- La Habana
It was originally a villa founded in 1514 by Don Diego Velázquez under the name of San Cristobal de La Habana in a lowland and unhealthy place on the southern coast, which forced its transfer through different territories until 1519 when it was settled in the vicinity of Puerto de Carenas.
Due to its economic and strategic geographical location as a fleet gathering port, from the 16th century until the 19th century, Spain developed here the most complex and powerful defensive system in America, turning it into a walled city.
As the cultural capital of the country, Havana, shows a diverse and attractive range of artistic manifestations that validate its selection in 2016 as Wonder City.
Capital: Havana, Capital of Cuba
Extension: 721, 01 km2
Municipalities: Arroyo Naranjo, Boyeros, Centro Habana, Cerro, Cotorro, Diez de Octubre, Guanabacoa, Eastern Havana, Old Havana, La Lisa, Marianao, Beach, Revolution Square, Regla and San Miguel del Padrón
Gentilicio: habanero / a
Limits: It limits to the north with the Strait of Florida, to the east with the province of Mayabeque, to the south with the provinces of Mayabeque and Artemis, and to the west with the province of Artemisa.
Access: Its main access route is air; it has three air terminals for international services and one national. In addition, it has multiple accesses by sea such as the Hemingway and Tarara Marinas, as well as the Cruise Terminal of the Bay of Havana. Havana communicates with the rest of the provinces through the National Highway, the Central Highway, La Vía Blanca and through the national rail network.
Lugares de Interés
Historic Center of Old Havana and its Fortification System
Declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 1982, its restoration and conservation as an Urban Historic Center in absolute communion with the community in a sustainable and sustainable way, has been the main commitment of the Office of the Historian of the City.
Since its birth in the early sixteenth century, Havana, focused its main axes of social, cultural, religious and military life around five places. It is almost impossible to visit the ancient city without falling into one of these, which of all more beautiful and enigmatic, full of stories, myths and legends that gave rise to the imaginary of the city.
Arms Square
Foundational site of the Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana, grouped since 1559 the political, military, religious and civil function. In 1589 it acquired its current physiognomy, being surrounded by the most important public buildings of the Villa.
El Templete
Baratillo y O´Reilly
Opened on March 19, 1828, it commemorates the founding celebrations of the Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana. It was built according to the plans drawn by Don Antonio María de la Torre and reproduces on a small scale a Greco-Roman temple of neoclassical style. Bishop Juan José Díaz de Espada y Landa solemnized the opening ceremony, and the French painter Juan Bautista de Vermay portrayed the attendees in a large canvas that is preserved on the premises, along with two others who recreate the first mass and the First council. Vermay's mortal remains were deposited in the small temple. In his garden there is a memorial ceiba that accommodated the foundation of the city, and the Cajigal Column reminder of the site where the first ceiba was.
Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Naval Museum
O´Relly y Baratillo
Telf. 7 864 4488/89
Its construction began in 1558 and concluded in 1577, it is the oldest of the city's fortifications and is considered a jewel of Renaissance architecture in Cuba. With walls 6 m wide and 10 m high, it forms a huge square with triangular bulwarks in the corners. It is surrounded by a flooded moat and its only access route is through a drawbridge.
It was almost useless as a strategic surveillance point due to its distant location of the entrance to the access channel to the bay and for being surrounded by a large number of buildings that constituted an impediment to its canyons in case of attack. It served as the official residence for the governors of the Island until 1762.
Currently the castle houses the Naval Museum. In its rooms the result of underwater investigations that have brought to light numerous riches such as gold and silver ingots, jewels, coins and other objects such as astrolabs, found in wrecks of different eras, are exhibited. The main attraction of the museum is the interactive model of 4 m of the Holy Trinity galleon, built in Havana between 1767 and 1770 that was destroyed in the Battle of Trafalgar.
The Force has among its attributes a front courtyard populated by cannons and mortars, as well as the coat of arms of the House of Austria carved on the door. And the Giraldilla de La Habana, a kind of weather vane sculpted in bronze by Havana artist Jerónimo Martín Pinzón, was located in the northwest tower of the fortress during the term of Governor Juan Vitrián de Viamonte between 1630 and 1634 in honor of Isabel de Bobadilla. Voluptuous figure that appears with braided hair and clothes in the wind, in his right hand he carries a palm and in the left a cross, converted into a symbol of the city, which is observed today in the tower is a replica of the original displayed in the castle.
Palacio del Segundo Cabo
Center for the Interpretation of Cultural Relations Cuba-Europe
O´Reilly No.4 esq. a Tacón.
Telf. 7 801 71 76/20
Austere construction of eclectic style, its construction dates from 1770 when it was designated post office of the city. Subsequently he had several functions as residence of the Vice Governor General of the Island, and after independence he was the seat of the Senate of the Republic. It currently houses the Interpretation Center for cultural relations in Cuba -Europe, being the first fully interactive and technological museum of the Historic Center.
Palacio de los Capitanes Generales and City Museum
Tacón No.1 e/ Obispo y O’Reilly
Telf. 7 869 7358
Its construction was completed in 1791, it was the official residence of 65 general captains of the Island between 1791 and 1898, residence of the governors during the American occupation (1898-1902) and first seat of the Cuban Government between 1902 and 1920, and between 1920 and 1967 was the seat of the mayor's office in Havana.
The building has a wide portal supported by an Ionic colonnade and the well-known Calle de Madera passes through its front, from which the Chinese stoned pelones were replaced by wooden pavers, so that the noise of the carriages did not disturb The inhabitants of the palace.
The three-story structure surrounds an imposing central courtyard that contains a sculpture by Christopher Columbus made by the Italian sculptor Cucchiari, as well as the first known epigraphic inscription of the Island, the gravestone of Maria Cepero, noble lady of the city who died when a bullet of cannon impact the old Parochial Church Mayor, located in this land until 1741.
It currently houses the City Museum and numerous offices of the Office of the City Historian. Its rooms show different rooms furnished as they were originally, as well as the Hall of Flags, which treasures interesting collections of the first flags of the republic, as well as relics belonging to the heroes of independence. In addition, the visitor can enjoy rooms dedicated to archeology, weapon collections and the Cabinet of Dr. Emilio Roig de Leushering, the city's first historian.
National Museum
of Natural History
Obispo No. 61, e/ Oficios y Baratillo
Telf. 7 863 9361
It shows the evolution of the species in a very well conceived exhibition, in which important specimens of the Cuban flora and fauna can be appreciated, many in reproductions of their natural environment. The museum has a wide collection of dissected animals such as tigers, apes, snakes and rodents. For children it has an interactive game room and a specialized library.
Rubén Martínez Villena Provincial Library
Obispo No. 59, e/ Oficios y Baratillo
Telf. 7 862 9035/39 ext. 118, Dpto. Juvenil 103 y 104
One of the most important libraries in the city, it has several interactive rooms for different audiences, as well as an art gallery on its ground floor. The building where it is located formerly served as the headquarters of the American embassy on the Island.
Palacio del Conde de Santovenia, Santa Isabel Hotel
Baratillo e/ Obispo y O´Relly
Telf. 7 860 8201
It represents the quintessence of Cuban colonial architecture, its façade is graced by a vaulted column portico while on the balconies it has wrought iron railings, whose windows display semipoint arches adorned with colored glass. The Count was known for holding famous parties such as the one he held in commemoration of the ascension to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II that lasted for 3 days and culminated in the release of a happily decorated gas balloon. At present, the property houses the famous Santa Isabel hotel, where former US President Jimmy Carter stayed during his visit to Havana in 2002.
Tacón Street, Cuba and Plazuela de la Maestranza
Juana Carvajal House, Archeology Museum
Tacón No.12 e/ O’Reilly
y Empedrado
Telf: 7 861 4469
Simple building mentioned for the first time in the minutes in 1644, it exhibits pre-Columbian pieces in addition to ceramic remains and objects belonging to the early years of the Colony. Among its main pieces, it has an interesting collection of dissected birds, as well as samples of the 18th-century wall painting.
Former Seminary of San Carlos and San Ambrosio, Father Félix Varela Cultural Center
Tacón e/ Chacón y Empedrado
Telf. 7 862 8790
It was established by the Jesuits in the year 1721 and since then it became one of the main centers of Cuban enlightenment, recognized as a training academy for the great minds of national patriotic thought as Félix Varela and José de la Luz y Caballero. It currently hosts the Father Félix Varela Cultural Center, where various activities of a secular and religious nature are carried out.
Cortina de Valdés
Located just at the entrance of the old seminary, it shows an archaeological excavation that revealed the foundations of the sea wall that was in this area, as well as several pieces of heavy artillery that were located there.
Plazuela de la Maestranza
Cuba, Tacón and Chacón.
The remains of the Havana Maestranza were found in 1984 when the office of the city's historian searched for the remains of the first fortification of the city known as La Fuerza Vieja, when instead the basilot furnace bases among other structures emerged of this military phalanstery that since 1846 was located in the old barracks of the San Telmo militia and the first cannon foundry of the 17th century. Currently the site is part of the great theme park of the Sea Wall.
Palacio de Mateo Pedroso
y Florencia, Palace of Handicrafts
Cuba No. 64 e/ Tacón y Peña Pobre
Built in Moorish style around 1780, it has the typical architecture of the houses of the period, with shops on the ground floor, spaces for slaves on the mezzanine and the main rooms on the second floor. It currently hosts several stores and boutiques, as well as a small café in the courtyard set with traditional music.
Plaza de la Catedral
Named initially as Plazuela de la Ciénaga, for the swampy ground with underground springs in which it was located. In 1587 a cistern was built in its center, but it was not until the following century that the area was drained. Towards the end of the 17th century, the Díaz Pimienta family settled in the area under whose auspices the first Havana ships were assembled. The current appearance dates back to the 18th century, at which time some houses such as Luis Chacón, the first Cuban who ruled the city, began to appear. Island in the early eighteenth century.
Towards the end of the century the church built by the Jesuits in the area was exalted to the status of Cathedral, which led to the square acquired the name of Cathedral Square in 1793. Today it is one of the most visited and photographed places in the Capital, besides being the setting for important dinners and artistic shows.
Catedral de San Cristóbal
de La Habana
Empedrado No. 156
Telf. 7 861 7771
Located on the north side of the square, it is commonly known as the Columbus Cathedral. Its construction was initiated by the Jesuits in 1748 and after the expulsion of the order in 1767 by King Carlos III, in 1773 the Parroquial Mayor was transferred to this place. The temple was completely finished in 1777 and by royal decree in 1793 it was designated Cathedral.
In 1814, under the influence of the currents of Enlightened Despotism, Bishop Juan José Díaz de Espada y Landa ordered to modify the baroque interior of the Cathedral taking its current neoclassical appearance. For the realization of the original frescoes, the Italian artist Giuseppe Perovani was hired, but they were subsequently restored and renovated by Jean Baptista de Vermay.
There they rested from 1796 to 1898 the remains of Christopher Columbus Moved to Havana from Santo Domingo and subsequently taken to Spain. The temple keeps the main image of San Cristóbal, patron saint of the town and protector of travelers, dating from 1633.
Casa de los Condes
de Peñalver,
Wilfredo Lam Center
San Ignacio No. 22, esq. Empedrado
Telf. 7 861 2096
Contemporary art center that shows the work of famous artists from Cuba and Latin America. The institution studies and promotes contemporary art around the world.
La Bodeguita del Medio
Empedrado No. 207, e/ San Ignacio y Cuba
Telf. 7 867 1374
Former winery belonging to the Spanish immigrant Ángel Martínez where food and drink was served, it is said that a visit to Havana is not complete if this place is not visited. It has a fret bar and a restaurant in the back, where many visitors can enjoy the Mojito drink while listening to Cuban music.
Its walls are adorned by paintings and posters from past decades, as well as by the signatures and messages that its visitors leave as a souvenir of their stay. Among the most famous messages is one attributed to the American writer Ernest Hemingway "My mojito in the Bodeguita, my daiquiri in the Floridita".
Casa de los Marqueses
de Aguas Claras
San Ignacio No. 54, esq. Empedrado
Telf. 7 867 1034
Splendid mansion built in the sixteenth century by Captain General Gonzalo Pérez de Angulo and since then other elements were added. Currently the porch is occupied by a Café, while the inner courtyard and other rooms are occupied by the Patio Restaurant. On its second-floor visitors can admire splendid views of the square, as well as its beautiful stained-glass windows.
Callejón del Chorro
Small alley where the Zanja Real once flowed, the first aqueduct built in the 16th century, which provided drinking water to the city bringing it from the Almendares river 10 km away. Currently there are numerous restaurants and galleries.
Casa de Baños,
Galería Víctor Manuel
San Ignacio No. 56
Telf. 7 861 2955
Although its appearance seems old, the building was built in the twentieth century following the canons of Cuban colonial architecture, where formerly was the cistern of the square. The building currently houses the Víctor Manuel Gallery where you can buy fine pieces of jewelry and other artistic and utilitarian objects.
Taller Experimental de Gráfica Callejón del Chorro
Telf. 7 864 7622
Development and teaching center for different engraving techniques, where you can see artists in full swing and acquire excellent pieces by renowned Cuban artists.
Casa del Conde de Bayona,
Museo de Arte Colonial
San Ignacio No. 61
Telf. 7 862 6440
Perfect example of the houses of Havana merchants with stairs to the side and the characteristic mezzanine. It was built around 1720 by Captain General Don Luis Chacón. In the decade of the 30th of the last century it hosted the Havana Club Bar, mentioned in Graham Greene's novel "Our Man in Havana". It is currently occupied by the Museum of Colonial Art, which recreates the interior environment of a colonial aristocratic house. One of its rooms is dedicated to the colorful stained-glass windows of the city.
Casa del Marqués
de Arcos
Mercaderes No. 16 e/ O´Reilly
y Empedrado
From the square you can see the back of the house whose entrance is located on Mercaderes street. Current cultural center that houses a literary café, the Ada Elba Pérez Specialized Library, the House of Poetry, a goldsmith's workshop and several shops and galleries.
Reproducing the facade of this building, right in front of it is the Mural of Intellectuals, made by the Cuban artist Andrés Carrillo, represents the most raised figures of the arts and letters that traveled through the Literary Artistic Lyceum of Havana, which It was based in this building.
Palacio de Lombillo
Empedrado esq. Mercaderes
Telf. 7 801 7311
Built in 1741, it follows the pattern of the houses of the slave traders with a ground floor and the mezzanine intended for these functions. Since 1821 it has hosted a small post office, the first in the country. Currently the building shows historical lithographs and has several exhibition halls.
Both buildings on the side of the square, the Casa del Marqués de Arcos and the Palacio de Lombillo, are preceded by an extensive porch supported by a regular colonnade, which highlights a mailbox located on the wall with the figure of a Grotesque mask of Greek tragedy whose mouth served to deposit the letters, and a life-size statue of the Spanish dancer Antonio Gades that appears lying on one of the columns.
Juan Gualberto Gómez
House Museum
Empedrado núm. 359 e/ Habana y Compostela, La Habana Vieja
Telf.7 866 4114
Witness part of the life and journalistic work of Juan Gualberto Gómez on the site where the editorials of the newspapers La Fraternidad and La Igualdad were, founded by this illustrious Cuban in 1879 and 1892, respectively.
Victor Hugo House
O’Reilly núm.311, e/ Habana y Aguiar
Telf. 7 866 7590/91
Cultural center that promotes and disseminates French and Francophone culture in our country. It has varied spaces that contribute to the sociocultural project it deploys. Among the activities they develop are permanent and transitory exhibitions, concerts, conference cycles, screening cycles, Thé Découverte and Café Molière, Cuban and French music clubs, children's workshops, competitions and other cultural and scientific events. We also have the service of the Cosette library, specialized in French.
Obispo street
This emblematic street dates from the 16th century. At that time, it was conceived to protect itself from the sun and, today, it also continues to perform that function, since it is a pedestrian street surrounded by buildings of four and five floors that protect it from the sun.
Monument to Francisco
de Albear
Monserrate, O´Reilly, Bernaza
y Obispo
He pays tribute to one of the most illustrious men of the Spanish colonial era, the engineer Don Francisco de Albear y Fernández, born in the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro in 1816. Made of white marble, he shows the figure standing with a book in hand in reading attitude on a pedestal, at the base in front the image of the republic with the left arm raised, on one of the four faces of the base of the Monument reads: The city of Havana erects this Monument to his illustrious son, the eminent engineer. His most important work to which he dedicated 30 years of his life; the Aqueduct of Havana considered one of the 7 wonders of Cuban civil engineering.
Numismatic Museum
Obispo No.305 e/ Aguiar y Habana
Telf. 7 861 5811
Exhibits pieces of the numismatics of Cuba and the world since the seventh century B.C. to the present day. His collections include more than one hundred and sixty thousand representative pieces from all continents. The museum has three exhibition rooms where you can see unique specimens on the Island, as well as other objects of heritage value linked to the currency.
Museo de la Orfebrería
Obispo núm.113 e/ Oficios
y Mercaderes
Telf. 7 863 9861
Shows in its rooms pieces of the Cuban and foreign goldsmiths of the XVII-XX centuries. It is currently the headquarters of the Congregation of Plateros de San Eloy.
Johnson Drugstore Pharmacy Museum
Obispo No. 260, esq. Aguiar
Telf. 7 862 3051
Representative pharmacy of the twentieth century, where pieces related to the history of the pharmacy are exhibited, and through activities it is linked to the scientific and teaching community of pharmaceutical sciences. In addition, medicines of natural origin and some elements of cure and hygiene are marketed.
Pharmacy Drugstore Taquechel
Obispo No. 155, e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio
Telf. 7 862 9286
One of the oldest pharmacies in Havana that currently retains its functions and exhibits to the public an interesting collection of masons, mortars and instruments typical of a colonial apothecary.
Ambos Mundos Hotel
Obispo No. 153, esq. Mercaderes
Telf. 7 860 9530
Building built between the 20s and 30s of the last century. It was a usual resting place for the American writer Ernest Hemingway, who endorsed room No. 511. The room is today a small museum that stores the original furniture and some objects of the writer brought from his Finca Vigía residence.
Museum of Mural Painting
Obispo 117 y 119 e/ Oficios y Mercaderes
Telf. 7 864 2354
Leading institution of the study and rescue of the pictorial-archaeological heritage, exhibits original fragments of wall decorations, recovered in different constructions by the Archeology Cabinet, along with those that the house itself preserves.
Mercaderes Street
Hans Christian Andersen Ecological Garden
Paradise space in the middle of the Historic Center that houses a classroom museum for primary school children
Plazuela de Santo Domingo
Mercaderes e/ O’Reilly y Obispo
Ideal site for rest and enjoyment of the landscape. It has a modern fountain and has the presence of the inevitable pigeons. Located between the Museum of the city and the San Gerónimo University College of Havana, it holds a statue commemorating Portuguese poet Luís de Camões.
Santo Domingo Building
Contemporary building constructed as a mirror that reflects the surroundings surrounding the block in which it is nestled between Obispo, Mercaderes, O'Reilly and San Ignacio streets.
It occupies the former site of the Convent of Santo Domingo belonging to the Order of the Dominican Fathers, and seat of the first university of the Island founded on January 5, 1728. The building maintains the original facade, as well as a replica of the bell tower that guards the bell of the University. While his magna classroom treasures the first shield held by the house of high studies.
It is currently the headquarters of the Cuban Academy of Language, of the Historical Archive of the Office of the Historian of the City, as well as of its Historical Library, of the San Gerónimo University College of Havana, of the Esteban Salas Old Music Cabinet, of the Headquarters of the Ars Longa Music Ensemble, the University Museum and several restoration workshops.
Asia house
Mercaderes No. 111, e/ Obispo
y Obrapía
Telf. 7 863 9740
House museum dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Asian culture in the city, it has interesting collections of embroidery, clothes, weapons and furniture belonging to different Asian cultures.
In its lobby you can see one of the soldiers of the Terracotta Army donated by the Government of China to the institution.
Model of Habana Vieja
Mercaderes No.114 e/ Obispo y Obrapía
Telf. 7 866 44 25
Scale model representing more than 3000 buildings at 1500 scale with an impressive spectacle of lights, shadows and sounds that recreate the atmosphere of the ancient city, as a sign of the restoration of the Historic Center and its urban studies.
Museo del Tabaco
y Casa del Habano
Mercaderes No. 120, e/ Obispo y Obrapía
Telf. 7 861 5795
It shows the history of the development of the tobacco industry in the Island and its main brands. In your store you can buy copies of the best vitolas and Habanos brands.
House of Obrapía
Obrapía No. 158, esq. Mercaderes
Telf. 7 861 3097
Splendid mansion built in 1665 by Captain Martín Calvo de la Puerta and Arrieta, Attorney General of the Island. The house and the street were named by the noble acts of the family that each year financed the livelihood of five orphan girls. The coat of arms of the family appears on the baroque facade of the building brought from Cádiz in 1686. It currently holds many important and important collections of utilitarian and decorative objects that recall the atmosphere of the 19th century.
San Felipe Neri Oratory
Aguiar núm. 402, esquina
a Obrapía, La Habana Vieja
Telf. 7 862 3243
Archeology, history and museology combine to give the city a temple dedicated to lyric music and other genres. For the first time in the Historic Center a founding stone was found in its original site, with the coins inside, in addition, which are on display on one of the sides of the room.
Africa house
Obrapía No. 157, e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio
Telf. 7 861 5798
Promotes and studies the legacy of sub-Saharan African cultures in Cuba through its art and craft collections from different countries, treasures important collections such as that belonging to Don Fernando Ortiz, an ethnologist recognized as the third discoverer of Cuba, and the one Fidel Castro will donate with pieces given by leaders of African countries.
Benito Juárez house
o Casa de México
Obrapía No. 156, esq. Mercaderes
Telf. 7 861 8166
It shows exhibitions of Mexican art and crafts, including
an invaluable collection
of Aztec jewels.
Osvaldo Guayasamín house
Mercaderes No. 111, e/ Obispo y Obrapía
Telf. 7 863 9740
It houses the museum house dedicated to the work of the Ecuadorian painter Osvaldo Guayasamín who lived and worked for several seasons in Cuba.
Casa del Abanico
Obrapía No. 107, e/ Mercaderes y Oficios
Telf. 7 863 4452
Spanish fan shop decorated by hand. Where the client can customize the fan of his choice with the help of a professional.
Habana 1791
Mercaderes esq. Obrapía
Telf. 7 861 3525
Handmade perfume factory where you can purchase custom made fragrances, as well as appreciate utensils used in the manufacture of perfumes over the past centuries
Armory 9 de abril
Mercaderes No. 157 e/ Obrapía y Lamparilla
Telf. 7 861 8080
Museum that commemorates the events of the Strike on April 9, 1957, in which 4 members of the July 26 Revolutionary Movement fell fighting during the assault on this armory. It maintains a recreation of its original function, a trade with fishing and hunting accessories, varied weapons and a collection of rifles donated by Fidel Castro.
Simón Bolívar house
Mercaderes No. 156 e/ Obrapía y Lamparilla
Telf. 7 861 3988
Cultural center that disseminates Latin American culture and especially Venezuelan and other Bolivarian countries. It has collections associated with th e life and work of the Liberator of America, while hosting the works of new Latin American artists.
Sala de Bomberos Isasi
Mercaderes esq. Lamparilla
Telf. 7 861 8080
Exhibition hall that remembers the firefighters who died in the fire of the Isasi hardware store on May 17, 1890, in the premises located in this direction. Catastrophe that had a balance of 38 victims of which 25 were firefighters of the Municipal and Commercial Bodies, who performed this work voluntarily. In honor of these, the city council of Havana erected a monument at the Colón Cemetery.
Ceramics Museum
Mercaderes No. 27 esq. Amargura
Telf. 7 861 6130
Exhibits pieces of the panorama of Cuban artistic ceramics from 1950 to the present day. Organize personal and collective exhibitions. performs a national event, the Ceramic Biennial, which alternates with La Vasija.
Chocolate Museum
Mercaderes esq. Amargura
Telf. 7 866 4431
Corner of the Green Cross, first stop of the Via Crucis procession during the Colony. Currently the building there is home to the Chocolate Shop Museum, which exhibits objects related to the development of cocoa and chocolate industries in the world.
Teatro Las Carolinas
Amargura No. 61, e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio
Telf. 7 860 4341
Headquarters of the Retazos theater dance group that sponsors the International Street Dance Festival Habana Vieja Ciudad en Movimiento. The functions of Retazos
are characterized by the use
of a contemporary style in which the surrounding environment becomes part of the scenery.
Plaza Vieja
Last of the 5 main squares built in the city, it is surrounded by Mercaderes, San Ignacio, Teniente Rey and Muralla streets. It was built for purely commercial purposes and was established at the end of the 17th century under the name of Plaza Nueva. Towards the nineteenth century he lost his name to acquire the name of Old Square.
It is the only one of the city squares that does not have a church, because the slave market was located there. Until the 18th century it was the center of the residential area. Today it houses a large number of gastronomic establishments, sites of historical, social, commercial and artistic interest. It has been recently recommended by Tripadvisor as one of the best places to visit in Havana.
The exhaustive process of restoration to which it has been subjected has returned the splendor of times gone by, even the Carrara marble fountain designed by the Italian Giorgio Massari, which occupies its center, was rebuilt. Several modern sculptures embellish the square among which the figure of a naked woman stands out, with a fork on her shoulder and mounted on a rooster, the work of the artist Roberto Fabelo.
Edificio Gómez Vila,
Dark Chamber
Teniente Rey, esq. Mercaderes
Telf. 7 862 1801
It is the tallest building in the square and on its top floor is the Chamber 0scura. Based on an optical effect, it allows the reflection of 360 ° images on a white concave screen located in a completely dark room. Twin of the Tower of Tavira in Cádiz, it is the first of its kind in America, because so far there are only 5 others in the world, two in England, two in Spain and one in Portugal.
Casa de Juan de Rico de Mata, Fototeca
Mercaderes No. 307, e/ Teniente Rey y Muralla
Telf. 7 862 2530
It promotes the work of Cuban and foreign photographers and has a wide collection of works. It has a temporary exhibition hall that hosts samples from around the world.
Havana Planetarium
Mercaderes No. 309 e/ Teniente Rey y Muralla
Telf. 7 864 9544/45
Delight the public with an interactive high-tech exhibition. It has a 6,500 star projector located inside the Space Theater, a huge sphere that represents the sun with a capacity for 65 people, and is located in the center of a scale model of the solar system. The modern equipment donated by the Government of Japan, is complemented by various rooms that explain the emergence and evolution of the universe.
Café El Escorial
Mercaderes No. 315, esq. Muralla
Telf. 7 868 3545
Coffee Factory Shop where visitors can appreciate the whole process of roasting, grinding and brewing coffee in different ways, in addition to acquiring roasted or ground beans of excellent quality.
Casa del Marqués de Prado Ameno, Card Museum
Muralla No. 101, e/ San Ignacio e Inquisidor
Telf. 7 860 1534
Seventh Card Museum in the world, opened on May 2, 2001, thanks to a donation from Mr. Javier de Cárdenas. With more than 2000 pieces between decks, documents, postcards, prints, posters and utilitarian objects. It is located in the oldest square in the Old Square, where the first Cuban historian Mr. Féliz Arrate lived.
Palacio Cueto,
Palacio Hotel Vienna
Inquisidor esq. Muralla
Phenomenal piece of art nouveau in the city. Its construction dates back to 1906 and initially housed a warehouse and a hat factory until the 1920s, when it was rented by Don José Cueto, to whom he owes his name, to convert it into the Hotel Palacio Viena. The Cueto Palace exhibits a magnificent work in carved stone and an elaborate ornamentation where the impressive figures of two satyrs stand out above the entrance archway. Its wave-like balconies have Gaudí's work as a reference. Currently he resumed his functions as a hotel after long years of restoration.
Casa de los Condes
de Jaruco, Cuban Fund of Cultural Property
Muralla No. 107, esq. San Ignacio
Telf. 7 860 8577
Its construction project began in 1732 under the direction of contractor Diego de Salazar who also had to do with the construction of the walls. The construction shows the transition between the Spanish and Baroque Mudejar style, with the characteristics of the colonial houses and with an innovation that introduced a smaller house in the place of the backyard with independent entrance through San Ignacio street. Once the construction was finished in 1739, the residence was occupied by Gabriel Beltrán de Santa Cruz y Aranda, first Count of San Juan de Jaruco. Until 1870 the house was the residence of the counts of Jaruco and later belonged to other illustrious families of the town. After a long period of deterioration the house was completely restored in 1983 and the offices of the Cuban Fund of Cultural Property were installed in its premises and on its ground floor there are workshops and art galleries.
Tienda el soldadito de Plomo
Muralla No. 164, e/ san Ignacio
y Cuba
Exhibits and markets handmade miniature lead soldiers, belonging to different armies and eras, in addition to small reproductions of characters from universal history. Through its large glass windows and shop windows, artisans can be seen painting the pieces.
Casa del Conde
de Casa de Lombillo
Factoría Plaza Vieja y and House of Malta
San Ignacio No. 364, e/ Teniente Rey y Muralla
Telf. 7 866 4453
Popular brewery and artisanal malts, which offers services such as restaurant bar. The atmosphere allows you to enjoy the views of the square while listening to Cuban music.
Casa del Conde Esteban de Cañongo, Vitrina de Valonia
San Ignacio No. 356, e/ Teniente Rey y Muralla
Telf. 7 868 3561
Current cultural center dedicated to promoting Belgian culture in Cuba and specifically from the Walloon region. The House specializes in the promotion and dissemination of the known as ninth art, the long-established comic in traditional Belgian culture. His work is aimed at children, adolescents and young people. Its program of activities is primarily intended for this public and has the only specialized library in the country in this area.
Casa de las Hermanas Cárdenas, Visual Arts Development Center
San Ignacio No. 352, e/ Teniente Rey y Muralla
Telf. 7 862 2611
It has several exhibition halls intended for the promotion of visual arts in Cuba, in addition to offering international courses and workshops on this subject.
Raquel Hotel
San Ignacio esq. Amargura
Telf. 7 860 8280
It occupies a building built in 1905 to house offices, warehouses and tissue stores, it has an impressive baroque facade, while the predominant style inside is Art Noveau. In 1908 after a remodeling, it acquired the current appearance and in 1912 it was consolidated as a fabric importing house. Recently restored it has 25 rooms set with works by important Cuban painters. The building has an impressive multicolored skylight of great beauty that creates a beautiful polychrome effect inside. Related to the culture and the Jewish community on the Island, its spaces are set with elements of the Hebrew culture.
Carlos J. Finlay
Historical Museum of Natural Sciences
Cuba No. 460, e/ Teniente Rey y Amargura
Telf. 7 863 4824
Its construction dates from 1868 and was the former headquarters of the Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences. It currently has numerous collections that illustrate the development of these sciences on the Island. The museum honors the memory of Carlos J. Finlay and on its third floor treasures a reproduction of a nineteenth-century pharmacy.Calle Oficios
Luz y Oficios Gallery
Luz esq. Oficios
Small art gallery that hosts temporary exhibitions of new Cuban and foreign artists.
Alejando Von Humboldt house
Oficios No. 254, esq. Muralla
Telf. 7 863 9850
Museum dedicated to the life and work of the German scientist Alejando de Humboldt, Second discoverer of Cuba, who inhabited the property during his exploration trips on the Island. The House has valuable collections related to the studies of the German naturalist.
Pablo de la Torriente Brau Cultural Center
Muralla No. 63, entre Oficios e Inquisidor
Telf. 7 862 1801
Cultural center dedicated to the promotion and international dissemination of the most innovative artistic creations of the continent. It has the beautiful Yagrumas Courtyard, home of important concerts and cultural activities, as well as two exhibition halls, a library and a small recording studio.
Cuervo y Sobrinos Clock Museum Store
Oficios esq. Muralla
Telf. 7 864 9515
Local that works as a shop and museum of luxury watches and feathers manufactured by the Swiss-Italian company Cuervo y Sobrinos, based in Cuba since 1882. It also has a small classic-style coffee.
Government Palace Museum
Oficios No. 211, e/ Muralla
y Churruca
Telf. 7 863 4352
19th-century classic-style building that hosted the headquarters of the House of Representatives during the first republic. Later he was employed as the Ministry of Education between 1929 and 1960, and after the Triumph of the Revolution it served as the seat of the Municipal People's Power. It is currently a museum that stores interesting collections related to its previous uses, as well as the cabinet of the president of the Senate with its original furniture. It stands out for the beauty and solidity of the building
Coche Presidencial Museum
Churruca e/ Oficios y Ave. Del Puerto
Telf.7 866 4328
Railroad car imported into the country in 1912 and named Car Mambí in honor of Tomás Estrada Palma, first president of the Republic, who was the first of 5 presidents to use it on official trips. Located on rails in the middle of the entrance to the small alley of Churruca, it shows visitors the luxury and comfort so the presidents traveled by train.
Theater Hall of the Orden III
Oficios y Churruca
Telf. 7 860 7699
Headquarters of the children's theater company La Colmenita, it presents functions of the same while serving as a rehearsal room and children's theater workshop in which the castings of the popular television program La Colmena TV have been made.
Aqvarium of the Historic Center
Teniente Rey No. 9, e/ Oficios y Mercaderes
Telf. 7 863 9493
First ecological center of ancient Havana. Hosting more than 100 species of fish and freshwater plants, distributed in 9 fish tanks that distinguish various geographical areas of the world, one of them is representative of Cuban species. The Aqvarium has a copy of Manjuarí, a prehistoric fish considered a living fossil.
Cuban Perfume House
Teniente Rey No. 13 entre Oficios y Mercaderes
Telf. 7 866 3759
It exposes the equipment of a colonial perfume distillery, as well as bottles and other accessories of this industry. It offers aromatherapy sessions and sells manufactured essences to the public.
Study Gallery of the Oficios
Oficios No. 166 entre Teniente Rey y Amargura
Telf. 7 863 0497
Exhibits samples of the works of renowned artists of Cuban plastic such as Nelson Dominguez.
Carmen Montilla Gallery
Oficios No. 162, e/ Teniente Rey
y Amargura
Telf. 7 866 8768
The studio of the Venezuelan painter Carmen Montilla, is home to important exhibitions by the renowned creator, as well as other important artists from Latin America. Only the front of the building remains, which gives rise to its spacious and cozy patio.
San Francisco square
Currently also known as Plaza de las Palomas. During the 16th century the area was the border with the sea of the early colonial city. He played an important role in the development of trade because it is the main area for the unloading and loading of goods, as well as for the resupply of merchant ships.
It took its name from a small Franciscan convent located in the area, which over time evolved to become the majestic current building. Docks, scribe archives, residences of notable neighbors, government institutions, as well as the Houses of the Cabildo and the Government and the Jail began to appear around the square, which remained there until 1792, the year they were transferred to the Plaza de Armas .
Fountain of the Lions
Located on one side of the square, the Fountain of the Lions was placed on its site in 1836. Designed and made by the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Gaggini, it is sculpted in white marble.
Lonja del Comercio
Amargura No. 2, esq. Oficios
Telf. 07 866 9588
The five-story building of classic style dates from 1907, was built as a modern business center that since its foundation hosted important companies, companies and offices. It is topped by an imposing dome on whose top a statue of Mercury, Roman god of commerce, messengers and thieves was placed.
Iglesia Convento de San Francisco de Asís,
Museum of Sacred Art
Oficios entre Amargura y Churruca
Telf. 07 862 3467
Its construction began in 1719 and ended in 1730, in the Baroque style, it has a bell tower 40 m high that for a long time was the highest point in the city. Eventually it was consecrated as the main church of the city, from there the Holy Cross procession started every Good Friday. After a long time in disuse, the church and the attached convent reopened to the public in October 1994 after a complete restoration.
Currently its large central nave houses one of the most important concert halls in the city and The Museum of Sacred Art, the only one of its kind in the country. It exhibits unique pieces such as costumes, tabernacles, staves and chalices, belonging to some of the first churches of the town, in addition to showing the burials of some illustrious characters of the city through skylights located on the ground.
The tower is one of its main attractions, from where you can see an interesting panoramic view of the city. Just in front of the main door of San Francisco, a life-size statue of the knight of Paris was located, made by the sculptor José Villa Soberón, an enigmatic street character who became a symbol of the city, has spread the belief that touching his index finger gives good luck.
Madre Teresa de Calcuta
Garden
Located on the north side of the basilica, it was consecrated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta from which a statue was placed there. Important personalities of Cuban culture rest in their peaceful environment. It also houses a small Greek Orthodox Church opened in 2004.
Casa de los Árabes
Oficios No. 16 e/ Obispo y Obrapía
Telf. 7 862 0082
It has permanent exhibitions on Islamic Arab culture, as well as a prayer room dedicated to the exercise of the Muslim faith in the city. Among its most valuable objects are editions of historical chronicles of the nineteenth century, essays on Islam, and texts of Arabic and contemporary Islamist art. Its library holds documents related to Arab immigration to Cuba and Latin America.
Plaza del Santo Cristo
del Buen Viaje
Comprendida entre las Calles teniente Rey, Bernaza, Lamparilla y Villegas
Born in the year 1640, next to the hermitage of the same name, also called the humiliadero, it was the final station of the procession of the Via Crucis. The Plaza was known by several names, among which is the "of the washerwomen", for the large number of Africans with this trade who met there before attending mass. After serving time as a market place, in the 19th century it acquired the name of Parque Michelena, a name that remained until the 20th century.
In the 80's of the last century some restoration work was carried out in the immediate vicinity of the square, but it was not until very recent dates that its surroundings have been completely restored and aimed at various social functions.
Iglesia del Santo Cristo
del Buen Viaje
Villegas entre Amargura
y Lamparilla
Telf. 7 863 1767
The current building dates from 1732, although its original location was in 1640 when a hermitage was founded on site by the Franciscan monks. It took its name from the custom of the sailors to go there to pray for good travels.
Drugstore Sarrá,
Habanera Pharmacy Museum
Teniente Rey No. 261, e/ Compostela y Habana
Telf. 7 866 7556
Former pharmacy that still retains its functions and hosts the Habanera Pharmacy Museum. It exhibits numerous collections of own instruments of this type of establishments, as well as some medicines and ancient preserved herbs. Together with the Jhonson Drugstore (Bishop No. 361 / Telph. 7 862 3057, they form an interesting group that allows to know the Cuban pharmaceutical industry since the time of the Colony.
Iglesia y Convento
Nuestra Señora de Belén
Compostela esq. Luz
Telf. 7 860 3150
Former convent belonging to the Jesuits, was once one of the most prestigious schools on the Island attended by the children of the aristocracy. It currently hosts an important sociocultural complex that provides homes for older adults and hosts several workshops dedicated to these people. Among its main attractions are the Arch of Bethlehem, which crosses over Acosta Street to link the building with an adjoining unit; just like him Astronomical Observatory
Compostela esq. to Luz
It shows the historical evolution of meteorology and climatology in Cuba, and, in particular, of the meteorological, geomagnetic and astronomical observatory that operated in this place for 67 years. The facility occupies the northwest tower of the building, which has five levels, three exhibition halls, multipurpose classroom, weather station and astronomical observatory. It is equipped with means for viewing and digital linking, and a terrace-viewpoint 24 meters above sea level, which provides a panoramic view of the oldest environment of the Cuban capital. The public can learn about the history of meteorology in Cuba in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries; its most important institutions and personalities; the first documented hurricane in Havana, on December 31, 1557; the classification of tropical cyclones, as well as the chronology in the four stages of the history of the National Meteorological Service of Cuba and its main events, such as the most intense meteors that have affected the Island, and you can admire a sample of meteorological instruments and astronomical being able to interact with some of them. Also, archaeological pieces discovered in excavations in the church and convent areas will be exhibited.
Calle Egido
Old dividing line between the walled city and the egidos or farm fields that were outside. With the expansion of the city it became an interesting shopping street that has decayed over time, but maintains some places of interest.
El Arsenal y la Puerta
de la Tenaza
Egido, e/ Misión y Fundición
Remains preserved of the old arsenal of the wall of Havana. The Door of the Tenaza is only door that remains in foot of the nine that owned the walls. A tarja placed on one side of the wall that holds it shows a map of the old walled city with its bastions and doors.
Museo Casa
Natal de José Martí
Leonor Pérez (Calle Paula) No.314 e/ Picota y Egido
Telf. 7 861 3778
Museum dedicated to the figure of José Martí, treasures important objects belonging to the National Hero of Cuba and his family. Performs the functions of a cultural center, because in its spacious side patio there are multiple cultural activities for the community.
Parque del Agrimensor
Zulueta e/ Misión y Arsenal
Located in front of the side entrance of the Central Railway Station, it houses the surveyor surveyors, as well as an important sample of old locomotives used in the sugar industry for centuries past.
Central Railway Station
Egido, esq. Arsenal
On November 30, 1912, the current train terminal building was inaugurated, as the operations center of the United Railways of Cuba and the Havana Central Railroad. With a peculiar architectural structure, with sober and stylized lines, the building copies elements of the Spanish Renaissance. It consists of four floors topped on both sides by two towers that rise 38 msnc, constructed of steel and reinforced concrete and adorned with terracotta and tiles. On the ground floor is the waiting room, decorated with marble clad columns. The platform consists of double sotechados on the platforms, with access to tracks for passenger trains. The complex extends with its peculiar highs throughout the entire Atarés cove. The Elevados de La Habana are of vital importance for the operations of passenger trains arriving or departing from the Central Station.
Avenida del Puerto (Desamparados)
Spacious avenue that borders the coast in the inner part of the bay of Havana.
Automobile Deposit
Atraque de los Picos, Damas
y Ave del Puerto
Telf. 7 863 9942
Deposit constituted with the purpose of preserving some of the emblematic copies of the automobile between 1905 and 1989, as well as other objects related to this world, its use and link with the history of the automobile in Cuba, its history and traditions.
Almacenes de San José
Cultural Center
Desamparados y San Ignacio
Telf. 7 864 7793
Largest market for arts, crafts and antiques in the city. It occupies a complex of huge ships formerly belonging to the port, which after a rigorous repair provide a pleasant space facing the sea. Visitors can see some old locomotives at their entrance, as well as enjoy a walk in front of the sea at the back.
San Francisco de Paula church
San Ignacio y Leonor Pérez
Telf. 7 860 4210
The Church of Paula, National Monument, is one of the oldest and most valuable buildings in the Historic Center, and exponent of the Cuban baroque of the 18th century. Since its inauguration in 2000, after being restored by the Office of the Historian, the Paula Church serves as a concert hall dedicated to ancient music (medieval, Renaissance and Baroque), which treasures the original organ of the ancient Church of Paula . Permanent exhibition of works of contemporary Cuban plastic with religious themes.
Alameda de Paula
First walk built in the city, runs parallel to the coast from Luz Street, to Leonor Pérez. Currently converted into a beautiful pedestrian promenade, it is illuminated by elaborate iron lanterns and is delimited by low stone walls and trellises that isolate it from traffic. In its center is the O'Donnell Column erected in 1847 by the Captain General of Isla Leopoldo O'Donnell, in honor of the Spanish navy. Marble monument, topped by the effigy of a lion, is ornamented with military themes and at its base has a fountain.
Boardwalk, Floating Docks
Ingenious floating construction placed parallel to the Alameda de Paula, serves as a spectacular viewpoint suspended over the waters of the bay.
Muelle de Luz
Ave. del Puerto (Desamparados) y Luz
Modern railway construction that recreates the styles of the nineteenth century, revives the charms of the old light pier while being a perfect viewpoint to admire the beauty of the Bay while enjoying a snack.
Sagrada Catedral
Ortodoxa Rusa
Ave. del Puerto y San Pedro
Officially known as the Church of the Virgin Mary of Kazan, it was opened in 2008. Characterized by the golden domes in the form of bulbs that crown its towers, it has magnificent altars inside, which attracts by its peculiar ornamentation.
Havana Club Rum Museum
Ave. del Puerto e/ Sol y Muralla
Telf. 7 861 8051
Located in the old house of the Count of the Mortera, it promotes an interesting journey through the development of the Cuban rum industry. It exhibits an impressive model of a sugar factory, as well as utensils and tools of the Industry. It has 5 specialized rooms, as well as a shop and a bar where you can taste typical cocktails of the Island.
Teatro Museo
de Títeres El Arca
Avenida del Puerto y Obrapía
Telf. 7 864 89 53
It has a room for the puppet theater, with a program that targets both children and adults. Also, the museum, without joining a way of understanding the origin of the puppet has chosen animation as the theme of the exhibition.
Cámara de Rejas
Ave. del Puerto y Narciso López
Gigantic and beautiful illuminated Crystal cube, which with a modernist air shows the history of the city's sewage system through educational panels.
Neptune Fountain
Ave. del Puerto y Empedrado
It has been known as the Fountain of Commerce or Heel, the Pile of Neptune and the Fountain of Neptune. It was built in Italy in 1836 by the Captain General of the Island, Miguel Tacón, with public funds, his goal was to decorate a trough that would be built on the shores of the coast with the purpose of supplying drinking water to three small ships at the same time. To this end, bronze rings were placed for the mooring of the ships. Its inauguration took place in 1839. The beautiful fountain would also serve as a place of recreation, as there were six canapés or unsupported marble seats around it, very appropriate for walkers to sit and enjoy the sea breeze on summer afternoons. Located in front of the Castle of the Force, on the edge of the coast and surrounded by an iron railing attached to the pier, it suffered damage and continuous changes of position until it was restored to its place of origin.
Luz Caballero Park
Ave. del Puerto, Tacón, Empedrado y Chacón
Chaired by a statue of the Cuban philosopher and thinker José de la Luz y Caballero. It is a green space for enjoyment and relaxation in the Historic Center, it is located in front of the old Seminary of San Carlos and San Ambrosio honors the memory of this illustrious Cuban thinker.
Memorial Park Hasekura Tsunenaga Monument
Ave. del Puerto, e/. Cuba y Peña Pobre
In 2001 the Memorial Park was inaugurated where the statue of the first Japanese who visited Cuba in 1614, the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga, was placed. The bronze statue by the Japanese sculptor Tsuchiya Mizuho, 1.75 m high and 250 kg, stands on a gray granite monolith, and was located in the park built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of relations between Cuba and Japan. The park responds in its design to modern formal codes, contains elements of traditional Japanese gardening. Between the pebble stones and the gray granite, there are others that were extracted from the Castle Wall of Aoba-Jo, from where the traveler left in 1613.
Historic Center Amphitheater
Peña Pobre, e/ Avenida del Puerto y Cuba
Telf. 7 863 9464
Recognized for hosting large-scale shows, primarily musical, for children and adults, with the performance of figures and groups of national and international prestige, it offers functions Saturdays and Sundays according to the program. 9:00 pm. Tickets are purchased the same day of the show at the Amphitheater box office starting at 5.00 p.m. and up to 30 minutes after the show started.
National Museum of Music Casa de Pérez de la Riva
Capdevila No. 1
Typical mansion of the early twentieth century that was built by a rich Creole merchant in 1905. Later it became the residence of another aristocratic Cuban family until 1936, when it was acquired by the Cuban government to install its Secretary of State. The facade of the building is of masonry with bulky columns, imitating the Italian Renaissance. In its interiors the eclectic style characteristic of the architecture and decorations of the time is present, but always maintaining sobriety and elegance. The building was restored in 1981 and from that moment the National Museum of Music was established there, an institution dedicated to the historical development of music and musical instruments from the 16th to the 20th century in Cuba.
Zulueta Street
(Agramonte)
y Monserrate
(Ave. de las Misiones)
Park and Monument to General Máximo Gómez
Sculpted in marble and bronze by the sculptor Aldo Gamba in 1935, it shows an equestrian statue of Generalissimo Máximo Gómez, hero of the independence of Cuba.
Callejón de los Peluqueros
Aguiar e/ Peña Pobre y Capdevila
In 2012, it became the Callejón de los Peluqueros, home of the Arte Corte community project. Inspired and developed by Gilberto Valladares (Papito), it is a beautiful urban space where cafes, small restaurants, schools and museums emerge.
Plazuela del Ángel e Iglesia del Santo Ángel Custodio
Cuarteles y Compostela
Located in the Loma del Ángel, known location of the city for being in it the homonymous Church immortalized by Cirilo Villaverde in his novel Cecilia Valdés, and for being the baptism church of José Martí. Picturesque city space characterized by the cafes that line its streets and the history it reflects, it has a bust of the writer Cirilo Villaverde and serves as a prelude to the neo-Gothic church that presides it. Recently a sculpture by Cecilia Valdés by the artist Erig Rebull has been placed there.
13 de marzo square
Zulueta y Cárcel
Beautiful park located in front of the Presidential Palace, named in commemoration of the assault on the Presidential Palace on March 13, 1957. On October 20, National Culture Day, a replica of the equestrian statue of José Martí, sculpted by the American artist Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973), located since 1950 on Avenida de las Américas in Central Park, New York. For years, the Office of the Historian of Havana, with Dr. Eusebio Leal Spengler in front, made efforts to bring the statue from the United States. The reply was received on October 3, 2017 by sea at the Sierra Maestra port terminal in Havana.
Baluarte el Ángel
Refugio, e/ Zulueta y Monserrate
Erected as part of the city walls in 1680, it was one of the fragments that survived its subsequent demolition.
Presidential Palace,
Museum of the Revolution
Refugio No. 1 e/ Zulueta
y Monserrate
Telf. 7 862 4091
Building completed in 1920 in an eclectic style and set in its interior by the American firm Tiffany´s, it has impressive and luxurious halls typical of the residence of the presidents of the Republic. It currently houses the Museum of the Revolution and exhibits in its rooms a large collection that illustrates the last stage of struggles for the independence of Cuba. Among its main rooms, the Hall of Mirrors and the Office of the President of the Republic in which the original furniture is preserved are highlighted. His extensive collection of objects linked to the revolutionary struggle includes a life-size sculptural ensemble that represents Camilo Cienfuegos and Che climbing a slope.
Granma Memorial
Refugio No. 1, e/ Zulueta
y Monserrate
Located at the rear of the Museum of the Revolution, it conserves among its main pieces the Granma Yacht, a ship in which the young people who started the revolutionary struggle in 1957 moved from Mexico. Similarly it exhibits vehicles and planes used in different actions of the clandestine struggle in the cities.
National Museum of Fine Arts, Cuban Art Building
Trocadero e Zulueta y Monserrate
Telf. 7 863 9484
It is a modern building ornamented with sculptures by Cuban artist Rita Longa that exhibits a complete spectrum of Cuban fine arts through its numerous permanent and transitory exhibitions. These exhibitions display works from the earliest days of the colonial times and the foundation of the Cuban Academy down to Contemporaneity. Among their main pieces are “Gitana Tropical” by Cuban painter Víctor Manuel and “La Silla”
by the world-famous
Wilfredo Lam.
Museo de Bomberos
Zulueta No. 257, e/ Neptuno
y Animas
Telf: 7 863 4826
Fire station inaugurated in 1909 by the American interventor governor Charles E. Magoon in Havana and from then until 2008 served as such. It is currently the headquarters of the Firefighters Museum of Cuba. In its space it shows a fire truck of 1894 as well as uniforms and documents related to the old fire department of Havana.
Bacardí building
Monserrate No. 261, e/ Empedrado y San Juan de Dios
Former headquarters of the Bacardi rum brand, it is considered a jewel of Cuban art deco. Its construction culminated in December 1929 and at that time it was considered one of the most modern and beautiful buildings in the city. Its facade worked in Bavarian red granite and tiles representing floral motifs and Greek nymphs, is topped by a stepped turret that has a bat on its cusp over a red light sphere, symbol of the Bacardi brand.
Its luxurious interiors, characterized by beautiful bronze and glass doors, as well as ornaments of their own style, retain the splendor of times gone by. Currently the building houses several offices belonging to Cuban and foreign companies.
El Floridita
Monserrate esq. Obispo
Famous restaurant bar, perhaps the oldest in the world, founded in 1817 under the name of the Silver Pineapple, is known worldwide as the cradle of the Daiquiri, the favorite drink of the American writer Ernest Hemingway, a regular of the place. He currently maintains his duties and exhibits a statue of Hemingway in the corner of the bar where he used to stand.
Martí Theater
Dragones esq. Zulueta
Known as the "Theater of the hundred doors", it was recently opened after long years of reconstruction. Known for hosting important artistic presentations, its remarkable historical value makes it a fundamental site for the history of Cuba, since the Constitution of the Republic was signed in its halls in 1901.
Street and Paseo del Prado (Paseo de Martí)
Castillo de San Salvador
de la Punta
Prado y Malecón
7 860 3195/96
Built by the architect Juan Bautista Antonelli around 1593, as part of the first defensive system of the city, since 2002 it has hosted the pieces of underwater archeology found north of the Pinar del Río and Havana provinces in its former warehouse. For a time it worked as a museum, but after the passage of Hurricane Wilma is undergoing a rigorous restoration in order to turn it into an archaeological museum where important artillery pieces from different centuries are shown.
Hispanic American Culture Center
Malecón núm. 17 e/ Prado y Capdevilla, La Habana Vieja.
Telf: 7 860 6282
The Hispanic-American Center of Culture opens its doors on May 10, 2004 and is based on the building built in 1924 by the renowned Cuban architect Evelio Govantes for the aristocratic Union Club.
The projects that preceded the Center, the precedent of vital inspiration for our work is the Hispanic-Cuban Institution of Culture, created and directed by the wise Cuban Don Fernando Ortiz in 1926.
The Hispanic-American Center of Culture, under the auspices of the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, insists on the continuation of that legacy with the presentation of a program that highlights the most authentic intellectual and artistic values
Paseo del Prado
Discurre desde el Malecón hasta la Calle Monte
Its construction was initiated by the Marquis de la Torre in 1772 and culminated in 1852. From its beginnings it displaced the other walks of the city as the axis of social life. Around it the houses of the most notable people in the city congregated. It is 1 km long and its sections are protected by 8 bronze lions. In 1929 he acquired his current appearance after a remodeling that gave height to the central promenade being illuminated by elaborate street lamps and adorned by stone benches and granite floors. At its northern end is a statue of the Cuban poet and patriot Juan Clemente Zenea.
Sevilla Hotel
Trocadero No. 55, e/ Prado y Monserrate
Building inspired by the Patio de los Leones of the Alhambra Palace. The hotel opened its doors in 1908 and has continuously maintained its service, welcoming some of the most important figures who have visited the Island. Its gallery shows a collection of black and white photographs of its most distinguished guests, among which are Josephine Baker, boxer Joe Louis and Al Capone, who occupied the sixth full floor.
Parque Central
Rodeado por las calles Zulueta, Prado, Neptuno y San Martín
Spacious central park of the city become the epicenter of life among the oldest municipalities in Havana. Shelter for the fans of the ball. Recently its system of sources and luminaires has been restored. In its vegetation stand out the royal palms that border the statue of José Martí placed in its center in 1905, the work of the sculptor José Villalta.
Inglaterra Hotel
Prado No. 416, esq. San Rafael
Opened in 1856, it is today the oldest hotel that remains active in Cuba. Its frontal sidewalk was known during the Colony as Acera del Louvre, sadly famous for being the site of a massacre against Cuban independence.
National Museum of Fine Arts (Universal Art Building)
San Rafael e/ Zulueta y Monserrate
Telf. 7 862 0140
It occupies the building of the old Asturian Center of Havana. The building decorated with neoclassical motifs was erected in 1885 and rebuilt in Renaissance style in 1927. It has important collections of Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, as well as collections of plastic arts from different latitudes that include the great masters of painting such as Velásquez, Goya, Gainsbourgh and Murillo.
Alicia Alonso Grand Theater
Prado No. 452, e/ San Rafael
y San Martín
Telf. 7 861 3079
Originally built in 1837 as Teatro Tacón, where great artists from the world scene such as Enrico Caruso and Sarah Benhardt were presented. The current neo-baroque building dates from 1915, when it was home to the Galician Center. Today it hosts the National Ballet of Cuba, and the performances of the National Lyric Theater.
Capitolio Nacional
Prado entre San Martín y Dragones
Telf. 7 861 5519
Built between 1926 and 1929 as the seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Majestic building topped by a 91.73 m high dome that keeps under it the third largest statue in the world under roof, the statue of the Republic, sculpted in bronze and covered with gold foil by Angelo Zanelli, Author also of the sculptures that are located in its exterior that represent the Work and the Guardian Virtue of the People. Another of the statues that houses the Capitol is one of the few existing sculptures by Lucifer, the fallen angel whose symbolism is a mystery.
At the foot of the statue of the Republic is a 24-carat diamond that belonged to the crown of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia that marks the km 0 of the central road of the Island. Marked by the beauty and monumentality of the Capitol highlights the Hall of the Lost Steps, named for its impressive acoustics. Currently it houses the headquarters of the National Assembly of Popular Power on one of its restored wings. As part of the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the city, it has acquired a new physiognomy when the statue of the Fatherland has been restored, as well as the exterior of the dome that have been covered with gold leaf. In the same way the flashlight that originally had in its pinnacle has been restored.
Fountain of India
or Noble Havana
Prado y Dragones
It represents the mythical figure of the Indian Havana, wife of Cacique Habaguanex, who ruled the area before the arrival of Columbus. Located at the southern end of the Paseo del Prado, before reaching its current location it had several locations until it finally became the monument that closes the promenade. Designed and sculpted in 1837 by Italian architect Giuseppe Gaggini under the mandate of the Count of Villanueva, it was built in white Carrara marble in neoclassical style with three meters high. In his right hand he carries a horn of plenty and on the left he carries a shield with the city's weapons.
Fraternity Park
Máximo Gómez (Monte), Reina, Amistad y Prado
It was located at its current site in 1892, occupying the grounds of the former Field of Mars, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. His current physiognomy dates from 1928 from the time of the renovation carried out by Jean Claude Nicolás Forestier. In its center was planted on February 24, 1928 the Tree of the American Fraternity, a ceiba tree, for which land was brought from all the countries of America. Busts and statues of the heroes of American independence populate the park.
Aldama Palace
Amistad No. 510 e/ Reina y Estrella
Lavish mansion built in neoclassical style in 1844 by the Basque merchant Don Domingo Aldama Arrechaga. In fact, the building hosted two houses by Domingo Aldama and his son-in-law Domingo del Monte, a character famous in the nineteenth century for his literary artistic gatherings. Currently the building houses the headquarters of the Institute of History of Cuba.
Partagás Tobacco Factory
Industria No. 520, e/ Dragones
y Barcelona
Telf. 7 866 8060
Opened in 1843 by the Catalan immigrant Don Jaime Partagás Ravelo, the building of a classic Spanish style is marked by the legend that its owner still roams its halls. The factory specializes in the production of some brands of the world famous Habanos such as Montecristo and Partagás. Currently you can tour with the guidance of a guide and in the same way you can visit his Casa del Habano to acquire or enjoy in his own home the best tobacco in the world.
Barcelona Havana Space
Barcelona núm. 63, entre Águila y Amistad, Centro Habana
Telf. 7 864 9576
As a cultural bridge between the cities of Barcelona and Havana, this space is built, which already joins the socio-cultural program of the Office of the Historian. Becoming a meeting point of the community that lives in that area of the Cuban capital, while promoting the cultural, historical, artistic and scientific links that exist between both cities, are the essential purposes of this place that will disseminate the values from Barcelona as an international reference in architecture, urban planning and design.
Centro Habana
Municipality located south of the Malecon, and west of the Paseo del Prado is bounded by the streets Industria, Monte, Manglar and Infanta. It is considered the most densely populated municipality in the capital and is considered a reflection of the architecture of Old Havana on a large scale.
Its development began with the demolition of the wall and the extension of the city beyond its limits in 1863. It quickly became the center of the commercial and social life of the city, being the epicenter of the main factories and industries. Among the main attractions of Centro Habana.
The Malecon
Inevitable concrete tape known as the Havana sofa, was designed in 1857 by Francisco de Albear, but it was not until 1902 that it began construction. Former seat of the sea baths of the Havana coast, which ran from the Punta to the San Lázaro area in a first stage, has become a sample of the city's microcosm. Occasional fishermen, street musicians, street vendors and other characters abound at all times along the Malecon.
Antonio Maceo Park
Beautiful monument park erected in 1916 in honor of Major General Antonio Maceo Grajales, hero of the independence of Cuba. It is currently a busy place used by visitors for rest and relaxation, in addition to the practice of skating, capoeira and skateboarding.
Torreón de San Lázaro
Despite showing off a modern appearance, its construction dates back to 1665, as part of the city's second defensive system. It is currently part of the Fortification System declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Fragua Martiana MuseUM
Prince No. 108, esq. Hospital
Phone 7 870 7338
It occupies the site of the old quarries of San Lázaro where José Martí was sentenced to perform forced labor as a teenager. It currently shows the living conditions of the prisoners who were there and some objects of the time. As well as a life-size statue of Young Marti made in bronze.
Hamel Alley
Alley of Hamel e / Aramburu and Hospital.
Alley turned into a symbol of the town for its allegories to the Afro-Cuban religion and the orishas. It shows beautiful murals made by the artist Salvador González escalona, who, inspired by this culture together with the members of the community, have created a space conducive to the dissemination of art and popular culture. If you want to enjoy a genuine drumming and a real rumba, this is the place to learn and live this manifestation declared World Heritage in 2016.
José Lezama Lima Museum
Trocadero No. 162, e / Crespo e Industria
Tel 7 863 3774
Former house of the Cuban writer José Lezama Lima belonging to the literary vanguard of the Island, is widely recognized for his controversial novel Paradiso considered a kind of homoerotic autobiography. It is currently a center dedicated to the study and dissemination of the work of Lezama and his contemporaries.
Chinatown of Havana
Known at its peak as the Mini Beijing of the Tropics, it was the largest Chinatown in Latin America. Its construction began in 1847 when the first Chinese immigrants brought to the Island as cheap labor began to settle in the area. Around Zanja Street, the old passage of the Royal Ditch, small communities were created grouped by their place of origin and families, some of which still exist to this day.
It was considered one of the largest shopping centers in the city, one of the places of greatest tourist interest to date due to the amalgam of ancient cultures and traditions that, together with Cuban culture, have given rise to their own cultural imaginary transmitted through the natural Chinese and their descendants settled in the area until today
House of Chinese Arts and Traditions
Health No. 313, e / Gervasio and Escobar
Tel 7 863 5450
Cultural center belonging to the Office of the Historian of the City responsible for the dissemination of traditional Chinese culture and its influence on universal culture. In its spaces it houses a gallery and offers classes in Tai Chi and Wu shu in coordination with the Cuban school of Wu Shu.
Gate of the Dragons
Dragones Street e / Amistad
y Águila
Founded by the Government of China in 1995, it marks the beginning of the old Chinatown of Havana, which extended from this site to the vicinity of Belascoaín Street. Built in gray granite and wood, it presents traditional elements of traditional Chinese architecture, although in particular it has a sober and classic style.
Church of Our Lady of Charity of Copper
Manrique No. 570, esq. Health
Tel 7 861 0945
Erected in 1802 is considered the second sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of Copper on the Island, the eclectic style temple has beautiful stained glass windows and an impressive main altar, although the site where the faithful place their offerings to the virgin of copper is located in the right ship. The temple was initially consecrated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is currently one of the main places of worship of the Cuban syncretic faith and every September 8 thousands of people pilgrimage to this site to honor their patron.
Paseo de Carlos III (Salvador Allende Avenue)
It extends from Belascoaín streets to Ave. de Boyeros
Third walk built during the Colony that linked the growing city with the new residential neighborhoods and the fifth houses of Centro Habana and El Vedado. Currently at its entrance you can see the two columns that bordered its entrance and the pedestal that held the statue of King Carlos III.
Church of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus
Queen and / Father Varela and Gervasio
Tel. 7 862 4979
Gothic-inspired building built in 1922, it has in its construction Gothic, Romanesque and eclectic elements. They adorn its gargoyle walls and taps of horrific appearance, as well as allegories to the Christian faith and a huge statue of Jesus presides over its facade.
Grand Masonic National Temple and Masonic National Museum
Ave. Carlos III between Belascoaín and Lucena
Tel 7 878 4795
Opened in 1951, its construction in modern monumental style, houses the offices of the supreme Masonic Council of Cuba, as well as offices and dependencies of national and foreign companies. On its facade you can see the symbols of universal masonry and on its cusp it has a skylight topped by a rotating orb crowned by the symbol of universal masonry the compass, the square and the letter G.
Inside the building is the National Masonic Museum that shows beautiful collections of liturgical elements belonging to the different degrees of Freemasonry, as well as elements of the history of Masons in Cuba and America.
Four Way Market
Monte, Cristina, Mangrove and Slaughterhouse
Almost one million 200 thousand pesos, it cost the General Market of Supplies and Consumption, opened in 1920. It was called "Unique" because a similar business could not be built in about two and a half kilometers around, nor install simple pallets of food and fruit 700 meters away In the beginning there were offices of commercial companies, a restaurant, several coffee shops and bars open almost all day. The building has two levels and basement to locate the stores and refrigeration chambers. Its surface is just over 11 thousand square meters and was designed according to the eclectic style, sober with four facades allowed access to the interior. The rows of thick columns that support their cornices are impressive. The main arches of the entrances are crowned by two huge horns of abundance, symbols of commerce. In 2013, the Plaza de Cuatro Caminos was closed and began a general restoration that respects the historical and architectural values of the property, especially the facades and returning its original splendor as the city's great commercial center in the year of its half millennium.
National Railway Museum
Cristina e / Ferrer and Arroyo Naranjo
Phone 7 879 4414
Institution based in the Cristina Station, in Old Havana that collects the history of the railroad in Cuba. It is located in what was the main station of the Western Railway Company, founded in 1859 and which since November 2002 has been declared a National Monument. This museum, inaugurated on November 19, 2000, exhibits the history of the first railroad in Latin America, allowing its visitors to appreciate the variety of equipment, instruments, and documents of the Cuban railway system at different times.
Tobacco Factory Romeo
and Juliet
Father Varela No. 852 e / Desagüe y Peñalver
Tel. 7 878 1059
The factory was founded in 1875 by Inocencia Álvarez. In 2013 it was reopened to the public after having served for many years as a school of tobacco twisters. It currently hosts the H. Upman brand temporarily.
El Cerro
One of the municipalities of Havana, Cuba. Formerly it was the extramural neighborhood of the capital. Founded in 1803. It began as a stay, then a sugar mill, and later a party captaincy that became a summer resort in the city where the illustrious villagers had their fifth summer.
Fifth of the Count of Santovenia
Calzada del Cerro No. 1424 e / Patria y Auditor
Tel. 7 879 6072
They say that, in their halls, Prince Alejo, son of Tsar Alexander II, and the princes of the House of Orleans, future kings Luis Felipe and Carlos X of France were entertained. In the center of a spacious land, and surrounded by manicured gardens, it was built, between 1832 and 1841, this fifth by Don Manuel Eusebio Martínez de Campos, second Count of Santovenia. In a neoclassical style, with marked Italian influence, the building has two floors, with a facade of 40 meters in length and a reception room of 16 meters in front by 6 in the background. In its courtyard, as a rarity, stands a small neo-Gothic church. For its refinement and exquisiteness, the architect Joaquín Weiss described it as "a true Trianon", the "most outstanding of all residence, true formula of Italian villas". The family aristocrat sold the property to the executors
of Doña Susana Benítez, to locate there the Home of Elders Santovenia that is still maintained today, and that would bear her name and would be attended by the Sisters of Charity.
Latin American Stadium
Zequeira No. 312
The Great Stadium of Cerro, was inaugurated on October 26, 1946 at 2:00 pm with the meeting between the teams of Almendares and Cienfuegos corresponding to the "La Liga de Baseball Profesional de Cuba". As a result of the popular mobilization convened by the CDR in 1960, the stadium was fully expanded and remodeled, serving on October 6, 1960 on the occasion of the closure of the 1st Latin American Student Congress Fidel Castro proposed that the Grand Stadium del Cerro from that day will be called “LATIN AMERICAN STADIUM”. With capacity for 55,000 spectators, the dimensions are 325 feet in the left and right gardens and 400 in the center, backed by a fence about 4 m high. It is the home of the Industrial team and headquarters of the National Baseball Commission of Cuba.From the foundation it becomes the most important stadium in the country.
Vedado, Revolution Square
Known as the modern heart of the city, its development began in the 50s of the nineteenth century with the construction of the coastal baths in the areas adjacent to D Street and the fifth houses of the streets Line, Calzada and in the continuation from Infanta street. It is currently the nerve center of the city and hosts most of the places of interest for tourism located in the center of the city.
The Malecon in Vedado
Bordering the Havana coast from the junction of Infanta and 23 streets, just at the end of La Rampa, begins the Malecon of El Vedado, which culminates in the Torreón de Santa Dorotea de la Chorrera (Malecón and Calle 20) small tower built in 1762 to protect the mouth of the Almendares river and that today is a small restaurant.
National Hotel of Cuba
Calle O y 21
Tel. 7 836 3564
Opened on December 30, 1930, it has a careful eclectic style, since its foundation it has been the flagship hotel in Cuba. Stage of innumerable events and site of preference of many of the celebrities of the world scene, its history is still linked to the mafia and its times of greatest influence on the Island. Proclaimed National Monument in 1998, it is located on the coastal ledge from Punta Brava, on the Loma de Taganana, almost at the end of the San Lázaro cove. It occupies the site where in the eighteenth century the Battery of Santa Clara belonging to the Defensive System of the city was erected, of which there are some vestiges. An ideal place to taste an excellent Habano or a refreshing mojito, it is undoubtedly one of the favorite places for tourism in Havana, which is why it was declared by the World Travel Group as the Leading Hotel of Cuban tourism since 2009.
Parisien Cabaret
Calle O esq. twenty-one
Tel. 7 836 3564
Located inside the National Hotel, it is one of the emblematic sites of Havana Nightlife. It shows a spectacular Cuban show marked by good music, singing and dancing performed by important figures of the cabaret in Cuba. Its stage proposes every night a waste of talent and creativity designed for the enjoyment of one of the best and most emblematic cabarets in Cuba.
Hotel Capri, Red Hall of Capri
21st Street, corner N
Built in 1958 under the financing of capital contributed by the North American gangster Santo Traficante, it is today one of the best hotels in the city after an extensive restoration process. It has one of the most famous nightclubs in Havana, the Red Hall of Capri, a stage where the best orchestras of the island are presented, as well as world-famous foreign artists.
The ramp
From Malecon to L Street
City space characterized by plurality and being one of the largest social centers in the city. It runs from the Malecon, being an important meeting place for the gay community, to Calle L where the Habana Libre Trip Hotel, the Yara Cinema and the Coppelia Ice Cream Shop are located. In its route, office buildings and ministries abound, as well as nightclubs such as Zorra and Cuervo, specializing in jazz shows. An important center located in La Rampa is the Cuba Pavilion, headquarters of the Hermanos Sainz Association and one of the main fairgrounds located in the city center. The ICRT (Cuban Radio and Television Institute) headquarters are also located on the ramp, as well as Building N, headquarters of several national and local radio stations in the country. At the end of La Rampa (Coming from the sea) is the Yara Cinema, one of the main venues of the Festival of the New Latin American Cinema and an important exhibition hall of the Cuban cinema poster; on the other side of 23rd Street is one of the symbols of the city, the Habana Libre Trip Hotel, home of the Turquino Cabaret, the only one of its kind in the city that stands out for its impressive views and for its panoramic sliding roof that allows nights enjoy the Havana sky, and one of the most important international event centers in the country. Inaugurated in 1958 under the name of Havana Hilton on its facade you can see a gigantic mural by the Cuban artist Amelia Peláez. The intersection of streets L and 23 is widely known for being one of the meeting points of the gay scene in Cuba that has its epicenter in the city at Cabaret Las Vegas (Infanta between 25 and 27, Vedado) where shows are presented of drags.
University of Havana
L and San Lázaro Street
Tel. 7 878 3231
Initially located in the Santo Domingo building, in 1902 it was transferred to Aróstegui Hill, also known as the Pyrotechnics Hill of the Spanish army. On L Street, visitors will find the majestic staircase, the scene of protests, political events and youth demonstrations since its early days. Crowned by the statue of Alma Mater, the work of the sculptor Mario Korbel completed in 1919, a symbol of the house of high studies that receives and dismisses its students at the top of La Colina.
In the middle of the University Campus is the Ignacio Agramonte Square, widely known as Plaza chains, in honor of one of the rectors of the house of high studies. Classic-style building surround the square among which the building of the Faculty of Mathematics that has inside the Patio de los Laureles, one of the best known sites on the campus for its symbolism and allegory to triumph. Perhaps the most impressive building on the Hill is the Aula Magna, place of great events and richly ornamented with marble panels and paintings by Armando Menocal, also known for being Father Felix Varela's last abode and for his important role and symbolism in the struggles against republican governments.
Felipe Poey Natural
Science Museum
Tel. 7 877 4221
Located inside the university campus, it exhibits numerous collections of endemic species of Cuba from prehistory to the present. It was founded in 1842 and took its name in honor of the French Cuban scientist Felipe Poey who
was also founder of the Academy of Medical Sciences
and the Anthropological Society of Cuba.
Montané Anthropological Museum
Phone 7 879 3488
Also located within the campus, it specializes in collections belonging to the pre-Columbian cultures that inhabited the Island and exhibits important archaeological samples belonging to different stages of Cuban anthropological studies.
Museo Napoleónico
San Miguel No. 1159, entre Ronda y Masón
Telf. 7 879 1460
Pertaining to the City´s Historian Office, it shows one of the most complete collections on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte conserved outside Europe. It has more than 7,000 pieces treasured in a mansion of Florentine Renaissance style named “The Dolce Dimora,” belonging to Orestes Ferrara who was ambassador of Cuba to France. Ferrara returned to the Island carrying a considerable amount of objects belonging to Bonaparte, like a plaster funerary mask that was made two days after his death, his pocket watch, a toothbrush, a molar, a lock of hair and the pistol he used at the Battle of Borodino. The rest of the original pieces and reproductions come from Julio Lobo´s personal collection, an important Cuban sugar tycoon.
17th Street
Focsa building
Calle 17, 19, M and N
Considered one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering, its construction started in 1954 lasted two years and 4 months and was completed in 1956. Due to its technological novelty, it gave great sensation for being the second work of its kind in the world. It has a height of 121 m and consists of 39 levels with 337 apartments. It has the restaurants La Torre and El Emperador, as well as offices and radio stations COCO and Metropolitana.
National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC)
Calle 17 No. 351, esq. H
Tel. 7 832 4551
It occupies a building built in the 20s of the last century, today it houses the top organization that brings together the writers and artists of the Island. Known worldwide for its prestige and work towards the dissemination of the arts in general.
Sephardic Hebrew Center, Holocaust Museum
Calle 17 No. 462, esq. E
Tel. 7 832 6623
As its name indicates in this place lies one of the centers of the Hebrew community of Cuba that has attached the Holocaust Museum, a small reminder to the victims of fascism and the crimes committed against the Jews during World War II.
Museum of Decorative Arts
Calle 17 No. 464, esq. E
Tel. 7 832 0924
Former house belonging to the Havana aristocracy, it holds one of the most important collections of decorative arts from Asia and Europe of the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries preserved in Cuba. The majesty of its architecture, combined with the exquisite curatorship of its rooms and collections, make it a benchmark of museology in Latin America. Among his most valuable pieces he treasures works by the French Manofacturas Sèvres, Paris, Chantilly and Limoges and the English Derby, Chelsea, Wedwood, Worcester and Staffordshire.
Friendship House
Paseo No. 406, e / 17 and 19
Phone 7 830 3114
Italian Renaissance style mansion, is marked by the love story between Juan Pedro Baró and Catalina Laza. In its construction, pink carrara marbles, baccarat crystals were used, and on its facade to achieve the pink color of the stone, Nile river sand was used. It is characterized by the majesty of its interior and the beauty of its side patio.
John Lennon Park
Streets 17, 15, 6 and 8
Reopened in 2000, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the murder of British musician John Lennon, a life-size statue of the artist, work by Cuban sculptor José Villa Soberón, was placed. Sitting on a bench with his head tilted and his legs crossed in a meditative attitude Lennon welcomes lovers of a cultural phenomenon that revolutionized the world with the inscription "People say I´m a dreamer, but I´m not the only one". A custodian places a replica of the artist's lenses so that visitors can take pictures of the sculpture more naturally.
Avenue of the Presidents (G Street)
It runs perpendicular to 23rd Street from the Malecon to Carlos III Avenue. It takes its name from the large number of monuments erected in honor of several presidents of Cuba and Latin America located along its different sections. It is famous for being the meeting point of different urban tribes that have occupied various sections of the walk almost officially.
Quinta de los Molinos
Ave. Carlos III esq. Infanta
Phone 7 879 8850
Erected between 1837 and 1840 as a recreational fifth of the General Captains of the Island. It took its name from two tobacco mills located in the area between 1800 and 1835, which were fed with the energy provided by the waters of the Royal Ditch. In 1899 faith designated official residence of Major General Máximo Gómez Báez, the house of residence being subsequently converted into the Máximo Gómez Museum.
Currently restored and managed by the Office of the Historian of the City, the Quinta de los Molinos complex has resumed its previous functions as the first Botanical Garden in Havana. Today it shows impressive collections of endemic and exotic flora and fauna that can only be seen in its 4.8 hectares. It also has a bonsai garden and the first Butterfly Island of the Island.
Monument to
José Miguel Gómez
Presidents Ave. and 29th Street
The series of monuments begins a majestic colonnade erected in honor of José Miguel Gómez, second president of the Republic. Designed by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Nicolini, it was erected in 1936. Of marked classical style, it is considered one of the most beautiful sculptural ensembles in the city.
Dance Museum
Calle Line No. 365, esq. Ave. of the Presidents
Tel 7 831 2198
It occupies an old restored mansion that houses collections related to the Russian ballet school, modern dance and the National Ballet of Cuba. Among his main pieces are the costumes used by Prima Ballerina Absoluta Alicia Alonso in his emblematic characterizations of Giselle, Carmen and Odette and Odill in the Swan Lake.
House of the Americas
Ave. of the Presidents, esq. 3rd
Tel 7 832 2706
Cultural center founded in 1959 by Haydee Santamaría, in order to study, promote and cultivate the culture of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. Its function in the political and cultural life of the country since its foundation has been of great impact, reaching today as one of the most important institutions of the Island.
Christopher Columbus Necropolis
Hot shoe 12
Tel 7 830 4517
Built between 1871 and 1886, it has transcended its necrological functions to become the largest open-air museum in the city. Declared National Monument in 1987 every day receives thousands of visitors who appreciate in it a synthesis of Havana identity and a wide sample of different artistic styles applied to funerary art. With an area of 57 hectares, it has more than 500 funerary monuments, including mausoleums, chapels, tombs and galleries.
It is considered the largest cemetery in America Divided into 16 blocks in the manner of a Roman military camp, it has well-defined areas that mark the social origin of its occupants, thus highlighting its central avenue, ave. Christopher Columbus, for the mausoleums of the 8 Medical Students, the Monument to the Firefighters and the Pantheon of the Baró family that stands out for its Art Deco style and for the love legend that surrounds its occupants.
The necropolis has been the last abode of illustrious Cubans such as writers Alejo Carpentier, José Lezama Lima, Cirilo Villaverde, athletes such as José Raúl Capablanca, and Kid Chocolate, as well as a long list of patriots and personalities of the Island and foreigners related to their history. Among the sites of interest that can be visited in the cemetery are:
Peace Gate
Main entrance of the necropolis, is the work of the Spanish architect Calixto de Loira, while the reliefs made of Carrara marble representing the resurrection of Lazarus and the crucifixion of Christ were made by the Cuban sculptor José Vilalta de Saavedra. The Gate of Peace is crowned by a wonderful representation of the theological virtues, Faith, Hope and Charity, under which the Latin Inscription "JANUA SUM PACIS"
The miraculous
Street 3 and F
Perhaps the most famous tomb in the cemetery is that belonging to Amelia Goyri de Hoz, which became after her death in 1901 in “La Milagrosa”. According to legend, he died during his son's part and was buried with the creature between his feet, years later, when he opened his sarcophagus he had the remains of the creature in his arms. Since then it has become a place of worship for many women without children who pray and take offerings to ask for the gift of motherhood.
Tobias Gallery
Underground gallery with more than 100 m of extension and 256 niches that stores gravestones and human remains transferred to the necropolis from the old Cemetery of Espada located near the Torreón de San Lázaro.
Central Chapel
Located in the center of the holy field, and built in neo-Byzantine neo-Byzantine style, the main chapel of the necropolis is located, which stands out for its faint ocher colors and for its impressive fresco that illustrates the final judgment.
Revolution Square
Independence Ave. and May 20.
The largest square in the city and perhaps one of the best known places for its political connotation in the last 55 years of Cuba's history. The idea of the construction of the Plaza emerged in the 40s of the last century and was initially known as Civic Square located in the Loma de los Catalanes. Its construction was completed after the triumph of the Revolution.
Chaired by a gigantic statue of José Martí, it is the highest point in the Capital with a total height of 144.99 m from the base to the top. The tower has an impressive viewpoint that allows you to appreciate the city in all its splendor.
José Martí Memorial
Tel. 7 859 2347
In the area of the base of the monument, in the shape of a five-pointed star is the José Martí Memorial, a cultural historical center inaugurated on January 27, 1996, where the most complete collection about the life and work of the National Hero of Cuba, in addition to other objects related to the national history.
José Martí National Library
Independence Ave. and May 20
Founded in 1901, as a temple that treasures the documentary, bibliographic, artistic and sound heritage of the Island, as well as the most representative of universal culture, it is one of the main epicenters of Cuban culture.
National Theater of Cuba
Shoe and 39
It has two large rooms dedicated to the memory of Francisco Covarrubias, founder of the Cuban theater and another dedicated to Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Tula, the most important figure of Cuban romanticism. Important Cuban artists left their work in this large complex that also houses the Café Cantante Mi Habana and the Piano Bar Delirio Habanero, both important centers of the city's night scene.
Cuban Postal Museum
Rancho Boyeros Ave., esq. may 19
Tel. 7 882 8255
It has an extensive and well cataloged philatelic collection that includes stamps dated from 1855 to the present that shows the Cuban philatelic panorama in detail, as well as copies from another 100 countries
Coliseum of the Sports City
Vía Blanca, Ave. of Rancho Boyeros, Santa Catalina and Primelles.
Classified as one of the most important works of Cuban Civil Engineering, it was built in 1957, and in its installation is the headquarters of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER). The Colosseum is used for the presentation of indoor sports with a capacity of up to 25 thousand people. It has a little board for the development of Volleyball, Basketball, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Aerobic Musical Gymnastics, as well as a Gym located under the stands. With an extension of more than two cavalries, it has a running track, baseball grounds; thus basketball courts, field tennis, an area of Physical Culture with the Outdoor Gym; Volleyball Area, Athletics Field, Creole Ball, Indoor Soccer, a Sports Combination and the swimming pool complex. In the garden of the Colosseum there is a bronze statue depicting a naked woman running with open spleens, a work entitled The Meta by sculptor Fernando Boada Martín, made between 1936 and 1937.
Havana Zoological Garden
Ave. 26 and Zoo
Tel. 7 881 8915
On October 24, 1939, the Zoological Garden of Havana opened, the first of its kind on the Island, located in the old estate and nursery La Rosa, owned by the City Council of Havana, and initially had 69 species of animals in 2 ha In 1944 it is almost completely destroyed, by a cyclone that caused great damage. Subsequently, and as part of the construction of Avenida 26, it is repaired and reopened on October 12, 1947. The new facility included large lakes, exhibitors of felines and bears, in addition to the beautiful monument "La Familia", popularly known as '' Los Venados '', the work of Cuban artist Rita Longa, which over time has become one of the best known prints in the City of Havana. Inside the zoo are other sculptures such as '' The boy and the pelican '', the work of the sculpture Jilma Madera and `` Las dolquitas '' by the artist Pérez Mesa.
Havana Forest, Great Metropolitan Park
The Metropolitan Park or better known as Parque Almendares, is considered the lung of the Havana capital, a tropical rainforest of high landscape value and the only area within the city with the presence of an urban forest that crosses the lands corresponding to four municipalities of Havana. When it is crossed by the Almendares river, it is considered as a large recreational center that has a small amusement park, trails, coffee shops and boats for river walks. It is currently one of the preferred destinations within the city for city bike tours.
PLAYA and Miramar
Fifth Avenue
Also known as Avenida de las Américas, it is one of the most beautiful arteries of the capital runs from the exit of the Malecon tunnel for more than 8 km in the distribution of Miramar, to the Santa Ana river, in the town of Santa Fe. From there it becomes the Pan American Highway and arrives in Mariel. Also known as the "Embassies Street", it is flanked from its beginning to the end by spectacular constructions belonging to Cuban and foreign companies, embassies and some residences.
Source of the Americas
The Fountain of the Americas is a beautiful work that embellishes the surroundings of the beginning of Fifth Avenue in the Miramar Cast. It was inaugurated in 1924 as part of the urbanization project of Finca La Miranda, the completion of the brand new road that also served as a tribute to Admiral Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the new World. The Fountain of the Americas is the work of the American architect John Wilson and the Italian sculptor Pietro Mantfredi. It is built in white marble, the name Avenida de las Américas is engraved on the front, which was later changed to Fifth Avenue, the national shield is located on the front and back. It has a tower with four muses that hold giant oyster shells on their heads from which the water spills.
Green Texas House
Street 2 No. 315, esq. 5th Ave.
Tel. 7 212 5282
Built in 1926, it stands out for its unique architecture and the color of its roofs, the only one of its kind in the city. According to the legend, it was built by an important character of the political scene of the Island for his lover and the color of the house hinted at the lady's eyes. Currently converted by the Office of the City Historian into a center of interpretation of design and modern art, it offers guided visits, as well as other activities related to its branch of studies.
5th Avenue Clock
10th and 5th Avenue
Beautiful tower of classic style crowned by a huge clock that marks the hours with equal number of bells, erected in 1924, has become a symbol of the Avenue.
Hangman's Park and Church of Santa Rita de Casia
5th Avenue e / 24 and 26
Tel. 7 204 2001
This park located on 5th Avenue is famous for its huge jagüeyes and for having on its west side the Church of Santa Rita de Casia alive example of modernist architecture built in 1942. Among its main elements stands out the statue of Santa Rita made by the famous Cuban sculptor Rita Longa.
Miramar Trade Center
5th avenue e / Las Calles 74 y 78
Composed of six magnificent buildings, it is the nerve center of business on the Island. Headquarters numerous foreign companies, also houses several commercial offices of airlines and important international offices.
Basilica Jesus of Miramar
5th Avenue No. 8003, e / 80 and 82
Tel. 7 203 5301
Erected in 1953, it is the largest church on the Island. Built in Byzantine style, it has gigantic proportions and its organ has 5000 cannons. The paintings that illustrate the 14 stations of the cross are admirable for their dimensions and pictorial style.
National Circus of Cuba
Ave. 112 e / 3rd and 5th
The Trompoloco Tent belongs to the National Circus of Cuba which is a cultural and recreational institution that debuts for the first time in the Avellanera Hall of the National Theater, inaugurating in 2005 with the show Rhythm, Color and Fantasy. The National Circus of Cuba is nourished by artists graduated from the National Circus School, performing colorful shows with acrobats, magicians, clowns, trained animals, jugglers, contortionists, and many more attractive for children and adults at its headquarters, within the Park of Amusements Cocos Island. Each year it hosts the international Circuba event, where circus artists from various parts of the world participate. He acquired his name in honor of the character created by the famous artist Edwing Fernández, the Trompoloco Clown.
Amusement Park Coco Island, Coney Island
5th Ave. e / 112 and 118
The Isla del Coco Amusement Park was inaugurated in 2008 at the place where the popular Coney Island Amusement Park was located. Very close to the coast receives the pleasant sea breeze. It has modern facilities and games. The Isla del Coco Amusement Park has a varied recreational offer for all ages, which makes it the ideal place for family enjoyment, as well as a diverse gastronomic offer. Recreational activities with clowns, magicians and participation games, as well as cultural activities. An option for the whole family and especially for the little ones in the house, who like to spend a pleasant time in a corner of fantasies.
Monument to Major General Calixto García
5th Ave. and 120 and 146
Recently located in one of the roundabouts of the 5th avenue, to guarantee the preservation of the monument because in its former site of G and Malecón it suffered continuous damage due to the inclement weather. The first stone was laid on April 29, 1957 and unveiled on August 4, 1959, commemorating 120 years of his birth. The four-meter high statue on a six-foot pedestal was originally surrounded by a 2.50-meter-high wall that imitated a fortress. The figure is bronze and the entire monument is made with black granite from the Andes of Brazil. The interior of the walls of the walls is covered by works done in relief in bronze, which detail the most important moments of his life. The equestrian statue represents the hero in a military campaign suit with his right hand pointing the way forward, while with the other hand he holds the reins of the horse. The steed is supported on three of its limbs and the right front leg is raised, to represent that the rider was wounded in battle or died due to the injuries received
Pavilion of the Model
of Havana
28th Street No. 113, e /1st and 3rd
Tel. 7 206 1268
Model of the city built on a scale of 1: 1,000. It represents 144 km2 of Havana and its surroundings. Its completion and completion took 10 years; it is considered a detailed representation of the city that took into account each architectural element of it.
National Aquarium of Cuba
3rd Ave. esq. 62
Tel. 7 203 6401
It exhibits more than 450 species of marine flora and fauna among which sharks, sea lions, dolphins and some exotic endemic species of the Island stand out. It offers shows with trained marine mammals and owns the Gran Azul Restaurant, in whose interior through from a panoramic window visitors can appreciate the dolphin tank and some special events.
Havana Club
5th Avenue e / 188 and 214
Tel 7 275 0100
Exclusive club that offers its visitors the comfort and conditions for carrying out various activities such as water sports, the use of its swimming pools and its beach, as well as for the enjoyment of its exclusive restaurants and golf courses.
Kcho Romerillo Studio
7th corner 120, Romerillo
Tel 7 208 4750
Opened in February 2014 by renowned world-famous artist Alexis Leyva Machado, Kcho, is an interesting complex dedicated to contemporary creation. It has a library, a theater, experimental graphic art stores and galleries that show the work of contemporary artists from all over the world. As the headquarters of a foundation funded entirely by Kcho, it includes a community project for local people.
José Fuster study house
226 Street 3rd Avenue, Jaimanitas
Tel 7 271 2932
Made and developed by world-famous painter and ceramist José Fuster, it is known as a large open-air gallery that shows impressive naive-style installations. An interesting concrete door covered with ceramic pieces as a trencadis leads to a surreal world founded by Fuster in the backyard of his house and that transcends its limits to enter the community. The Tower of the Rooster stands out among the constructions of the patio, a unique composition of 4 m in height that shows
one of the symbols of Cubanity, the rooster as an expression
of the male.
International Navy Ernest Hemingway
5th Avenue corner 248, Santa Fe
Tel 07 204 1150
Built between 1956 and 1957, it occupies about 60,000 m2 of sea cattle by drilling 4 navigation channels. The installation is designed for the development of the hotel activity and offers services for sports and recreational boats. It is the flagship center of nautical activities on the Island having the capacity to assimilate up to 400 boats, offering the modality of life services on board. Located just a few minutes from the city center, it has a wide range of hotel facilities and is the scene of the world-famous Ernest Hemingway International Needle Fishing Tournament and international regattas.
Tobacco Factory El Laguito
Ave. 146 No. 2302, e / 21 and 21 A, Cubanacán
Tel 7 208 4654
Located in an impressive mansion built in 1910 by the Marquis de Pinar del Río, in 1930 it was remodeled in Art Deco style, adding floral motifs that adorn its stained glass windows and an ornate spiral staircase. Currently converted into one of the most exclusive tobacco factories on the Island, it produces Montecristo brands and is where Cohiba Habanos are manufactured exclusively.
Convention Palace
Calle 146, between 11 and 13, Cubanacán
Tel 7 202 6011
Erected in 1979 on the occasion of the Summit of Non-Aligned Countries, for a time it was the seat of the National Assembly of People's Power and later became one of the most important fairgrounds and conferences in the Country. The Havana Fair was born in its exhibition spaces, which, having reached larger dimensions, has had other venues. At the moment it is maintained with the main convention center of the country and for its prestige and optimal conditions it constitutes an important source of income.
Tropicana cabaret
Calle 72 e / 41 y 45, Marianao
Tel 7 207 0110
Famous Cuban cabaret built in 1939, known worldwide for its open-air lounge Arcos de Cristal as Paradise Under the Stars, preserves the most genuine manifestations of the purely Cuban cabaret show. It has as a symbol the sculpture of a dancer made by the Cuban sculptor Rita Longa in 1950. A stage where artists such as Nat King Cole, Josephine Baker, Snowball and Rita Montaner were presented. It is considered the best Cabaret in America.
PABEXPO
Ave. 17 and 180, Cubanacán
Tel 07 271 6775
Emerged as an extension of the fairgrounds of the Palacio de las Convenciones, it has 6 heated exhibition halls that host dozens of fairs such as FIART and FIHAV every year. Conceived as a modern enclosure it provides excellent conditions for business and commercial exchange.
Higher Institute of Art (ISA)
Calle 120 # 1110 e / 9na and 13. Cubanacán
Tefl 7 208 0017
The Superior Institute of Art (ISA) is a young university founded on July 29, 1976. The place chosen to install the first stone was the once selected Country Club. On the banks of the Quibú River, in the heart of Cubanacán, five buildings were erected that would definitely enroll the new schools in the pages of the History of Cuban Art. Each construction included in the project would welcome a different artistic career. Ricardo Porro, Vittorio Garatti and Roberto Gottardi were the architects who materialized the dream. Among the exuberance of tropical greens from the vegetation of Cubanacán, as early as 1974, the warmth of the rasilla red, the bare mud brick, flamed; the inner courtyards and the galleries that connect the modern to the most traditional of the Creole architecture were outlined, the forms of the Faculty of Plastic Arts with its Catalan domes and other voluptuous spells that suggest breasts, fallopian tubes, vaginas, the overflowing sensuality of the Tropic.
Santiago de las Vegas, Arroyo Naranjo and San Miguel del Padrón
Mausoleum of General Antonio Maceo Grajales
The Cacahual
Place that keeps the remains of Lieutenant General Antonio Maceo and his assistant Captain Francisco Gómez Toro, as well as those of other Cuban patriots. At the beginning of the last century, a monument was built here, which was receiving transformations until it had its current configuration. Due to its historical significance, El Cacahual was granted the status of a National Monument on October 10, 1978.
National Sanctuary
of San Lázaro
San Antonio de los Baños road 23 km, Santiago de las Vegas
Tel. 047 683 2396
Every December 17, the believers and devotees of St. Lazarus pilgrimage to their sanctuary with extravagant displays of faith. Known as the Corner can be considered the second pilgrimage center of the country. Dozens of people who vote for poverty or who come there in search of charity gather at their entrance. Attached to the church is a sanatorium for lepers, as Saint Lazarus known in Afro-Cuban religions as Babalú Ayé, is the patron saint of the sick and beggars.
National Zoological Park
Ave. 8 corner Ave. Soto
Tel 7 644 8063
Environmental recreational facility that exhibits animals of native fauna and other continents. It is built in accordance with modern techniques for these centers. It is a zoo in which animals are seen in apparent freedom, both in grasslands, moats and large enclosures. Conditions similar to those they have in their natural habitat are imitated. The animals are observed by the public from buses that circulate through their internal roads and also from the viewpoints that are in the premises.
Lenin Park
100th Street and Dam Road
Tel 7 647 1100
Cultural recreational complex that has a remarkable architecture linked to the landscape which is part of a landscape complex. It has 670 hectares of green forest, and is part of the green belt of the city. It is considered the largest lung in the capital and has a very modern amusement park, large swimming pools, restaurants, a nineteenth-century steam train to explore the different areas. The Park has the Amelia Peláez art gallery and a pottery workshop. At the entrance is a sculpture of great proportions of the Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin; The interior of the park offers places to organize picnics, as well as a zoo and an aquarium.
EXPOCUBA
Rocío Road km 3,5, Arroyo Naranjo
Tel. 7 697 4269
Largest fairground in the country, permanently exhibits in its pavilions samples of the scientific, cultural, sports and social development of the island. It is the official headquarters of the International Fair of Havana and other events of international scope. It has an amusement park and numerous restaurants and cafes.
National Botanical Garden
Rocío Road km 3,5, Arroyo Naranjo
Tel. 7 697 9364
In an area of around 600 hectares it shows about 1000 classified and cataloged plant species for educational scientific purposes. Conceived for recreational and scientific purposes, it opened its doors in 1984, today it is a point of reference in terms of healthy eating and food culture with its alternative restaurant El Bambú. It has a unique Japanese Garden that is its main attraction.
Ernest Hemingway Museum, Finca Vigía
Vigía and Steinhart Street, Finca Vigía, San Francisco de Paula
Tel. 7 691 0809
Place of permanent residence in Cuba of the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway, from 1940 to 1960. It was converted into a museum on July 21, 1962 and is considered the first institution created in the world for the conservation and dissemination of the life and work of This genius of universal letters. Species of small ecological reserve, it conserves the house with its original objects and trophies of Hemingway, as well as the ship El Pilar. Visiting it is like going through the hand of "Pope" every moment of his life in this place.
On the Other Side of the Bay
Bay tunnel
It runs along 733 m below the Bay of Havana at a depth of 14 m. It is among the 7 wonders of Cuban Civil Engineering. It was built by the French company Societè de Grand Travaux de Marseille, which was responsible for the construction of the 5th Avenue and Line tunnels, between 1957 and 1958. It was completed on May 31, 1958.
Morro-Cabaña Military Historical Park
Cabaña Road, Eastern Havana
Tel 7 866 2808
It includes the strengths of Morro and Cabaña, forming the most effective and powerful defensive complex built by the Spanish in America
Castle of the three Kings
of Morro
Tel. 7 863 7941
Built on the rocky hill of Punta Barlovento at the entrance of the Bay Channel, it was designed by the Italian engineer Bautista Antonelli. Its construction began in 1589 and culminated 40 years later. In 1844 the lamp that today is a symbol of the city was added. It forms an irregular polygon that follows the contour of the irregular coast with impregnable bastions and batteries that served as defense against the attacks of privateers and pirates. Among the main elements of interest of the fortress are the Aspillerado Tunnel, which gives entrance to the enclosure; the lighthouse 25 m high and every 15 seconds illuminates twice the entrance of the Bay; and the Battery of the 12 Apostles, with several cannons and which today houses the 12 Apostles Restaurant nearby.
Fortress of San Carlos
de la Cabaña
Tel. 7 8624095
Located half a km from Morro, it has an excellent strategic position on the Bay and the city. It is the largest fortress built by the Spanish in America. Its construction was carried out between 1763 and 1774. It had 120 guns and mortars and a permanent garrison of 1300 men. Unchallengeable fortress with trenches of 12 meters deep counts among its main attractions with the Cañonazo Ceremony, representation that recalls the announcement of the closing of the gates of the wall at 9:00 pm, with a military deployment set as in times of the Suburb; Weapons and Fortifications Museum, shows collections of weapons and military instruments from ancient catapults to armor, swords, spears, daggers and shields belonging to different cultures around the world. Outside the fortress, the former battery of the Divine Shepherd is located the restaurant of the same name.
The Christ of Havana
Asylum Road, Casablanca
Gigantic statue of 15 m high, representing Christ the Redeemer, made in Carrara marble by the Cuban sculptor Gilma Madera, was inaugurated on December 25, 1958. At the base of the sculpture there is a viewpoint that allows you to appreciate breathtaking views of The bay and the city.
Our Lady of Regla
Founded in the 16th century as a fishing village, it is located east of the bay and its original name was Guaicanamar, which means facing the sea. Currently the town is known for being one of the main centers of practice of Santería in the city.
Municipal Museum of Regla
Martí No. 158, e / Facciolo and La Piedra
Tel. 7 797 6989
It shows the history of the town from its foundation to the present day in its exhibitions you can see collections related to Afro-Cuban syncretic cults, as well as shackles and instruments related to the slave trade in the area during colonial times.
The Virgin of Regla is the patron saint of the bay and is a sign of the town, where the Church of Our.
Lenin Hill
Old Street e / Enlace and Rosaria
The hill "Lenin", former Loma del Fortín, of the municipality of Regla, was named after January 1924 by decree of the then mayor of the town Antonio Celestino Bosch Martínez and together with the town an olive tree was planted in posthumous tribute to the tireless fighter of the workers and founder of the Communist Party of the USSR. In 1984, it was declared a National Monument, 60 years after Lenin's death. A bronze bust three meters high representing Lenin has been embedded in the stone, while twelve concrete figures represent the people who acclaim him. The complex has a small Museum dedicated to the dissemination of the life and work of Lenin, as well as other revolutionary fighters of Regla.
Our Lady of Regla
Sanctuary No.11, e / Máximo Gómez and Litoral
Tel 7 797 6228
Erected in 1810 in honor of the black virgin patron saint of sailors. Known in the Afro-Cuban religion as Yemayá, its celebration takes place on September 7 when a procession is carried out by the people. Religious and practitioners of both the Christian faith and Santeria have turned this site into a place of worship and pilgrimage. In front of its sanctuary is the emboque of Regla from where the famous Lacha de Regla leaves several times a day until the Light Pier in Old Havana.
Guanabacoa
Founded in 1607 and became the largest center of the slave trade, so Afro-Cuban culture is deeply linked to its roots. Headquarters of the Wemilere Festival, it was the birthplace of three greats of the national culture, Rita Montaner, Ernesto Lecuona and Ignacio Villa, Snowball.
Among its main sites of interest are the Marti Park (Calles Martí, Division, Pepe Antonio and Adolfo del Castillo), dominated by the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (Division No. 331, e / Martí and Cadenas / Telf. 7 797 7368), commonly called the Parochial Mayor, was erected in 1748; the Municipal Historical Museum (Martí No. 108, e / Venezuela and Quintín Banderas / Tel. 7 797 9117) illustrates local history from the pre-Columbian period to the present; and the Hermitage of Potosí (Calzada Vieja de Guanabacoa esq. Potosí / Telf. 7 797 9867), a simple hermitage built in 1644 that is considered the oldest religious structure that remains standing in Cuba, has a small cemetery attached.
Santa Maria del Rosario
The charming colonial town of Santa María de Rosario was founded on April 4, 1732 by José Bayona y Chacón, Count of Casa Bayona, on the ruins of the old Quiebra Hacha sugar mill and the Corral Jiaraco, since before his appointment as a city, made famous by its springs of sulphurous waters, which gave rise to the legend that a slave of the Count's endowment every day carried barrels of water from these springs to relieve an ulcer that his master had on his right leg caused by gout. Since then and well into the twentieth century the town became the medicinal retreat of the Havana aristocracy.
House of the Count
of Casa Bayona
33rd Street No. 2404, esq. 24
Manor house of the Counts of Casa Bayona, where the famous Cuban scientist Tomás Romay Chacón was born, is currently in good condition, is a sample of the rural domestic architecture of the nineteenth century.
Church of Santa María del Rosario
Calle 24 e / 31 and 33
Tel. 7 682 2183
Known as the cathedral of the fields of Cuba, it was built between 1760 and 1766. It has an unquestionable architectural, pictorial, sculptural and religious value, which confer the status of National Monument. The austere facade of quarry stones, raised without ornaments in front of the nave of the Church next to its bell tower, contrasts with the lush wealth of the interior. The altar has gold-covered Solomon columns, interwoven acanthus leaves and baroque garlands. Whereas, in the alfarje of the cruiser of the church, four essential paintings are appreciated for the history of Cuban plastic where the religious theme that characterized Cuban painting of the 18th century is intertwined. The works, La Rosaleda de Nuestra Señora and Santo Domingo and the Noble Family of Casa Bayona, the most famous of the 4, in it appears, for the first time, the representation of a black man in Cuban painting, who join La Donation of Our Lady to Santo Domingo and The Glorification of Santo Domingo; Departures from the hand of the first Cuban painter whose reference is true, José Nicolás de Escalera.
Medicinal Mining Water Spa
In 1830 it was constituted as the first resort on the Island, which made Santa María del Rosario a place of fame and universal prestige, nestled in an almost paradisiacal environment, whose landscape, calm and microclimate, are in themselves an effective medicine for the spirit The architectural values of the building, with its wide portal of semicircular arcades, are significant, which have been recently restored. In its time of greatest splendor it came to offer 500 daily services, to more than 250 patients The mining-medicinal waters of Santa María del Rosario, are of long tradition and justified prestige, so it is that in 1880 the Royal Academy of Medical Sciences, Physical and Natural of Havana, certified two therapeutic treatments that were applied to different pathologies. They are waters of extraordinary therapeutic quality classified among those of the sodium bicarbonate type.
Cojimar
Located at the mouth of the Cojímar River, it was taken as its founding date on July 15, 1649. This small fishing village arose around the Torreon located by the Spaniards at the entrance of its bay as part of the city's defensive system. With a natural and representative architectural ensemble of the way of life of fishermen, Hemingway developed his fondness for fishing who set his novel The Old Man and the Sea in these waters.His story linked to Hemingway's stay in Cuba, is marked by unique sites such as La Terraza Restaurant (152 Street No. 161 corner Candelaria / Tel. 7 766 5151), a place preferred by the American writer to rest after a day of fishing; the Torreón recently restored and turned into a museum; and the Ernest Hemingway Monument, made with the bronze pieces that each of the fishermen where their boat.
Eastern Beaches
Havana has beautiful beaches located in the municipality Habana del Este, which constitute important areas for sun and beach tourism. They start with the small beach of Bacuranao, followed by Taará, Mégano, Mar Azul, Santa María del Mar, Boca Ciega and Guanabo. Just 20 minutes from the city center, these beaches cover a coastline of almost 50 km of fine sand, with tourist facilities of all kinds for the enjoyment of tourism.
Español
English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Русский