Cuba / Before you go · 11 min read
Seven mistakes, and the first one is already in your water bottle.
Written after six years living there — what actually goes wrong for visitors, and the question to ask before you book anywhere.
What Not to Do in Cuba
Not here to romanticise it, and not here to scare you off.
I've been living in Cuba on and off for over six years now — long enough to stop being shocked, and long enough to watch tourists make the same handful of mistakes over and over. So this isn't a generic listicle. These are the real things not to do in Cuba — the small misjudgments around water, money, safety, and electricity that quietly wreck a trip — written by someone who lived there, not someone who flew in for a long weekend. If you want the full picture before you land, start with our Cuba travel guide.
I'm not here to romanticize Cuba or scare you off. The paradoxes everyone talks about aren't really paradoxes once you live here — they're just how things work. So consider this the briefing I wish someone had given me: seven mistakes to avoid, why each one matters, and exactly what to do instead.
Updated June 2026 — a major change to how money works in Cuba (international Visa & Mastercard payments now unreliable). Full details in section 2.
The seven, in one place
Don't drink the tap water
Bottled only, even for brushing your teeth.
Don't mishandle your money
As of June 2026 international Visa and Mastercard are unreliable. Bring enough cash for the whole trip, and check the real rate before changing anything.
Don't book without asking about a generator
Blackouts are routine. A place with a planta is a different stay.
Don't assume you can top up mobile data
Tourist SIMs limit how and when you can recharge. Buy the largest package on arrival.
Don't talk politics openly
For you it is a flag. For the Cuban you are talking to, it is worse.
Don't walk alone through dark streets at night
Use official taxis after dark, and stay on lit, populated blocks.
Don't eat at random street stalls
Check reviews or ask a local first. Some are the best meals in the country; the difference is knowable.
The three that cost visitors the most
The cash you have to land with
The stall worth checking first
And the street you should not walk aloneCuba Travel Mistakes at a Glance
Each mistake, why it matters, and what to do instead.
Every mistake, sortable
| Mistake | Why It Matters | What To Do Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Drinking tap water | Aging pipes and mineral content your stomach isn't adapted to | Buy bottled (Ciego Montero); use it even to brush your teeth |
| Mishandling money (cards, cash & exchange) | Visa/Mastercard are unreliable as of June 2026, and the official rate costs you 20–30% | Bring enough cash (euros or USD) for the whole trip; check El Toque's rate and change via your casa host |
| Booking without a generator | Blackouts (apagones) can leave rooms unbearably hot | Confirm the place has a planta eléctrica covering the A/C |
| Assuming you can top up data | Tourist SIMs cap recharges, leaving you offline mid-trip | Buy the biggest data package on arrival; budget it |
| Talking politics openly | Risky for you, far worse for any Cuban in the conversation | Stick to culture, music, food, daily life |
| Walking alone at night | Petty crime targets isolated, distracted tourists | Use official taxis; keep valuables out of sight |
| Eating at random stalls | Some lack refrigeration or hygiene standards | Favor paladares; check Google Maps reviews first |
Havana, where most of these decisions get made.Do Not Drink the Tap Water
You will hear this and assume it does not apply to you. It does.
You'll hear this warning and think it doesn't apply to you. It does.
I've watched countless visitors convince themselves that the warning is exaggerated. "Surely a little bit won't hurt." "I have a strong stomach." "I'll just brush my teeth with it." Three days later, they're stuck in a bathroom situation they won't forget, and every Cuban around them is pretending very hard not to notice.
The thing is, if you grow up here, your body adapts. Cubans have been drinking this water their entire lives. Their systems have learned to handle it in ways yours simply hasn't. It's not about being weak or delicate. It's about biological reality. Your stomach doesn't have the immunity.
What happens is this: Cuba's water treatment infrastructure doesn't meet the standards you're used to. There's mineral content, there's microbial contamination, and there's the simple fact that pipes in this country are old and rusty. Even when water comes out clear, it carries things you can't see. Hotels will tell you their water is filtered. Maybe it is. But I wouldn't bet my vacation on it.
What to do instead: Buy sealed bottled water the moment you land. Ciego Montero is everywhere—at state-run stores, at your casa particular, at pharmacies. It costs almost nothing. Keep bottles in your room, in your bag, everywhere. When you're at a restaurant or bar, specify you want bottled water and watch them open it in front of you. Even when brushing your teeth, use bottled water. I know it sounds paranoid. It's not. It's just how it works here — the CDC's Cuba traveler health page gives the same advice on food and water. See our full Cuba packing list for everything else you'll want to bring.
Do Not Rely on Cards
As of June 2026, international Visa and Mastercard payments are not dependable.
As of June 2026, do not rely on international Visa or Mastercard payments in Cuba. Following recent banking and payment disruptions tied to U.S. sanctions on the bank that processed them, treat the island as cash-only — bring enough cash (euros or U.S. dollars) to cover your whole trip.
Cards aside, here's where your ignorance will cost you real money: the exchange rate.
Do Not Use the Official Exchange Rate
The gap between the official and the real rate is a fifth of your money.
The official exchange rate—the one you'll find at banks, at the airport, at official CADECA bureaus (the rate the Banco Central de Cuba sets)—is almost comically bad. I'm talking about losing 20-30% of your money's value before you've even spent a single peso. It's not a scam exactly. It's just the government setting a rate that benefits the government, not you.
Everyone who actually lives here knows this. Cubans know it. Expats know it. Long-term visitors know it. The informal market exists precisely because the official rate is so terrible that no one with options uses it.
When I first moved here, I made this mistake. I thought I was being smart and legitimate by using the official channels. I watched my money evaporate and felt genuinely stupid. Never again.
The real rate exists, and it's published daily.El Toque, an independent news outlet, publishes the informal exchange rates for Euros, US Dollars, and MLC every single day. These published rates are what everyone on the street uses as their benchmark. Check before you come. Check while you're here. Know the number.
How to actually exchange money: Ask your casa particular owner. They have connections. They can facilitate an exchange with someone trustworthy at rates that match El Toque's published figures. It's not shady. It's how things work. Your casa owner benefits from you getting a good rate because you'll spend more money in the neighborhood, and they'll see you again. Everyone wins. For a deeper dive, read our Cuba money and internet guide.
If you're uncomfortable with that, at minimum, research the rate before you come and know what you should be getting. Don't just accept whatever someone offers you.
Do Not Book Without Asking About a Generator
The one question that separates a tolerable stay from a miserable one.
This is the detail that separates a tolerable stay from a miserable one.
Blackouts—"apagones"—are part of Cuban life. Not occasionally. Regularly. Especially outside of Havana. They can last hours. They can happen at night when you're trying to sleep, or during the day when you're back at your room trying to escape the heat.
Imagine coming back to your accommodation after a day of exploring, sweaty and exhausted, ready to cool down. The power is out. There's no air conditioning. There's no fan. There's no way to charge your phone. The heat in a closed room in Cuba is not a minor inconvenience. It's genuinely oppressive. It affects your sleep. It affects your mood. It affects whether you can actually function.
But here's the thing: many places have generators. They're called "plantas eléctricas" locally. When the neighborhood goes dark, these generators kick in and keep essential services running.
Before you book anywhere—hotel, hostel, casa particular—ask this one question: "Do you have a planta eléctrica?" If they say yes, ask if it covers air conditioning and outlets. If they seem unsure or evasive, keep looking. This single detail will determine whether your room becomes a refuge or a sauna. Our guide to Havana neighborhoods can also help you pick the right area.
I've seen people spend hundreds of dollars on accommodation without asking this. Then they arrive during a blackout and regret every decision that led them to that moment.
Do Not Assume You Can Top Up Data
Tourist SIM plans limit when and how often you can recharge.
Cuba's internet situation is… complicated. Not terrible, but definitely not what you're used to.
You can buy WiFi cards to use in public parks. You can get a tourist SIM card at the airport. These things exist. The problem is that they come with restrictions that most travel guides conveniently leave out.
The trap: Tourist SIM card data plans often only allow you to recharge once per month. Once. So if you buy a plan with, say, 5GB of data, and you run through it in two weeks, you're stuck. You can't add more data until the month resets. If you find a workaround, you'll be charged rates so absurd that you'll question your entire life.
I've watched people run out of data mid-trip and have to hunt down someone selling an overpriced top-up on the black market. It's frustrating and expensive.
What to do: Buy the largest data package you can afford from the moment you arrive at the airport. Budget it carefully for your entire stay. If you're here for two weeks, calculate how much you actually need and then get a bit more as a buffer. Or rely on public WiFi hotspots in parks and tourist zones, which work during posted hours but are crowded and unpredictable.
The bottom line: don't count on being able to fix your internet situation once you're here. Plan it before you land.
Do Not Talk Politics Openly
For you it is an inconvenience. For the Cuban you are talking to, it is not.
This is where I need to be direct with you.
Cuba's political environment is delicate. Not in a fragile way, but in a way that has real consequences. While Cubans are generally warm and welcoming to travelers, criticizing the government—especially publicly—is a serious mistake.
For you, as a tourist, it could result in being flagged, potentially blacklisted, prevented from returning to Cuba. In extreme cases, it could mean questioning by authorities. That's not fear-mongering. That's reality.
For a Cuban you're speaking with? The consequences are exponentially worse. Employment consequences. Legal complications. Things that actually impact their life in ways they can't recover from.
I've been here long enough to understand that this isn't about being polite. It's about respect. It's about recognizing that you're a guest in someone's country, and your casual political opinion isn't worth the risk you're creating for the people around you.
What to do: Don't engage with political topics. Full stop. Talk about music, about culture, about food, about daily life, about whatever you want—except this. If someone brings politics up, politely redirect. Your Cuban friends will appreciate it more than you know.
Do Not Walk Alone at Night in Havana
Safer than much of the Caribbean, which is not the same as safe anywhere.
Cuba is safer than many places in the Caribbean. That doesn't mean you should test it.
Petty crime exists. Most of it happens when tourists put themselves in vulnerable situations: walking alone late at night, displaying expensive jewelry or electronics, traveling through neighborhoods they don't know in poorly lit areas.
It's not rampant. It's not like you can't go out at night. But you need to be smart about it.
I've been here long enough that I move through Havana with confidence. But I also move with awareness. I don't flash my phone. I don't wear jewelry. I use official taxis late at night instead of walking. I stick to well-populated areas. For a full breakdown, read our Cuba safety guide, and check the U.S. State Department Cuba page for current advisories before you travel.
Smart moves at night
Use official taxis for late-night trips
Negotiate or use the official rank rather than flagging a car.
Stick to well-lit, populated streets
Lit and populated beats short and direct, every time.
Travel with a companion when possible
Two people is a different proposition from one.
Keep phone in your pocket, not in your hand
In your pocket it is a phone. In your hand it is an offer.
What to avoid
Walking alone in poorly lit areas
Especially away from the main streets and the seafront.
Displaying expensive jewelry or electronics
It is the single clearest signal you can send.
Carrying large amounts of visible cash
Carry what you need for the evening, not for the week.
Wandering into unfamiliar neighborhoods after dark
Daylight first. Learn the block before you arrive in the dark.
Havana after dark, and the streets it happens on
The facades, which are darker than they photograph
The blocks where people are still out
And the corner to walk past, not intoDo Not Eat at Random Street Stalls
Some are the best meals in the country. The difference is knowable.
Cuban food is incredible. But some street food stalls operate without refrigeration or hygiene standards that would make you uncomfortable.
Not all of them. Some are fantastic. But you need to know the difference.
I've eaten at plenty of street stalls here. Some of my best meals have been from vendors with plastic stools and a griddle. But I also know which ones have been operating for years, which ones have a reputation, which ones the locals actually eat at.
Tourists often make the mistake of assuming that if Cubans are eating there, it must be safe. Sometimes that's true. Sometimes it's just that Cubans have adapted to lower food safety standards out of necessity, not because those standards are actually safe for a foreigner.
What to do: Eat at paladares (family-run private restaurants) whenever possible. These are usually operated out of someone's home, and the quality and hygiene are significantly higher. Check Google Maps reviews before you go anywhere. Ask your casa particular owner for recommendations. They know which places in the neighborhood are good and which ones will make you regret your choices. Our Cuban food guide has the best paladares and dishes worth seeking out.
This approach lets you eat authentic Cuban food while actually being able to enjoy it without spending three days in the bathroom.
What to look for instead
Official Resources Worth Checking
Health, safety and money, from the primary sources.
Verified links to official health, safety, and money resources for travel to Cuba.
CDC Cuba travel health — vaccinations and current health notices.
US State Department Cuba advisory — the current level and what it covers.
Banco Central de Cuba — the official rate, for comparison only.
elTOQUE — the everyday market rate, updated daily.
The Bottom Line
None of this makes Cuba hard. It makes it legible.
This isn't paranoia. It's just common sense applied to a place where common sense matters.
I'm not here to romanticize Cuba or scare you off. The paradoxes everyone talks about aren't really paradoxes once you live here — they're just how things work. So consider this the briefing I wish someone had given me: seven mistakes to avoid, why each one matters, and exactly what to do instead.
Written by Álvaro M Llerena, based on more than six years living in Cuba on and off. Last updated June 2026.
Before you go
What should tourists avoid in Cuba?
The big ones: drinking tap water, relying on international cards (Visa and Mastercard are unreliable as of June 2026), changing money at the official rate, booking a room with no generator, talking politics openly, and walking alone down dark streets at night. Get those right and you've sidestepped most of the trouble before it starts.
Can tourists drink tap water in Cuba?
No. Even if locals seem fine with it, your stomach isn't adapted to the mineral content and aging pipes. Drink bottled water — Ciego Montero is sold everywhere — and use it for brushing your teeth too. A few dollars of bottled water is far cheaper than losing two days of your trip.
Do credit cards work in Cuba in 2026?
Don't count on them. As of June 2026, international Visa and Mastercard payments are widely unreliable after the bank that processed them was hit by U.S. sanctions. Treat Cuba as a cash-only destination, plan to pay cash for everything, and bring enough for the whole trip.
How much cash should I bring to Cuba?
Enough for the entire trip, since there's no reliable card backup and ATMs are hit or miss. Budget roughly $55–90 a day for a mid-range trip — more if you're eating in paladares and taking taxis daily. Bring clean, undamaged U.S. dollars or euros, which current UK guidance says are widely accepted. Check official advice shortly before departure.
Is it safe to walk around Havana at night?
Generally yes in busy, well-lit areas. Cuba is safer than much of the Caribbean, but petty crime targets isolated, distracted tourists, so don't walk alone down dark, empty streets. Use official taxis after dark, keep your phone and valuables out of sight, and you'll be fine.
What should I not bring to Cuba?
Skip anything that looks like political material, drones (they're frequently confiscated at the airport), and flashy jewelry you'd rather not lose. There isn't much else to stress about on the packing front — just don't make the mistake of relying on cards instead of bringing enough cash.
How bad are blackouts in Cuba?
Bad enough to factor into where you stay. The blackouts (apagones) are regular, unpredictable, and can last hours — and they're more frequent outside Havana. Only book a casa or hotel that confirms it has a generator (planta eléctrica) covering the air conditioning, or summer nights get rough.
What is the biggest mistake tourists make in Cuba?
Arriving without enough cash. With international cards unreliable and ATMs hit or miss, running low on money is the fastest way to derail a trip here. Bring everything you'll need for the whole stay in cash, plus a small buffer for the things that always cost more than you expect.
Keep going
Sources
Checked against official and institutional sources · CDC: Cuba travel health · US State Dept Cuba advisory · Banco Central de Cuba · elTOQUE exchange-rate tracker · UK FCDO Cuba travel advice · Cuba Travel (MINTUR) · ETECSA · Government of Canada: Cuba · Smartraveller: Cuba · WHO: Cuba country profile
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