Stay safe

Cuba is generally a very safe country. The government punishes crime severely, adding another layer of deterrence. Strict and prominent policing, combined with neighborhood-watch-style programs (known as the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution, or CDR) generally keep the streets safe from violent crime.

Drug laws are incredibly harsh in Cuba, as are the laws against prostitution and the importation, distribution and production of pornography.

Criticism of the Cuban government, the Communist party, and figures of the revolution is unwise; you never know who might be listening.

Do not take photographs of policemen, soldiers, and other authority figures without their consent. The authorities may consider it as espionage.

Women receive a lot of attention from men, especially away from the more touristy centre of Havana. Avoiding cleavage and short skirts will lessen the attention but by no means stop it. Do not get annoyed by the whistles or hissing sounds, as Cuban women often acknowledge and welcome the attention. Acknowledging it too enthusiastically, however, will probably encourage the men.

Scams

Common scams include:

Renting a car in Cuba calls for your attention on every single peso you pay. One of the reported scams is referring to the cost of insurance, and it is quite expensive as you may be charged at twice the real cost. The price of insurance depends only on the car model, but the clerk might start to explain the difference between two or three types of policies, at different costs (for the same car class). The more expensive one has full coverage (except for the radio and tires theft). If you choose the more expensive option, you are told that it is not possible to pay the full amount with a credit card. Nevertheless, it is possible to pay a part of it with credit card (exactly the cost of the less expensive one) and pay cash for the difference. You will not get any receipt, nor does this sum appear on the rental contract. This is the exact amount the scammer gets from you. Real-looking discount cigars of dubious authenticity being offered by street touts. Quite often these are genuine articles which have been stolen or collected over a long period of time by cigar workers and are sold at substantial discount on legal and taxed cigars. If you are unable to distinguish genuine cigars then you should only buy from the official cigar dealers. Hotel doormen often offer untaxed (illegal) cigars, around ten times cheaper than taxed cigars a rule of thumb. There is a risk that customs will confiscate these on exit, although this will be unlikely for less than fifty cigars. "Friendly" locals inviting tourists to bars for a drink or to a restaurant; the tourist will be charged two to three times the normal price, and the spoils split between the establishment and the "friend". In Central Havana, a running trick is a young local man or couple, on the pretext of practising English, invite tourists to attend a performance by "Buena Vista Social Club" (no, most of the members of BVSC have passed away and the group has not performed in Havana for many years) while suggesting to go to a nearby bar for a drink while waiting for the show to start. Some locals even demand a few pesos for their company. Make the price absolutely clear before doing any business, especially if you are not a Spanish speaker. It is not uncommon to reach a destination with a taxi and be asked for much more money than agreed, on a pretext of misunderstanding such as CUP25 instead of CUP5. The advice is to write the price on a piece of paper and show it to the person. In Havana it is important to always be careful when using money. When taking a taxi, ask someone familiar with the system what the approximate fare should be, as many drivers will try to set an artificially high fare before departing. If in doubt, insist that they use the meter. You can almost be sure that any predetermined fare from the airport is higher than it should be, so insist on the meter. Water is often sold around tourist areas. Sometimes these bottles have been filled with local tap water (which can be poisonous) and re-sealed. You can usually see this tampering on the bottle, but not always. In any case, tap water will taste markedly different to bottled water and should be avoided in all cases. In fact, real bottled water (same goes for canned soft drinks) is a luxury even to locals and costs about the same either in CUP (around CUP10) in stores, local or tourist ones alike. If you get one too cheaply, it's probably too good to be true. Locals offer to swap money at a "local bank" where the natives can get the best rates and ask you to remain outside whilst they do the deal as your presence would drive the rate up. If you give them your money, you will never see them again. Credit card scams are common, so money should only be withdrawn in reputable hotels or banks. Ideally, carry cash with you; US dollars, euros and British pounds are almost universally accepted (in order of popularity). Some shop assistants have been known to take advantage of some foreigners when it comes to providing change: Some have been known not to give change and go on serving the next customer, assuming the tourist will not be able to speak enough Spanish to question this. Do not let your credit card out of your hands, and watch as the salesperson passes the card in the machine. If anything seems strange, do not sign. Merchants in small shops may take your card to an adjacent bank counter and use it to take out a cash advance. Look closely at your receipts, if the receipt indicates Venta and a dollar or CUC amount, this means that it has been passed as a cash advance (which will be kept by the dishonest employees). However, credit card facilities are generally so limited to non-existent in shops that it is customary and more practical to pay with cash. Jineteros/jineteras (hustlers) are a problem in larger cities, and will try to sell tourists anything, including restaurants, cigars, sex and drugs. This type of solicitation is illegal in Cuba and most will leave you alone if you ignore them or politely say no for fear of police attention. If you do find yourself in a situation with a more relentless jinetero, tell them that you have been in the country for several weeks, that you are a student at the university, and they will probably leave you alone. Many rely on tourists who are unfamiliar with the system and comparatively rich, so ideally you should try not to fit that part. Even if a tout gets only a few pesos from unsuspecting tourists a day, he or she will probably make as much as a doctor's monthly salary in just a week or two.