Havana captures the imagination like no other. Faded glamour meets careful colonial-era reconstruction with a backdrop of irresistible color.
Stroll the balconied streets of the 500-year-old historic quarter — La Habana Vieja — on foot, sauntering around plazas, tight lanes and the emerging arty southern neighbourhood of San Isidro; take in edgy Cuban art in museums and galleries; hire a tutti-frutti classic American car to roam the rutted roads of gritty Centro Habana and the leafy avenues of graceful mansions in el Vedado neighbourhood.
Don’t miss the Museum of the Revolution, where the Tiffany interiors of the former presidential palace house the story of Castro’s grassroots guerrilla rebellion and the sublime Hall of Mirror. Take the guided tour of the monumental Capitol, which is home to the 22-carat gold leaf-gilded Statue of the Republic, the third-largest interior statue in the world, or sit down with spirited Habaneros at sundown on the ocean boulevard the Malecón.
Tuck into food cooked by passionate chefs at new-generation private restaurants, sip rum cocktails at the latest hip haunt, and catch dance, salsa, live music and singer-songwriters at theatres, arty venues and the Fábrica de Arte Cubano. For late-night revelry seek out rooftops, and under-the-radar yards of the city for the latest party haunt.
From budget B&Bs and classy art deco apartments to new-generation boutique hotels, old Havana grandes dames and classy luxury stays, the Cuban capital now offers a wide range of places to stay for all pockets. Havana’s Old Town is home to a huge number of B&Bs, smart apartments in colonial buildings, and grand palaces turned into historic hotels.
Its frayed edges are lined with the three latest upmarket hotels in the city: The Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana; the Iberostar Grand Packard; and SO/Paseo del Prado Havana. Their rooftop infinity pools and bars with winning views of baroque cityscapes or the Atlantic ocean are favourite places to meet in the city.
Dishevelled Centro Havana is filled with B&Bs and self-contained apartments. Find beautiful boutique stays with exceptional service in pretty mansions — La Reserva and Paseo 206 — and established landmarks such as the Hotel Nacional in arty el Vedado’s wider, quiet streets.
For traditional Cuban meals such as ropa vieja, slow-cooked shredded beef or pork in a tomato-based sauce, dine at Old Havana stalwart Doña Eutimia. Old Havana’s lively streets offer the greatest choice of bars, cafés and restaurants in the city.
Breakfast favourites include hip El Café just off attractive Plaza del Cristo, and Lo de Monik in the revived lanes of northern Old Havana. El Floridita is world famous for its daiquiris served up at the elegant long bar, but seek out better, cutting-edge cocktails at indie-cool El del Frente, Michifú, and Jíbaro.
Havana’s most famous restaurant, La Guarida (try its suckling pig dish), rises above the scruffy streets of Centro Havana. For the best home restaurants serving Cuban and international cuisine, head into el Vedado and upmarket embassy district Miramar.
Close to the docks in Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second city, Don Facundo Bacardí Massó discovered the secrets of ageing rum. Prohibition propelled thousands of Americans to city bars for Bacardi cocktails. By 1930, this Cuban-nurtured spirit had earned the Bacardi company enough money to build an HQ — and one of the world’s most gorgeous symbols of art deco.
Topped by a ziggurat and bat symbol, it towers over the busy edge of Old Havana, it’s embellished with pink Bavarian granite and decorated in brass bat logos and wrapped in a frieze of enamelled nymphs. The café is one of the quietest spots in the city for a drink. Chinatown, behind the Capitol building and heralded by a paifang arch, was once only second in size to San Francisco’s. Find streets bearing the legacy of a once vibrant community — Confucius societies, martial arts centres and newspaper offices. Here, the Golden Eagle cinema is reborn as the Gallería Arte Continua, a Havana hot spot for avant-garde shows and opening night parties for the art savvy.
La Tropical Brewery wanted to treat their staff so they built them a fantasy playground next to the city’s Almendares river in 1904. This jungle eyrie is a Hansel and Gretel house meets Gaudí mashup buried in vine-choked trees.
Tips:
You’ll need a tourist card, valid for 30 days (purchase online) and travel insurance for entry.
Cuba’s currency is the Cuban Peso (CUP); its dual currency was eliminated in 2021. Take plenty of pounds and euros in cash and a bank card with no links to the US (due to the US embargo on Cuba).
Take all medicines and essentials (hygiene and sanitary products, electrical adaptors etc) with you.
Havana is safe but take the usual precautions with valuables.
The capital doesn’t run a decent public transport system. Speak to your hotel or B&B on how to navigate what’s available: you’ll save a fortune on private taxis.