Getting Around Cuba: Taxis, Buses, Bicitaxis and Classic Cars Explained

The same cars operate in two completely different modes. As tourist transport — convertible tours of Havana, airport transfers, Old Havana sightseeing circuits — they’re privately owned, tourist-priced ($35–60 per hour for a convertible tour), and the experience is exactly what it looks like: genuinely spectacular. Rolling through Havana’s colonial streets in an open 1956 Buick with the driver narrating the history of the buildings you’re passing is one of the more enjoyable things the city offers, and the cost is reasonable for what it is.

The same cars — in less polished condition — also operate as local “almendrones,” functioning as unofficial shared taxis on fixed routes through the city. These charge in Cuban pesos (not tourist prices) and follow routes rather than going door-to-door. You get in at a set point, declare your destination, and get out when you arrive. The fare is a fraction of a tourist taxi. The catch for visitors: you need to know the routes and speak enough Spanish to declare your stop. Most first-time Cuba visitors don’t use almendrones and don’t need to — but they’re available, they’re authentic, and they’re how much of Havana actually moves.

Booking a convertible tour from your casa host or hotel concierge gives you a reliable car and a reliable driver for whatever duration you want. Negotiating directly with drivers waiting in tourist areas is also fine — agree the price explicitly before you get in, confirm whether the quoted rate is per person or for the whole car, and you’ll have no problems.

Tourist taxis in Havana fall into two categories: the yellow-and-black Taxímetro state cabs that run on meters (more reliable pricing, less flexible routing), and the private cars — often more modern sedans — that work on negotiated prices. Both serve tourists effectively; the difference is in how you engage with them.

State Taxímetros start from roughly 1 CUP per fraction of a kilometre on the meter, which sounds cheap but the tourist rate conversion makes it comparable to a few US dollars per short journey. The advantage is that you don’t negotiate — the meter runs and you pay what it shows. For first-time visitors who are nervous about negotiation or concerned about overcharging, metered taxis remove that friction entirely.

Private tourist taxis are negotiated before departure. The standard approach: state your destination, hear a price, counter with something 20–30% lower, and settle somewhere between the two. In Havana, a cross-city fare (say, Old Havana to Vedado) should be $5–8 for the whole car. Old Havana to Miramar: $10–12. Always confirm the price is per car (not per person) and is in the currency you’re handing over. Most confusion in Cuban taxi transactions comes from ambiguity on currency rather than deliberate overcharging.

Your casa host is a reliable source of trusted taxi drivers. Many hosts have a regular driver they call — someone they’ve known for years whose prices are fair and whose car is reliable. This informal recommendation network is worth using, particularly for longer journeys or for airport runs where reliability matters.

Viazul buses are comfortable, air-conditioned, and run to published schedules that are more reliable than most people expect. The fleet is relatively modern by Cuban standards. Seats have reasonable legroom. There is no catering service, but buses make one stop on most longer routes at a truck stop where you can buy drinks and snacks. Bring water regardless.

Booking is done at viazul.com, which accepts international credit cards. Do this before you arrive in Cuba — using the website on Cuban internet is slow and unreliable, and popular routes (Havana–Trinidad, Havana–Viñales) sell out weeks ahead in December through March. Print your confirmation and bring it to the terminal. There is no digital ticket acceptance system — you need the paper confirmation or you’ll need to reprint at the terminal desk, which adds time and uncertainty.

The Viazul terminal in Havana (Terminal de Ómnibus, near the Vedado zoo) is straightforward to get to by taxi — $5–8 from central Havana. Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure for luggage check-in (bags go in the hold beneath the bus; the ticket price includes standard luggage). The terminal has a waiting room, a small café, and toilets.

One important thing Viazul doesn’t cover: transport within cities. It gets you from city to city, then leaves you at the terminal to find local transport. Plan how you’re getting from the Viazul terminal to your accommodation before you arrive — your casa host can arrange a pickup, or take a taxi from the terminal queue.

Bicitaxis work best for short hops in Old Havana where traffic and narrow streets make them competitive with cars on time. They’re not for long distances or hot afternoon crossings of the city — a bicitaxi across central Havana in August midday heat is a lot to ask of anyone. For moving between nearby plazas, getting from a restaurant to your accommodation after a long dinner, or exploring without committing to a taxi — they’re useful and characterful.

Cocotaxis — the small yellow fiberglass three-wheelers that look like oversized coconuts on wheels — are a Havana-specific phenomenon. They’re faster than bicitaxis and more overtly a tourist product: the drivers cluster near the main hotels and tourist sights, and their pricing is aimed at tourist wallets rather than local ones. A cocotaxi across Old Havana might cost $3–5 compared to a bicitaxi’s $1–2 for the same distance. They’re fun for one ride; you don’t need more than that.

Both bicitaxi and cocotaxi drivers will offer informal city tours for negotiated flat rates — $10–15 for an hour of narrated cycling through Old Havana is common and usually worth it once. You see the city at walking pace from a moving vehicle, the driver knows where to go, and you cover more ground than you would on foot in the same time without the heat of a fast walk.

A colectivo is a shared private car — typically 4–5 passengers — that runs between specific city pairs, departing from designated points (usually near the Viazul terminal or a main plaza) when the car is full. The driver charges per seat, not per car. The fare per person is usually comparable to or slightly more expensive than the Viazul bus seat for the same route, but the journey is typically 30–60 minutes faster because private cars don’t make the same rest stops and can take more direct routes.

For Havana to Viñales, a colectivo seat costs around $15–20 and takes 2.5–3 hours compared to Viazul’s 3.5 hours and $12 seat. The calculation varies by route, but the time saving often justifies the slight premium — particularly for the Havana–Trinidad run, where the Viazul takes 6 hours and a colectivo can do it in under 5.

The other advantage is flexibility. Colectivos can often drop passengers at a specific address rather than a bus terminal, which saves a taxi fare at each end. Ask your casa host to arrange a colectivo seat the day before departure — they know the drivers on the routes you’re likely to take and can get you a reserved seat rather than having to show up early and hope there’s space.

The experience is also, frankly, more interesting than the bus. You’re in a car with 3–4 other people — often a mix of Cubans and other travellers — for several hours. The conversations that happen in those cars are part of what makes independent Cuba travel different from the resort format.

Cuba’s car rental market is dominated by state-run companies — Cubacar, Rex, and Havanautos — with limited availability and prices that are high relative to the vehicle quality you receive. A basic hatchback starts at $35–45 per day before insurance; the insurance itself (mandatory for rental in Cuba) adds $15–25 per day depending on coverage level. Budget $60–90 per day realistically for a basic rental with proper insurance.

The availability problem is real and often underestimated. Cuba’s rental car fleet is small and demand in peak season (November–March) exceeds supply. Cars are frequently unavailable at the airport on the day you want them, or the car reserved is “unavailable” and a different (often larger and more expensive) vehicle is offered instead. Book well in advance through the company’s website, confirm in writing, and arrive at the rental desk with all documents in order. Even then, plan for 45–90 minutes at the rental desk — it’s rarely quick.

On the road, Cuba driving is actually relatively straightforward once you accept the specific quirks: potholes that appear without warning, cattle on rural roads at night, and the occasional horse-drawn cart materialising out of darkness on an unlit highway. Speed is not the game — getting there in one piece is. Fuel stations (CUPET and CIMEX) exist on main routes but become scarce in remote areas; fill up whenever the gauge drops below half.

The genuine argument for renting: if you’re covering three or more destinations, have luggage, or want to go to places like Baracoa, Topes de Collantes, or remote coastlines that buses don’t serve well — a car transforms what’s possible. The argument against: for a Havana–Viñales–Trinidad circuit, Viazul plus colectivos is cheaper, involves less stress, and doesn’t require navigating Cuban roads at night.