General Cuba Tourist Information - Real Havana: Explore Cuba Like a Local and Save Money - page 35

Transportation Options
Long distance Buses
The leading national bus service is called Viazul . It is safe, clean, cheap and very
reliable. The bus routes cover the whole island and connect all the major cities.
This is the most common way for tourists to get around the island and move from
one city to another. The Viazul service uses a modern fleet of buses. Breakdowns
and service interruptions are rare.
The most popular route is the Havana-Varadero link, as most tourists will at some
point visit both of these cities and both cities offer international airports. Being loc-
ated only 2 hours away from each other, it is common for tourists to arrive in
Varadero and then simply take a bus to Havana, or vice versa. This will be dis-
cussed in more detail later on in this guide and a detailed bus schedule can be
found in the section titled Getting to Havana Cheaply.
Astro Bus is another national bus line operator. It is similar to Viazul, however the
fares are substantially lower, which often leads to extremely long waiting lists to re-
serve a ticket. It is next to impossible for foreigners to travel on Astro buses; for
most practical purposes, Astro is reserved exclusively for Cuban citizens. Foreign-
ers should avoid the hassle and potential boarding problems by simply using
Viazul.
Taxis and Sharing Rides
For distances long and short, the use of taxis is very common throughout Cuba.
Cities and small towns are inundated with taxi drivers eager to pull in a fare. But,
while in most other countries taxis are used mostly for intra-city traveling, in Cuba it
is also common to take a taxi on long distance trips.
Long Distance Taxis
The main bus terminals are very useful if you are looking to hire a car to get from
one town to another. Around most terminals, taxi drivers and transport brokers will
congregate and offer their services to all passersby. It can sometimes be a hectic
scene, but when you are looking for fast and direct transportation to another city,
this will be a great opportunity to find a cheap ride. While hiring a private taxi will
usually be a bit more expensive than taking the bus, the cost can sometimes be
lower, on a per capita basis, if you are traveling with several friends. If you are
traveling alone and are seeking transport to a popular destination, you can
negotiate an appropriate price with the taxi driver and then simply wait until other
tourists or Cubans arrive, and speak with them about joining you, sharing the total
trip cost.
Although the idea of meeting a taxi driver and then getting in a car with complete
strangers on a long trip might seem daunting to some, in Cuba it is a safe and