Cuba: souvenirs
Cuba's exports are famously specific - cigars, rum and coffee - plus the art and vintage of Havana's streets. Here is what travellers bring home from Cuba, where the good versions live, and the export questions worth a look - alongside our 63 written places.
The classic buys
Cigars from official stores
Buy only at official Habanos shops (hotels, LCDH stores) with holographic seals and receipts - street 'bargain' boxes are fakes with theatrical backstories.
Rum beyond the famous label
Aged Cuban rums from the state stores - the older expressions rarely leave the island.
Coffee
Sierra Maestra beans in sealed packs from official shops.
Art and prints
Havana's galleries and art fairs - larger artworks may need an export stamp from the registry; galleries arrange it.
Vintage and revolution-era design
Posters (reprints sold as such), vintage watches and the flea-market layer of Plaza de Armas.
Guayaberas and linen
The four-pocket shirt done properly by Cuban tailors.
Check before you buy
- Check your home country's current rules on Cuban goods - some nationalities face limits on cigars, rum and value; the rules change and the official pages are the source.
- Cigar receipts matter at exit and at home customs - keep the official store receipt with the sealed box.
- Artwork above certain sizes/values needs the cultural-export stamp - galleries handle it routinely.
✗ Better left behind
- Street cigars 'from the factory' - the persistent classic scam.
- Black coral jewellery - protected species.
Keep planning
Markets shift, workshops close and open, and the best souvenir is still the one with a story you were there for. Buy from makers where you can, keep receipts for anything substantial, and when a deal feels too good, it usually is.