I get a lot of questions about Cuba, in particular, its capital, La Habana or as we write it in English, Havana. Havana is one of my favorite cities. First and foremost, I love La Habana because the Cuban people are so welcoming and genuine. However, I also enjoy La Habana because of its unique mixture of past and present witnessed through architecture, cars, and more.
After questions about cigars, rum, classic cars, money, and baños, people often ask me about Havana’s beaches. Most think that Havana is a beach. Well, that’s not true. Havana is a strategic city and port. The most famous beaches that you have seen on posters, social media videos, and more are on the Northern Coast, the Cayos (the Keys) and Varadero, are about an hour and a half one-way from Havana. However, Havana does have beaches. They are called the Playas del Este about twenty kilometers or approximately twelve and a half miles from Old Havana.
Beaches of Havana Cuba – Las Playas del Este
The beaches are soft, powdery sand with warm shallow waters all-year. However, you will not find the typical over developed beachfront. There are very few hotels and certainly not large all-inclusive like you find elsewhere. The area is best for a day trip from the city to one of these areas: Santa Maria del Mar which includes Mégano and Boca Ciega (LGBT) or Guanabo, a bit farther.
How to Get to the Best beaches of Havana, the Playas del Este?
You can easily get from Havana to the Playas del Este. You can choose between public buses with more economic prices or you can hire a taxi. I have done both options. I’m typically short on time so I take a taxi to the beach and then take public transportation back.
3 Options to Go to the Best Beaches of Havana Cuba
Taxi
You can hire a taxi, which will take about 20 minutes and cost you about 30 CUC. For your return trip, you can negotiate for that same taxi to wait for you, but you will have to pay for the hours. Another option is to head to the most populated area of Mégano or to one of the larger hotels to have them call a taxi.
Tourist Bus
T3 blue tourist bus, which leaves from Parque Central 5 CUC (roundtrip), which will take you to Mégano and you can walk until you find the best place for you on Santa Maria del Mar. It typically runs every 35 minutes from 9 am until early evening. The bus stops have the current schedule.
A40
This would be how the Habaneros get to and from Playas del Este. The cost is one local peso, which is equal to $0.05. I have traveled this way from the Revolution Museum to Boca Ciega, but I didn’t know the schedule. I had to just wait until the next one came. The bus was new, clean, and full of all ages; however, I was the only foreigner on the bus.
Last Travel Tip: Stay for the Sunset at Playas del Este Havana Cuba!
Want to Know More about Travel to Cuba?
If you are interested in other recommendations for adventure travel in Cuba, Havana travel tips, and more. Check out these other posts about Cuba and my book Cubicle to Cuba.
As always, here’s to looking up!
