Guide for a very cheap transportation around Cuba

Hi there, I am new to write here, that's why decided to start with some useful information. As long as more and more people looking for a cheap transportation of the overpriced Cuba, it is good to have a branch to share it.
Here is a small guide, hope that it to be widened by another traveller folks.

I bet you know about tricks of Cuban Currency. They have CUC and CUP. Exchange rate 1CUC=25CUP. I advice you to have both.

It is recommended to speak at least a little Spanish to follow the guide.

Airport:
Most probably you will arrive to Termial 3. And you will face up with 30CUC fare to the city with no other option. To escape it from terminal 3 to terminal 2 take a Colectivo* for 10CUP per person, or rickshaw for 1CUC. Or a shuttle bus for 1CUP. Many taxi drivers will try charge you 1CUC per person. If you do not speak decent Spanish, it is a good option to agree with that price.
NEXT. From terminal 2 you can take either a bus to the center that goes through Boyeros street (P12, P16) that will cost you 1CUP!!!!!! or a Colectivo*. If you are about to really fight for the price, this colectivo costs 20CUP per person, and you will have to share it with other Cubans on the way. Or you can negotiate for the whole car (there are many of them). I paid 5CUC for the ride to the center with my wife in a cab.

Way back is even easier. From terminal 2 to terminal 3 wait at the bus stop on the corner of Boyeros and a road to terminal 2. You can easily try take a colectivo with locals for 10CUP.

Vinales:
It is easy to make it cheap even without Spanish.

From Habana: Take a bus P12 or P16 to the "100 y boyeros" busstop. Buses in Habana charge 1CUP per person, there is nothing cheaper in the world.
From busstop walk to the stairs up (cross a small dusty field for that) and climb to the calle 100. Then follow 500m west to the beginning of "Autopista Este Oeste". It is very easy to find if you use Open Street Maps.
There is a station of Camiones* that go to Pinar del Rio. This ride costs 50CUP=2CUC.
From Pinar you can eather take a local bus to Vinales from the only town's bus station (1CUP, pay on embarcation, foreigners can use these type of buses) or you can walk north to the place "hospital vieja". There are frequent colectivos* to Vinales that charge 1CUC per person.

Way back: From Vinales all transport (buses and collectivos) depart from the only crossroad in a town (check LP Guidebook). Prices are the same to go back. I only know that 1CUP bus depart at something like 1P.M.
Camiones from Pinar back to Habana you can find at the only bus station of Pinar del Rio.

Far East (Santiago, Guantanamo):
Easy again. Camiones that cruise the international highway depart from "terminal de Omnibus en VillaNueva". The ride through the whole island will cost you about 12CUC.

Trinidad:
Hard, because there is no straight accesible by foreigners cheap public transport to there, nor to any other place around like Sancti Spiritus or Cienfuegos. Every time you will be dropped at "Autopista Nacional" and will have to catch another transport to get at least to civilisation.

1. Through Sancti Spiritus (SS) is longer, but easier.
   Take a Far East Camion from "terminal de VillaNueva". Be sure to pay not more that 4-5CUC from Habana to the crossroads of Sancti Spiritus. Camion will drop you on the highway, it does not enter to the town, and you will still have 10km distance to the town. Climb up the highway "66" and try to catch colectivo with locals. The price should be about 20CUP from the crossroad to the bus station of SS.
   From the bus station there are local buses that connect SS and Trinidad, they cost 5CUP per person. However, I faced up with heavy ignorance on the station. They try to charge 5CUC instead of CUP, and they do it very rude. However, I took it cheap, but that was not a pleasant ride.
   There should be Camiones, but I do not know anything about them.
   Back: Track where is a final stop of a bus or Camione, and take the same route back. Keep in mind, that to get from SS to Habana, you should get to the National Highway first, clib down under the bringe and hitchhike Camiones.

2. Through Cienfuegos.
   I made it only Trinidad-Cienfuegos-Habana way.
   In Trinidad go the exit of a town, the bus stop will be close to the cemetery. Camiones leave the town early morning. The omnibuses pass at 9.00 and 9.30. For a trip to Cienfuegos locals pay 20CUP, but I was badly charged 2CUC and had to pay, because these are the Omnibuses nacionales, where foreigners are still banned.
   From Cienfuegos is easier, There is the only Camion* station in the town in the same place with train station. Take the one to "Colon"(40CUP) and get down at the crossroad with National highway. There go under the bridge and hitchhike Far East Camiones to Habana (they pass about 3-5p.m. and costs about 3CUC)

3. Through Santa Clara.
   Camion Trinidad to Santa Clara leave Trinidad at 12.30. Go to the "Autopista Nacional", get down and start hitchhiking like I wrote before. The price should be 4-5CUC.

4. Habana
   Keep in mind that any public bus costs 1CUP (notCUC). They are frequent, but every time overcrowded.
   Any Colectivo* costs 10CUP for about 3-5km and 20CUP if you need to go further

Cuba has a cheap transport, food and sometimes accommodation. But it is a pain in the ass to get it.

*Camion - handmande bus from an old Russian or Chinese truck. They go through national highways and connect small towns.
*Colectivo - old cars that cruise the Cuban towns. They go always straight by the town's streets. For Cubans they cost 10-20CUP.

P.S. If you think that there is mistake in CUC and CUP and something looks super cheap to be true. I assure, the prices are true, I checked them numerous times.

Great tips for low budget travellers.

Cheers,
Terry

That have time on their hands.

Well, the Vinales ride is quite fast and could be even faster than Viazul. We with my wife did it in two days there and back with a good hiking in between.

Trinidad is painful. However, I did it during the winter sunlight. Like 10.00 start and 17.00 finish each way.

I am not downplaying your suggestions. They are excellent for one on a serious budget but I do Havana/vinales in 1 day. Leave in the morning, stop by one of the tobacco vegas that i know, spend an afternoon, often dinner there and drive back in the evening.

How long was your trip to Cuba ?

We are on a low busget but do not have all day to ride a camon from guardalavaca to Santiago! One or two nights there at most. We were quited 80 CUC from our taxi friend and he will find us a casa too. Door to doior service and return 80 CIUC each way and that is consudered a bargain. The bus is much cheaper but a longer route through Bayamo and we have to get taxis anyways to the bus terminal . Thanks for your interesring post. It us our understanding that train service in Cuba is left for the foolhardy and those with time un rheir hands!

awesome, thanks!

i was under impression that you can NOT take Omnibus intercity as a tourist. we were staying close to big Omnibus station, near Plaza de la Revolucion, and actually tried to buy tickets to Vinales, but the ticket agent told us to go to Viazul.
we do look/speak like tourists.

lemo - that rule may be less strictly applied in the countryside - though note that the OP is upset that he had to pay 2 CUC for his ride. (That may well have been 20 CUP to the government and the rest into the drivers pocket.)

Yep, had the same. I only know crazy Italian who found (or I do no know how he got) a Cuban ID and travelled with it in Omnibuses until he got into police check. He somehow jumped ship, but it was a bad bad idea to do that. However, for Omnibus Nacional especially from Habana, you should be included into waiting list and can wait for a day for your bus.

But when you can not buy tickets to Omnibus, you can catch it on the road and the driver will let you in for a small fee. However, because of police checks they do it rare and only on short distances.

You can always take the smaller local omnibuses. They operate only in their province and depart from the local bus stations and take money onboard. There is no doubt you can take it. I faced with police there and they did not tell that I did something wrong. But the drivers and some crazy station workers tried to take CUC instead of CUP for the ride. Sometimes they are rude and ignorant and always finish their suggestion like 'pay, or take Viazul' , just ignore it and pay like locals. Normally it is 1CUP to 20CUP. The most badasses were in Sancti Spiritus and Trinidad.

Hey badplanet, i was looking for info on bus from José Martí to town. Nice to get an impression! But since i carry a lot of luggage i'm afraid the driver won't let me in.
Besides can you give any timetable?

My experiences with camion is that you will have to bargain hard, they start with Viazul prices. And when the next Viazul bus leaves in 3 - 12 hours you not always want to wait.

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