Havana (La Habana) conjures up images of antique cars, killer cigars and revolution. The exquisite architecture of Old Havana makes it the Americas’ best-preserved colonial centre. Taking a stroll through shady plazas to the world famous Malecón is like stepping back in time.
 

Habana Vieja

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Habana Vieja (Old Havana) is being restored through a programme that feeds tourist revenues into renovation efforts.

 
What to do and see

Plaza de Armas (Habana Vieja)
This is a good place to start a tour of Havana. With its antique book market held in the shade of majestic trees, this is one of the city’s most inviting plazas. It is believed that this is where the city was founded in 1519. A small chapel, El Templete, with an interesting fresco by the French artist Jean

Plaza de Armas

 Baptiste Vermay, was built in 1828 to mark the spot. In front of the chapel is a ceiba tree, similar to the one under which the first mass in Cuba is said to have been held. On the 16th November every year hundreds of Habaneros dressed in white take a turn around the ceiba – an old tradition said to bring good luck. Across the plaza is the Museo de la Ciudad (City Museum) which occupies the magnificent old Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, once home to the highest colonial authority in Cuba and a former Presidential Palace. This museum gives an overview of Havana’s history and has Cuba’s only wooden ‘cobblestone’ street in front. The oldest building here is the Castillo de le Real Fuerza, a 16th-century colonial fortress surrounded by a moat, today home to the Museo de la Cerámica Artística. The nearby market is the best place in Havana for local arts and crafts.

Plaza de la Catedral

Plaza de la Catedral (Cathedral Square)
Plaza de la Catedral is one of Havana’s best-preserved squares, with the cathedral and surrounding buildings almost all restored to their original glory. The Catedral de San Cristobal de La Habana is an 18th-century baroque building occupying the north side of the square. Across the plaza is the oldest building, the Museo de Arte Colonial, which dates from 1720. This building is an architectural masterpiece built around a plant-filled central courtyard, which is complemented by the collection of colonial furniture gathered from Havana’s palaces and mansions. There are also restaurants, cafes, gift shops and cultural centres in the square.

Hemingway’s Havana
No visit to Havana would be complete without paying homage to one of its most famous residents, Ernest Hemingway. Situated between Plaza de Armas

Hotel Ambos Mundos

and Plaza de la Catedral is the Hotel Ambos Mundos, a stylish 1920s building (with bland rooms), where Ernest Hemingway stayed during much of the 1930s. In room 511, he began to write For Whom The Bell Tolls. Hemingway’s room has been preserved pretty much as it was when he was a guest – and is now open as a museum.
Museo de la Revolución y Memorial Granma (Museum of the Revolution and Granma Memorial)
The 1950s dictator Batista had to try and impress the populace with a grand presidential palace. This palace now houses the Museum of the Revolution, displaying the struggle of the Cuban people to gain sovereignty over their own island. Exhibits include photographs, cinefilm, clothing, original documents and weapons. Encased in a glass pavilion is the Granma Memorial – the boat Granma in which Fidel Castro and 81 combatants returned to Cuba from exile in Mexico in 1956. Outside is the eternal flame, surrounded by various vehicles used in the struggle.

Vedado
Vedado is the leafy district where gambling and good living once ruled. La Rampa, Vedado’s main street, runs from the Habana Libre down to the Malecón. La Rampa is surrounded by many fine examples of art deco and eclectic architecture, including the imposing Hotel Nacional and Coppelia ice cream parlour. To the west of the city is the upmarket seaside district of Miramar, bisected by wide, tree-lined Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) and flanked by eye-popping mansions now restored and used as government offices, by joint-venture companies and embassies.

A good overview of the city, including the iconic sculpture of Che Guevara on the side of the Ministry of the Interior, can be had from the observatory atop the José Martí Memorial in La Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square).

Cristo de la Habana

Not to be missed is a stroll along the Malecón, the famous seafront walk, which stretches almost the length of Havana. Here, old and young fish during the day and courting couples take their paseo (promenade) at night. The Malecón also provides a wonderful view of Havana’s cityscape, especially at sunrise or sunset. For a different, perhaps even more brilliant perspective, view the city from the giant Cristo (Jesus Christ) statue across the bay or the Morro-Cabaña nearby.