©Cornel Ciortan/500px

Havana

On first impressions, Havana can seem like a confusing jigsaw puzzle, but work out how to put the pieces together and a beautiful picture emerges.

Best Time to Visit

Best Things to Do

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
Vedado
Havana's main cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble…
Malecón
Havana
The Malecón, Havana's evocative 7km-long sea drive, is one of the city's most soulful and quintessentially Cuban thoroughfares, and long a favored meeting…
Capitolio Nacional
Havana
The incomparable Capitolio Nacional is Havana's most ambitious and grandiose building, constructed after the post-WWI boom ('Dance of the Millions')…
Plaza de la Catedral
Habana Vieja
Habana Vieja's most uniform square is a museum to Cuban baroque, with all the surrounding buildings, including the city's beguiling asymmetrical cathedral…
Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro
Regla, Guanabacoa & the Forts
This wave-lashed fort with its emblematic lighthouse was erected between 1589 and 1630 to protect the entrance to Havana harbor from pirates and foreign…
Fusterlandia
Havana
Where does art go after Antoni Gaudí? For a hint, head west from central Havana to the seemingly low-key district of Jaimanitas, where artist José Fuster…
Plaza Vieja
Habana Vieja
Laid out in 1559, Plaza Vieja is Havana's most architecturally eclectic square, where Cuban baroque nestles seamlessly next to Gaudí-inspired art nouveau…
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Havana
Spread over two campuses, the Bellas Artes is arguably the finest art gallery in the Caribbean. The Arte Cubano building contains the most comprehensive…

View more attractions

Top picks from our travel experts

The 12 best things to do in Havana

Curated by Brendan Sainsbury

Fábrica de Arte Cubano
Vedado
If only every city had a cultural venue as wide-ranging, inclusive and downright revolutionary as Havana’s unique art factory. The brainchild of Cuban…
Malecón
Havana
The Malecón, Havana's evocative 7km-long sea drive, is one of the city's most soulful and quintessentially Cuban thoroughfares, and long a favored meeting…
Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña
Regla, Guanabacoa & the Forts
This 18th-century colossus was built between 1763 and 1774 on a long, exposed ridge on the east side of Havana harbor to fill a weakness in the city's…
Plaza Vieja
Habana Vieja
Laid out in 1559, Plaza Vieja is Havana's most architecturally eclectic square, where Cuban baroque nestles seamlessly next to Gaudí-inspired art nouveau…
Fusterlandia
Havana
Where does art go after Antoni Gaudí? For a hint, head west from central Havana to the seemingly low-key district of Jaimanitas, where artist José Fuster…
Cabaret Parisién
Vedado
One rung down from Marianao's world-famous Tropicana, but cheaper and closer to the city center, the nightly Cabaret Parisién in the Hotel Nacional is…
Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
Vedado
Havana's main cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble…
El Rum Rum de la Habana
Habana Vieja
Not every restaurant has a wine sommelier and a cigar sommelier, but this is Havana, and El Rum Rum (the name references both the drink and Cuban slang…
San Cristóbal
Havana
San Cristóbal was knocking out fine food long before the US president dropped by in March 2016, although the publicity attending Barack Obama's visit…
Doña Eutimia
Habana Vieja
The secret at Doña Eutimia is that there is no secret: just serve decent-size portions of the best Cuban food. Expect the likes of ropa vieja (shredded…
Azúcar Lounge
Habana Vieja
From a 2nd-floor balcony, high above the architectural beauty contest that is Plaza Vieja, there’s no better place in Cuba to savor a piña colada than…
Tropicana Nightclub
Havana
An institution since its 1939 opening, the world-famous Tropicana was among the few bastions of Havana's Las Vegas–style nightlife to survive the…

The 7 best free things to do in Havana

Curated by Diana Rita Cabrera

Plaza de San Francisco de Asís
Habana Vieja
Facing Havana harbor, the breezy Plaza de San Francisco de Asís first grew up in the 16th century when Spanish galleons stopped quayside on their passage…
Malecón
Havana
The Malecón, Havana's evocative 7km-long sea drive, is one of the city's most soulful and quintessentially Cuban thoroughfares, and long a favored meeting…
Plaza de la Catedral
Habana Vieja
Habana Vieja's most uniform square is a museum to Cuban baroque, with all the surrounding buildings, including the city's beguiling asymmetrical cathedral…
Catedral de la Habana
Habana Vieja
Described by novelist Alejo Carpentier as 'music set in stone,' Havana's incredible cathedral, dominated by two unequal towers and framed by a theatrical…
Plaza Vieja
Habana Vieja
Laid out in 1559, Plaza Vieja is Havana's most architecturally eclectic square, where Cuban baroque nestles seamlessly next to Gaudí-inspired art nouveau…
Museo del Tabaco
Habana Vieja
At Museo del Tabaco you can see various indigenous pipes and idols and buy some splendid smokes.
Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín
Habana Vieja
Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín is an old studio and now a museum for the work of the great Ecuadorian artist, who painted Fidel Castro in numerous poses. The…
Fusterlandia
Havana
Where does art go after Antoni Gaudí? For a hint, head west from central Havana to the seemingly low-key district of Jaimanitas, where artist José Fuster…
Hotel Nacional
Vedado
Far more than just a hotel, the Nacional, built in 1930 as a copy of the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, is a national monument and one of Havana's…
Estatua de Cristo
Regla, Guanabacoa & the Forts
This impossible-to-miss statue on a rise on the harbor's eastern side was created by Jilma Madera in 1958. It was promised to President Batista by his…
Calle Mercaderes
Habana Vieja
Cobbled, car-free Calle Mercaderes (Merchant's Street) has been extensively restored by the Office of the City Historian and is an almost complete replica…
Plaza de Armas
Habana Vieja
Havana's oldest square was laid out in the early 1520s, soon after the city's foundation, and was originally known as Plaza de Iglesia after a church –…
Plaza del Cristo
Habana Vieja
A little apart from the historical core, Plaza del Cristo hasn't benefited from a full restoration yet and this adds subtly to its charm. Here you can…
Armería 9 de Abril
Habana Vieja
An old gun shop (now museum) stormed by revolutionaries on the said date in 1958. Mercifully, the armaments are no longer for sale.
Casa de Asia
Habana Vieja
Casa de Asia exhibits a minor cache of paintings and sculpture from China and Japan.
Museo de Simón Bolívar
Habana Vieja
A diminutive museum dedicated to Latin America’s great liberator, who remains a perennial hero to most Cubans. Downstairs there are panels containing text…

Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Things to Know

For all its tropical charms, Havana isn’t the world’s most straightforward city. Here's what you need to know before you come to Cuba's colorful capital.

Read article

Best Neighborhoods

Get to know Havana by diving into its neighborhoods. To find out what makes the city tick, visit at least three of the neighborhoods on our list.

Read article

Day Trips

With so many great options just a couple of hours away, Havana is the perfect base in Cuba for day trips filled with adventure.

Read article

Money and Costs

Want to know how to make your money last in Havana? Here are some insider tips for visiting on a budget.

Read article

Transportation

From old American cars and bicycle rickshaws to articulated buses, here's our guide to navigating your way around the Cuban capital.

Read article

Free Things to Do

Experiencing all the incredible things Havana has to offer doesn't have to empty your wallet. Here are the best free things to do in Cuba's capital city.

Read article