Cuba is so large that legend has it that Christopher Columbus was confused and thought he had discovered a continent and not an island. Sitting at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, the main island is 1,200km (746 miles) long with an irregular coastline offering hundreds of bays and beaches. The years of political isolation have protected Cuba from mass tourism. The main towns and villages seem frozen in time and cast the mind back to the colonial charm last updated in the 1940s. Today the island is getting more comfortable with its glorious natural history and attractions and offers travellers an alternative Caribbean holiday.

Most Canadian travellers prefer Varadero, Holguin (Guardalavaca) and Cayo Coco, all famous for their stunning beaches. Outside of Havana most hotels operate on an all-Inclusive format. The best time to go to Cuba is between December and April, just before the humidity of the summer months. This is also when planeloads of Canadians and Europeans arrive in pursuit of the southern sun and not surprisingly, prices go up. Cubans take their holidays in July and August, so local beaches can be crowded at this time – but what better time to mix and mingle with the locals! Christmas, Easter and the period around 26 July, when Cubans celebrate the anniversary of the revolution is also very busy and lively.

Make sure you visit a cigar factory in Havana. Some of the better tours and stores are at the Romeo & Juliet or Partagas factories (the latter always being very busy). It is like stepping back in time. They still have 'readers' reading books or newspapers to the hand-rollers at the front of the room while the rollers still roll by hand. It’s an amazing experience even if you don't smoke. Make friends with the manager and he may invite you to the VIP room for ‘a smoke and a coffee.’ But beware of the guy on the beach selling that box of 25 Cohiba Esplendidos for 100 bucks – guaranteed to be fakes. Culture vultures should keep a close eye on the annual arts calendar for festivals and events. Baseball fans will certainly not want to miss the post season which runs from April to May. And political junkies may want to catch important days in the socialist calendar, particularly Día de los Trabajadores (Labour day; May 1) and Day of the National Rebellion (July 26). The official currency is the Cuban Peso (CUP), divided into 100 centavos, but the 'tourist' currency is the Peso Convertible (CUC), which replaces the US Dollar as currency in tourist related establishments like hotels, restaurants and so called 'dollar shops'. The best currency to bring along is Canadian Dollars. The CUC exchange rate is almost equal in value to the Canadian Dollar. Some places only accept Cuban Pesos and others only Pesos Convertible (usually tourist related establishments). itravel2000 recommends only changing money at official exchange bureaux or banks to avoid scams confusing the two currencies. Visa and MasterCard are generally accepted in major destinations as long as they haven't been issued by a US bank and American Express is not accepted anywhere on the island. Travellers cheques are less readily accepted than credit cards, but all major currencies are acceptable, except for US bank issued cheques. Canadian-issued debit cards will work in most ATMs.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Rainfall (mm)	64	69	46	53	99	183
Rainfall (inches)	2.8	1.8	1.8	1.3	4.7	6.5
Min Temp (°C)	18	18	19	21	22	23
Max Temp (°C)	26	26	27	28	30	31
	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rainfall (mm)	107	99	145	180	89	58
Rainfall (inches)	4.9	5.3	5.9	6.8	3.1	2.3
Min Temp (°C)	23	24	23	23	21	19
Max Temp (°C)	31	31	31	29	27	26

Departure tax from all airports is 25 CUC (convertible pesos) payable in cash.
If you have purchased an all-inclusive package vacation from itravel2000, your transportation is generally prearranged and information will be sent to you with your travel documents. Havana Jose Marti International Airport (HAV): The airport is 18km from Havana.  When transferring between terminals a bus services the three terminals. Taxis are available when going into cities and car rentals are available from the Arrivals hall. Cadeca provides foreign exchange; bars, restaurants and shops, including duty-free, Internet access and travel agencies are also available.

Varadero Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport (VRA) is 15 minutes south of Varadero. Transfers to hotels range from 20 to 45 minutes.

Frank Pais Holguin Airport (HOG) is around an hours drive to the hotels of Guardalavaca and Playa Pesquero.

Cayo Largo Vilo Acuna Airport (CYO) is close to its island’s resort hotels.

Cayo Coco Jardines del Ray Airport (CCC) is 15 minutes to the Cayo Coco resorts and 30 minutes to Cayo Guillermo resorts

Cienfuegos Jaime Gonzalez Airport (CFG) is around 90 minutes from the resort town of Trinidad on Cuba’s south coast

Manzanillo Sierra Maestra (MZO) is approximately 80 minutes from the hotels of Marea del Portillo.

Santiago de Cuba Antonio Maceo (SCU) is between 30 and 50 minutes from the south coast beach resorts

Santa Clara Abel Santamaria Airport (SNU) is around 90 minutes from the island of Cayo Santa Maria

Camaguey Ignacio Agramonte Airport (CMW) is approximately 90 minutes from the north coast resorts of Santa Lucia Electricity is officially 110vAC, 60Hz with the same plugs as Canada. However many larger hotels were built by European companies and employ a 230v system with European style two round pin plugs. Check with your hotel if converters are required. The official language is Spanish, English and some French are spoken in the major tourist areas. From Toronto and Montreal the average flight time is three and a half hours and flights to Havana and Varadero are the shortest. itravel2000 can also book year-round charter flights from Vancouver and Calgary (approx 8 hours) and seasonal flights from most major cities. Airlines serving Cuba from Canada include Air Canada, Skyservice, Air Transat, Sunwing and Cubana. Embassy of Canada
Address: Calle 30, No. 518 esquina a 7ma, Miramar, Havana GMT-5  (GMT-4 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). <br>
  Other  than a couple of weeks where Daylight Saving dates differ, Cuba is in the same time zone as Toronto and Montr&eacute;al and two hours ahead of Calgary, three hours ahead of Vancouver.