Eloina Arteaga Gonzales Isabel Rubio #14 Apto 4, 2do Piso e/ Martí y Adela Ascuyz Pinar del Rio Tel. ++53 (75) 771 798 (Neighbour) Price: 15 CUC - 20 CUC Note: In the center of the city, nice hosts.

Pinar del Rio isn't a place for staying a long time (my opinion). One day is enough for visiting the city, the famous cigar factory and the Guayabita del Pinar distillerie. From Pinar del Rio is a good point to go to Maria la Gorda and to Viñales.

Excursiones

• Maria la Gorda. A beautiful beach on the western part of Cuba. It is the most famous beach of Cuba among divers. There exist a small hotel right at the beach. It isn't in good condition but very expensive, this also because there is no compentency, no village near. If you like to the hotel you can make reservationes in Habana and they will organize a direct bus for you. For going there independent you can rent a car or you can go by taxi. It could be that there doesn´t exist anymore the chance to go with a privat one. Nevertheless, the only diference will be that the ofical costs more. The taxi will cost you between 20 and 40 CUC (retourn journey). The driver will wait for you at the beach in Maria la Gorda. There also exists (at least in theory) to go by public transport. It's dificult but a possibility. You have to take a train in Pinar del Rio to Guanes. They train is supposed to leave three times a day, in reality, the last time I was in Pinar del Rio it left once every second day. Because of the often changes you need to inform you directly at the train station. In Guanes you have to take a bus to Sandino and at least from there you need a taxi driver for going to the beach. If you will arrive very late in Sandino there's no problem because there exists some casa particulars. Because of this there also exists the possibility to go for diving at the beach but living in Sandino with a familiy. The journey can be done easier when there are direct buses from Pinar del Rio to Sandino, you need to inform you at the local terminal of ASTRO.
  
  
• Boca de Galafre beach. You can get there by using the train that goes to Guanes. Because of the insecure timetable I recomend to go by taxi. It will cost you about 15 or 20 CUC (retourn journey), the taxi driver will wait for you.
  
  
• Robains´house. It is a place for people who are interest on the Cuban tobacco. You need to go by taxi, the price is about 15 CUC (retourn yourney).

How to go to Pinar del Rio

• ASTRO. They have scheduled about fife times a day a bus from Habana to Pinar del Rio. Because of the frequency of technical problems this isn't a very reliable way to go to Pinar del Rio.
• VIA AZUL. They have daily one bus from Habana and one from Viñales to Pinar del Rio. Have a look at the timetable.
• TRAIN. The train leaves in Habana at 21:40 and reachs Pinar del Rio at 3:06 in the morning. Even then jineteros are in the street looking for YOU. The train is rather slow but an aventure. In the other direction the timetable is better, the train leaves at 9:00 in Pinar del Rio and reachs its destination at 14:43 (scheduled). I had the luck to pay in Cuban Pesos, the whole journey cost me 6.5 Pesos...
  There are also three trains per day to and from Guane. At least scheduled, it can be that in reality only will leave one ever second day.
• CAMIONES. No problem to and from Habana and all the villages in the way go to Pinar del Rio by truck (Even faster than the train). From other direcciones, like Sandino or Viñales it's not so easy to go by truck.
• TAXI. From ASTROs´bus station in Habana there also leave collectiv taxis for in CUC paying people (oficial Cubataxi without taximeter). The journey costs you between 5 and 7 CUC per person. The taxi leave when it's full (four people), or when the people pay for four. Also are operating privat collectiv taxis. In this case the journey costs 100 Pesos, but sometimes it's rather difficult for foreigners to travel with this kind of taxi. Generally, the collectiv taxis (CUC or Pesos) are the best and fastest way to go to from Habana to Pinar del Rio. I recomend to go in the morning because the traffic's getting low after midday.