Practical Cuba
Trains in Cuba
Cuba runs a state railway the length of the island, and it is genuinely usable — but it is the slowest of the realistic ways to cross the country, and it is the one most likely to change under you. Treat a train as a way of travelling rather than a way of arriving on time.
How it works, not what it costs — reviewed 2026-08-24.
The shape of the network
The almanac records Cuba's rail extent as 8,367 km (2017). The spine is a single long-distance corridor running west to east, linking Havana with Santa Clara, Camagüey, Las Tunas and Santiago de Cuba, with branches reaching provincial capitals off that line.
Cuba's first railway opened in 1837, before Spain had one of its own — the line was built to move sugar, and the industrial network that grew around the mills is still why so much of the island has track on it. Much of that sugar trackage is now disused, so the map of rails is considerably larger than the map of passenger service.
What riding one is like
The long-distance service is operated by the state railway. Journeys are long, air conditioning is inconsistent, and departures can be cancelled or rescheduled with little notice. Bring water, food and something warm — a carriage with working air conditioning tends to be cold at night.
Tickets for foreign visitors are normally bought at the station rather than online, and demand on the Havana–Santiago corridor is high enough that turning up on the day is a gamble. There is no reliable public timetable published outside Cuba, which is the single most important thing to know: verify locally, close to the day.
When the train is the right choice
If your schedule has slack, the train is the most interesting way to see the interior — you pass through country the tourist buses skip entirely, and you travel alongside Cubans rather than other visitors.
If you have a fixed onward flight, it is the wrong tool. Long-distance buses cover the same corridor faster and far more predictably, and a domestic flight covers Havana–Santiago in a fraction of the time.
Related practical pages
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a train from Havana to Santiago de Cuba?
- Yes — that is the main long-distance corridor, running the length of the island. It is slow and subject to cancellation, so confirm locally rather than planning a connection around it.
- Can I book Cuban train tickets online from abroad?
- Not reliably. Tickets are generally bought in Cuba, at the station, and availability is checked in person.
- Is the train cheaper than the bus?
- Fares change often enough that any figure printed here would soon be wrong. Check at the station — the cost is not usually the deciding factor; reliability is.