Best time to visit Cuba. Helping Dreamers Do

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Best time to visit Cuba

With temperatures hovering between 20-35°C, and the water bathtub warm year round, Cuba has a classically cosy Caribbean climate.

Spring is the best time to visit Cuba, with Mar-mid Apr the most pleasant: warm and sunny without summer's humidity or storms. Prices may be slightly lower in Jan-Feb, when nighttime temps drop, but the rain stays away and the sun shines. Eastern Cuba experiences the highest heat, humidity and hurricane threat – so keep an eye on weather warnings. Latin, African and Caribbean cultures combine to ensure festivals happen throughout the year; whenever you come you’re sure to encounter music, dance or parades.

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Havana Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

110

JUN

200

JUL

140

AUG

150

SEP

190

OCT

180

NOV

DEC

Helpdesk

Hello. If you'd like to chat about Cuba or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help. Rosy & team.

01273 823700 (UK)

rosy@responsibletravel.com

01273 823700 (UK)

rosy@responsibletravel.com

When to visit Cuba & when not to

December to April is the best time to visit Cuba to avoid the rains and occasional hurricanes. However, within these months there are a lot of variations depending on whether you want heat, good deals or local festivals. December, January and February are sunny but with cooler temperatures - great for sightseeing but some days may be rather fresh for beach lovers. December also sees prices peaking. March and April are warming up beautifully - though March (and Easter) is the busiest time for tourists in Cuba. Book as far ahead as possible; tours will fill up fast. The rains start tentatively in late April to May, with June to November bringing heavier downpours, storms and the odd hurricane. August, September and October are not the best time to visit Cuba, as this is when hurricanes are most likely to occur, especially along the coasts. Prices rise during the school holiday periods of Christmas, Easter and July to August; you’ll find cheaper flights and accommodation options outside of this time. Be sure to book even further in advance if travelling during the school holidays. As well as being stormy, July and August are also unpleasantly hot across most of the island – particularly in the built-up cities of Santiago de Cuba and Havana. The southeast is generally hotter and sticker year-round. For those in search of a real Cuban festival, Carnival takes place in Santiago in July, while Havana's renowned Jazz Festival happens in December. But on this art-loving island, where culture has been bankrolled by the government for decades, there are literature, theatre, poetry, dance, music and visual art openings pretty much every week, particularly in Havana but also in the Casas de Cultura - or simply in the streets - across the country.

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Our Cuba Holidays

The end of the embargo

For decades, foreigners have been keen to see Cuba “before it changes”. But Cuba has been changing continuously, and many changes have been beneficial to both tourists and Cubans. Casas particulares, for example (government regulated homestays), allow visitors to avoid often characterless, state run hotels and stay with local families for a far more authentic experience. Private restaurants, called paladares, are also springing up, serving delicious, home cooked food.

But following the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with the US as well as the death of Fidel Castro, the changes have been bigger and faster. While some of the more ostentations symbols leave a rather bad taste in the mouth (a giant cruise ship providing a backdrop to the 1950s cars on the Malecón, Chanel’s Havana fashion show which regular Cubans were not permitted to attend), at Responsible Travel we also welcome the freedoms that are now available to Cuban people, and the opportunities for them to become have much more control over their lives – as well as earning more than the typical monthly salary of US $15-30.

However, we also recognise that Cuba is in a period of very rapid transition. Its minimal tourism infrastructure has yet to catch up with the swelling numbers of arrivals, including US citizens who are looking to visit legally for the first time since 1960, as well as tourists from Europe and Canada who are rushing to visit before the anticipated ‘changes’ kick in. Consequently, tours, hotels and casas are often booked up months in advance, and some visitors have been surprised at the number of other tourists they have encountered, particularly during high season. Cuba is still very much an alternative destination, however, with a crumbling infrastructure, high poverty levels, and lack of many essentials, from toiletries and medicines to clothes and furniture. While we still strongly encourage people to visit Cuba, and to do so responsibly, we also advise people to go with a very open mind. Casas are comfortable but they are not luxury hotels: they are family homes. What you want to eat may not always be on the menu, WiFi is in its infancy, and that 70-year-old Chevrolet will be noisy and the windows won't wind down. But this is Cuba “before it changes” – and it also offers wonderful hospitality, seductive live music on every street corner, passionate dancing and Caribbean beaches without the high rises. It’s not a postcard perfect Caribbean beach holiday; it’s a fully immersive and thoroughly unique life experience.

Responsible Travel recommends

Clarita Derwent, from our supplier Cuban Adventures, shares her best time to visit Cuba:

“I really, really love April – mostly because the weather is so agreeable. Most of the year Cuba’s just really hot; while that’s great it does limit what you can do because you’re exhausted all the time and you have to spend a lot of time resting.

April is still a bit hotter in the East but in Havana there’s beautiful sunny days. The air is cool and it’s just such a pleasant time. Other than that, Christmas is fantastic because it’s the coolest time of year, but there’s a lot of festivals and parties. Cubans get time off at the end of the year – not much, but enough to enjoy themselves.”

Our cultural pick

Old Havana, City in Motion

Each April, dancers from across Cuba and the globe take to Havana's streets, plazas and colonial buildings to showcase modern and traditional dance. The standard, variety and creativity is phenomenal – if this doesn’t inspire you to move your feet, nothing will.

Our cultural pick

More about Cuba

Cuba travel guide

Few nations have the romance of Cuba; a beautiful, tropical island that fought its way out of capitalism led by charismatic comrades.

Cuba itineraries

Cuba is bigger than you think – if you’re planning to spend a week or two here then take a look at our interactive map and handpicked highlights to help you decide where to go in Cuba.

Things to do in Cuba

Fans of flânerie will get their fill wandering the backstreets of Old Havana, while away from the crumbling charm of Cuba’s cities, limestone karsts, tobacco plantations, the Sierra Maestra and bird-filled forests offer a different appeal to rural wanderers.

Cubas casas particulares

Casas particulares in Cuba are the original Airbnb - homestays with Cuban families in a network that stretches across the country.

Beaches in Cuba

The best beaches in Cuba are not all reserved for the all inclusive resorts.

Cities in Cuba

Cuba's cities are locked in the 1950s - cobbled streets lined with crumbling, colonial architecture through which classic cars rumble, and with artists' studios, dance theatres, salsa clubs and cocktail bars tucked away in every plaza.

Travelling around Cuba

If you’re thinking of going on holiday here but are wondering how to travel in Cuba, our mini guide reveals the pros and cons of public and private transport, self drive options and classic cars.

Self drive holidays in Cuba

A self drive holiday in Cuba offers independence, flexibility and just that extra little pinch of adventure.

Scuba diving holiday in Cuba

Scuba diving holidays in Cuba reveal a marine culture that is just as fascinating as that which is on land – with steep, coral-encrusted walls, tunnels and submarine caves hosting a whole rainbow of reef fish, sponges, sharks, turtles and gorgonians.

US Citizens in Cuba

Whether you're keen to check out the vibrant streets of Havana, relax on the country’s sublime beaches or just get to know the Cuban people, travel to this Caribbean nation is still straightforward from the United States, despite President Trump's increased travel restrictions, announced in November 2017.

Cuba with kids

Cuba is an eye opening destination for any traveller – but especially so for children, who will discover a way of life without the tablets, technology and treat-filled shops that so many of us take for granted.

Cuba travel advice

We work with a number of holiday companies that specialise in Cuba – and their guides and destination experts have shared their insider tips, recommendations and anecdotes with us.

Responsible tourism in Cuba

As trade embargos end, travel restrictions are dropped, and the world floods into Cuba to see it “before it changes”.

All our Cuba guides

Find all of our Cuba guides in one place, for different types of Cuba holidays we offer such as scuba diving or walking in Cuba.

Festivals & events in Cuba

Havana Biennial

Expressive Havana gets just that little bit artier every two years, as the Biennial takes over the city for the whole of March. There are exhibitions, documentary screenings, workshops and master classes, with works – from over 40 countries – utilising the urban spaces, not just galleries.

Weekly shows – countrywide

In a country where all citizens are encouraged to be artists, annual events are merely a bigger version of what takes place daily in Cuba’s National Theatre, Casa de la Musica, Gran Teatro, Casa de la Amistad, UNEAC (National Union of Artists and Writers of Cuba)…

Stop by to pick up a schedule, and overdose on art premieres, screenings, poetry, jazz, salsa and dance.

Did you know about...?

The Habanos Cuban Cigar Festival

Of course, Cuba’s most famous export had to have a whole festival dedicated to it. This commercial festival, held each February, includes cigar factory tours, cigar rolling workshops, seminars on cigar production and – yes – tastings.

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More relevant guides

Next: Map & highlights

Cuba is bigger than you think – if you’re planning to spend a week or two here then take a look at our interactive map and handpicked highlights to help you decide where to go in Cuba. Whether you’re seeking pristine beaches, revolutionary history, steamy salsa clubs or historic hikes, our itineraries have got it covered.

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Written by Vicki Brown

Best time to visit Cuba