Havana's main cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble…
Vedado
Majestic, spread-out Vedado is Havana's once-notorious Mafia-run district. During Cuba's 50-year dalliance with the US, this was the city's commercial hub and, in many ways, it still is; although these days the nightlife is less tawdry, the casinos have become discos, and the hotels seem more like historical relics than havens of luxury.
Aside from its small clutch of modernist rascacielos (skyscrapers), Vedado is a largely leafy residential quarter bisected by two wide Parisian-style boulevards and anchored by the bombastic Plaza de la Revolución and the beautifully eerie Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón.
Explore Vedado
- Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
Havana's main cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble…
- MMuseo Napoleónico
Without a doubt one of the best museums in Havana and thus in Cuba, this magnificently laid-out collection of 7000 objects associated with the life of…
- Hotel Nacional
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…
- Museo de Artes Decorativas
One of Havana's best museums dazzles like a European stately home. It's replete with all manner of architectural features, including rococo furniture,…
- Memorial a José Martí
Center stage in Plaza de la Revolución is this monument, which at 138.5m is Havana's tallest structure. Fronted by an impressive 17m marble statue of a…
- Plaza de la Revolución
Conceived by French urbanist Jean-Claude Forestier in the 1920s, the gigantic Plaza de la Revolución (known as Plaza Cívica until 1959) was part of Havana…
- Universidad de la Habana
Founded by Dominican monks in 1728 and secularized in 1842, Havana's university began life in Habana Vieja before moving to its present site in 1902. The…
- UUS Embassy
Arguably the world's most famous US embassy, this modernist seven-story building on the Malecón with its high security fencing first opened in 1953, but…
- HHotel Habana Libre
This classic modernist hotel – the former Havana Hilton – was commandeered by Fidel Castro's revolutionaries in 1959 just nine months after it had opened,…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Vedado.
See
Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
Havana's main cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble…
See
Museo Napoleónico
Without a doubt one of the best museums in Havana and thus in Cuba, this magnificently laid-out collection of 7000 objects associated with the life of…
See
Hotel Nacional
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…
See
Museo de Artes Decorativas
One of Havana's best museums dazzles like a European stately home. It's replete with all manner of architectural features, including rococo furniture,…
See
Memorial a José Martí
Center stage in Plaza de la Revolución is this monument, which at 138.5m is Havana's tallest structure. Fronted by an impressive 17m marble statue of a…
See
Plaza de la Revolución
Conceived by French urbanist Jean-Claude Forestier in the 1920s, the gigantic Plaza de la Revolución (known as Plaza Cívica until 1959) was part of Havana…
See
Universidad de la Habana
Founded by Dominican monks in 1728 and secularized in 1842, Havana's university began life in Habana Vieja before moving to its present site in 1902. The…
See
US Embassy
Arguably the world's most famous US embassy, this modernist seven-story building on the Malecón with its high security fencing first opened in 1953, but…
See
Hotel Habana Libre
This classic modernist hotel – the former Havana Hilton – was commandeered by Fidel Castro's revolutionaries in 1959 just nine months after it had opened,…