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Old Havana

Discover Old Havana, the enchanting historic center of the capital of Cuba, always full of life and color. 

Old Havana
© Andrea Nottoli

When we talk about La Habana Vieja (Old Havana), we immediately think of the characteristic Cuban charm and the lively atmosphere of Havana, every tourist should visit since it is the historic center of the Cuban capital and a treasure declared as the patrimony of humanity by Unesco in 1982. This is the oldest area of the city, where the current capital of the island of Cuba was born. Originally called San Cristóbal, for being located in an important Caribbean port, it grew during the Spanish colonial period and eventually became a very important urban center in Central America.

Cathedral Square, Old Havana
© Tony Hisgett

It is not surprising then that Old Havana is famous for preserving all the most purely Cuban art and culture, spread over thousands of historic sites that are preserved as a treasure and pride of national heritage. In addition, the diversity in terms of art and architecture styles is found in each building, making it possible to appreciate the most innovative Art Deco of the time, to the oldest colonial palace. 

Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Old Havana
© Robin Thom

In order to discover Old Havana in depth, it is recommended to start with one of its four principal plazas, from which the city developed. They are  connected between each other by numerous streets and avenues, such as the Obispo and Mercaderes. The oldest of these plazas is Plaza de Armas, whose name describes the military activities that took place there. The other three are the Plaza Vieja, a purveyor of Art Déco and the center for galleries and businesses; the Plaza de la Catedral, where the Cathedral of Havana was raised as well as other colonial buildings; and the Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, a place close to the port, where ships would come and go during the colonial times.

Museum of Colonial Art
© Wilder Mendez

In spending the day in these plazas and passing through the nearby streets you will discover numerous places of interest. Something to highlight is the large number of museums that the visitor can discover throughout historic Havana. The Model Museum of Old Havana is particularly recomendable, as it guarantees a global vision of the city, with its monuments and buildings. Furthermore, there exists other exceptional museums such as the Museum of the City located in the ostentatious Palace of the Captain Generals, where we find, through its artifacts on display, the story of the history of Cuba from its independent pretensions to the victory of the revolution; the Tobacco Museum, and the Rum Museum, two spaces where we are shown the evolution of these two commodities that characterize a part of the Cuban culture; the Museum of Colonial Art, located in the oldest building in the Plaza de la Catedral; or the Museum of the the House of Jose Marti,  where we can come closer to the historic figure of the national Cuban hero.

In addition, there are the remarkable palaces and colonial works such as the Palace of the Marquis of Arcos, which has presided in the Plaza de la Catedral since the 18th century,or its neighbor the Palace of the Marquis of Clear Water, formerly bank offices and currently a famous restaurant of Havana; the well known and aristocratic The Pious Workhouse; furthermore, the Palace of the Counts of Jaruco, which decorates one of the sides of the Plaza Vieja with a beautiful fusion of  mudéjar and baroque styles. 

Finally, you cannot go to Old Havana without passing by its famous and captivating locales and restaurants. La Bodeguita del Medio is internationally known, and is an obligatory stop. There you can enjoy the rich creole food and the famous mojitos, although if you prefer the more famous Cuban cocktail, the daikiri, do not hesitate in visiting El Floridita, both locales were frequented by various celebrities such as Hemingway, Fidel Castro, and Nat King Cole, among others.

Índice

• What to see in Old Havana?
• What to see and do in a day in old Havana?
• What plans and activities are there in Old Havana?
• When is the best moment to visit the city?
• What living accommodations are there in Old Havana?
• How to come to Old Havana?

What to see in Old Havana?

Plaza de la Catedral
© Guillaume Baviere

The historic center of Havana is replete with monuments and places of interest, as many museums as palaces and historic buildings.As occurs in many other cities with an historic center, the best thing to do is lose yourself in the streets and enjoy a more relaxed experience, but also come to know the most interesting places of Old Havana (la Habana Vieja), a place declared Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO in 1982. 

Castle of the Royal Force, Plaza de Armas
© Jaime del Rio

There are four, large, famous plazas in Old Havana, around which important buildings are erected from which the main streets come and go from the historic center. To the north we find the Plaza de la Catedral, where the beautiful baroque Cathedral of St. Christopher of Havana stands, and whose western side is the Palace of the Marquis’ of Clear Waters, the old headquarters of the industrial bank of the capital, and the Museum of Colonial Art, a suitable place to learn about the art that developed during the colonial age of the island.

Mercaderes Street
© Pierre Langlois

Near to this we have the Plaza de Armas, it has something of a military character given its history related with the navy, around which are configured related spaces and buildings such as the monument of the Castle of the Royal Force, or the Museum of the City, located in the old Palace of the Captain Generals, the ostentatious headquarters of its various buildings in the Cuban capital within which we can learn its history from its attempts at national independence to the eventual victory of the Revolution. 

On the other hand, in the Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, we can enjoy the church and convent dedicated to the saint, as well as the interesting Museum of Sacred Art where we can learn more about this concrete genre of art, and the neighboring Rum Museum, a place that all lovers of this drink need to visit. 

Finally, more towards the south we find the known Plaza Vieja, a beautiful area full of colors,where you can find the Palace of the Counts of Jaruco, a building that fuses the mudejar style with the baroque, furthermore other places of interest like the Photo library of Cuba, a place where there are exhibitions of Cuban photography both historic and contemporary, and the Brau Center, a famous cultural and artistic space among havana residents.

One of the best ways to travel to Old Havana is by its two most famous streets. On the other hand, Mercaderes street, a historic avenue that travels to the historic center from the Cathedral until La Plaza Vieja, and today where we can find some of the most important museums of the historic center, like the Model Museum of Old Havana, a place where one can know all the hidden corners of the cuban capital from a birds eye view; the Armería of April 9th, suitable for all who are interested in the world of weaponry of the time and its history; or the Tobacco Museum, a place where one can know everything referring to the famous Havana cigars; finally, we can indulge ourselves by visiting the Chocolate Museum, a place that will delight our senses. 

On the other hand, other important arteries that make up the bustling old town is Obispo street, from the bay to the center of Havana, a beautiful boulevard full of history, colors, and life where we can find important places such as the Hotel Ambos Mundos, located on the corner of this street with Mercaderes, a famous pink building for having been the home of Ernest Hemingway for a time; or the interesting National Museum of Natural History of Cuba, where we can enter inside and observe the natural environment of the island. 

What to see in a day in Old Havana?

El Templete
© Viajescuba

If you are in the Cuban capital and decide to visit the old town of Old Havana, a good plan is to pass the day traveling around its colorful streets and plazas, in which you can experience the true essence of Havana life. 

Your walk can start in any of the four large plazas that comprise the old town of the capital of Cuba, but we propose that you do it by passing through the oldest and plaza and the one from which the city was born, the Plaza de Armas, surrounded by the imposing Castle of the Royal Force and the classic construction the Pavillion (Templete), where there always are small artisan markets and unique objects; near this we can find the Plaza de la Catedral, where, as the name indicates, is the Cathedral of Havana in a baroque style and dedicated to Saint Christopher, the patron saint of Havana, and bordered by the magnificent manor houses; to the south we have Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, famous for its lively atmosphere and colonial style buildings with bright colors; finally, there is the Plaza Vieja, which was restored until it was an accurate reconstruction of how it appeared in the 19th century and that is nowadays one of the most eclectic artistic spaces of the Cuban capital. 

The old town of Old Havana is built around two great historic urban arteries: in the first place Mercaderes Street, which starts from the Cathedral and directs toward the south passing through the Tobacco Museum and the Chocolate Museum, and where we can find during our tour, the Statue of Simón Bolívar en the small square in the annex full of charm, in order to finally conclude in the Plaza Vieja; on the other hand there is the famous Obispo Street, where we can enjoy a long and stimulating walk from Plaza de Armas, at which point we find the Palace of the Captain Generals, the classic Hotel Ambos Mundos where Hemingway lived,finishing in the famous Bar Floridita, an ideal place to relax and enjoy yourself after a day full of excitement.

What plans and activities are there in Old Havana?

Bodeguita del Medio
© Channed

The old town of the capital of Cuba is a place full of enchantment, whose people are always moving and interacting with the visitors, continuing on with routine life and where there is not a lack of plans and activities to do for those who decide to visit Old Havana.

El Floridita
© Wilder Mendez

The the authentic and charming environment of the old town of Havana is reflected in the vintage cars that drive through the streets worthy of a collector, the aged look and unique appearance  edificios, the rhythm of the music that has not been replaced by new musical currents and endless things that surprise with their discovery by those who visit.

During the day there are many possible activities:for example, beginning with the Plaza de Armas, where on top of its small markets in which we can find unique collector's objects and artisanal products, we come across The Pavillion (El Templete), a neoclassical building constructed with a kapok tree, a tree, which, under its foliage, was celebrated the first foundational mass of the capital and legend has it that circling around it three times counterclockwise brings luck and prosperity to all who do it. Near there is situated the Plaza de la Catedral, where, in addition to being adorned by the magnificent baroque façade of the temple, you can take advantage and make a stop at the Bodeguita del Medio, known for its Cuban mojito and where you can taste the simple and famous Creole gastronomy. 

Continuing on with the two famous streets of the historic center, Mercaderes Street and Obispo Street, we can go and observe the women that sell peanuts and open air products, to the rhythm of the many orchestras that make Cuban sounds and animate the atmosphere.The nexus of union of the two streets is the Hotel Ambos Mundos, where Hemingway lived for a while, whose room is now a type of alter to the northamerican author and visible to all those who are curious. Another form of paying him homage is to go to the Bar Floridita, the bar usually frequented by the nobel prize winner where he would usually drink a daiquiri, and follow his steps trying the famous Cuban cocktail. 

Arriving during the afternoon/night is an event of special importance for cubans which is the Ceremony of the Cañonazo, in which everyday at 9 pm a canon fires from the Fort of San Carlos de la Cabaña, announcing the traditional close of the port of the ancient walls of the capital. returning to the other side of the bay by means of the Ferry de Casablanca, we return to the southern part of the old town, near the Plaza de San Francisco and the Plaza Vieja,in which we can sit down on one of the terraces and enjoy the marvelous night time atmosphere that settles far and wide over Old Havana. 

When is the best moment to visit Old Havana?

Old Havana is a marvelous destination to visit and anytime of the year is ideal to passby. The climate is almost always good, but in order to dodge the excessive heat its advisable to visit the island outside of the tropical season and period of humidity: that is to say, the best option would be to visit the city between the months of November and April, when the climate is drier. The other option is to visit the city during the off season,so the trip is more economical and has fewer tourists in the city, corresponding with the months from April to June, and from August to November. 

During the summer, in Old Havana there is a lot of action and a great atmosphere, furthermore starting in weeks of July begins the celebrations for the Havana Carnival, that continues throughout the entire month of August. But the frenetic night time rhythm in Havana really lasts until the month of October, when the nocturnal temperatures are still agreeable. 

In the month of December varios International Festivals are celebrated, such as New Latin American Cinema and the International Festival of Ballet of Havana, famous to the whole world for its quality and the preparation by its ballerinas. Another magnificent option in which to visit the city is in the months of April and May, when, on top of being the off season, the International Festival of Old Havana: City in Movement is celebrated, a fantastic employment of music in the streets, dances, concerts and celebrated expositions in the month of April, being the most important festival of Old Havana, for which everyone goes out to celebrate in style. 

What living accommodations are there in Old Havana?

Hotel Iberostar Parque Central
© Hotel Iberostar Parque Central

Probably the best option that exists, not only in Old Havana, but rather in the rest of the Cuban cities, are the living accommodations in private houses. It is a type of living accommodation very unique and typical to Cuba, through which you will be able to know the country first hand and live as a resident would in Havana. It is a singular experience,That would make you know the city much better and the culture of the place, allowing you to ask any questions or discuss your visit with the hosts, as well as being an option more economical. 

Hotel Iberostar Grand Hotel Packard
© Hotel Iberostar Grand Hotel Packard

If you prefer a type of more classical living accommodation, there also exists numerous options in the hotels of the Old Havana. One of these is the famous Hotel Inglaterra, the oldest in Cuba, declared a National Monument with a mudejar style; another is the Hotel Ambos Mundos, one of the best known in the Cuban capital, both for its striking early 20th century style and for conserving the room in which the writer Ernest Hemingway lived for a period of time; another hotel will its aged enchantment is the Hotel Santa Isabel, located in an old, colonial styled building in front of the Plaza de Armas; next to the Hotel Mercure Sevilla, which boasts a New Arabian style and is located at the gates of Old Havana.

If where are looking for a more luxurious type of living accomodation where we have everything, two great options would be to go to a five star hotel like the Hotel Iberostar Parque Central, where you can go from the most historical to the most modern part in just a few steps, and the Hotel Iberostar Grand Hotel Packard, almost futuristic in style, full of novelty and innovation; if we continue to talk about luxury accommodations, it is impossible not to mention Hotel Manzana Kempinski, an historic havana treasure with a well taken care of modern interior. 

How to come to Old Havana?

Depending on where you find yourself at any given moment, there exist different ways to arrive in the historic center of Havana. For example, if you direct yourself towards Old Havana directly from the José Martí International Airport, you will be able to do it simply in any of the transfers we offer. If you do it from another part of Havana, you can use a taxi (yellow), or in one of the almendrones that travel throughout the city, the entire route in a classic automobile; on top of that there are guaguas (urban buses), but the best option without a doubt is to calmly travel through the streets on foot, enjoying each moment of interesting urban landscape that the historic center offers.

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