Europe Cuba

October 6, 2008 4:36 PM

What is the cheapest way to get to Cuba from continental Europe? Do I have to go via the US? One more tricky question inside:

If I plan to go via Cancun, what is the cheapest way to fly from continental Europe? Is the cheapest way to fly into one of the bigger airports like JFK/Boston? Will Miami/Jacksonville be cheaper? Cheap please! So many questions!

posted by anonymous to Travel & Transportation (11 answers total)

You can't go through the US. Americans who want to go to Cuba have to go through Canada.

It seems to me that all your questions are better answered by your travel agent, and that if you really are confused about all this, you probably should book your trip through one.
posted by Class Goat at 4:40 PM on October 6, 2008

> Americans who want to go to Cuba have to go through Canada.

Not true, Class Goat. I know multiple Americans that have reached Cuba through Cancun. It was remarkably easy from their reports.
posted by gnutron at 4:53 PM on October 6, 2008

You can fly direct to Cuba from the UK and I suspect also from other European nations - I would guess Iberia would fly from Spain.
posted by skylar at 4:56 PM on October 6, 2008

Here's everyone who flies to Havana; you can use a similar strategy to figure out who flies to other places in Cuba (or anywhere else). That said, look at charters, perhaps. You may also want to look at a flight to a big city in Canada and connecting on from there with a separate ticket. Cuba in the northern winter is extremely popular, though, so that in mind.
posted by mdonley at 5:05 PM on October 6, 2008

You can fly through Mexico, if not directly. The US will only try to throw a wrench in the works if you're a US national. But I have a hard time believing that there isn't an easier way.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:17 PM on October 6, 2008

P.S. There are enough people going to Cuba legally (to see family, work as journalists or participate in aid projects) that you can fly directly from Miami, as long as you're not an American who's going as a tourist. As draconian as the embargo is, people do visit Cuba.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:21 PM on October 6, 2008

Direct flight from one of the big European hubs. Or one that goes through Canada or Mexico. The wrinkle is that you won't be able to buy a ticket from the big online ticket providers, because they have US operations: go to a travel agent or try direct with the carriers in mdonley's link.
posted by holgate at 7:24 PM on October 6, 2008

Direct to Havana from a European airline will almost certainly be cheapest.
posted by rokusan at 8:02 PM on October 6, 2008

Jacksonville

There is no scheduled service either to Cuba or to Europe from Jacksonville.
posted by oaf at 3:34 PM on October 7, 2008

The Cuban airline, Cubana, has direct flights from the UK and Spain (and maybe elsewhere too, I'm not sure). Check their website for fares - I can't remember the exact price the last time I looked, but I do remember they looked fair - not cheap (it's a hell of a long way), but not exorbitant either.
posted by idiomatika at 7:05 AM on October 8, 2008

Generally the cheapest flights from Europe to the US are via Dublin. Whether it's cheaper to fly to NYC/BOS and then onward or direct to MIA depends. The problem with going to Cuba via anywhere in the US is that you'll need at least two additional flights: US -> another country -> Cuba, and those add up quickly.

Given that, if you did want to go this route DUB-NYC-CUN-HAV would probably be the cheapest.
posted by smackfu at 8:44 AM on October 8, 2008