Planning a trip to Vinales
Víazul (tel. 7/881-1413 in Havana; www.viazul.com) has daily buses at 9am, 12:40pm, and 2pm from Havana to Viñales, via Pinar del Río. The trip takes 3 hours and 15 minutes and costs CUC$12 each way. Víazul buses depart Viñales for Havana daily at 8am, 2pm, and 6pm, and pass through Pinar del Río about 40 minutes later, before continuing on to the capital. You can hire a taxi to Havana for between CUC$80 and CUC$90 for up to four people, and you can also hire a taxi to Cienfuegos and Trinidad. The bus station (tel. 48/79-3195) is located at Salvador Cisnero 63, just across the street from the town's main plaza.
To get here by car, take the Autopista Nacional (A4) west to Pinar del Río (see above for how to find it). From Pinar del Río, it's another 26km (16 miles) north on the well-marked Carretera Viñales. Entering Pinar del Río from the Autopista, you'll want to turn right at the post office, on Calle Isabel Rubio, and follow the signs for Viñales. Or, alternatively, just before Pinar del Río, there's a sign marked Las Ovas to the right (west). Take the western route, a winding cross-country shortcut to Viñales.
Getting Around
Taxis can be hired in Viñales, or called from your hotel. They tend to congregate around the central plaza. A cab to any of the local attractions costs between CUC$2 and CUC$6. You can hire a cab for a full-day trip to anywhere around the region for around CUC$30. If you'd rather rent a car, Transtur (tel. 48/79-6060) has an office downtown just off the central park, and Havanautos (tel. 48/79-6330) has an office diagonally opposite the Viñales Cupet gas station. Mopeds (motos) can now be rented from a place next to the Casa Don Tomás (tel. 48/79-6300) for CUC$23 a day. The Viñales Bus Tour has 18 stops and is a hop-on/hop-off service for CUC$5 a day.
This is a good region to bicycle around. The valley itself is almost perfectly flat and most of the major attractions can be reached along well-paved roads. You can rent bikes in pretty good shape for CUC$5 to CUC$10 per day from your casa particular or Cubanacán offers a 1-day guided biking tour in the valley for CUC$20 with lunch included. Horse riding can also be arranged through agencies for CUC$5 per person per hour.
