Havana safety and other tips
People have asked me if I think Havana is safe. From my point of view, I found it a safe city to wander around at any time of the day or night. You’ll hear people from shops call out to get you to visit their touristy shops or offer you a taxi, but they are all OK with you saying no; everyone’s quite friendly, and we didn’t feel harassed as tourists.
It’s not safe to drink the water, but there are plenty of little corner shops that just sell bottled water, and there are fridges in the rooms in the guesthouses.
Everything is paid for in cash, so take GBP or Euros to change (not US dollars as they charge an exchange fee) as well as a debit card to withdraw money. You can only exchange for currencies for the Cuban tourist currency (CUC) while you’re in Cuba, and you should only change your money in banks or CADECAS (Currency exchange).