The best time to travel to Cuba

With fascinating cities like Havana and Santiago and incredible natural landscapes, Cuba has a lot to offer. We’ll tell you when the trip is most worthwhile!

Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic is the beautiful island of Cuba. It doesn’t matter whether you’re dancing to hot rhythms in the island’s capital, Havana, making yourself really comfortable on the country’s white sandy beaches, exploring the green interior or going on cultural adventures in the urban centers of the island – a holiday there is always worth it! So that you not only see and do a lot during your trip, but can also do this in the best weather, we have summarized everything you need to know about the climate and the best travel time for Cuba!

A country with two seasons

Cuba belongs to the tropical or subtropical zone, is characterized by the north-east trade winds and does not have the strict seasons that we are used to in our latitudes. Instead of hot summers and cold winters with mild springs and autumns in between, there are basically only two seasons: the warm, humid rainy season between May and October and the somewhat cooler dry season between November and April.

Even if we are talking about the rainy season and dry season or the warm and humid or slightly cooler months, we would like to anticipate one thing right away: the weather in Cuba is quite uniform throughout the year and the seasonal differences are not nearly as great , as one might assume. Air temperatures between 26 and 32 degrees Celsius can be expected all year round, while the hours of sunshine hardly fall below 6 per day even in winter – in summer there are even up to 8 hours of sunshine per day. In general, it is sunny in Cuba almost 300 days a year and swimming in the sea is possible at any time of the year.

The best travel time for Cuba depends primarily on your personal preferences. In order to make your decision easier, we would like to take a detailed look at both Cuban seasons, including their respective advantages and disadvantages, and give you a few other tips for your trip to Cuba.

Rainy season in Cuba: humid, warm, but cheap

The rainy season in Cuba lasts from about May to October and is generally considered the tourist off-season. Rain falls an average of up to nine days a month during these months, especially between June and August – but don’t think of precipitation here as continuous rain for days. Rather, it is the case that rain showers in Cuba usually only last for a very short time – from a few minutes to a maximum of two hours – but are often very heavy. The sky visibly closes before such cloudbursts, but shortly afterwards the sun usually shines again and you can go back to the beach, for hiking or sightseeing.

The advantage of the Cuban summer is that the temperatures are guaranteed to be pleasantly warm – even the water warms up to 28 degrees Celsius or even a little more during the rainy season, while the daily highs for the air temperature average just over 30 degrees Celsius. The only disadvantage is the sometimes quite high humidity, which results from the combination of warm temperatures and frequent precipitation – so if you don’t get along too well with warm, humid weather, you should consider the cooler dry season as the best time to travel . The rainy season is the ideal travel time for bathing, beach and sun fans, for whom it can hardly get too warm while they relax in the sand or refresh themselves in the waves – not least because then the hotel and flight prices are also significantly lower be cheaper than in winter.

⚠️ Attention, however: From June to October there is also hurricane season in Cuba, which we will tell you more about later.

Dry season in Cuba: little rain, not too hot, but expensive

The dry season in Cuba, on the other hand, lasts from around November to April. During these winter months, it rains on average just three to four days per month – often even less – and the temperatures are still wonderfully summery and warm with up to 28 degrees Celsius on land and 26 degrees in the water – ideal for the to escape cold weather in Germany. The humidity then also reaches much more bearable levels.

The downside: The great weather during the Cuban winter months attracts sun lovers from all over the world and hotel and flight prices soar. Especially over Christmas and New Year, many hotels are fully booked months in advance and the prices are correspondingly high due to the high demand. If you are definitely planning your Cuba vacation for mid to late December, it is best to book as early as possible. The same applies to trips around Easter.

You should also be careful when vacationing during the dry season in the west of the country, for example in and around Havana: Due to the higher altitudes, the west of Cuba is generally a bit cooler than the east and sometimes cool winds can cause temperature drops to below 15 degrees Celsius – sometimes even pleasant on a sightseeing holiday, but less attractive on a beach holiday.

Hurricane season in Cuba: June to October

As briefly mentioned earlier, there is also a hurricane season in Cuba – from June to October, sometimes even into November. In general, these windier months are just as suitable for a holiday in Cuba as the rest of the year: real storms with devastation are extremely rare and Cuba also has a first-class early warning system that announces hurricanes heading for the island in good time. There have been no fatalities from hurricanes in recent years.

The advantage during this season, especially in September and October when hurricanes are at their highest, is that hotel and flight costs are even cheaper. Those who are looking for very special bargains and are not deterred by potential hurricanes are well served with a trip in September or October.

Regional differences for the best travel time in Cuba

In addition to the two seasons with their peculiarities and the hurricane season, you should also include the region you are going to when planning your trip to Cuba.

As already mentioned, the west of the country is higher than the east or south-east and therefore generally a few degrees cooler – which can sometimes be very pleasant, especially for sightseeing holidays in summer. During the winter months, on the other hand, cold winds from North America occasionally provide cooling; So, to be on the safe side, take some warmer clothes with you during your winter trip here.

From time to time, the mountainous regions of Cuba are anything but summery: During the rainy season, it can actually rain here and in winter it sometimes cools down to just over 0 degrees Celsius. A visit here is therefore particularly recommended during the transitional periods, i.e. around April or May and in November or early December, when it is neither too cool nor too rainy.

The southeast coast, for example the area around Santiago de Cuba or the Guantanamo region, is generally regarded as the driest zone in Cuba, which is often spared precipitation even during the rainy season. On the other hand, it can get really hot here, especially in summer, with temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius.

Best time to go to Cuba: summary

The best travel time for Cuba is not easy to determine, but mainly depends on how much you let the weather influence you, where you want to go and how big your holiday budget is.

In principle, the “nicer” (because it is dry) season is the Cuban winter from November to April, which is far more expensive than the summer months – especially when traveling over Christmas, New Year or Easter.

The rainy season attracts with particularly low prices and yet only moderate amounts of precipitation; Those who cannot cope with warm temperatures and high humidity should avoid traveling in the warmest months between June and August.

If you want to save even a little more and are not afraid of potential hurricanes, travel in September or October. Just pay attention to the weather warnings!

In general, however, the most recommended travel time for Cuba is probably the transition between the dry and rainy seasons, especially May and November. In both months it is neither too hot and humid/rainy nor too expensive and windy on the island.

Additional tip: festivals and events in Cuba

Now that you know everything there is to know about the climate and weather in Cuba, we would like to give you one last deciding factor: Cuba’s festivals and events. The island is known for its joie de vivre and exuberant atmosphere and this is also reflected in many an annual event that you would like to visit from time to time.

On the one hand there is the carnival, probably the most famous festival on the island, which is celebrated in Santiago de Cuba every July and is absolutely worth experiencing. In Havana, on the other hand, there is a big jazz festival every winter, followed by the tobacco festival “Festival Internacional del Habano” and Havana’s international book fair “Feria Internacional del Libroim” in February. In November, also in Havana, there is an exciting salsa festival and in December every year the International Festival of New Latin American Film takes place. There are also big celebrations in Cuba around the holidays of May 1st (Labor Day) and July 26th (Rebellion Day).

If you would like to take part in one of these events – or perhaps avoid it specifically due to the larger flow of tourists – you should also take these dates into account when choosing your travel time to Cuba.