Cuba family holidays and breaks

On the cusp, perhaps, of far-reaching change – in April 2011 President Raúl Castro announced a plan of 300 economic reforms similar to the Chinese model, encouraging private initiative and foreign investment and reducing state spending – Cuba is still an extraordinary place with a colourful film-set feel, and the location for memorable if unorthodox family holidays.

It is hard to beat the spirit and beauty of this largest of the Caribbean islands, and while the tourism boom of the last couple of decades has brought plenty of new hotels, you will still come across moustachioed cowboys, classic American cars and old ladies smoking large cigars on the Malecon. This is also, according to a WWF report, the only country in the world meeting their criteria of sustainable development.

This improbable combination of transformation and stasis is symbolic of a country riddled with contradictions and ironies. In a place where taxi drivers earn more than doctors, and where capitalist reforms are seen as the answer to preserving socialist ideals, understanding Cuba is not easy, but it's worth a try!

12.00

Today

30°C
86°F

Capital City	Havana
Carbon Footprint	8.48 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT -5
Local Currency	Cuban Peso

What to do

Discover the capital Havana, an amazing place crammed with crumbling Spanish mansions, with large families living amongst the falling masonry. Its narrow streets, countless churches, cobblestone plazas and 16th-century fortresses make it one of the most complete colonial urban centres in the Americas. Its people are the descendants of slaves, pirates, colonists, planters and sea-farers, and there's music, dance and song on every street corner. Walk along the Malecon before dinner to feel the wind on your face and watch the waves crashing up against the seawall.

Hire a 1950s car and travel to one of the white sandy beaches near Havana, or down to Trinidad with its French/Haitian history – a beautiful spot with music and dance to rival Havana.

Venture to spectacular Baracoa, long isolated because it was accessible only by sea. The only place where the original indigenous Cuban population still live, it's set at the foot of the hills, by the sea, surrounded by plantations of cocoa trees – you drive through the Cuchillas de Baracoa mountains to get there.

Where to stay

While casas particulares (rooms in private houses) and state-run hotels in colonial buildings are an option for those on a budget, those planning family holidays in Cuba are more likely to opt for a resort hotel or an escorted adventure holiday – see the right-hand column of this page for our deals and recommendations.

Virgin Holidays offer a great range of family hotels in Cuba, as does First Choice, including the 4* modern family hotel Cuba Iberostar Varadero.

When

The best (but most expensive) time for family holidays in Cuba is Dec–Apr, to avoid storms and hurricanes plus the uncomfortable sticky heat of the the Cuban summer. 

How

Direct flights to Jose Marti airport near Havana from London Gatwick with Virgin Atlantic cost around £800pp. Other airlines that fly from the UK include BA.  See our flight deals page.

Flights take about 10hrs and the time difference is GMT -5, meaning you should be expect some jetlag.

See our family holidays car-hire page.

Eat

Finding somewhere good to eat in Cuba is a challenge on family holidays because of the poverty and because nearly everything that is eaten has been grown or caught on the island. But when you do find a good restaurant, the fruit and veg will be fresh and usually organic, the chicken, pork, rabbit and beef will have come from a local ‘free-range’ farm, and the fish will probably have been caught that morning (don't be to whispered at from corners about illegal lobster feasts). About 70% of the veg and herbs grown on the island today are organically grown in urban gardens within walking distance of those who will consume them.

Cost

Cuba might not be the budget family holiday destination that you expect given the poverty of its people, with most families likely to stay in an upmarket resort hotel. All-inclusive deals can be a good idea on an island not known for its great cuisine.

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