Havana is a vibrant city that evokes vivid imagery of tropical surroundings, colorful cabarets and thirst quenching mojitos. The juxtaposition of breathtaking architecture balanced with sheer decay is simply fascinating. Many restorations are underway, but this island capital has a long way to go before it is restored to the glory of its past. It is a city full of very friendly people with an underlying current of the governments control over almost everything. Regardless, it was one of our favorite destinations visited last year.

*Old Havana Streets - Intersection of San Ignacio & Obrapia*

Havana is basically split into three main sections consisting of Old Havana, Vedado to the West and the third section of outlying suburbs which boast many hidden gems. Outside the city proper are small fishing villages such as Cojímar which also give a fantastic glimpse into the lives of locals who make their living off the sea.

Old Havana is the main area that most tourists will explore on foot once disembarking from a cruise ship at the Ferry Terminal Building. This is also where one can hire a 1950s convertible taxi or rickshaw to see the sights. The narrow streets lead past many of the main squares, small parks, historic churches and establishments once visited by famous patrons prior to the 1960s.

The main highlights of this captivating city are the Capital Building along with the “rainbow row” of famous buildings just across the street (Paseo de Martí), the Plaza de la Revolución along with the José Martí Memorial, the Colon Cemetery, the Hotel Nacional de Cuba and it’s Cabaret Parisien and many other museums and historic hotels. Just across the street from the Plaza de la Revolución are the two famous buildings, both government owned, that display the likenesses of Che Guevara as well as Camilo Cienfuegos.

A few other areas of interest are the Almacenes San José Artisans’ Market, the El Sancho de la Habana statue in a small park at the intersection of Obispo & Aguacate, strolling along the Malecón at the waters edge, the rooftop bar or art deco lobby at the Hotel Saratoga near the capital, Guayasamín Park and the Hotel Ambos Mundos.

Considerable gems lying on the outskirts of the city include Ernest Hemingway’s home Finca Vigía, the incredible art deco interior of the Casa de La Amistad restaurant in the La Esperanza neighborhood and the public art installations of Fusterlandia in Playa de Jaimanitas.

Hidden Gems in Old Havana

Hotel Raquel - this magnificent hotel rests at the intersection of Amargura & San Ignacio. The building features an ornate exterior and interior. Tall marble columns adorn the lobby which includes an airy atrium featuring an absolutely breathtaking stained glass ceiling stories above. There is also a rooftop terrace that affords magnificent views over the city.
Hotel Saratoga - this is also a fully restored and beautiful hotel across from the Southeast corner of the capital building. An art deco lobby bar provides a beautiful indoor setting to relax and take a break from walking the city. This hotel also features an amazing rooftop terrace complete with a pool and lounge chairs. We recommend this location as one of the best spots to watch the sunset. The capital is immediately across the street and the rooftops of the city glow as the sun drops to the West.
Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski - this hotel resides on the Northeast side of the capital building and also features an incredible rooftop terrace overlooking both the capital building, the Grand Theater of Havana as well as Havana’s Central Park. It is another gem of a location to watch the sunset from and enjoy a refreshment. As with the other two hotels, food and drink options also exist at this fine property.

The Squares

Our favorite squares in La Habana were the Plaza de San Francisco with the superb Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asís, the Plaza de la Catedral along with the Catedral de San Cristóbal as well as the Plaza Vieja with its fountain at the center. The Plaza de San Francisco was our favorite with many ornate and beautiful buildings along each side. The stormy evening when we visited made for a beautiful blue hour composition of the Hotel Palacio del Marques and the Restaurant Cafe del Oriente along the Western edge of this square.

For dinner our first evening, we dined at Paladar Galeria Orozco off the West side of Plaza de la Catedral. It was recommended, and we agree, that dining at paladars is the best option to support local Cuban families and not dine at establishments owned by the Cuban government. As most locals informed us, the government gets their cut regardless, but we wanted to fully support the local families making their living off of their small restaurants. The dinner was fantastic and consisted of locally caught lobster and fish as well as a salad and sides of beans and rice. The mojitos were superb consisting of local rums and sprigs of mint.

Hemingway in Cuba

If Ernest Hemingway is of any interest to you, a few of the places you may want to visit would include the Hotel Ambos Mundos where Hemingway stayed during his first trip to Cuba in room 511, a small corner room overlooking the city. He frequently stayed and wrote in this room prior to his acquiring a home on the outskirts of town high upon a hill. The room is now a very small museum and may be toured featuring some of his personal effects as well as one of his typewriters. Ask anyone in the hotel lobby and they will direct you upstairs via a fully functioning antique elevator.

Another location would be the Restaurante & Bar Floridita where it is said one of the finest daiquiris around may be found. We certainly enjoyed our time in the historic venue and must say the daiquiri was excellent and quite refreshing. We could see why this was a favorite spot of the famous author with its lively crowd and live musicians. There now rests a life size bronze statue of the author in the corner of the room with many pictures adorning the walls of Hemingway’s time spent there.

Ernest Hemingway’s main home, Finca Vigía, is located in the suburb (ward) of San Francisco de Paula. Hemingway resided in this home seasonally from 1939-1960. The prize of arriving early at this museum was that for a short while we had the entire property to ourselves. His fishing boat, M/Y Pilar, is here along with the open air home that visitors may take pictures of through the doorways from outside. The local ladies were very kind in telling us the history of the home and even taking a few pictures inside where we were not allowed to go. The property also includes a swimming pool and a lookout tower where Old Havana can be seen.

Cigars & Rum

Many visitors to the island of Cuba are interested in the local rums and cigars with the added attraction that most are not available in the continental United States, and even those that are have different production facilities outside of the island country and different recipes according to our local guide, Pedro José. He took us to one of the local rum distilleries and cigar factories, Fabrica de Ron Bocoy, located on Calzada del Cerro. This facility had all the best Cuban rums and cigars including many rare varieties of Havana Club and Legendario Elixir de Cuba. The shelves on the walls were filled with the sweet smelling cedar boxes lined with cigars. Tastings were offered and we would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in these items.

For any other shopping, the Almacenes San José Artisans’ Market provides a unique setting where hundreds of local vendors have everything on display from artwork to vintage items. We found a pair of vintage Havana Club highball glasses during our visit which was an item we specifically hoped to find. There was also a booth where Piña coladas were being made and served in fresh coconuts. As with any large flea market, just be mindful of your possessions and don’t make yourself an easy target. We did not have any issues luckily, but have heard stories of other visitors encountering petty theft.

Overall, Havana was a great adventure that included local culture, great cuisine, vintage taxi rides, historic hotels and homes as well as very friendly people. Regardless of whether it is on your ‘must see’ list or not, it is definitely a place worth visiting should you find yourself in this part of the world. It’s storied history provides an absolutely fascinating backdrop to this colorful island city.

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