Time in Havana

Havana, the capital of Cuba, runs on the America/Havana timezone — Cuba Standard Time (CST) at UTC−5 during winter and Cuba Daylight Time (CDT) at UTC−4 during summer. Cuba observes daylight saving time, so the clock shifts twice a year in a pattern closely aligned with the US Eastern timezone.

The defining fact about Havana's time: it is essentially the same as New York, Miami, Washington D.C., and the entire US East Coast. Both Havana and the US Eastern timezone run on UTC−5 in winter and UTC−4 in summer. When you call someone in Havana from Miami, your clocks show the same hour. When you book a flight from New York JFK to José Martí International Airport — a 3.5-hour journey — your arrival time in Havana will read the same hour on the clock as your departure zone.

There is one minor annual exception: Cuba typically falls back to standard time on the last Sunday of October, while the US East Coast falls back on the first Sunday of November. This creates approximately one week per year when Havana is 1 hour behind New York. Outside that brief window, the two cities are on identical time.

For a real-time display of Havana time alongside other cities, see our World Clock. For full Cuba country-level timezone data, DST dates, and travel tips, visit our time in Cuba page.

Havana's UTC−5/−4 offset puts it squarely in sync with the US Eastern Seaboard. Here is how Havana compares to major US cities across seasons:

For East Coast travelers — the majority of US visitors to Cuba — this is a remarkable convenience. Los Angeles is 3 hours behind Havana, making it the only US timezone with a meaningful scheduling gap. Chicago, at just 1 hour behind, has an easy overlap for calls and meetings.

For a live real-time comparison with New York, visit our New York time page.

Havana is one of the most visually arresting capitals in the Americas — a city where Spanish colonial grandeur, Soviet-era architecture, and Caribbean warmth collide in a way found nowhere else on earth. The city's 2.1 million residents inhabit a sprawling landscape of crumbling baroque facades, ocean-front promenades, and neighborhoods each with their own distinct character.

Old Havana (La Habana Vieja): The historic heart of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. Five main plazas anchor the district — Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de Armas, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, and Plaza del Cristo. The architecture spans from the 16th to 19th centuries, with Spanish baroque, neoclassical, and art nouveau buildings in various states of restoration and romantic decay.

The Malecón: An 8-kilometer seafront esplanade stretching from Old Havana to the Vedado district. Equal parts road, seawall, gathering place, and social institution. Habaneros fish, court, play music, and watch sunsets here at all hours. At dusk it is one of the most atmospheric urban scenes in the Caribbean.

El Floridita & La Bodeguita del Medio: Two legendary bars that define Havana's literary and cocktail heritage. El Floridita on Obispo Street is credited as the birthplace of the daiquiri and was Ernest Hemingway's regular haunt — a bronze Hemingway still leans at the end of the bar. La Bodeguita del Medio, just blocks away, is the spiritual home of the mojito, with walls covered in decades of visitor graffiti.

El Capitolio: Havana's grand capitol building, completed in 1929, was modeled loosely on the US Capitol in Washington. Restored to its full splendor after years of renovation, it now houses the Cuban Academy of Sciences and is one of the city's most photographed landmarks.

Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC): A converted cooking oil factory turned contemporary arts venue, open Thursday through Sunday nights. Galleries, live music stages, cinema, and a bar scene under one roof — widely considered the most exciting cultural space in modern Havana.

For country-wide travel planning and Cuba's complete timezone and DST information, see our time in Cuba page.

Havana is served by José Martí International Airport (IATA: HAV), located 18 km southwest of the city center. Terminal 3 handles international arrivals and is the busiest terminal for US-origin flights. Transfer to the city center takes approximately 25–45 minutes by taxi.

Direct flights from US cities to Havana (HAV):

The Miami–Havana route is the shortest international flight from any major US city to a foreign capital — just 45 minutes in the air, covering 366 km across the Florida Strait. Multiple daily departures operate from Miami.

Zero jet lag from the US East Coast. This is the single greatest practical advantage of Havana's timezone alignment with the US Eastern Seaboard. Travelers arriving from New York, Miami, Washington D.C., or Boston experience no time adjustment whatsoever. Your body clock, your phone, and your watch are all already set to Havana time before you board the plane. Day one is immediately productive — or immediately enjoyable, depending on your purpose.

For comparison with nearby destinations, our time in Mexico page covers Mexico City (CST, UTC−6) and other Mexican cities, which run 1 hour behind Havana in winter and at the same time as Havana in summer.