Cuba Guide

Visa & Regulations

Amongst the bustling and vibrant streets of the City of Havana, histories are weaved that mix a sumptuous colonial past of exquisite mansions and palaces, legends of battles and revolutionary heroes, pretty refurbished buildings and faded post cards of many other semi demolished constructions that survive the passage of time. Old cars, from the 1960s and 1970s, mix with other more modern ones and amongst them zigzag the coco taxis. With no adverts to be seen (only revolutionary slogans), here, the traveller’s gaze is free to attend to the details.

Havana, the capital of Cuba, is the city where the music, Cuban sounds and guajira play in every corner, and where people, as in the whole of Cuba, are always willing to chat. From Hostel Havana Colina, in Vedado, or from Hostel Havana Lido, in the old town, every neighbourhood in the city fascinates in its own way: the hustle and bustle of Habana Vieja (Old Havana), the elegance of Miramar or the commercial and cultural ambiance of Vedado. And the Malecón (Pier), of course, that extensive promenade facing the sea that seems to have a life of its own. There is so much to see, to talk about, to understand.

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Habana Vieja is, without doubt, the starting point from where to begin to get to know this city, its people and its present, strongly influenced by the past. During the day, an incessant to-ing and fro-ing of tourists taking photos, talking with their guide, enjoying a mojito, marks the daily prospect of this part of the city.


There are beautiful streets and rickety streets. Buildings that have benefitted from the old town’s restoration plan. And other buildings that await restoration. From Hostel Havana Lido, this city’s old town becomes a fascinating route to be made time and again amongst the dazzling details, a huge iron streetlight, a sentence engraved on a tile, a shop’s name or an internal courtyard that can be seen in some manors. There is always something to discover.

Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja and Plaza de la iglesia San Francisco de Asís work as the axis from which to organize a tour, as well as the streets of Obispo, Obrapía or Mercaderes, with many places to stop along the route, either for their architecture or for the historic treasures that remain inside: Pharmaceutical Museum (Obispo and Mercaderes); Ambos Mundos Hotel (Obispo 153), Cuban National Bank (Obispo 211), Obra Pía House (Obrapía 158), the African House (Obrapía 157), the Asian House (Mercaderes 111), the Workshops School, where it is possible to relearn old trades, the Automobile Museum, the Havana Club Rum Museum, the Aromatic and Medicinal Spices House called Marco Polo, the Gran Teatro de Havana, the historic Hotel Inglaterra and many more.

Plaza de Armas, a chance to start walking around the historic old town. It is where Habana Vieja was founded. From Wednesday to Saturday, there is a second hand book fair there. It is worth stopping to search and, above all, to chat with the sellers. From there, you will sure be able to see El Templete, where the first city council was celebrated in the shade of a coral tree. It is said that if you go around it three times, your wishes will come true.

Amongst the buildings that surround this square, is the General Captains’ Palace, where the City Museum is located. Something to see: the street in front is wooden. It is said that this is because the governor who was staying in this building did not want the carriages to ruin his sleep while hitting the traditional cobblestones. Another interesting building is the Second Corporal’s Palace, where there is a café and a bookshop. Do not miss popping into La Tinaja, a small place that offers cold water.

Surrounded by buildings from the 18th century and considered as one of the most harmonious in Latin America, Plaza de la Catedral houses the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de Habana.

Another place Hemingway very much liked, located in the corner of Obispo and Mercaderes, is the Ambos Mundos Hotel. It still preserves intact the room No. 511, that the writer used in the 1930s. The hotel’s terrace is ideal to have lunch and has great views of the whole city.

In El Floridita bar, Ernest Hemingway used to have his favourite drink: daikiri. With a night like atmosphere, the armchair where the writer used to accommodate himself is cordoned off and a statue of him reminds of his passing. You can have lunch, dinner or just have a drink and listen to music.

In Oficios Street is the Automobile Museum, that keeps some treasures such as the Oldsmobile that belonged to Camilo Cienfuegos and the MG 1953 that belonged to Benny Moré.

Located in Industria 520, the traveller will find the Partagás Tobbaco Factory that has been producing Havana cigars since 1845. The guided tours show the visitors how Havana cigars are made by hand. It is interesting to discover how each worker has been trained to elaborate a type of Havana cigar.

Opened in 1929, Capitolio marks the zero spot of the roads that run along the island. The similarity with the one in Washington is impressive. It was originally used to house the two Congress Chambers, and since 1960s was the head offices of different institutions. Inside, under the dome, is the Salón de los Pasos Perdidos and a statue over 14 metres high, called La República.

Every room in the Revolution Museum covers revolutionary Cuba. The displays offer maps, battles´ plans, personal objects that belonged to the revolutionaries, blood stained clothes, weapons and photographs. In the square located behind the museum, that is part of it, you can see the Granma, the boat from which Fidel Castro disembarked in Cuba in 1956.

At the other side of the bay, towards the east, the Fortaleza San Carlos de la Cabaña offers a very good view of the city. In this building, an important military Spanish construction that some time in the past worked as a prison, Che had his office and a room displays some of his belongings. From this fort, a city tradition is celebrated every night: at 9pm, the shooting of a canyon announces the symbolic closure of the town´s gates, just as in the time when the city was walled.

With more modern buildings, wide streets and constant movement, especially in the streets closer to the pier, El Vedado is an area of hotels, Government Offices, shops, cinemas, theatres and music houses. It has architectural gems such as Hotel Nacional that, impressive, overlooks the sea with its spacious verandas and gardens. This is also the neighbourhood where the famous ice-cream parlour Coppelia is located, setting for the film Fresa y Chocolate and, opposite, Havana Libre Hotel, Fidel’s headquarters in 1959. The main reference in Vedado for those who stay in Hostel Havana Colina is, without a doubt, Havana University on L Street that attracts attention with its great staircase and the statue of Alma Mater. The University was founded in 1791, although the truth is that the current building is more modern, built in the first decades of the 20th century.

Even if you are not looking for a beautiful landscape, whoever arrives at Plaza de la Revolución, the Government’s headquarters, feels like they are in the middle of a place packed with history, with festivities, with demonstrations, with words that Fidel’s speeches left and the commemoration of revolutionary celebrations. From the Home Office building, Che Guevara’s saying: “Hasta la victoria siempre”, seems to welcome every visitor to the square. And the Memorial to José Martí, a statue of white marble with a large obelisk, captures the eye. The Memorial and the Plaza are surrounded by the Revolution Palace, the Revolutionary Army Ministry, the Communications Ministry, the National Library and the National Theatre.

• Cuba Guide

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