Havana/Cuba

Havana is the capital of Cuba and the largest city in the Caribbean. Regular airline flights from our country to here have been started in recent years. The airport that you will use on your arrival in Havana is in very modest conditions and your transactions are completed in not very short time. For this reason, it is useful to be prepared for the tiredness of the waiting period after a long flight.

In this region where Spanish is dominant, the use of the English language is also very common. This was one of the things that surprised me when I came here. I have witnessed that tourism has a profound effect on every part of daily life in this city and country, which I consider to have extremely authentic features. The touristic approach is made to feel at every stage of daily life for every foreigner who comes and it can create strangeness for people who come with expectations like me.

Terminal çıkışı kalacağınız otel için transfer planlamanız mevcut değilse, taksi seçeneği haricinde pek şansınız bulunmamaktadır. Kiralık araç uygulaması burada son derece kısıtlı durumdadır. Genelde klasik arabalardan oluşan taksi sıraları gelen turistleri sabırsızlıkla beklemektedir. Gelmeden önce internetten kalacağınız otel için yaklaşık ne kadar ücret ödeyeceğinize yönelik yapacağınız araştırma, sizin sürprizler ile karşılaşmanıza engel olacaktır.

Ülkede alışverişte diğer ülkelere göre çok farklı bir uygulama devrededir. Satın alacağınız her ürünün fiyatı kendi vatandaşları için farklı, diğer kişiler için farklı durumdadır. Hatırı sayılır ölçüde farklı fiyat uygulaması bakkaldan markete, restorandan tekel ürünü satan işyerlerine kadar her yerde geçerlidir. Ürünlerin üzerinden bazen tek bazen çift fiyat görürseniz bilin ki yüksek olan sizin ödeyeceğiniz bedel olacaktır. Buna rağmen bazı ürünlerin fiyatları son derece cazip düzeydedir.

In Havana, which has a humid climate, it will be in your favor to plan spare clothes against getting wet for your trip to and around the city. Speaking of hotels, the air conditioning environment is extremely limited here. In most of the rooms, there is the possibility of cooling by means of a fan. This is also the case in restaurants, bars and shopping environments that you will use while visiting the city. In addition, internet access can be limited from time to time. For this reason, it may be necessary to use offline status or taking pictures when necessary for applications and conveniences that you can use during your travel.

Most of the hotels, especially outside the city center, are on the coastline and have extremely impressive views. But it is strange that swimming is not allowed here. To enter the sea, beach areas outside the city (about 1 hour journey is required) must be preferred. The breakfast and food services offered in the hotels are at a reasonable level in terms of variety and prices. The options offered at breakfast are extremely wide and suitable for international cuisine. There are a lot of coffee options available, and tea is not preferred. Mostly Spanish cuisine makes itself felt in meals, and seafood comes first.

The port area in the city center is equipped with many shabby restaurants and small market places selling touristic items. You can buy souvenirs at affordable prices from here. Sellers who are not keen on bargaining often ask for multiple (three or more) purchases for a discount. The activity in almost every area in the city is at a level that can cause discomfort from time to time due to the fact that it is aimed at tourists and based on excessive price and demand. Restaurants for seafood in the extremely natural environment in this region offer attractive opportunities. To give an example for the places where fresh products are served; You can consume fish or shrimp for about 10 US dollars with a side dish and a drink.

Again, there are many restaurants, cafes, bars and shops for shopping on both sides of the only street closed to vehicle traffic, which is in the middle of the city. A bar/cafe mix venue where Ernest Hemingway is a regular and prefers mujito; It is heavily preferred by tourists both to relieve the tiredness of the day and to experience the authentic environment. The Revolution Museum, which is within walking distance and can be visited for free, has the feature that you will witness very beautiful squares. It mainly consists of pictures and photographs.

Again, a city tour is a ritual for this place, with the many classic cars you can see along the front of the Parliament Building just behind this area. During the tour, which lasts approximately 1 hour, the tour in the city, the coastal region and the large forest area ends in the same place. It is recommended that you pay special attention to sun protection with a hat and glasses during this trip with a classic car. The tour bus option in red in many cities of the world is also available here. You can also visit the city with these buses by means of daily tickets. It is necessary to go with this option, especially to the castle area, which is located at the far end of the port area and where you cannot go on foot. The fare that taxis charge for this region is quite high.

The options for the famous cigars, which are among the most preferred products for shopping, are quite wide. Tours for cigar production centers located outside the city are generally available from hotels and shopping centers in the city center, and the fees are not very high. However, there is no wage difference between the quality and prices of the products to be purchased from these stores and those to be purchased from state stores. Apart from the advantage of seeing the activities there, it is up to people's own preference whether to spend the whole day there or not.

By the way, let's talk about government stores. Here you can buy cigars, alcoholic products, medicine, etc. government stores (not very large) where some products are sold are shown by locals when asked. Unfortunately, limited quantity and variety of products are offered here, which is advantageous in terms of price. In other stores, the product range is wider and the prices are higher. While you are here, you cannot go without buying the famous Havana cigars. Prices vary according to quality and size, and their fees are reasonable. Again, cosmetic products made from placenta are very popular. These products are also sold in many hotels. The sale of drugs for cancer disease is at a very high level here. It is also sold in pharmacies in the dutyfree area at the airport terminal when returning from the country.

If you walk around the city, you will come across very authentic and original houses and streets, and you will be able to take beautiful photos. You will be able to see the local people sitting in front of the doors, the inside of the houses through the windows without curtains. You will be able to watch people in the house in their natural state while sitting and watching TV.

This situation, which people may especially want here, may seem quite strange to you. Having the doors and windows open and not using curtains is an extremely different matter. In this city where there is no shortage of music, you will be able to see people dancing even in front of the door. You will be able to witness very old people smoking cigars and drinks on the stairs or on the pavement in front of the door.

Time has stopped due to the pressures and embargoes it is exposed to; We wish you to visit the authentic yet touristic Havana with your dreams, with its climate, rain, continuous dance music….