Getting Around Havana: Transport Guide

The central districts of Havana, the area around Vedado, are easy to navigate because they follow a grid system. The streets that run north to south are numbered in even numbers (or marked by an alphabet between A and P) and those that run east to west are in odd numbers. The best landmark is the Parque Centrale in Habana Vieja. The Capitolio building overlooks the park. Havana's interesting neighbourhoods include, and you should book a taxi if you really want to travel around, Vedado, Habana Vieja - the old city, Centro Habana and Miramar.

Taxis, both official and unofficial, are aplenty and on most days easy enough to hail down on the streets. If you can't see one for a while, you can hire them from the taxi ranks at Hotel Nacional in Vedado or the Parque Central. The main streets, the Malecón, Linea, Calle 23 and Paseo del Prado, pass through the most interesting parts of town, are usually full of milling tourists and consequently the best for finding cabs. Besides taxis there are bicitaxis and cocotaxis. The first are cycle rickshaws, the second like the auto rickshaws of Asia, but just funnier to look at! The first you'll find anywhere in the city, the second in front of the bigger hotels.

Buses are inexpensive but just not worth the hassle except if you're looking to get out of town to one of the outlying areas or going somewhere that lies on the route of the Bus Turistico Vaven. The routes of local buses are not marked out and if you don't tender the right change you'll lose money. Most buses terminate at the Parque de la Fraternidad and pan out from there to various parts of the city; the buses headed out of town can be boarded here. The tourist bus ($1 for any length of journey) runs between the Palacio de Convenciones in Playa and the Parque Morro Cabana, stopping at 23 places in between including the hotels Cohiba and Riviera, Coppelia, the Parque de la Central and the Plaza de la Revolucion. It runs on the hour from 9 am to 10 pm.

Scooter and car rentals are easy to find in the busy districts of Havana. It makes sense to rent a car if you're planning to go outside the city often to the beaches and the outlying districts. Bicycle rentals are more difficult to come by; try Cubamar who handle the Cuban campismos and whose offices are located in Vedado.