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Cuba travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Havana Cathedral
Havana Cathedral. Photo: akasenn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
9h 30mflight from London
Cuban pesocurrency
Apply onlinefor UK passports
Type A, B, C, Lplugs

Vintage cars, salsa and colonial Havana

Don't miss

  1. Old Havana
  2. Viñales
  3. Trinidad
Good forCultureHistory & ruinsBeaches

Best time to visit Cuba from the UK

Best value: May, Oct–Nov. Nov–Apr: dry season. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Apr.

22.4 C22°J23.5 C24°F24.5 C24°M26.5 C26°A27.8 C28°M28.5 C28°J29 C29°J29.1 C29°A28.3 C28°S27.1 C27°O24.8 C25°N23.6 C24°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Havana, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Havana for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: May and OctoberThe warmest of the best-value months (27–28°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Dec–AprUsually 22–26°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Jun–SepAround 28–29°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: August (29°C) · coolest: January (22°C)A 7°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
22.423.524.526.527.828.52929.128.327.124.823.6

Festivals and events

  • Havana Jazz Festival Jan · Havana
  • Santiago Carnival Jul · Santiago de Cuba
  • Parrandas de Remedios Dec · Remedios

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 9h 30m
Distance
7,470 km
Main airport
HAV

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Cuba to your bucket list Search flights to HAV

Practical info and travel guidance

Cuban pesoCapital: Havana
Type A, B, C, L · 110VBring a UK adapter; check chargers say 100-240V
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
106
EmergencyAmbulance 104
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against all but essential travel to parts of CubaCheck which areas before you book.
  • VisaApply online before you goTourist card (e-visa) before you travel
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Cuba, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 25 September 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Cuba before you book and again before you go.

Open Cuba on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.