Cuba With Kids, 10 Reasons Why You Should

Travelling Cuba with kids was something I hadn’t thought about in my 20’s. It was a country I so longed to travel too.

As far back as 2001 when I spent a couple of months in Guatemala I walk past a travel agent and see return tickets to Cuba for $180. Sadly I didn’t take up the deal and for years it was one decision I regretted. Roll forward nearly 18 years and with a few extras, my wife and our two boys, I finally have my feet on Cuba soil.

Our two boys are aged 1 and 8 so we needed to really plan this trip carefully and make sure we were well prepared. But all the research paid off and in no time at all we fell in love with the country, overnight it became one of our favourite places in the world.

Our trip would last just over 2 weeks and we loved every minute of every day. The internet is quite limited and yes if we tried harder we could have got on.

However, we just put the devices away no checking facebook, posting updates or searching sports results instead we had quality family time. Something we weren’t doing in our busy lives back home. Cuba with kids taught us….

Here are our 10 reasons why you should visit Cuba with kids and why you and your family will love it.

1. Havana a unique city

This is a city unlike any other city we have visited, here is so much to see and do here. Every day we spent a few hours walking all the different parts of the old city.

The architecture, a mix of dilapidated and restored was just mind-blowing.

We recommend doing this, Lukas was full of questions asking about the different style of buildings to developing an appreciation to our house back home.

During the day, certain parts of the old city can get busy with travellers who have picked a cruise with Havana on their list. 

There are so many experiences not to be missed in Havana and our boys loved everyone.

• Museo de la Revolución – Lukas learnt so much about the Cuban Revoluciõn, he’s now into history
• Habana Bus Tours – a must-do, ride up on top for great views.
• Plaza de la Revolucion – incredible place to visit
• Paseo del Prado – stunning walkway through the old city
• Playing in the local Cuban playgrounds – reminded us of how playgrounds were when we were kids.  

2. Slower pace / Family time

As mentioned above we loved our new perspective. Starting each morning with a beautifully cooked family breakfast. Fresh fruits, eggs, bread, pastries and occasionally the kids were cooked pancakes.

No one seems in a rush, yep people we going about their everyday lives but at a more relaxed pace. It doesn’t take long to switch into this mode.

3. Beautiful Beaches

There is an endless amount of beautiful beaches here in Cuba for quality family time. The beaches on the Northern side are supposed to be amazing, more of your white sand, clear blue water type of beaches. However, the Southern beaches are pretty awesome too. The difficult part is choosing which of Cuba’s best beaches are the ones for you.

Northern Beaches 

• Playa Los Flamencos
• Playa Pilar 
• Cayo Las Brujas
• Cayo Santa Maria

Southern Beaches 

• Playa Ancon (near Trinidad)
• Playa Larga 
• Playa Girõn
• Playa Rancho
• Cayo Largo – a small island of the coast of the mainland

There is even a beach around 9km’s from Havana called Playas del Este. You can take a 5CUC bus ride from Central Parque.

 

4. The People

The real heart and soul of the country. By choosing to stay in Casa Particulars you get to spend time with local people.

They love children and are happy to spend time with you and help make sure you are enjoying yourself. Even locals in the street would help with directions or walk us to wherever we need to go if we were lost.

Only one time did someone ask for a couple of CUC’s. Everyone else who helped us just said enjoy your time. This was a really positive thing for kids to see, people helping others.

Related: Our Tips For Travelling To Cuba

5. Vintage Car ride

This is a must, our boys were in heaven when we first rode in a 1964 Buick. These cars are beautifully maintained, usually, they are handed down from generation to generation. Just listening to the history behind the car makes it worthwhile.

There are plenty of places where you can hire one. Around Parque Central seems to be the main spot or you can book online. We arranged our first vintage car ride through our Airbnb host, he offered to have one pick us up on our arrival to Jose Marti Airport.

I RECOMMEND this, its the perfect way to start your trip. 

Note: We did travel with a Sawyer’s car seat however not many cars have seatbelts, while it did make us a little nervous and had no choice but to get used to it.

6. Food

Look Cuba isn’t known for its cuisine however there is plenty of variety here for kids from pasta, burgers/sandwiches to pizzas.

Both our boys enjoy rice and chicken along with their vegetables so even if you have a ‘food picky’ child you are bound to find something to keep their tummy’s full.

7. Live Music

Live music and salsa dancing, this was our entertainment during dinner time. Look for restaurants that offer this. Kids love music and sometimes the musicians will even get the kids to participate with maracas.

It provides plenty of entertainment and is great while you are waiting for your meal. Just remember to have a CUC’s in your pocket as the musicians and dancers will ask for a tip.

8. Language 

The language of Cuba is Spanish though Haitian Creole is spoken by a small number of people. A few Spanish words, phrases will get you by Havana as quite a few locals have a good knowledge of English.

However, outside Havana, you really need more than just a few phrases. Especially if you what to get to know the locals as well as travel around with ease. we set Lukas challenges each day where he would need to use his Spanish; ordering lunch/dinner, paying, asking questions. 

9. Safety

Now while I can’t speak for every traveller who visited Cuba, I can only talk about our experiences. We felt totally safe in Cuba, everywhere we went.

In Trinidad, some streets have very little lighting however as a family we just walked around and always felt it ease.

As mentioned above we found people to be so friendly and helpful. We always took the usual precautions though like not showing our valuables. Cuba’s healthcare system is meant to be one of the best but make should you have travel insurance. 

10. Accommodation

We recommend staying in Casa Particulars. We booked ours through Airbnb and love every one of our stays. We read the reviews carefully as well as emailed/messaged our hosts just introducing ourselves.

All the hosts replied and we felt confident we choose the right places. Staying with locals allows you to engage, learn about the area, its history and most importantly their history.  

Finally thoughts

The best time to visit is from December to May. We visited in January. Locals said it’s the best time to visit as there are no mosquitos. Even though it is the cooler season we hardly every wore sweatshirts and the water for swimming was perfect.

Remember when visiting Cuba with kids you need to be prepared. Having a one-year-old meant making sure we had enough milk formula, nappies and wipes to last the whole trip. We even brought a few snacks just in case but we didn’t really need them even though the kids enjoyed them.

Cuba with kids taught us how precious family time is, too slow down and not rush. Lukas learnt a lot about Cuban culture, life and language. There is an inspirational travel quote by Marcel Proust, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”.

And for Lukas this was definitely the case. Now back at home we have taken what Cuba taught us and applied it into our everyday life. We can’t wait to get back and explore more of this beautiful county.

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