Cuba (CU)
Cuba is a unique socialist island nation of 11 million people in the Caribbean — a country of vintage American cars, world-famous cigars, Havana salsa, colonial architecture, and extraordinary natural beauty.
Daily Life
Practical day-to-day information for living in Cuba.
🛒 Supermarkets
State-run hard currency stores. Accept MLC (prepaid foreign currency cards) and some debit cards linked to foreign currency accounts. Stock imported goods and items unavailable in CUP stores. Common in tourist areas.
Farmers markets selling fresh produce, vegetables, fruit, pork, and chicken. Prices in CUP. Quality varies but often the freshest and cheapest source of produce. Open daily 7am–5pm typically.
State ration stores. Cubans receive subsidised monthly allocations (arroz, frijoles, azúcar, aceite, etc.) via the libreta (ration book). Foreigners cannot access libreta goods — for information only.
Privately-owned restaurants (since 2011 reform). Often the best quality food available for foreigners. Prices in CUP or MLC. Increasingly common across Cuba.
Stores accepting only MLC (Moneda Libremente Convertible) via a prepaid card system. Sell appliances, electronics, imported food, and scarce goods. Require a Cuban bank account to load MLC cards.
Opening Hours
State stores: Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, closed Sundays. Private restaurants (paladares): varies, typically 11am–10pm. Pharmacies (farmacias): Mon–Sat 8am–6pm; some 24h farmacias de guardia in cities. Banks (Banco Metropolitano, BPA): Mon–Fri 8am–3pm. CADECA (exchange): daily 8am–6pm at hotels and major locations.
Sunday Rules
Sunday in Cuba is generally quiet for government services and state stores. Farmers markets, private restaurants, and casas particulares operate normally. No strict legal quiet hours enforced for neighbours, but Cubans generally respect a quieter morning atmosphere on Sundays. Major CDR (neighbourhood committee) meetings or events may occur on Sunday mornings.
Recycling
Cuba has no formal household recycling system comparable to Western countries. Municipal waste collection (COMUNALES) collects mixed rubbish. Informal recycling exists: glass, cardboard, metal, and plastic are bought by state purchasing points (Centros de Acopio) by weight for CUP. Many Cubans informally collect and sell recyclables. Plastic bag reduction efforts are ongoing but plastic is still widely used.
Dining Out
Two-tier dining: state restaurants (relatively cheap in CUP, often lower quality) vs. paladares (private, better quality, more expensive). Paladar main course: 300–800 CUP ($5–15 USD equivalent). Street food from paladares windows: 50–200 CUP. Breakfast at casa particular: typically included or 100–200 CUP extra. Vegetarian options are limited outside Havana. Always confirm prices before ordering.
Utilities & Internet
Electricity: provided by UNE (Unión Eléctrica) — state monopoly. Power cuts (apagones) are a daily reality in 2026 — outages typically 8–12 hours per day in provinces, 4–8 hours in Havana. Water: AGUAS DE LA HABANA / INRH. Water supply is intermittent — most homes have a cistern (tanque/tinaco). Internet: ETECSA Nauta WiFi cards (40–90 minutes per card depending on location). Mobile data is available via CUBACEL with a Cuban SIM. No home broadband as understood internationally.
Cultural Tips for Expats
- → The cola (queue) is a Cuban social institution. Ask "¿Quién es el último?" (Who is last?) to join — this is the polite system for tracking queue position without a physical queue.
- → Electricity outages (apagones) are a daily reality in 2026. Always have a torch, portable battery, and fan ready. Plan activities around the power schedule.
- → Music is everywhere — from bus stops to restaurants. Joining a spontaneous dance is welcomed. Refusing enthusiastically offered dancing may cause mild offence.
- → Jineteros (touts and informal guides) approach tourists constantly. A polite but firm "No, gracias" is the norm. They are not dangerous, just persistent.
- → The dual economy (CUP + informal USD/EUR) means prices and availability vary enormously depending on which system you are accessing. Always clarify currency before agreeing on a price.
Quiet Hours
Cuba has no formally enforced residential quiet hours equivalent to German or Spanish law. However, Cuban social norms do observe quieter periods during the afternoon siesta (1–3pm) and from approximately 11pm onwards. Loud music from neighbours, frequent parties, and communal gatherings are part of Cuban cultural life and generally tolerated. Noise complaints are resolved through neighbourhood CDR (Comité de Defensa de la Revolución) representatives rather than police. For expats in apartment buildings, being sociable with neighbours prevents most noise conflicts.
Social convention rather than law. Businesses may close. Many Cubans nap during this period. Avoid loud construction or renovation work during this time.
Social expectation — not formally enforced by law. Very loud parties after midnight in apartment buildings may attract intervention from CDR. Neighbourhood social norms vary widely.
- •Running noisy appliances (washing machines, generators) at night without warning neighbours.
- •Loud music at high volume in casas particulares during late evening — hosts may face complaints from neighbours.
- •Assuming Western noise standards apply — Cuban social life is naturally louder and more communal.
- •Conflict with neighbours over noise: always resolve through conversation and respect for the CDR mediation process rather than direct confrontation.
No formal fines for noise violations in Cuba. Social consequences: conflict with neighbours, complaints to the local CDR (Comité de Defensa de la Revolución), and potential impact on your rental arrangement. Casa particular hosts may ask guests to leave if noise causes persistent problems with neighbours.
Postal Services
Correos de Cuba (correos.cu) is the national postal operator. Postal infrastructure is limited and unreliable by international standards — international mail can take weeks to months. For important documents, use DHL (the only major international courier with a presence in Cuba, operating through a joint venture) or hand-carry documents through trusted travellers. The Cuban postal system is not suitable for time-sensitive or high-value items.
Automated parcel lockers do not exist in Cuba. Parcels from abroad are held at the main Correos de Cuba sorting office and recipients are notified by a card left at their address. Collecting a parcel can involve a significant wait and, for international parcels, customs inspection and potential duty payment.
Bring your passport and carné de identidad (Cuban ID for nationals) or foreign resident documentation to collect international parcels. Customs officers may open and inspect packages. Declaration of contents and value is mandatory. Import restrictions apply to many categories of goods.
Correos de Cuba offers registered mail (carta certificada) with nominal tracking for domestic and international delivery. For legally important documents from outside Cuba, use DHL with full tracking where possible. Cuban courts and government authorities typically use official couriers or hand-delivery for formal notices — registered mail from Correos is not the standard for official proceedings.
No automatic mail forwarding service exists. Before leaving, arrange for a trusted contact to manage your physical mail, use an employer or NGO address, or maintain contact with your casa particular host. International couriers (DHL) serve Havana and major cities, though their reach is limited by US trade restrictions affecting many global shipping companies.
- →DHL operates in Cuba (via Cubacel joint venture) and is the most reliable option for international express delivery — use it for critical documents.
- →Allow 6–12 weeks for standard international postal items. Many packages are lost or opened in customs.
- →Customs declaration: declare all contents accurately; undeclared commercial goods can result in confiscation.
- →For family members sending goods from abroad: "paquetes" (care packages) are a major Cuban informal economy. Items are often sent through informal carriers (mules/viajeros) rather than official postal channels.
- →Internet-based communication (WhatsApp via Nauta WiFi) is more reliable for coordination than physical mail or phone calls in Cuba.