Where should I exchange US$ for Euros for my Cuba trip
 

I'm taking my first trip to Cuba in a few months and know that I should bring Euros. Where should I get Euros, in the US or in Europe...and if here in the US, then where and how?

Where this knowledge comes from?

Moving this to the FT Cuba Forum
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

The cuban gov't takes a big cut when you exchange US dollars for CUC. So what should I do?

Check out post #3 here:
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntr...2-trip-to-cuba

You bring Euros wherever you get the best rate.

I was in Cuba 2 weeks ago. Unless you are talking about a large quantity of money I wouldn't make yourself crazy about the money. All major hotels exchange money and it is the same rate. 1cuc =$1. They charge you a 10% penalty and a 3% exchange fee for every $ so you net out prox.87. For a Euro that I had with me you got about a 9% premium net so I netted out $1.09cuc for ever euro. I hope this helps. The euro rate might have dropped since be Brexit.

The question is where are you located, and where will you be going en route? That determines whee you may be able to get good exchange rates (domestic U.S banks are said to be horrible).

If you can't get €, try CAD. No problem exchanging it in banks in the middle of nowhere in Cuba (really, my wife and I exchanged for well over CUC 1,000 April last year). Just me sure you can get clean new notes with no tears.

I'm in San Diego. Does that help?

Well, check your local banks for their € and CAD exchange rates (inclusive of fees). Might be so horribly high that you might as well take USD.

Are you staying in a hotel or in a casa particular (B&B)?
According to the report I the link I posted, owners of casas particulares seem to be stockpiling dollars and giving very good exchange rates. I am probably going to try that in September.

Definitely a B&B...thanks.

To update this thread to September of 2016......

I got:
0.87 CUC for U$1

At the time:
0.88 Euros=U$1

So I just did a straight exchange, U$ for CUC.
Bank, cadeca, hotel...all the same rate of 0.87 CUC.
No casa owners or other private citizens seemed interested in doing an exchange.