Cuba's road network - in various stages of disrepair - runs the entire length of the island. While there are few automobiles on the road, drivers have to manoeuvre among hitchhikers, cyclists, trucks and horse-drawn carriages. Local roads, designated by two or three numbers, tend to be in bad shape generally, often little more than unnamed tracks. Traffic drives on the right and road signs are similar to those used in Europe. The speed limit in towns is 50kph (31mph), 90kph (55mph) on main roads and 100kph (62mph) on the highway. Speeding offences and minor infringements at intersections are liable to fines payable upon hire car return. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08% and offenders will be fined heavily.

It should be noted that there is no automobile association in Cuba and, although car hire companies generally have an emergency number for breakdowns, motorists often have to rely on locals for assistance. Planning routes carefully, checking the location of petrol stations (erring on the side of caution regarding fuel levels), ensuring there's a spare tyre and carrying a Spanish phrasebook, are advisable.

Emergency breakdown service: None.

Routes to the city: The national highway is known as Ocho Vías (Eight Lanes) as it leaves Havana heading west to Pinar del Río and east through Santa Clara to its terminus in Ciego de Ávila. This wide, modern highway is in good repair but has zero lighting, making night driving difficult, if not downright dangerous. The older national artery, the Carretera Central, is a slower alternative and runs the length of the island from La Fé on the western tip of the island via Havana and then Santa Clara down to Guantánamo in the east. Trinidad is reached by branching off this road before Santa Clara. A better maintained road, the Vía Blanca, links Havana with the main beach resort of Varadero.

Driving times to Havana: From Varadero - 2 hours 30 minutes; from Pinar del Rio - 2 hours 45 minutes; from Trinidad - 5 hours; from Santa Clara - 3 hours; from Ciego de Avila - 7 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: Cuba's bus network is extensive, making bus the most popular way to travel by far; the recent influx of Chinese-manufactured buses means more reliable service than in the past. Most visitors travel by Víazul (tel: (7) 881 1413; website: www.viazul.cu). Overly enthusiastically air-conditioned buses operate on most major routes from Havana to Varadero, Viñales, Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba. The Víazul terminal is on Avenida 26 and Avenida Zoológico, and you can buy tickets from their office or at tourist desks in hotels. Payment is in Convertible Pesos (CUC). The state company Asociaciones de Transportes por Omnibus (ASTRO) (tel: (7) 870 9401) also operates long distance buses. Aimed more at locals than tourists, ASTRO buses have a more extensive route network and reach where Víazul doesn't. Buses depart from the Terminal de Omnibus Interprovinciales, Avenida Independencia 101 and Calle 19 de Mayo (very near the Plaza de la Revolución), and tickets are bought from the Venta de Boletines located there. Facilities include snack bars and shops.