of the most convenient ways to get to your resort or hotel. Local taxis can be taken from the stands located in front of all terminals. A taxi ride from the airport to Havana city center takes approximately 20-30 minutes and costs 20-25 cookies (USD 20-25 equivalent) one way. Always negotiate the cost of your trip in advance. although some taxis are equipped with meters, they are rarely turned on. Please note that taxis for locals are different from taxis for tourists. They are not air conditioned, broken and not always clean. But the cost of travel is very low. There are fewer and fewer vintage taxi cars in Cuba, and modern orange Hyundai and Skoda taxis drive from the airport to the city.
We are planning a trip for the spring. We still cannot decide on a place. At first they wanted to go to Sri Lanka, but the reviews read did not inspire in any way. The choice fell on Cuba or DR. Based on numerous reviews and my personal experience, organize a on one's own it turns out much cheaper, especially if you take care of this in advance. Hence the question: Where would you still advise to go and is it worth bothering independent by booking hotels and tickets? How there generally are things with taxis and other things if you are not coming from a travel agency?
Victorica... through TO. Cuba on one's own cheaper, we bought from solyson, Cuban flights (joint flight with Aeroflot), chose hotels, etc. Spent almost 3 weeks in Cuba: Havana - Cayo Largo - Varadero. Varadero- Cuban Turkey or Egypt. There is nothing to do there at all, I howled on the 3rd day and we took the car and rushed back to Havana... Cayo Largo is ... why, they thought again semi-independently through solison, their route, etc. but counting how many and how- it turns out expensive. Probably you will have to completely surrender to the tenacious paws of TO :) Now at Kubana ...
Local in Varadero
What endlessly white beaches in Varadero, when there is the rainy season, where the history of Cuba comes from and other facts have already been written in the Internet space an infinite number of times.
Therefore, without dwelling on general information about Cuba and Varadero, I will immediately move on to specific questions that visited me when I was just planning to go to Cuba, for example: if you fly to Cuba through Havana, then how to independently then go to Varadero, what are the prices for a taxi and Is it possible to pre-order a transfer from Havana to Varadero, and also if you fly to Varadero by charter, then how can you go on an excursion to Havana yourself. Perhaps you also have some of the above questions. Here - I answer!)
Moscow - Varadero: direct flights and flights via Havana.
When you are planning to travel to a country on your own, in this case to Cuba, the most expensive purchases are air travel and hotel accommodation. Therefore, I approached the purchase of an air ticket to Cuba very carefully: I monitored prices with different airlines, followed promotions and discounts, subscribed to send out cheap tickets from aviasales.ru
, was waiting for charter flights.
As a result, I bought an air ticket to Cuba on the Irkutsk-Moscow-Havana-Moscow-Irkutsk route for only 57 thousand rubles, which is very cheap by Irkutsk standards, taking into account the expensive flight to Moscow.
You can get to Cuba in Varadero as direct flight Moscow - Varadero and through Havana.
Direct flight Moscow-Varadero
it takes the same time as a flight from Moscow to Havana, but such flights are not always available. For example, Nordwind Airlines (“North Wind” airline) has charter flights on the Moscow-Varadero route.
For prices and availability of direct flights from Moscow to Varadero, you can navigate using the low prices calendar:
From Moscow to Varadero can be reached via Havana.
If we compare the prices for flights Moscow-Varadero and Moscow-Havana, then the difference can be more than 10 thousand rubles in favor of a flight to Havana.
Flight over Varadero)
About the prices of air tickets to Cuba (Moscow-Havana), as well as how to book and buy air tickets to Havana online, I wrote in the article
You will find all the information on how, having arrived in Havana, to find accommodation, to book accommodation in Havana in advance, about a transfer from Havana airport to the city, you can find in the article
If you are not going to stop in Havana and just want to go to Varadero then ...
How to get from Havana airport to Varadero on your own.
The distance from Havana to Varadero is 134 km.
Get from Havana to Varadero you can do it yourself on the intercity bus of the "Viasul" company. In general, it is cheaper to travel around Cuba by these buses than by taxi or collective taxi. The buses have a convenient schedule, and bus stations are located only in Havana, far from the center, and for example in Varadero, Trinidad, Santa Clara, etc. right in the city.
The fare to Varadero from Havana is 9.5 cookies (which equals 9.5 euros). Travel time is 3 hours.
Intercity buses from Havana to Varadero run several times a day. Bus schedule - screenshot from the official website of Vyasul):
Bus timetable from Havana to Varadero (screenshot from Viasul website page)
When planning a trip to Varadero, you should once again check the schedule directly on the website: http://www.viazul.com/index.php
Transfer Havana-Varadero, taxi prices from Havana to Varadero.
Prices for a transfer from Havana to Varadero fluctuate around 150 cookies. If you take a taxi collectively, then this cost is divided for all passengers. About 25 cookies per person in a 6-seater car.
You can catch a taxi and a taxi collectively in the central square in Havana or near the Viasul bus terminal, as well as at the Havana airport.
You can book a transfer from Havana to Varadero in advance through the service Kiwi taxi
.
You can book a transfer "Havana-Varadero" or navigate the price using this form:
Excursions to Varadero: Cayo Blanco island and swimming with dolphins.
While vacationing in Varadero, travel companies offer a variety of excursions. We liked the excursion to the island in the Atlantic Ocean - Cayo Blanco. In principle, the island will not become something outlandish for sophisticated travelers. An ordinary island, white sand, emerald water.
the island of Cayo Blanco, the sky was frowning, as a result, a downpour struck)
The excursion lured us with the possibility of swimming with dolphins.
However, we were very disappointed with how it turned out in practice.
And so, they are taken to the island on a comfortable catamaran.
Catamaran in Marina Marlin Bay, Varadero
Drinks and snacks are included in the tour price. First, as in all sea excursions in countries located by the seas, oceans, the first stop is at a coral reef. Everyone is given snorkeling masks and snorkels.
If you've been to the Red Sea in Egypt, then snorkeling off the coast of Varadero is likely to disappoint you. Compared to the flora and fauna of the Red Sea, the Atlantic Ocean (at least in this part - near Varadero) is far behind. However, there are still colorful fish.
Further - the declared swimming with dolphins. For this pleasure alone, we bought this tour.
The price for the excursion from Varadero to Cayo Blanco is 110 cookies (110 euros). If without swimming with dolphins, then the price of the excursion will be lower - 80 cookies.
On excursion brochures, photographs of this attraction look something like this:
me and a dolphin, and there is no one around) And if it were not for the life jacket, then one could say that this accidental meeting in the ocean)
In fact, everything is much simpler - like this.
Mini-aquarium and trained dolphin)
A couple of trained dolphins swim in this mini-dolphinarium and free swimming with them is prohibited. You won't be able to take photos either, since there are a lot of people and everyone stands in a row and with their backs to the pier. A professional photographer works on site, who for 10 cookies (10 euros) is ready to photograph you without the rest of the people. The trainer will give commands, the dolphin will perform (for example, lie on the palm of your hand) and the photographer will photograph how you allegedly hold the dolphin. Photos will be ready in the evening of the same day and they will be brought to you directly to the hotel, or to the box office.
Ride a dolphin for 10 seconds (one tiny circle) - 10 cookies. Only in this case it becomes possible to take pictures yourself. Otherwise, you have to order a photographer.
Indescribable sensations, of course, but I didn't have time to enjoy the process in 10 seconds)
But there is also a plus in this excursion. Lunch is included and this is the only place in Cuba where we got plenty of seafood. The excursion to Cayo Blanco provides a buffet for lunch and you can eat "until you burst."
Lunch at Cayo Blanco
The excursion to Cayo Blanca starts from the very beautiful bay of Marlin Marina. We were a little jealous of those who stayed at the BLAU VARADERO hotel - they immediately ran from the catamaran to their rooms, to rest after such a busy journey across the Atlantic) And we went to the center of Varadero, as we rented accommodation from the locals.
Excursion from Varadero to Havana: Book your own tour of Havana.
Arriving in Cuba on your own, you can book excursions at the offices of the "CUBA TOUR" company. In Varadero, Cuba Tour's office is located in a shopping center located right in the center of Varadero. It is one of the largest travel companies in Cuba. But small local travel agencies also sell excursions to Havana.
Attention! If you buy an excursion to Varadero from a travel company, it will be either in English or in Spanish.
A tour of Havana with a Russian-speaking guide can be ordered from local residents:
You can go on an excursion to Havana on your own, without a travel agency. Take a walk along the streets of Old and New Havana or take a sightseeing bus (omnibus) that departs from the central square in Havana every 15 minutes. The cost of such an excursion is 10 cookies per person. The bus runs to the sights of Havana. You can leave and enter during the day with one ticket. The audio guide talks about Havana in English.
Old Havana architecture
You can get from Varadero to Havana in the same way as from Havana to Varadero, in several ways:
1) by Viasul intercity bus, cost - 9.5 cookies, travel time - 3 hours.
Buses run several times a day.
Schedule and prices from Viazul website from Varadero to Havana:
Varadero-Havana
2) by taxi. Prices start at 150 cookies.
3) collectively by taxi. Price 25 cookies per person for 6 people.
You can catch a taxi and a collective taxi near the Viazul bus terminal in Varadero or on the central street of Varadero.
I wish you a wonderful holiday by the Atlantic Ocean.
Best regards, Katya Bashkurova.
I would be glad if you share your impressions or your experience of rest in Cuba in the comments.
local population at Varadero beach, Cuba
You set out to cover the distance from Varadero to Havana. Who among motorists does not dream of getting to their destination as quickly and at the lowest cost as possible? One way to achieve this goal is to have information about the distance between the point of departure and the final point of the route. Our map will help you find the shortest and most optimal route between Varadero and Havana. With a known average vehicle speed, the travel time can be calculated with a small error. In this case, knowing the answer to the question how many km are between Varadero and Havana - 135 km. , the time you will spend on the road will be approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes. Working with the map is very simple. The system itself will find the shortest distance and suggest the OPTIMAL route. The route from Varadero to Havana is shown in the diagram with a bold line. On the diagram, you will see all the settlements that you meet on your way while driving. Having information about cities, villages (check out the list of settlements along the Varadero - Havana highway at the bottom of the page) and traffic police posts located along the route, you will be able to quickly navigate unfamiliar areas. If you need to find another route, just indicate the FROM and WHERE you need to get, and the system will certainly offer you a solution. Having a ready-made map from Varadero to Havana and knowing how to get through difficult junctions, you can always easily answer the question of how to get from Varadero to Havana.
Panoramas
Panorama of Varadero and Havana
Driving along a predetermined route is a way to eliminate problems that may arise in unfamiliar terrain, and to overcome the desired section of the road as quickly as possible. Don't miss the details, check all the difficult road forks on the map in advance.
Don't forget a few simple rules:
- Any driver traveling long distances needs rest. Your trip will be safer and more enjoyable if, after planning a route in advance, you decide on the places to stay. The map presented on the site has various modes. Take advantage of the work of ordinary Internet users and turn to the "People's Card" mode. Perhaps there you will find information useful to you.
- Do not exceed the speed limit. The preliminary calculation of the time and the built route of the trip will help to keep within the schedule and not exceed the permitted values of the speed of movement. Thus, you will not endanger yourself and other road users.
- It is prohibited to use while driving substances that cause alcoholic or narcotic intoxication, as well as psychotropic or other substances that cause intoxication. Despite the abolition of zero ppm (now the possible total permissible error in measuring the level of alcohol in the blood is 0.16 mg per 1 liter of exhaled air), drinking alcohol while driving is strictly prohibited.
