Sightseeing Overview
Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) is best explored on foot to take full advantage of the glorious Spanish colonial architecture, increasingly under restoration. Visitors can easily occupy an afternoon or two meandering through the narrow streets and around the shady plazas finding their own favorite spots.

There will always be something happening to catch the eye - pull up a bar stool or cafe table and watch the colorful pageant happen by. Museum-lovers will be spoilt for choice as more and more open each year, many in wonderful old buildings.

While Old Havana never fails to charm, it would be a pity to neglect other areas of the city, such as Vedado, the leafy district where gambling and good living once ruled.

La Rampa, Vedado’s main street, runs from the Habana Libre, (the Havana Hilton for a fleeting moment after it was built - the revolutionary government commandeered it shortly after 1959) down to the Malecón. La Rampa is surrounded by many fine examples of art deco and eclectic architecture, not least 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).

A stroll along the Malecón, the famous seafront walk, which stretches almost the length of Havana, is a must. 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.

Tourist Information
The following travel agencies are all operated by the Cuban government and provide traveller information:

Cubatur
Calle 23 corner of Calle L, Vedado
Tel: (7) 833 3142 or 834 4111.
Website: www.cubatur.cu

Cubanacán
Calle 68, 503, corner of 5th Avenue, Playa
Tel: (7) 204 1658 or 1892.
Website: www.cubanacan.cu

Havanatur
Calle 3RA corner Calle 74, Miramar
Tel: (7) 201 9800.
Website: www.havanatur.cu

Infotur
Obispo 524, Habana Vieja
Tel: 866 3333.
Website: www.infotur.cu

Information is also available online (website: www.cubatravel.cu) and at the airport (Terminal Three) (tel: (7) 642 6101).

Passes
There are currently no tourist passes available in Havana.

Key Attractions:

Plaza de Armas
This Habana Vieja gem with its antique book market held in the shade of majestic trees is one of the city’s most inviting plazas and an excellent place to start a tour - especially since it’s where the city is said to have been founded in 1519. A small chapel, El Templete, with an interesting fresco by the French artist Jean 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. Every November 16, hundreds of Habaneros dressed in white take a turn around the ceiba - an old tradition said to bring good luck. Walk across the plaza to see 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 popular museum gives an overview of Havana’s history and has a good gift shop - don’t miss Cuba’s only wooden ‘cobblestone’ street in front. The oldest building in this square is actually just to the side - the impressive Castillo de le Real Fuerza, a 16th-century colonial fortress surrounded by a moat, today home to the Museo de la Cerámica Artística. When shopping is on the agenda, the nearby market is the best place in Havana for local arts and crafts.

El Templete
Corner of Calle Baratillo, between Calle O’Reilly & Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission charge.

Museo de la Ciudad
Calle Tacon 1, between Calle Obispo & O’Reilly, Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja
Tel: (7) 866 8183.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission charge.

Museo de la Cerámica Artística
Corner of Mercaderes & Amargura, Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja
Tel: (7) 861 6130.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission charge.

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 splendor- perhaps nowhere in the Americas does history come so alive in stone than here. The Catedral de San Cristobal de La Habana is an 18th-century baroque building occupying the north side of the square. Collecting famous works both old and new, the Centro Wilfredo Lam, adjacent, is a must for art buffs. Across the plaza is the oldest building, which dates from 1720, the Museo de Arte Colonial, 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. Other sophisticated buildings line this square and now house cafes, restaurants, cultural centers and gift shops.

Catedral de San Cristobal de la Habana
Empedrado 156, Plaza de la Catedral
Tel: (7) 861 7771.
Opening hours: Officially open every day but often locked.
Free admission.

Museo de Arte Colonial
Calle San Ignacio 61, Plaza de la Catedral
Tel: (7) 862 6440.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission charge.

Centro Wilfredo Lam
San Ignacio 22, corner Empedrado
Tel: (7) 861 2096 or 3419.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1700.
Admission charge.

Hemingway’s Havana
No visit to Havana would be complete without paying homage to one of its most famous residents, Ernest Hemingway. On a stroll between Plaza de Armas and Plaza de la Catedral, consider a stop at 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.

But to pay true homage to the master of literary economy, do as he did and start the evening with a mojito, a delicious blend of rum and mint, in La Bodeguita del Medio, and continue with another of his favorite tipples, a daiquiri, in El Floridita.

Hotel Ambos Mundos
Calle Obispo 153, corner of Calle Mercaderes, Habana Vieja
Tel: (7) 860 9530.
Opening hours: 1000-1600 (the room).
Admission charge.

La Bodeguita del Medio
Empedrado 207 between Cuba & San Ignacio
Tel: (7) 867 1374/5.
Opening hours: 1100-2400.

El Floridita
Obispo 557, corner Calle Monserrate
Tel: (7) 867 1300.
Opening hours: 1100-0100.

Museo de la Revolución y Memorial Granma (Museum of the Revolution and Granma Memorial)
The 1950s dictator Batista (like all dictators) had to try and impress the populace with a grand presidential palace. Ironic, then, that this glorious palace, which he hardly had time to enjoy, was appropriated to house 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.

Museo de la Revolución
Calle Refugio 1, between Calle Monserrate & Calle Zulueta, Habana Vieja
Tel: (7) 862 4092/3/4.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1700.
Admission charge.

Further Distractions:

Parque Histórico Militar El Morro-La Cabaña (Historical and Military Park)
Built by the Spanish in the 16th century, this military fort at the entrance to the harbor offered Havana protection from enemy ships and pirates. The fort contains a collection of old weapons including a huge catapult and the first office of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara after the triumph of the revolution. Today it’s a museum with plenty of photographs and Che’s personal belongings. Every evening at 2100 a cannon is fired across the bay.

Parque Histórico Militar El Morro-La Cabaña
Carretera de la Cabaña, Habana del Este
Tel: (7) 863 4950.
Opening hours: Daily 0800-2200.
Admission charge.

Cigar Factories
Ever wonder how all those world famous cigars are made? Find out during a cigar factory tour, where every step of the process (from hand selecting the very best outer leaves to slipping on the bands) is explained by energetic docents. Here, cigars are still rolled by hand and you may be lucky enough to catch the age old tradition of someone reading to the workers while they roll the world’s best. Tours are currently available at Real Fábrica de Tabacos Partagás, one of Cuba’s oldest factories. Real Fábrica de Tabacos La Corona is currently being restored, but will resume offering tours soon. Both have on-site shops.

Real Fábrica de Tabacos Partagás
Calle Industria 520, Centro Habana
Tel: (7) 862 0086.
Opening hours: Daily 0800-1500. Tours Mon-Sat 0900-1500.
Admission charge.

Real Fábrica de Tabacos La Corona
Calle Agramonte 106, between Colón & Refugio, Centro Habana
Tel: (7) 878 5166.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1500.
Admission charge.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts)
The collection of the Museum of Fine Arts is housed in two separate buildings, both very close to Parque Central. The Colección de Arte Universal (international collection) is housed in one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, and has a wide collection of Asian, Italian, Greek, Latin and North American art, while the Colección de Arte Cubano (Cuban collection) offers the world’s best collection of Cuban art. Unique, unforgettable concerts are held in the intimate theater here.  

Colección de Arte Universal
Calle San Rafael between Zulueta & Monserrate, Habana Vieja

Colección de Arte Cubano
Calle Trocadero between Zulueta & Monserrate, Habana Vieja
Tel: (7) 861 5777 or 862 0140.
Website: www.museonacional.cult.cu
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1800, Sun 1000-1400.
Admission charge.


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