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When I was reading about Cuba around the time I visited there (2008), I got the impression that the only way in is by air.

Now, as of 2012, is this (still) the case? Or are there any cruises, ferries, or other sea travel options for reaching Cuba, legally, from some of the nearby counties? (Either for a day-trip or a longer visit.)

I mean, Mexico is close. So are Jamaica, Bahamas, and many other island nations. (And Florida, of course, but I suppose we can count that out for now.) You can easily fly to Havana from e.g. Kingston, Nassau, or Cancún—it'd only make sense if you could take a boat too.

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Image from Bing Maps

(For the purposes of this question, assume that the Cuban tourist card/visa is already sorted out.)

Jonik
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Most of the time you will see huge cruise ships in Havana. But this is part of a cruise and even though you will have a day or two in Havana, you will not be allowed to stay on the island.

If you have your own boat you can just sail to Cuba but have to arrive at one of seven ports. There is some good information about this at cruisingincuba.com

I don't think there are scheduled ferries to anywhere, when I was in Cancun some years ago I was looking for a boat to Cuba and couldn't find any.

Peter Hahndorf
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Update as of 2016 Dec 14

According to this page (in Spanish): http://cartasdesdecuba.com/turismo-a-cuba-en-yates-de-lujos/

The company Sailo (boat rental) is offering trips to Cuba from Florida.

There have also been news about cruise ships that include Cuba in their itinerary (also in Spanish): http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1481146729_27256.html

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According to the Helms-Burton Act, ships docking at Cuban ports are not allowed to dock at U.S. ports for six months (these restrictions have been eased by Obama's administration, but with Trump's election there is no way to know what will happen next).

On top of that, there is a law in Cuba that forbids Cuban nationals from boarding a ship without a special permit from the government. For these reasons, traveling to/from Cuba by sea has become very rare.

yms
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