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Havana
Havana is located on the north coast of Cuba and is a lively and flamboyant city built around a natural harbour. Much of the city's charm can be found among the narrow, derelict streets packed with crumbling buildings and fascinating people. Every open door and overhanging balcony allows glimpses of rocking chairs and colourful washing accompanied by the strains of music. On the streets Chinese-made bicycles, yellow, egg-shaped coco-taxis and two-humped camello (camel) buses weave among the melee of 1950s Chevy's and Russian Ladas.
Habana Vieja is the historical and colonial part of Havana, which is rapidly becoming a tourist haven and is a World Heritage Site. The Spanish left behind some superb colonial architecture and many of the great buildings and grand plazas are being restored to their former glory. Centro Habana boasts some of the most important museums and architectural highlights, including the Revolution Museum, and the National Capitol, resembling the US Capitol Building in Washington DC. The trendy suburb of Vedado boasts high-rise buildings and modern hotels, and draws locals and visitors alike with its theatres, art galleries, restaurants, cafes, and cabaret shows; however most of the city's sights are in Habana Vieja and Centro Habana. The five-mile (8km) seawall, or malecón, stretches from Vedado to Habana Vieja and is lined with architectural gems in various states of dilapidation or restoration.
Nightlife in Havana is vibrantly lively, with many flamboyant and exotic after dark delights for visitors to explore. After dark nightclubs and bars come alive and the famous rum cocktails flow freely. The city has plenty of cultural entertainment too, and its fair share of monuments, museums and statues. For those travellers needing rest from all this activity, the beaches are only twenty minutes east of the city.
Playas del Este
A six-mile chain of sandy beaches and coves lines the shores between Guanabo and Bacuranao, which situated just east of Havana is called Playas del Este. At weekends they are generally packed with Cubans escaping the city. There are a few tourist hotels lining the coast, but other than that there are limited facilities. If needing an escape from the city, the beaches make a good day trip, however those expecting pristine tropical island beaches might be disappointed.
Transport: A tourist taxi from Havana costs about 20 CUCs
Museo de la Ciudad (Museum of the City)
A Baroque residence, which was once home to Cuba's colonial governors and was a presidential palace, is now home to the museum of Havana and the cities historical relics. The building was originally built in 1791 and is located on the Plaza de Armas. The museum's displays and exhibits tell the tale of Havana, from its founding to the present day, including rooms devoted to the Cuban wars for national independence. The colourful Hall of Flags contains the original Cuban flag as well as a number of others used by the Spanish colonial government. There are also exhibits relating to archaeology, folklore and weaponry, and an art collection that includes porcelain, paintings and furniture of historic value and great beauty.
Address: Calle Tacón, Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja; Opening time: Daily 9am to 6pm; Admission: 3 CUCs (excluding historical room sets), 4 CUCs (including a guide and all exhibition areas). Cameras: 2 CUCs
Cigar factories
Cuban cigars are the island's most famous export and a visit to Cuba is not complete without exploring the traditional processes of this historical craft. The art of cigar making in Cuba is old and traditional, and three main factories in Havana offer tours for visitors to see cigars still rolled by hand. In the oldest factory, Partagas founded in 1827, traditionally a reader is employed to keep workers entertained while they fashion the famous cigars. Havana's other cigar factories are La Corona and the lesser-visited Romeo y Julieta. There are shops attached to the factories where cigars can be purchased. Visitors are advised not to buy cigars from people off the street as these are usually rolled banana leaves fashioned into cigar look-alikes and the sellers are persistent hustlers.
Address: Partagas Factory: Calle Industria 520, Centro Habana; Telephone: Partagas: (0)7 862 4604; Opening time: Partagas tours are Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm; Admission: 10 CUCs
Plaza de la Revolución
The massive square is home to the large José Martí Memorial and has witnessed speeches from political figures like Fidel Castro and numerous political rallies over the centuries. At the foot of the memorial is a museum dedicated to José Martí, a national hero who would certainly have become Cuba's first president had he survived the Second War of Independence in 1895. It is possible to take the elevator to the top of the 138ft (42m) memorial, the highest structure in the city. Located behind the memorial are the closely guarded offices of Castro. Opposite the memorial on the far side of the square is the much-photographed Che Guevara image with the slogan Hasta la Victoria Siempre (Forever Onwards Towards Victory) that identifies the Ministry of the Interior building.
Telephone: Memorial: (0)7 592 347; Opening time: Memorial: Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm; Admission: Memorial: 3 CUCs
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Two buildings are home to the Bellas Artes Museum, which contains both Cuban and International art. The Colección de Arte Universal covers everything from ancient Greek artefacts and Latin American pieces to art by French, Dutch and Italian painters. The Colección de Arte Cubano is also outstanding and covers works from the 16th to the 20th centuries by prominent Cuban artists.
Address: Arte Cubano: Calle Trocadero between Agramonte and Av de las Misiones; Arte Universal: Calle San Rafael between Agramonte and Av de las Misiones, Centro Habana; Telephone: (0)7 861 3858; Opening time: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm; Admission: 5 CUCs per building, 8 CUCs for both buildings; guided tour 2 CUCs
Museo de la Revolución
The Museo de la Revolución offers insight to Cuba's vivid history and struggle for independence, with documents and artefacts from the Cuban Revolution and the museum itself housed in the former Presidential Palace of the Cuban government. Prepare to spend a few hours wandering from room to room as the story unfolds from Spanish colonial times to the present day. In front of the museum entrance stands a watchtower that was part of the old city walls, as well as a tank used by Fidel Castro during the battle of the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Behind the museum is the glass-encased yacht, the 'Granma', which brought 82 revolutionaries, including Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, from Mexico to set the 1956 Revolution in motion.
Address: Calle Refugio, between Calle Agramonte and Av de las Misiones, Centro Habana; Telephone: (0)7 862 4093; Opening time: Daily 10am to 5pm; Admission: 5 CUCs
Montemar Natural Park
The Montemar Natural Park is situated on the Zapata Peninsula and offers a wild and natural habitat for visitors to explore, which helps to develop the eco-tourism in Cuba. The peninsula is one of the largest swamps in the Caribbean, and its vast area includes forests, marshes, crystal clear lagoons and canals. Its exuberant flora, including more than 900 species of plants (115 of them endemic to Cuba) is complemented by its rich fauna, consisting of 160 bird species and 12 types of animal, including crocodiles. One of the park's many features is the Laguna del Tesoro (Treasure Lagoon), a fresh water reservoir inhabited by golden trout. In the midst of the lagoon is a reproduction Taino village with its houses built on pillars. There are nature trails, a bird watching centre, and the largest flooded cave in Cuba. There is also a scuba centre, crocodile farm and several restaurants.
Capitolio Nacional
The Capitolio Nacional is Havana's most impressive architectural attraction and offers one of Centro Habana's most popular cultural tours. Resembling the US Capitol in Washington, DC, the monumental stone stairway leads to the vast domed hall from where tours will take visitors beyond the doors to elaborately decorated chambers that once housed the seat of Cuban Congress. Today it is home to the National Library and Academy of Sciences, and many of its rooms are still used for state events. Directly beneath the dome lies an imitation 24-carat diamond set into the marble floor, from where all highway distances between Havana and all sites in Cuba are measured.
Address: Paseo de Marti, Centro Habana; Telephone: (0)7 863 7861; Opening time: Daily 9am to 6pm; Admission: 3 CUCs; guided tour 4 CUCs
Habana Vieja
Originally the Cuban capital of Havana was founded in 1519 and was a major naval port for the Spanish in colonial times. Being in such a strategic position the city was targeted by pirates and was fought over on numerous occasions and the ruins of the defensive walls that surrounded the city can still be seen. The Old City now also contains museums, hotels, restaurants and shops lining the original cobble-stoned streets. Surrounding the picturesque squares (plazas) are beautiful restored colonial buildings with grand facades, and striking churches that form a magnificent setting for the late afternoon chess and domino games and salsa music. Plaza de Armas was the seat of power in Cuba for 400 years, from where the Spanish Captain's General, US military governors and Cuban president were based, and today is home to an interesting book market. During the years of Prohibition in the United States, Habana Vieja turned into a playground for Americans who flocked here for the cheap liquor, gambling, prostitution and flamboyant lifestyle. One of the district's most famous bars is La Bodeguita Del Medio, which was the favoured haunt of legendary US writer, Ernest Hemingway.
