Cárcel

Habana Vieja


Preserved in Parque de los Enamorados (Lovers' Park), surrounded by streams of speeding traffic, is a surviving section of the colonial Cárcel (Tacón Prison), built in 1838, where many Cuban patriots including José Martí were incarcerated.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Habana Vieja attractions

1. Parque de los Enamorados

0.02 MILES

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…

2. Memorial a los Estudiantes de Medicina

0.07 MILES

A fragment of wall encased in marble at the end of Paseo de Martí marks the spot where, in 1871, eight Cuban medical students were shot by the Spanish in…

3. Palacio Velasco

0.07 MILES

Now the Spanish embassy, this beautiful wedding-cake-like building was constructed in the art nouveau style in 1912. It's the only embassy in this part of…

4. Statue of General Máximo Gómez

0.11 MILES

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…

5. Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta

0.12 MILES

One in a quartet of forts defending Havana harbor, La Punta was designed by Italian military engineer Bautista Antonelli and built between 1589 and 1600…

6. Arte Corte

0.17 MILES

The brainchild of Gilberto Valladares, aka 'Papito,' this novel hairdressing salon is also a school and a small museum to the barber's art. Even better,…

7. Barbeparque

0.21 MILES

A project of Arte Corte inaugurated in December 2013 in collaboration with the Office of the City Historian, Barbeparque is a whimsical space that invites…

8. Museo de la Revolución

0.21 MILES

This emblematic museum is set in the former Presidential Palace, constructed between 1913 and 1920 and used by a string of Cuban presidents, culminating…