Can Americans Now Go to Cuba?

Yes. And no. It depends on several factors.

Most Cubans cannot afford a car

Any American can now go to Cuba provided he or she is part of a registered cultural exchange tour. These tours are pretty rigourous, there is no beach time and thus far, a  part of each trip seems to have been dedicated to a harangue of the group from a Cuban government official about the 'terrorist' United States. Sounds like fun.

Amigos y amigas in Varadero

Cuban Americans with family in Cuba can visit and again, there are particular rules around this group. Certain groups of Americans can go with a special license. These include journalists, philanthropic/religious, sports and cultural.
Any American can go provided their entire trip is sponsored by someone from another country. So if you were to travel there on a European or Canadian boat with all your expenses covered, you're good to go. And that doesn't mean you can reimburse them under the table, although who would know?

Cuban artisan in market in Varadero

Lots of Americans, at least 40,000 per year according to one estimate, travel to and from Cuba via a third country, hoping to fool Customs and Immigration. Most do, Cuba doesn't stamp your passport unless you ask them to.




(for information on cultural exchanges, google <Cuban cultural exchange travel>, but before purchasing, make certain that the travel agency actually has a license from the government to offer Cuban travel. There have been instances where some didn't.)