We landed in Havana at about eight in the evening with our baby, luggage and a plan that looked straightforward on paper. By the time we reached the city, the bags had taken much longer than expected, everyone was tired, and one last airport errand had become the wrong priority.
The memory is useful because it is imperfect. We were excited to be in Cuba, people helped us, and our daughter eventually slept while the city went on around us. We also made choices we would simplify if we were doing that first night again.
Leave room for the slow part after landing
Officials were kind to us as a family, but collecting the luggage took time. The pushchair was not where we first expected to find it, and our driver waited for roughly two hours. That patient wait mattered more than any optimistic estimate we had made before landing.
For a new transfer, establish how the driver will follow the flight, where you will meet, and what happens if baggage or immigration takes longer. Confirm how to contact the provider and whether waiting carries any conditions. Do not assume our experience describes another company’s policy.
Keep the essentials for a delayed exit accessible in your hand luggage. Before leaving the baggage area, account for the pushchair and other separate items as well as the suitcases. A short check is easier than discovering a missing piece once everyone is in the car.
We tried to finish too much on the first night
I wanted to change money for the trip before leaving the airport. Our daughter was crying, it was late, and the driver suggested leaving the bigger task until the next day. I carried on anyway. The next morning, we found less money than we believed we should have had.
At first I was angry and assumed someone had deliberately cheated us. Looking back, we could not establish exactly what had happened in a tired, distracted exchange. It would be unfair to present an unproven accusation as the explanation.
The lasting lesson is about attention: deal with money when you can count calmly, keep the receipt, and check the amount before leaving the counter. Avoid letting a large financial errand compete with a distressed child and an overdue journey to bed.
Then Havana came into view
Once we were on the way, the city gave us something else to notice: music, older cars, people outside and streets still alive at night. Our daughter slept. After the airport’s delays, even watching from the car felt like the beginning of the journey.
The photographs we made in Havana show the details we later had time to look at properly: balconies, walls, painted portraits and the ordinary use of a street. That first drive was only an introduction, not a reason to schedule sightseeing after a late arrival.
Our Havana black-and-white journal continues those street observations. For a more focused day, there is Colón Cemetery and Callejón de Hamel. Save those choices for a rested morning.
A simpler arrival plan
For a family arrival, prioritise a confirmed room, an agreed transfer and suitable child restraints. Send the accommodation the flight details and establish late check-in arrangements directly. Keep a copy of the address and meeting instructions available without relying on a live connection.
Money arrangements have changed substantially since this journey. Our Cuba currency article separates the old system from newer information; the amounts and currencies in an old airport story should not become instructions for a new trip.
On 19 October 2026, FCDO advice was against all but essential travel to Cuba and warned of serious infrastructure and travel disruption. Check that advice, your airline and your accommodation before making an arrival plan. 1
Plan the visit
Know before you go
Havana arrival planning
- Plan your time
- Allow for immigration, luggage and a late arrival before planning any activity.
- Booking & access
- Confirm the flight, accommodation check-in and transfer terms directly.
Official travel advice is the starting point for assessing present conditions; this earlier arrival is a personal memory.
Visitor information checked 19 October 2026. Timing suggestions are our planning advice.
Good to know
A couple of useful questions
Should we copy the money arrangements in the original journal?
No. This is a personal account of an earlier arrival. Cuba’s currency and payment arrangements have changed; use current official guidance and confirm arrangements before travel.
Was the airport money discrepancy proven to be deliberate?
No. We could not establish exactly what happened. The useful lesson is to count carefully and keep records when you are able to give the transaction your full attention.
Sources and useful links
References for the practical information in this article:
Information checked on 19 October 2026.
