Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula
Habana Vieja
One of Havana's most attractive churches, this building is all that remains of the San Francisco de Paula women's hospital from the mid-1700s. Lit up at…
Must-see attractions in Havana
Havana
One of the world’s more surreal Chinatowns, Havana’s Barrio Chino is notable for its lack of Chinese residents – most Chinese people left Havana as soon…
Habana Vieja
In Parque de los Enamorados (Lovers' Park), surrounded by speeding traffic, lies a section of the colonial Cárcel (aka Tacón Prison), built in 1838. Many…
Havana
Running along the banks of the Río Almendares, below the bridge on Calle 23, is this welcome oasis of greenery and fresh air in the heart of the chaotic…
Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de Belén
Habana Vieja
This huge building dating from the early 18th century first functioned as a free school and convalescent home run by the Belemitas order. It was taken…
Jardín Madre Teresa de Calcuta
Habana Vieja
Passers-by usually miss this tree-filled oasis at Plaza de San Francisco de Asís’ southeastern corner, where the remains of some of Cuba’s best-known…
Habana Vieja
The block behind Plaza de Armas was the original home of Havana's university, from 1728 to 1902. The university was once part of a convent. The office…
Havana
This fabulously eclectic 1928 mansion in Flores once housed the Havana Biltmore Yacht & Country Club. These days the establishment has swung full circle…
Habana Vieja
Anchoring a new art project in the San Isidro quarter of Habana Vieja, this bold contemporary gallery is the brainchild of Cuban actor and artist Jorge…
Habana Vieja
One of the more muscular sights around Calle Mercaderes is this typical Havana aristocratic residence, constructed around 1648 and rebuilt in 1780…
Havana
The former Museum of the Ministry of the Interior was remodeled in 2017 to form this far more interesting (if propaganda-ridden) look at US actions…
Fundación Naturaleza y El Hombre
Havana
This tiny museum seems to confirm the adage 'small is beautiful.' It displays artifacts from a 17,422km canoe trip from the Amazon source to the sea that…
Havana
The former Cuartel Colombia military airfield at Marianao is now a school complex called Ciudad Libertad. Pass through the gate to visit this inspiring…
Palacio de Los Condes de Santovenia
Habana Vieja
Lining Plaza de Armas, Los Condes de Santovenia is the former stately palace of the counts of Santovenia and today houses the five-star Hotel Santa Isabel…
Havana
Havana’s premier marina was constructed in 1953 in the small coastal community of Santa Fé. After the revolution it was nationalized and named after Fidel…
Havana
Havana's oldest hotel opened its doors in 1856 on the site of a popular bar called El Louvre (the hotel's alfresco bar still bears that name). Facing…
Habana Vieja
Added in 2015 as a stainless-steel extension of the 1700s Alameda de Paula, this floating promenade is a spacious open-air platform enjoyed by skaters,…
Habana Vieja
Herein lies a 1:500 scale model of Habana Vieja, complete with an authentic soundtrack meant to replicate a day in the life of the city. It's incredibly…
Havana
Havana itself is somewhat dilapidated in parts and so, ironically, is this huge 1:1000 scale model of the city, which looks as though it could do with a…
Habana Vieja
Aimed more at Cubans than tourists who may be used to more technical wizardry, Havana's planetarium includes a scale reproduction of the solar system…
Asociación Cultural Yoruba de Cuba
Havana
To untangle the mysteries of the Santería religion, its saints and their powers, decamp to this museum–cultural center. Aside from sculpted effigies of…
Havana
In largely secular Cuba, this is where many habaneros come to get married and – appropriately – the building is no less lavish than an average church…
Palacio de los Condes de Jaruco
Habana Vieja
This muscular mansion on Plaza Vieja's southwestern corner is one of the square's oldest, constructed in 1738 from local limestone in a transitional…
Habana Vieja
Housed in a restored colonial mansion, this library and comic-book museum highlights the relationship between Belgium and Cuba, hosting Belgium Culture…
Havana
This little-visited church’s bell tower dominates the Centro Habana skyline and is topped by a huge statue of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, but the real…
Statue of General Máximo Gómez
Habana Vieja
On a large traffic island overlooking the mouth of the harbor is a rather grand depiction of Máximo Gómez, a war hero from the Dominican Republic who…
Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
Havana
A little out of the way but well worth the walk is this inspiring marble creation with a distinctive white steeple – it's one of Cuba's few Gothic…
Habana Vieja
This museum is housed in the tiny neoclassical Doric chapel on the eastern side of Plaza de Armas, and was erected in 1828 at the point where Havana's…
Habana Vieja
The resplendent Palacio de los Condes de Casa Bayona in Plaza de la Catedral, built in 1720, today functions as the Museo de Arte Colonial, a small museum…
Habana Vieja
Narrow, chockablock Calle Obispo (Bishop's Street), Habana Vieja's main interconnecting artery, is packed with art galleries, shops, music venues and…
Taller Experimental de Gráfica
Habana Vieja
Easy to miss at the end of a short cul-de-sac, this is one of Havana's most cutting-edge art workshops, which also offers the possibility of engraving…
Museo-Casa Natal de José Martí
Habana Vieja
Opened in 1925, this tiny museum, set in the house where the apostle of Cuban independence was born on January 28, 1853, is considered to be the oldest in…
Habana Vieja
A few blocks east of Plaza del Cristo, this grand wood-paneled store founded in 1886 by Catalan José Sarrá has been restored as both a museum and a…
Havana
The marble statue of José Martí (1905) in the center of Parque Central was the first of thousands to be erected in Cuba. Raised on the 10th anniversary of…
Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes 'San Alejandro'
Havana
The monumental building fronted by 10 modernist columns at the entrance to the Ciudad Libertad is the oldest arts academy in Latin America, founded in…
Iglesia Parroquial del Espíritu Santo
Habana Vieja
Havana’s oldest surviving church has been heavily remodeled since its founding as a hermitage, built by freed formerly enslaved black people in 1638. Most…
Havana
The neoclassical Escuela Nacional de Ballet, Alicia Alonso’s famous ballet school, overlooks the tree-lined Prado. The tickling of ivories and the tapping…
Statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes
Habana Vieja
In the center of Plaza de Armas, ringed by royal palms, is a marble statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the man who set Cuba on the road to independence…
Habana Vieja
At the northeastern corner of Plaza Vieja in a tall, narrow edifice is this clever optical device providing live, 360-degree views of the city from atop a…
Havana
Workshop-gallery of an avant-garde artists' collective comprising around a dozen artists. Enter via the radiant mural in El Prado to admire and/or buy…
