🇬🇧 Where not to go. What not to do.

This time something different. I love Cuba but there are definitely some tourist traps over there. And I would be grateful If someone told me this before I first traveled to Cuba. Of course this is totally my opinion. We’re all different and some people may enjoy things in Cuba that I don’t. What not to visit in Cuba then?

1.Varadero. It’s one of those places that or you love or hate it. There are people going to Varadero every year for 15 years and love it. There are others that went there one and will not come back again. Why I don’t  recommend to go there? Because Varadero is not Cuba. I have never been there but knowing that Cubans can’t go to most of  the hostels and beaches there makes me not want to go. Varadero is made for mass tourism and full of hotels all inclusive.

Of course you can still ride an old american car there and see some colonial houses. But again, this is not Cuba. This is a paradise made for tourist to make them believe Cuba is normal. If you want amazing beaches go to Mexico or if you’re in Europe to Portugal or Greece. Don’r fly 12 hours just to stay at the beach and ignore what Cuba is all about.                                                                                                       2. Cienfuegos. I have really mixed feelings about this town. I stayed there for 3 nights waiting for may friends to arrive and it was 3 nights too much. I mean…it does have beautiful bay and amazing architecture but you have things to see there for…one long walk I would say.                                                                                  3. Camagüey. The cleanest and richest city I have seen in all Cuba but … extremely boring. No beaches around, no good places to go out. Just a lot of squares full of Cuban people. Good place to stop before going further east but again, not for long.4. El Palenque de los Cimarrones, Viñales. Just not worth your 3 CUC. It’s better to spend it on the bottle of ron. If you are in Viñales on Saturday night, then you can visit the disco which opens in the cave. That’s fun. Otherwise a place to avoid.5. Hop on, hop off bus tour in Havana. It costs 5CUC but it just go…nowhere. I mean I will take you through Malecón and stop by Plaza de revolucióon. But that’s just it. It will show you mostly hotels famous from the 50’s. 6. Las Terrazas. Between La Habana and Viñales there’s this community. You will find it every guide and most of people will stop there. Not really worth it.The only good thing there is their eco coffee but you can have it stopping on the way to the capital. And that’s it. Or if you are a real soviet architecture lover, then this place is definitely for you.7. La Bodeguita del Medio and La Floridita. The iconic bars in Havana famous for being the favorite places of Hemingway. Now it’s just a tourist attraction with high prices and no locals at all.  You will find small versions of these bars in the places like Varadero or Trinidad. All for you. 8. And many more….

Why I put those places on the list? Because they will all make you come back from Cuba disappointed. And they’ll make you complain on how much money have you spend. And most of these place will make you not want to come back to Cuba. But also you should remember that all these weird places make Cuba what it really is. A strange mix between the old and new (more old of course), the tourist and the locals, the beautiful landscaped and awful soviet architecture. Each city has something not really good or important that is being sold to the travelers to get bit more money out of their pockets. You choose what to do. But choose wisely 🙂