Cuba’s former presidential palace, first occupied by the nation’s third president, Mario Menocal in 1920, harbors an exhaustive history museum whose exhibits tell a comprehensive, if unashamedly propagandist story of Cuba’s past, with a big focus on events post-1959.
The setting is more inspiring. The palace itself is an eclectic masterpiece with an interior furnished by the world-famous Tiffany's of New York. As of 2023, it was undergoing an interminable renovation with only the outdoor Pavillón Granma open.
In front of the building is a fragment of the former city wall, as well as an SAU-100 tank used by Castro during the 1961 Bay of Pigs battle. In the space behind you'll find the Pavillón Granma, containing a replica of the 18m yacht that carried Castro and 81 other revolutionaries from Tuxpán, Mexico, to Cuba in December 1956. The boat is encased in glass and guarded 24/7, presumably to stop anyone from breaking in and sailing off to Florida in it. The pavilion is surrounded by other vehicles associated with the revolution, including planes, rockets and an old postal van that was used as a getaway car during the 1957 attack.
