Hi Sharon,
I have heard it said a million times that the best thing about Cuba is the people. And my number 1 tip would be to interact with locals as much as possible. Try to build relationships with a few people. Once you gain the trust of a Cuban family you will gain a lifetime of friendship.
There are many beautiful attractions and things to see and fun places to visit in Cuba. I include many great Havana locations in my book. But always know that in Cuba, friends and family always come first and the culture and people are the number one reason to visit the island.
With that out of the way, I would say, try not to spend too much time in vehicles, driving from one place to another. It’s fun to visit many towns and cities, but I feel it is more meaningful to get to know a couple of places really well versus many places superficially. Be careful of people who ask for money or gifts and don’t take unsolicited advice. There is a huge transportation crisis right now in Havana and the taxi drivers have jacked up prices. The government has tried to mitigate this problem by adding more buses to the system. Use the buses, especially the yellow ones. They function similar to collective taxis, but are cheaper. I would suggest doing all the tourist stuff right away, so that you can settle down after and get into the local Cuban mindset. Shop at markets. Cook. Eat at tiny mom and pop restaurants. Fancy and expensive looking places should mostly be avoided. If there is a lineup of tourists outside, skip. If there are locals, that’s the place to be.
Keep an open mind. Be careful of scammers and try to get by on a budget (because that’s what ever single Cuban does). Have fun!
