Habana Vieja
BUDGET
Casas Particulares
Noemi Moreno (
862-3809; Cuba No 611 apt 2 btwn Luz & Santa Clara; r CUC$25-30) Two simple, clean rooms sharing a bath, Noemi’s got a great location behind the Santa Clara convent. If she’s full, apartments 1 and 4 also rent in the same building.
Casa de Pepe & Rafaela ( 862-9877; San Ignacio No 454 btwn Sol & Santa Clara; r CUC$30) One of Havana’s best: antiques and Moorish tiles throughout, two rooms with balconies and gorgeous new baths, excellent location and great hosts. The son also rents a charming colonial house at San Ignacio No 656 (same price).
Migdalia Carraballe ( 861-7352; Santa Clara No 164 btwn Cuba & San Ignacio; r CUC$30) Handily placed two blocks from Plaza Vieja, Migdalia has three rooms available but can only rent two at once. The two with balconies overlook the Santa Clara convent. Climb the staircase to the 1st floor.
Pablo Rodríguez ( 861-2111; pablo@sercomar.telemar.cu; Compostela No 532 btwn Brasil & Muralla; r CUC$30) Another lovely old colonial classic, this one with some original frescoes partially uncovered on the walls. It would be worth millions elsewhere, but here you can rent one of venerable Pablo’s two rooms with en-suite bath, fan and fridge for a giveaway CUC$30 per night.
Juan & Margarita ( 867-9592; Obispo No 522 apt 8 btwn Bernaza & Villegas; apt CUC$60) A two-bedroom apartment on Obispo, no less – Vieja’s Fifth Avenue. You can bag the whole place for CUC$60 – sitting room with TV and table, two clean bedrooms with baths, and a balcony. Juan is a gentleman and a scholar who speaks excellent English and has a lot of local knowledge.
Hostels
Residencia Académica Convento de Santa Clara ( 866-9327; Cuba No 610 btwn Luz & Sol; r per person CUC$25) Something of a novelty for Havana, this run-down but charmingly atmospheric old nunnery has been partially converted into a hostel to take in travelers. Situated a stone’s throw from Plaza Vieja and priced cheaper than the surrounding casas particulares, it’s a tempting budget option if you don’t mind fairly Spartan facilities and possible room sharing. The Residencia was undergoing renovations at the time of writing.
MIDRANGE
Mesón de la Flota (Habaguanex; 863-3838; Mercaderes No 257 btwn Amargura & Brasil; s/d incl breakfast CUC$65/100) Habana Vieja’s smallest and most reasonably priced period hotel is an old Spanish tavern decked out with maritime motifs and located within spitting distance of gracious Plaza Vieja. Five individually crafted rooms contain all of the modern comforts and amenities, while downstairs a busy restaurant serves up delicious tapas – check out the garbanzos con chorizo (chickpeas with sausage) – and scrumptiously prepared platos principales (main meals). For music lovers the real drawcard, however, is the nightly tablaos (flamenco shows), the quality of which could rival anything in Andalusia. Sit back and soak up the intangible spirit of duende.
Hostal Valencia (Habaguanex; 867-1037; Oficios No 53; s/d incl breakfast CUC$80/130) The Valencia is decked out like a Spanish posada (inn) with hanging vines, doorways big enough to ride a horse through and a popular on-site paella restaurant. With a bit of imagination you can almost see the ghosts of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza floating through the hallways. Slap-bang in the middle of the historical core and with a price that makes it one of the cheapest offerings in the current Habaguanex stable, this hostel is an excellent old-world choice with good service and plenty of atmosphere.
Hotel El Comendador (Habaguanex; 867-1037; cnr Obrapía & Baratillo; 
) Situated next door to the Valencia, the El Comendador offers similar facilities and rates.
Hostal Beltrán de la Santa Cruz ( 860-8330; San Ignacio No 411 btwn Muralla & Sol; s/d incl breakfast CUC$80/130; ) Excellent location, friendly staff and plenty of old-world authenticity make this compact inn just off Plaza Vieja a winning combination. Housed in a sturdy 18th-century building and offering just 11 spacious rooms, intimacy is a premium here and the standard of service has been regularly lauded by both travelers and reviewers.
TOP END
Hostal Condes de Villanueva (Habaguanex; 862-9293; Mercaderes No 202; s/d low season CUC$67/98, high season CUC$93/150; ) If you are going to splash out on one night of luxury in Havana, you’d do well to check out this highly lauded colonial gem. Restored under the watchful eye of City Historian Eusebio Leal Spengler in the late ’90s, the Villanueva has converted a grandiose city mansion into an intimate and thoughtfully decorated hotel with nine bedrooms spread spaciously around an attractive inner courtyard (complete with resident peacock). Upstairs suites contain stained-glass windows, chandeliers, arty sculptures and – best of all – a fully workable whirlpool bathtub.
Hostal Palacio O’Farrill (Habaguanex; 860-5080; Cuba No 102-108 btwn Chacón & Tejadillo; s/d CUC$95/160; 
) Not an Irish joke, but one of Havana’s most impressive period hotels, the Palacio O’Farrill is a staggeringly beautiful colonial palace that once belonged to Don Ricardo O’Farrill, a Cuban sugar entrepreneur who was descended from a family of Irish nobility. Taking the Emerald Isle as its theme, there’s plenty of greenery on the plant-filled 18th-century courtyard. The 2nd floor, which was added in the 19th century, provides grandiose neoclassical touches, while the 20th-century top floor merges seamlessly with the magnificent architecture below.
Hotel Florida (Habaguanex; 862-4127; Obispo No 252; s/d incl breakfast CUC$95/160; ) They don’t make them like this anymore. The Florida is an architectural extravaganza built in the purest colonial style, with arches and pillars clustered around an atmospheric central courtyard. Habaguanex has restored the building (constructed in 1836) with loving attention to detail, with the amply furnished rooms retaining their original high ceilings and wonderfully luxurious finishes. Anyone with even a passing interest in Cuba’s architectural heritage will want to check out this colonial jewel, complemented with an elegant cafe and an amiable bar-nightspot (from 8pm).
Hotel Marqués de Prado Ameno (Habaguanex; 862-4127; cnr O’Reilly & Cuba; s/d incl breakfast CUC$95/160; ) Connected to the Florida by a tunnel, Havana’s newest hotel offers similar facilities – thoughtful restoration, eager-to-please staff and plenty of colonial grandiosity.
Hotel Ambos Mundos (Habaguanex; 860-9529; Obispo No 153; s/d CUC$95/160; ) Hemingway’s Havana hideout and the place where he is said to have penned his seminal guerrilla classic For Whom the Bell Tolls (Castro’s bedtime reading during the war in the mountains), the pastel-pink Ambos Mundos is a Havana institution and an obligatory pit stop for anyone on a world tour of ‘Hemingway-once-fell-over-here’ bars. Small, sometimes windowless rooms suggest overpricing, but the lobby bar is classic enough (follow the romantic piano melody) and drinks on the rooftop restaurant one of the city’s finest treats.
Hotel Raquel (Habaguanex; 860-8280; cnr Amargura & San Ignacio; s/d CUC$115/200; ) Encased in a dazzling 1908 palace (that was once a bank), the Hotel Raquel takes your breath away with its grandiose columns, sleek marble statues and intricate stained-glass ceiling. Painstakingly restored in 2003, the reception area in this marvelous eclectic building is a tourist sight in its own right; replete with priceless antiques and intricate art-nouveau flourishes. Behind its impressive architecture, the Raquel offers well-presented if noisy rooms, a small gym/sauna, friendly staff and a great central location.
Hotel Santa Isabel (Habaguanex; 860-8201; Baratillo No 9; s/d incl breakfast CUC$190/240; ) Considered one of Havana’s finest hotels, as well as one of its oldest (it first began operations in 1867), the Hotel Santa Isabel is housed in the Palacio de los Condes de Santovenia, the former city crash pad of a decadent Spanish count. In 1998 this three-story baroque beauty was upgraded to five-star status but, unlike other posh Cuban hotels, the Santa Isabel actually comes close to justifying the billing. The 17 regular rooms have bundles of historic charm and are all kitted out with attractive Spanish colonial furniture as well as paintings by contemporary Cuban artists. No small wonder ex-US president, Jimmy Carter, stayed here during his visit in 2002.
Centro Habana
BUDGET
Casas Particulares
Dulce Hostal – Dulce María González ( 863-2506; Amistad No 220 btwn Neptuno & San Miguel; r CUC$20) The Dulce (sweet) Hostal on Amistad (friendship) Street sounds like a good combination, and sweet and friendly is what you get in this beautiful colonial house with tile floors, soaring ceilings and a quiet, helpful hostess.
Martha Obregón ( 870-2095; marthaobregon@yahoo.com; Gervasio No 308 Altos btwn Neptuno & San Miguel; r CUC$20-25) A pleasant family home with little balconies and small street views. You’ll get a good sense of life in the crowded central quarter here with its whistling tradesmen, snippets of music and stickball-playing kids.
Niurka O Rey ( 863-0278; Águila No 206 btwn Ánimas & Virtudes; r CUC$20-25) A sparkling blue house with slightly less sparkling but adequate interior. One of the two rooms here comes with a private bath and there’s parking close by.
Juan Carlos ( 863-6301, 861-8003; Crespo No 107 btwn Colón & Trocadero; r CUC$20-25) Big, spotless house in the middle of the hood that is Centro Habana, this house has two rooms, one with a shared bath and plenty of natural light throughout. It’s a good-value central option.
Julio & Elsa Roque ( 861-8027; julioroq@yahoo.com; Consulado No 162 apt 2 btwn Colón & Trocadero; r CUC$25) Julio’s a pediatrician and rents out two rooms in his friendly family house just a block from Prado. Ring the door bell and a key will be lowered down from a 1st-floor balcony to let you in. The house is cozy and nicely furnished and both Julio and his wife Elsa are superhelpful and a mine of information. English spoken.
Esther Cardoso ( 862-0401; esthercv2551@cubarte.cult.cu; Águila No 367 btwn Neptuno & San Miguel; r CUC$25) Esther is an artist, meaning that this little palace shines like an oasis in Centro Habana’s dilapidated desert with tasteful decor, funky posters, spick-and-span baths and a spectacular roof terrace. Book early as there are plenty in-the-know.
Elicio Fernández ( 861-7447; Águila No 314 apt 405 btwn Neptuno & Concordia; r CUC$25) These two rooms are in a block, meaning you’ll have to find the doorman and negotiate the elevator to get in. It’s probably worth it: breezy rooms have natural light and there are great rooftop views. The bath is shared.
La Casona Colonial – Jorge Díaz ( 870-0489; cubarooms2000@yahoo.com; Gervasio No 209 btwn Concordia & Virtudes; r CUC$25) A colonial house with a pleasant courtyard, this place has a shared bathroom but plenty of bed space and configurations. It’s located in the thick of the Centro Habana action with friendly owners and good access.
Hotels
Casa del Científico ( 862-1607/8, Paseo de Martí No 212; s/d with bath CUC$45/55, without bath CUC$25/31; ) Eclectic meets eccentric in this eye-catching Prado palace that was once the residence of Cuba’s second president, José Miguel Gómez. These days the Casa del Científico’s grand stairways, marble columns, hidden courtyards and withered terraces maintain a slightly more abandoned air (expect the odd cobweb and a good coating of dust) but, with its central location and time-warped prerevolutionary atmosphere, it makes an evocative introduction to Havana. The rooms are ordinary but adequate and there’s a rather evocative restaurant on the 1st floor.
Hotel Lido (Islazul; 867-1102; Consulado No 210 btwn Ánimas & Trocadero; s/d CUC$28/38; ) A travelers’ institution, the lackluster Lido is Havana’s unofficial backpacker’s hostel that has been popular for years for its central location, no-frills rooms (with intermittent hot water) and gritty neighborhood feel. It certainly ain’t fancy, but there’s a handy internet terminal downstairs, breakfast on the roof and a helpful Cubanacán info desk. Then there’s the price – cheaper than most of Havana’s casas.
Hotel Caribbean (Islazul; 860-8233; Paseo de Martí No 164 btwn Colón & Refugio; s/d CUC$36/54; ) Cheap but not always so cheerful, the Caribbean – which was the recipient of a long-awaited 2006 makeover – offers aspiring Cuban renovators a lesson in how not to decorate. Dark poky rooms contain basic facilities such as shower, TV and air-con, but it’s all a bit rough around the edges and the price – while competitive – certainly doesn’t justify the facilities. There’s a bar in the lobby and the Café del Prado next door is OK for a snack. Budget travelers should try the Lido around the corner first.
Hotel Lincoln (Islazul; 33-82-09; Av de Italia btwn Virtudes & Ánimas; s/d CUC$39/46; ) A peeling nine-story giant on busy Galiano (Av de Italia), the Hotel Lincoln was the second-tallest building in Havana when it was built in 1926. Overshadowed by taller opposition these days, the hotel still offers 135 air-con rooms with bath and TV in an atmosphere that is more 1950s than 2000s. Notoriety hit this hotel in 1958 when Castro’s 26th of July Movement kidnapped five-time motor racing world champion Carlos Fangio from the downstairs lobby on the eve of the Cuban Grand Prix. A small ‘museum’ on the 8th floor records the event for posterity. Otherwise the facilities are friendly but timeworn.
MIDRANGE
Hotel Park View (Habaguanex; Colón No 101; s/d CUC$52/86; ) Built in 1928 with American money, the Park View’s reputation as the poor man’s ‘Sevilla’ isn’t entirely justified. Its location alone (within baseball-pitching distance of the Museo de la Revolución) is enough to consider this mint-green city charmer a viable option. Chuck in friendly dooormen, modern furnishings (the hotel was renovated in 2002 by Habaguanex) and a small but perfectly poised 7th-floor restaurant and you’ve got yourself a veritable bargain.
Hotel Deauville (Hotetur; 866-8812; Av de Italia No 1 cnr Malecón; s/d/tr CUC$61/88/99; 
) The Deauville is housed in a kitschy seafront high-rise that sharp-eyed Havana-watchers will recognize from picturesque Malecón-at-sunset postcards. But while the location might be postcard-perfect, the facilities inside this former Mafia gambling den don’t quite match up to the stellar views. Currently reborn in peach and red and already showing the effects of the corrosive sea water, the Deauville’s handy facilities (money exchange and car rental) and reasonably priced restaurant are ever popular with the mid-priced tour-circuit crowd; plus it’s great for an early morning Malecón stroll.
TOP END
Hotel Inglaterra (Gran Caribe; 860-8595; Paseo de Martí No 416; s/d/tr CUC$84/120/168; ) It’s José Martí’s one-time Havana hotel of choice and it’s still playing on the fact – which says something about the current state of affairs. The Inglaterra is a better place to hang out than actually to stay in, with its exquisite Moorish lobby and crusty colonial interior easily outshining the lackluster and often viewless rooms. The rooftop bar’s a popular watering hole and the downstairs foyer is a hive of bustling activity where there’s always music blaring. Beware of the streets outside which are full of overzealous hustlers waiting to pounce.
Hotel Telégrafo (Habaguanex; 861-1010, 861-4741; Paseo de Martí No 408; s/d from CUC$100/160; ) A bold royal-blue charmer on the northwest corner of Parque Central, this Habaguanex beauty juxtaposes old-style architectural features (the original building hails from 1888) with futuristic design flourishes that include shiny silver sofas, a huge winding central staircase and an amazingly intricate tile mosaic emblazoned on the wall of the downstairs cafe. The rooms are equally spiffy.
Hotel Sevilla (Gran Caribe; 860-8560; Trocadero No 55 btwn Paseo de Martí & Agramonte; s/d incl breakfast CUC$150/210; ) Al Capone once hired out the whole 6th floor, Graham Greene used it as a setting for his novel Our Man in Havana and the Mafia requisitioned it as operations centre for their prerevolutionary North American drugs racket. Refurbished by the French Sofitel group in 2002, the Hotel Sevilla now sparkles like the colonial jewel of old with large spacious rooms, comfortable beds and a lobby straight out of the Alhambra.
Hotel Saratoga (Habaguanex; 868-1000; Paseo de Martí No 603; s/d CUC$200/275; ) One of Havana’s newest, ritziest and most dramatic hotels, the glittering Saratoga is an architectural work-of-art that stands imposingly at the intersection of Prado and Dragones with fantastic views over toward the Capitolio. Sharp, if officious, service is a premium here, as are the extra-comfortable beds, power showers and a truly decadent rooftop swimming pool. Not surprisingly, there’s a price for all this luxury. The Saratoga is Havana’s most expensive hotel and, while its facilities impress, its service can’t quite match up to the marginally cheaper Meliás.
Hotel NH Parque Central (NH Hotels; 860-6627; www.nh-hotels.com; Neptuno btwn Agramonte & Paseo de Martí; s/d CUC$205/270; ) If you have a penchant for hanging out – but not staying – in expensive five-star hotel lobbies sipping mojitos, the Parque Central could fill a vacuum. Reserving a room’s another (more expensive) matter. Outside Havana’s two Meliás, the NH is, without a doubt, Havana’s best international-standard hotel with service and business facilities on a par with top-ranking five-star facilities elsewhere in the Caribbean. Although the fancy lobby and classily furnished rooms may lack the historical riches of the Habaguanex establishments, the ambience here is far from antiseptic. Bonus facilities include a full-service business center, a rooftop swimming pool/fitness center/Jacuzzi, an elegant lobby bar, the celebrated El Paseo restaurant plus excellent international telephone and internet links. Two of the bedrooms are wheelchair-accessible. In late 2006 the Parque Central was in the process of constructing a large new wing directly behind the existing building on Calle Virtudes.
Vedado
BUDGET
Casas Particulares
Nelsy Alemán Machado ( 832-8467; Calle 25 No 361 apt 1 btwn Calles K & L; r CUC$25) Nelsy is one of two renters in this house up by the university and a stone’s throw from the Hotel Habana Libre. Geographically, it’s one of Vedado’s better options; safe and secure but within close proximity to most of the main action.
Basilia Pérez Castro ( 832-3953; bpcdt@hotmail.com; Calle 25 No 361 apt 7 Bajos btwn Calles K & L; r CUC$25) Basilia rents out two more rooms with independent entrances in the same house as Nelsy. It’s a mellow scene and good value.
Eddy Gutiérrez Bouza ( 832-5207; Calle 21 No 408 btwn Calles F & G; r CUC$30; ) Eddy is a fantastic host with a great knowledge of Havana and his huge colonial house has hosted many visitors over the years. It’s an inviting abode with a well-kept garden, grand exterior and Eddy’s 1974 Argentinian-made Dodge parked in the driveway. Guests are accommodated out back in comfortable quarters, and one room comes equipped with a kitchenette.
Guillermina & Roberto Abreu ( 833-6401; Paseo No 126 apt 13A btwn Calle 5 & Calzada; r CUC$30; ) On the 13th floor of a Vedado apartment block built in 1958, this is another ‘view’ property with two rooms, private baths and plush china furnishings. Hold your breath as you take the clunking elevator from the ground floor up.
Melba Piñeda Bermudez ( 832-5929; lienafp@yahoo.com; Calle 11 No 802 btwn Calles 2 & 4; r CUC$30) This 100-year-old villa in a shady Vedado street would be a millionaire’s pad anywhere else. But here in Havana, it’s a casa particular with two large rooms and decent meals served (handy as you’re more detached here). The front room is the brightest with a tranquil terrace overlooking a street thick with laurel trees.
Mercedes González ( 832-5840; mercylupe@hotmail.com; Calle 21 No 360 apt 2A btwn Calles G & H; r CUC$30-35) One of the most welcoming hosts in Havana, Mercedes comes highly recommended by readers, fellow travelers, other casa owners, you name it. Her lovely art-deco abode is a classic Vedado apartment with two fine rooms, an airy terrace and top-notch five-star service.
Manuel Martínez ( 832-6713; Calle 21 No 4 apt 22 btwn Calles N & O; r CUC$30-35) There are 10 to 12 casas in this magnificent art-deco building constructed in 1945 opposite the Hotel Nacional, so if you don’t get lucky here look for the blue sign and try again. This one overlooks the hotel gardens; about as close as you can get to Cuba’s famous five-star without having to pay the five-star rates.
Marta Vitorte ( 832-6475; martavitorte@hotmail.com; Calle G No 301 apt 14 btwn Calles 13 & 15; r CUC$35-40) Marta has lived in this sinuous apartment on Av de los Presidentes since 1960 – one look at the view and you’ll see why; it’s as if you’re standing atop the Martí monument with a glass-fronted wraparound terrace that soaks up 270° of Havana’s stunning panorama. Not surprisingly, the two rooms are deluxe with lovely furnishings, minibars and safes. Then there are the breakfasts, the laundry, the parking space, the lift attendant…get the drift?
Hotels
Hotel Bruzón (Islazul; 877-5684; Bruzón No 217 btwn Pozos Dulces & Av de la Independencia; s/d CUC$26/36; ) There are only two reasons to stay at the lackluster Bruzón: you’ve got an early morning bus to catch (the terminal is a handy 400m around the corner), or everywhere else is full. Otherwise, the claustrophobic rooms, lumpy beds and out-of-the-way location aren’t worth it.
MIDRANGE
Hotel Colina (Islazul; 836-4071; cnr Calles L & 27; s/d CUC$46/60; ) The friendliest and least fussy of Vedado’s cheaper accommodation options, the Colina is situated directly outside the university and is a good choice if you’re studying on a Spanish course. The 80 rooms are basic with air-con, satellite TV and intermittent hot water, plus there’s a good people-watching sidewalk cafe just off the reception.
Hotel St John’s (Gran Caribe; 833-3740; Calle O No 216 btwn Calles 23 & 25; s/d incl breakfast CUC$56/80; ) A fair to middling Vedado option, the St John’s has a rooftop pool, clean bathrooms, reasonable beds and the ever-popular Pico Blanco nightclub Click here on the 14th floor. If wall-vibrating Cuban discos aren’t your thing, you might get more peace at the identically priced Hotel Vedado half a block down the road. Ask for one of the western-facing rooms with killer views over the Malecón.
Hotel Vedado (Gran Caribe; 836-4072; Calle O No 244 btwn Calles 23 & 25; s/d CUC$63/80; ) Ever popular with the tour-bus crowd, the Hotel Vedado is a tough sell. Granted, there’s an OK pool (rare in Havana), along with a passable restaurant and not unpleasant rooms. But the patchy service, perennially noisy lobby and almost total lack of character will leave you wondering if you wouldn’t have been better off staying in a local casa particular – for half the price.
Hotel Victoria (Gran Caribe; 833-3510; Calle 19 No 101; s/d incl breakfast CUC$80/100; ) A well-heeled and oft-overlooked Vedado option, the Victoria is a diminutive five-story hotel situated within spitting distance of the larger and more expensive Nacional. Deluxe and compact, though (due to its size) invariably full, this venerable Gran Caribe establishment housed in an attractive neoclassical building dating from 1928 contains a swimming pool, a bar and a small shop. A sturdy midrange accommodation option (if you can get in).
TOP END
Hotel Riviera (Gran Caribe; 836-4051; cnr Paseo & Malecón; s/d incl breakfast CUC$91/130; ) Meyer Lansky’s magnificent Vegas-style palace has leapt back into fashion with its gloriously retro lobby almost unchanged since 1957 (when it was the height of modernity). It isn’t hard to imagine all the old Mafia hoods congregating here with their Cohiba cigars and chauffer-driven Chevrolets parked outside. The trouble for modern-day visitors are the rooms (there are 354 of them) which, though luxurious 50 years ago, are now looking a little rough around the edges and struggle to justify their top-end price tag. You can dampen the dreariness in the fabulous ’50s-style pool, good smattering of restaurants or the legendary Copa Room cabaret Click here, far cheaper than Tropicana. The location on a wild and wave-lashed section of the Malecón is spectacular, although a good bus or taxi ride from the Old Town.
Hotel Presidente (Gran Caribe; 55-18-01; cnr Calzada & Calle G; s/d CUC$90/140; ) Fully restored in 2000, this art-deco influenced hotel wouldn’t be out of place on a street just off Times Square in New York. Built the same year as the Victoria (1928), the Presidente is similar but larger, with gruffer staff. Unless you’re a walker or fancy getting some elbow exercise on Havana’s crowded bus system, the location can be awkward.
Hotel Nacional (Gran Caribe; 836-3564; cnr Calles O & 23; s/d/tr CUC$120/170/238; ) The cream of the crop in Cuban hotels and flagship of the government-run Gran Caribe chain, the neoclassical/neocolonial/art-deco (let’s call it eclectic) Hotel Nacional is as much a city monument as it is an international accommodation option. Even if you haven’t got the money to stay here, chances are you’ll find yourself sipping at least one minty mojito in its exquisite oceanside bar. Steeping in history and furnished with rooms with plaques that advertise the details of illustrious occupants past, this towering Havana landmark sports two swimming pools, a sweeping manicured lawn, a couple of lavish restaurants and its own top-class nighttime cabaret show, the Parisién Click here. While the rooms might lack some of the fancy gadgets of deluxe Varadero, the ostentatious communal areas and the erstwhile ghosts of Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Lucky Luciano and Errol Flynn that haunt the Moorish lobby make for a fascinating and unforgettable experience.
Hotel Habana Libre (Gran Caribe; 834-6100; Calle L btwn Calles 23 & 25; d/ste incl breakfast CUC$200/300; ) Havana’s biggest and boldest hotel opened in March 1958 on the eve of Batista’s last waltz. Once part of the Hilton chain, in January 1959 it was commandeered by Castro’s rebels who put their boots over all the plush furnishings and turned it into their temporary HQ (Castro effectively ran the country from a suite on one of the upper floors). Now managed by Spain’s Meliá chain as an urban Tryp Hotel, all 574 rooms in this skyline-hogging giant are kitted out to international standard, though the lackluster furnishings could do with an imaginative makeover. The tour desks in the lobby are helpful for out-of-town excursions and the 25th-floor Cabaret Turquino is a city institution.
Hotel Meliá Cohiba (Cubanacán; 833-3636; Paseo btwn Calles 1 & 3; r CUC$220; ) Royally professional, this oceanside concrete giant built in 1994 (it’s the only building from this era on the Malecón) will satisfy the highest of international expectations with its knowledgeable, consistent staff and modern, well-polished facilities. After a few weeks in the Cuban outback, you’ll feel like you’re on a different planet here, although the ambience is more Houston than Havana. For workaholics there are special ‘business-traveler rooms’ and 59 units have Jacuzzis. On the lower levels gold-star facilities include a shopping arcade, one of Havana’s plushest gyms and the ever-popular Habana Café Click here.
Return to beginning of chapter
EATING
Paladares
HABANA VIEJA
Many of Habana Vieja’s once vibrant paladares have been squeezed out of business in recent years, leaving just a handful of legal places that compete gamefully with the heavily promoted Habaguanex-run restaurants. The following three places are all worth a visit if you want a break from the sometimes mediocre state-sponsored eateries.
Paladar Moneda Cubana ( 867-5984; San Ignacio No 77; meals CUC$8-10; 
noon-midnight) There’s a soccer obsession going on at this perfectly placed paladar just off Plaza de la Catedral that must be passed by every tourist in Cuba at some point. Underneath the sporty regalia, a quartet of tables offers chicken and pork dishes at very reasonable prices (CUC$8 to CUC$10). Go on, contribute a few Convertibles to the spirit of private enterprise.
La Julia ( 862-7438; O’Reilly No 506A btwn Bernaza & Villegas; meals CUC$10; noon-midnight) It’s been around long enough to be called an institution and outlasted almost all the opposition – except, perhaps, Fidel. La Julia is an unfussy family-run paladar in Calle O’Reilly that serves Cuban comfort food – comida criolla – with patience and panache.
Paladar La Mulata del Sabor ( 867-5984; Sol No 153 btwn Cuba & San Ignacio; meals CUC$10; noon-midnight) Delicious smells emanting from the kitchen in this hole-in-the-wall paladar have lured in many an off-track traveler disorientated after taking a wrong turn out of Plaza Vieja. Thankfully, La Mulata is an amiable hostess and the word-of-mouth reviews from budget travelers are always good.
CENTRO HABANA
Paladar Bellamar (Virtudes No 169; meals from CUC$6; noon-10pm) In the gastronomic desert of Centro Habana (La Guarida apart), the family-run Bellamar is a good standby. Sticking to the official rules, it serves classic chicken and pork dishes in a 12-cover front room whose walls have been ‘decorated’ Bodeguita del Medio–style with the graffiti of punters past.
Paladar Doña Blanquita (Paseo de Martí No 158 btwn Colón & Refugio; meals CUC$7-9; noon-10pm) Overlooking the Prado boulevard, this is one of Centro Habana’s best-placed paladares, with a proper typewritten menu and meat-biased main plates in the CUC$7 to CUC$9 range. You can dine in the shabby chic salon or on a pleasant terrace overlooking the promenade.
Paladar Torressón ( 861-7476; Malecón btwn Capdevila & Genios; meals CUC$7-9; noon-midnight) Situated at the eastern end of the Malecón with a great view of El Morro castle, the Torressón takes up the 2nd floor of a suitably dilapidated seafront tenement. Complete meals of meat or fish cost between CUC$10 and CUC$15, but the stupendous views are free.
Paladar La Guarida ( 866-9047; Concordia No 418 btwn Gervasio & Escobar; noon-3pm & 7pm-midnight) Located on the top floor of a spectacularly dilapidated Havana tenement, La Guarida’s lofty reputation rests on its movie-location setting (Fresa y Chocolate was filmed in this building) and a clutch of swashbuckling newspaper reviews (including the New York Times and the Guardian). The food, as might be expected, is up there with Havana’s best, shoehorning its captivating blend of Nueva Cocina Cubana into dishes such as sea bass in a coconut reduction, and chicken with honey and lemon sauce. Reservations required.
VEDADO
Vedado’s once-splendid paladares are fighting a losing battle against high rents and nit-picking government regulations. Although few new places open these days, there are a handful of stalwart survivors.
Paladar Los Amigos (Calle M No 253; noon-midnight) Paladar Los Amigos, situated in the back of a prerevolutionary house on the corner of Calles M and 19 near the Hotel Victoria, serves good Cuban meals for CUC$10, including side plates. It’s enthusiastically recommended by locals.
El Gringo Viejo ( 831-1946; Calle 21 No 454 btwn Calles E & F; noon-11pm) The Gringo offers a good atmosphere and large portions of invariably brilliant food. Locals and visitors love it for its speedy service, fine wine list and big portions of more adventurous plates, such as smoked salmon with olives and Gouda or crabmeat in red sauce (CUC$10 to CUC$12).
Paladar Aries ( 831-9668; Av Universidad No 456 Bajos btwn Calles J & K; noon-midnight) Traditional Cuban fare mixed with what are generously referred to as ‘international dishes,’ this nicely decked-out, family-run place with occasional wandering trovadores (traditional singers/songwriters) is conveniently located behind the university.
Decameron ( 832-2444; Línea No 753 btwn Paseo & Calle 2; meals CUC$12-15; noon-midnight;
) Ugly from the outside, but far prettier within, the Decameron is an intimate Italian-influenced restaurant where you can order from the varied menu with abandon. Veggie pizza, lasagna bolognese, steak au poivre and a divine calabaza soup: it’s all good. On top of that, there’s a decent wine selection and the kitchen is sympathetic to vegetarians.
Paladar El Hurón Azul ( 879-1691; Humboldt No 153; meals CUC$15-20; noon-midnight Tue-Sun) This place is often touted as one of Havana’s best private restaurants and, although the food might be tasty, the windowless interior combined with the preponderance of after-dinner smokers can leave your meal tasting more like nicotine than comida criolla. Nonetheless, the Hurón Azul (Blue Ferret) boasts plenty of original food and is locally famous for its adventurous smoked pork served with a pineapple salsa. That said, it’s not cheap, averaging CUC$15 a pop plus a 10% service charge added to every bill. Reserve ahead.
Paladar Marpoly ( 832-2471; Calle K No 154 btwn Línea & Calle 11; noon-1am) An unsignposted – and hence hard to find – paladar just off Calle Línea, the Marpoly offers good food, including a seafood platter and a great selection of wines, in luxurious surroundings. Ask a neighbor if in doubt about the location.
Restaurants
HABANA VIEJA
Restaurante Puerto de Sagua ( 867-1026; Av de Bélgica No 603; noon-midnight) This nautical-themed eating joint in Habana Vieja’s grittier southern quarter is characterized by its small porthole-style windows and serves mostly seafood at reasonable prices (CUC$5 to CUC$8). The jacketed waiters are courteous and friendly.
Al Medina ( 867-1041; Oficios No 12 btwn Obrapía & Obispo; noon-midnight) Havana takes on the Middle East in this exotic restaurant, appropriately situated in one of the city’s 17th-century mudéjar-style buildings. Tucked into a beautiful patio off Calle Oficios, Al Medina is where you can dine like a Moroccan sheik on lamb couscous (CUC$10), chicken tagine (CUC$5) and Lebanese sumac (CUC$8) with a spicy twist. It’s especially recommended for its voluminous veggie platter that comes with hummus, tabouleh, dolma, pilaf and falafel.
Café del Oriente ( 860-6686; Oficios 112; appetizers CUC$8-12, mains CUC$20-27; noon-11pm) Havana suddenly becomes posh when you walk through the door at this choice establishment on breezy Plaza de San Francisco de Asís. Smoked salmon, caviar (yes, caviar!), goose liver pâté, lobster thermidor, steak au poivre, cheese plate and a glass of port. Plus service in a tux, no less. There’s just one small problem: the price. But what the hell?
Restaurante El Patio ( 867-1034/5; San Ignacio No 54; meals CUC$15-20; noon-midnight) Possibly one of the most romantic settings on the planet when the hustlers stay away, the mint stalks in your mojito are pressed to perfection and the band breaks spontaneously into your favorite tune. This place – in the Plaza de la Catedral – must be experienced at night alfresco when the atmosphere is almost otherworldly.
Cafetería Torre La Vega (Obrapía No 114a btwn Mercaderes & Oficios; 9am-9pm) This is the flop-down lunchtime place that everyone hits in the middle of a sightseeing tour. It’s perfectly placed in the middle of the Old Town with tables spilling onto the street and into a little park opposite. Diners sit with their noses in guidebooks chomping on ‘spag bol,’ pizza, chicken and sandwiches, none of it particularly expensive.
Restaurante Europa (Obispo No 112 cnr Aguiar) Fine fin de siècle furnishings lure you into this former Havana sweet shop that recently got a restaurant makeover by the City’s Historian’s office and Habaguanex. They obviously forgot to makeover the chef. Despite a menu that boasts of prize-winning cuisine (what prize?), the plate doesn’t quite live up to the billing, though the ambience is pleasant and the service eager.
Restaurante La Paella ( 867-1037; cnr Oficios & Obrapía; noon-11pm) Known for its paella (CUC$10), this place, attached to the Hostal Valencia, has an authentic ambience, but never really matches the real deal from Spain’s famous Mediterranean city. The fish is a good alternative.
Hanoi ( 867-1029; cnr Brasil & Bernaza; noon-11pm) The name might suggest solidarity with ‘communist’ Vietnam, but don’t get too excited – you won’t find any Saigon-flavored spring rolls here. Instead, what you get is straight-up Creole cuisine, with a couple of fried-rice dishes thrown in to justify the (rather misleading) name. One of the only fully restored buildings in untouristy Plaza del Cristo, the Hanoi is a backpacker favorite where the foreign clientele usually has its communal nose in a copy of Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.
La Mina ( 862-0216; Obispo No 109 btwn Oficios & Mercaderes; 24hr) A mediocre menu but a top-class location, La Mina graces a scenic corner of Plaza de Armas, meaning every tourist in Havana walks past it at some point. The food options – displayed on a stand in the street outside and backed up by an army of verbose waiters – include chicken, pork and prawns cooked in a variety of different ways but lacking in culinary panache. There’s a tempting Heladería (ice-cream parlor) around the corner in Calle Oficios.
Restaurante La Dominica ( 860-2918; O’Reilly No 108; noon-midnight) Despite a tendency to be a little overgenerous with the olive oil, La Dominica – with its wood-fired pizza oven and al dente pasta – could quite legitimately stake its claim as Havana’s finest Italian restaurant. Located in an elegantly restored dining room with alfresco seating on Calle O’Reilly, the menu offers Italy’s ‘usual suspects’ augmented by shrimp and lobster (CUC$10 to CUC$18). Professional house bands serenade diners with a slightly more eclectic set than the obligatory Buena Vista Social Club staples.
La Torre de Marfil ( 867-1038; Mercaderes No 111 btwn Obispo & Obrapía; noon-10pm Mon-Thu, noon- midnight Fri-Sun) Where have all the punters gone? Chinatown, perhaps? You feel sorry for the Marfil. Perfectly placed in Calle Mercaderes with smiling waiting staff and an inviting interior, it somehow always seems to be three-quarters empty. Brave the deserted interior and you’ll find that the chop suey and chow mein plates – when they arrive – are fresh, crisp and huge.
El Mercurio ( 860-6188; Lonja del Comercio; 24hr) An elegant indoor-outdoor cafe-restaurant with cappuccino machines, intimate booths and waiters in black ties. You can get decent main dishes here such as lobster and steak tartar, but it’s also a great place for lunch or a snack. The formidable ‘Cuban sandwich’ with ham, cheese and pork (CUC$4.50) should keep you going until dinnertime.
La Zaragozana ( 867-1040; Av de Bélgica btwn Obispo & Obrapía; noon-midnight) Established in 1830, this is Havana’s oldest restaurant but a long way from being its best. The Spanish-themed food – which includes the obligatory paella – would have kept Don Quijote happy but the ambience, amid assorted Iberian flags and memorabilia, is a little gloomy.
CENTRO HABANA
El Gran Dragón ( 861-5396; Cuchillo No 1; 11am-midnight; ) First on the left as you enter Cuchillo from Calle Zanja, this is as good an introduction as any to the energetic pulse of Havana’s Barrio Chino. Specialties include wonton soup, chop suey, chow mein and fried rice, and the prices come in at less than CUC$5 a dish. Spread over three floors and with alfresco dining options outside, this is a good place for vegetarians.
Prado & Neptuno ( 860-9636; cnr Paseo de Martí & Neptuno; meals CUC$8-12; noon-5pm & 6:30-11:30pm) Dark lighting and tinted windows lure you into this trusty Italian restaurant on the lively intersection of Prado and Calle Neptuno. Stick to the pizza and pasta and choose from a good selection of Italian wines at the bar.
Chi Tack Tong ( 861-8095; Dragones No 356 btwn San Nicolás & Manrique; noon-midnight) Another aspiring Chinese restaurant situated in a large upstairs room in Calle Dragones, this place wins plenty of kudos for decor, with waitresses in Chinese-style dresses and a large painting of Sun Yatsen hung reverently on the wall. The downside is the menu, which is a little limited, particularly when compared to some of the Cuchillo joints nearby. As if to make amends, portions sizes are absolutely huge. Box up your leftovers.
Restaurante Tien-Tan ( 861-5478; Cuchillo No 17 btwn Rayo & San Nicolás; 11am-11pm) One of the Barrio Chino’s best authentic Chinese restaurants, Tien-Tan (the ‘Temple of Heaven’) is run by a Chinese-Cuban couple and serves up an incredulous 130 different dishes. With such complexity you might have thought that you would be in for a long wait and that the food would, at best, be average. Thankfully, neither is the case. Try chop suey with vegetables or chicken with cashew nuts and sit outside in action-packed Cuchillo, one of Havana’s most colorful and fastest-growing ‘food streets.’
VEDADO
Café TV ( 833-4499; cnr Calles N & 19; 10am-9pm) Hidden in the bowels of the Focsa building, the goggle box–themed Café TV is a funky dinner/performance venue lauded by those in the know for its cheap food and hilarious comedy nights. If you’re willing to brave the frigid air-con and rather foreboding underground entry tunnel, head here for fresh burgers (CUC$2), healthy salad (CUC$1.50), pasta (CUC$4) and Gordon Bleu (chicken stuffed with ham and cheese; CUC$5). Televisión Cubana is around the corner, hence the name and theme.
El Lugar ( 204-5162; cnr Calles 49C & 28A; noon-midnight) Set in Parque Almendares just across the road from the river below the bridge, this place is fantastic value offering CUC$5 for a juicy pork filet, a Pico Turquino of congrí (rice flecked with black beans), salad, tostones (fried plantain patties), ice cream and coffee. There’s music in the evenings.
Trattoría Maraka’s (Calle 0 No 260 btwn Calles 23 & 25; 10am-11pm) Don’t be put off by the cheap Formica tables and the pictorial map of Italy on the wall. Real olive oil, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, plus a wood oven, mean that the pizza in this Vedado Italian trattoria is among the city’s best. Also on offer are Greek salad, tortellini with red sauce, and spinach-stuffed cannelloni – mostly under CUC$10.
Pan.com (cnr Calles 17 & 10; 10am-2am) Missing home, decent burgers, club sandwiches, ice-cream milkshakes and quick no-nonsense service? Rejuvenate yourself with your cholesterol here at Havana’s best fast-food joint. There’s an even better branch in Miramar (Click here).
El Conejito ( 832-4671; Calle M No 206; noon-midnight) A red-bricked Tudor-style mansion with lederhosen-clad waiters that serves rabbit (CUC$8 and up); now that’s classic! If the conejo (rabbit) doesn’t grab you, try the chicken, beef, fish or lobster. The rather surreal ambience is lightened somewhat by a resident pianist serenading romantically in the background.
Complejo Turístico 1830 ( 838-3090; Malecón No 1252; noon-10pm) One of Havana’s most elegant restaurants is heavily touted but gets mixed reviews. Try the chicken in lemon and honey sauce and stick around after 10pm when the kitchen closes and there’s live music and salsa dancing in the garden behind the restaurant.
La Torre ( 838-3088; Edificio Focsa, cnr Calles 17 & M) One of Havana’s tallest and most talked-about restaurants is perched high above downtown Vedado atop the skyline-hogging Focsa building. A colossus of both modernist architecture and French/Cuban haute cuisine, this lofty fine-dining extravaganza combines sweeping city views with a progressive French-inspired menu that serves everything from artichokes to foie gras to tart almandine. The prices at CUC$30 a pop (and the rest!) are as distinctly non-Cuban as the ingredients, but with this level of service, it’s probably worth it.
Biki (cnr Infanta & San Lázaro; noon-10pm, closed Mon; ) This place near the university, on the border between Centro Habana and Vedado, is a peso vegetarian buffet with a few meat selections thrown in. It’s laid out cafetería-style; grab a tray and pick from several fresh juices and salads, veggie paella, fried rice, stuffed peppers and desserts. It all costs peanuts.
Restaurante Vegetariano Carmelo (Calzada btwn Calles D & E; noon-midnight, closed Mon; ) This place has the same menu as Biki, but a much nicer locale opposite the Teatro Amadeo Roldán, with patio dining and a full bar.
Also recommended:
- Cafetería Sofía ( 832-0740; Calle 23 No 202; 24hr) Late-night hair-of-the-dog seekers meet annoyingly chirpy early risers at this 24-hour institution on La Rampa.
- La Casona & 17 ( 838-3136; Calle 17 btwn Calles M & N; 11am-10pm) Eclectic Vedado residence turned restaurant. Eat in the elegant dining room or outside at the barbecue grill.
- Restaurante Wakamba ( 878-4526; Calle O btwn Calles 23 & 25; 24hr) An indoor restaurant with a 24-hour outside counter helps stifle those 3am hunger pangs.
Spanish Clubs
Havana’s Spanish clubs offer some of the city’s tastiest and most affordable food.
Los Nardos (Map; 863-2985; Paseo de Martí No 563, Centro Habana; noon-midnight) Directly opposite the Capitolio but easy to miss, Los Nardos is one of a handful of semi-private Havana restaurants operated by the Spanish Asturianas society. Touted in some quarters as one of the best eateries in the city, this unprepossessing place is decked out in mahogany and leather and serves up such astoundingly delicious dishes as lobster in a Catalan sauce, garlic prawns with sautéed vegetables and an authentic Spanish paella. Portions are huge and the prices, which start at around CUC$4 for chicken and pork dishes, are unbelievably cheap.
Los Gijones (Map; Paseo de Martí No 309, Centro Habana; noon-midnight) Melancholy Mozart serenades you here, causing you to weep helplessly into your ropa vieja (CUC$5). Dry your eyes and you’ll find that you’re in another Spanish mutual-aid society, this time the Centro Asturianas, whose dark mahogany dining room is frequented by a charming resident violinist.
Rancho Coquito (Map; 863-2985; Malecón 107 btwn Genios & Crespo, Centro Habana; 6pm-midnight) At last, a decent restaurant on the Malecón. Run by the local Spanish Asturianas society, this is an inconspicuous food joint with a balcony that overlooks Havana’s dreamy 8km sea drive (look for the waiter posted outside) and is frequented mainly by Cubans. Upstairs, the food is tasty and unbelievably cheap. Paella goes for CUC$7, garbanzos fritos (fried chickpeas) CUC$5, tortilla CUC$3 and a decent portion of lobster pan-fried in butter for a giveaway CUC$8.
Centro Andaluz (Map; 863-6745; Paseo de Martí No 104 btwn Genios & Refugio, Centro Habana; 6-11pm Tue-Sun) Another Spanish social club with a restaurant, the Centro Andaluz resembles an old 19th-century Andalucian flamenco bar with a chipped wooden stage and equally chipped azulejo-tiled walls. Aside from the flamenco dancing, the center also serves reasonable meals, including a house paella for two.
Cafes
Café Santo Domingo (Map; Obispo No 159 btwn San Ignacio & Mercaderes, Habana Vieja; 9am-9pm) Tucked away upstairs above Habana Vieja’s best bakery – and encased in one of its oldest buildings – this laid-back cafe is aromatic, tasty and light on the wallet. Check out the delicious fruit shakes, huge sandwich especial, or smuggle some cakes upstairs to enjoy over a steaming cup of café con leche (coffee with warm milk).
Café de las Infusiones (Map; Mercaderes btwn Obispo & Obrapía, Habana Vieja; 8am-11pm) Wedged into Calle Mercaderes, this recently restored Habaguanex coffee house is a caffeine addict’s heaven; it boasts a wonderful resident pianist, too. Fancier than your average Cuban coffee bar and more comprehensive than the Escorial (see below), you can order more than a dozen different cuppas here, including Irish coffee (CUC$3.50), punch coffee (CUC$5), mocha (CUC$1), cappuccino (CUC$1.75) and so on.
Pastelería Francesa (Map; Parque Central No 411, Centro Habana) This cafe has all the ingredients of a Champs-Élysées classic: a great location in Parque Central, waiters in waistcoats, and myriad pastries displayed in glass cases. But the authentic French flavor is ruined somewhat by the swarming jineteras who roll in here with their European sugar daddies for cigarettes and strong coffee.
Café El Escorial (Map; 868-3545; Mercaderes No 317 cnr Muralla, Habana Vieja; 9am-9pm) Opening out onto Plaza Vieja and encased in a finely restored colonial mansion, there’s something definitively European about El Escorial. Among some of the best caffeine infusions in the city served here are café cubano, café con leche, frappé, coffee liquor and even daiquirí de café. There’s also a sweet selection of delicate pastries.
Pain de París Vedado (Map; Calle 25 No 164 btwn Infanta & Calle O; 8am-midnight); Vedado (Map; Línea btwn Paseo & Calle A; 24hr) With quite possibly the best cakes in Havana – including iced cinnamon buns – this small chain does box-up cakes, cappuccinos, croissants and the odd savory snack. If you’ve been OD-ing on paltry Cuban desserts, or have hit a sugar low after a super-light breakfast, get your 11 o’clock pick-me-up here.
Café de O’Reilly (Map; O’Reilly No 203 btwn Cuba & San Ignacio, Habana Vieja; 11am-3am) Good old-fashioned ‘spit and sawdust’ cafe that sells drinks and snacks morning, noon and night. The bar is spread over two floors interconnected by a spiral staircase with most of the action taking place upstairs.
Café Literario del ‘G’ (Map; Calle 23 btwn Av de los Presidentes & Calle H, Vedado) If Havana has a proverbial Left Bank, this is it, a laid-back student hangout full of arty wall scribblings and coffee-quaffing intellectuals discussing the merits of Guillén over Lorca. Kick back in the airy front patio among the green plants and dusty books and magazines (available to read, lend and buy), and keep an ear out for one of the regular trova (traditional music), jazz and poetry presentations.
Museo del Chocolate (Map; cnr Amargura & Mercaderes, Habana Vieja; 9am-8pm) Chocolate addicts beware, this quirky place in the heart of Habana Vieja is a lethal dose of chocolate, truffles and yet more chocolate (and it’s all made on the premises). Situated – with no irony intended – in Calle Amargura (literally: Bitterness Street), the sweet-toothed establishment is more a cafe than a museum, with a small cluster of marble tables set amid a sugary mélange of chocolate paraphernalia. Not surprisingly, everything on the rather delicious menu contains one all-pervading ingredient: have it hot, cold, white, dark, rich or smooth, the stuff is divine, whichever way you choose.
Café Neruda (Map; Malecón No 203 btwn Manrique & San Nicolás, Centro Habana; 11am-11pm) Barbecued Chilean ox, Nerudian skewer, Chilean turnover? Poor old Pablo Neruda would be turning in his grave if this wasn’t such an inviting place and a rare ray of light on the otherwise mildewed Malecón. Spend a poetic afternoon watching the waves splash over the sea wall.
Ice-Cream Parlors
Havana has some good ice cream, available both in Convertibles and pesos. Coppelia is the national chain – if you can bear the queues. Paleticas are popsicles (usually chocolate-covered), while bocaditos are big, delicious ice-cream sandwiches (often handmade). Little mobile ice-cream machines selling the soft, whippy stuff can appear anyplace anytime. Cones are sold for a couple of pesos and melt almost before you can get them in your mouth. Here are some good parlors:
- Bim Bom (Map; 879-2892; cnr Calle 23 & Infanta, Vedado) Phenomenally creamy stuff in flavors like coffee, condensed milk (sounds gross, tastes great) and rum raisins; in Convertibles.
- Coppelia (Map; 832-6184; cnr Calle 23 & L, Vedado) The original and best. See boxed text, above.
- Heladería Obispo (Map; Obispo No 58, Habana Vieja) Pleasant parlor in the heart of Habana Vieja; often has fruit flavors (pineapple, strawberry etc).
Takeout
There are some great peso places sprinkled about, though few have names; look for the streets. Some of the most outstanding peso pizza is at San Rafael just off Infanta (look for the lines). Av de la Italia (Galiano to anyone who lives there) also has some holes-in-the-wall. Also try around Calles H and 17 where there are clusters of peso stalls and Calle 21 between Calles 4 and 6; this area is close to the hospital, so there’s great variety and long hours.
Cajitas (take-out meals in cardboard boxes) usually cost about CUC$1. Some boxes have cutout spoons on the lid, but most don’t, so you’ll have to supply your own fork (or use part of the box itself as a shovel). You can usually buy cajitas at agropecuarios (vegetable markets); Chinatown is known for its cajitas.
Cubans haven’t really caught onto the idea of coffee ‘to go’ and you’ll get baffled looks if you ask for a coffee para llevar (takeout).
Groceries
HABANA VIEJA
Café Santo Domingo (Obispo No 159 btwn San Ignacio & Mercaderes; 9am-9pm) Some of the best bread and pastries can be procured at this place, downstairs underneath the cafe.
Harris Brothers (O’Reilly No 526; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat) The best-stocked grocery store in Habana Vieja sells everything from fresh pastries to baby’s nappies. It’s just off Parque Central and is open until late.
The local farmers market is called Agropecuario Sol (Sol btwn Habana & Compostela).
CENTRO HABANA
Supermercado Isla de Cuba (cnr Máximo Gómez & Factoría; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) On the southern side of Parque de la Fraternidad, with yogurt, cereals, pasta etc. You have to check your bag outside, to the right of the entrance.
Almacenes Ultra (Av Simón Bolívar No 109; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) A decent supermarket in Centro Habana, at the corner of Rayo, near Av de Italia.
La Época (cnr Av de Italia & Neptuno; 9am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun) A hard-currency department store with a supermarket in the basement. Check your bags outside before entering this epic Havana emporium.
For fresh produce hit the free-enterprise Mercado Agropecuario Egido (Av de Bélgica btwn Corrales & Apodaca).
VEDADO
Supermercado Meridiano (Galerías de Paseo, cnr Calle 1 & Paseo; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sun) Across the street from the Hotel Meliá Cohiba, this supermarket has a good wine and liquor selection, lots of yogurt, cheese and chips.
There are numerous agropecuarios:
- Calles 17 & K (cnr Calles 17 & K) A ‘capped’ market with cheap prices, but limited selection.
- Calles 19 & A (Calle 19 btwn Calles A & B) Havana’s ‘gourmet’ market, with cauliflower, fresh herbs and rarer produce during shoulder seasons.
- Calles 21 & J (cnr Calles 21 & J) Good selection, including potted plants.
- Organopónico Plaza (cnr Av de Colón & Bellavista) One of Havana’s biggest organic farms with a retail market.
- Tulipán (Av Tulipán) This is a huge, ‘capped’ market, with prices set by the government, so it’s cheap.
Return to beginning of chapter
DRINKING
Habana Vieja
La Lluvia de Oro ( 862-9870; Obispo No 316; 24hr) It’s on Obispo and there’s always live music belting through the doorway – so it’s always crowded. But with a higher-than-average jinetero/jinetera to tourist ratio, it might not be your most intimate introduction to Havana. Small snacks are available and the musicians ‘hat’ comes round every three songs.
La Bodeguita del Medio ( 86-68-87; Empedrado No 207; 11am-midnight) Made famous thanks to the rum-swilling exploits of Ernest Hemingway (who by association instantly sends the prices soaring), a visit to Havana’s most celebrated bar has become de rigueur for literary sycophants and wannabe writers. Past visitors have included Salvador Allende, Fidel Castro, Nicolás Guillén, Harry Belafonte and Nat King Cole, all of whom have left their autographs on La Bodeguita’s wall – along with thousands of others. These days the clientele is less luminous, with package tourists bussed in from Varadero to delight in the bottled bohemian atmosphere and the CUC$4 mojitos (which, though good, have lost their Hemingway-esque shine). The menu specialty is comida criolla or ‘the Full Monty’ Cuban-style (CUC$14).
Café París (Obispo No 202; 24hr) Jump into the mix by grabbing one of the rough-hewn tables at this Habana Vieja standby, known for its live music and gregarious atmosphere. On good nights, the rum flows, talented musicians jam and spontaneous dancing and singing erupt from the crowd.
Bar La Marina (cnr Oficios & Brasil; 10am-11pm) This pleasant outdoor courtyard with a ‘ceiling’ made out of twisted vines is as an agreeable Old Town nook as any. You can grab a bite to eat, feast on popcorn or just sup quietly on a mojito while the resident band strums along.
Bar Dos Hermanos ( 861-3436; San Pedro No 304; 24hr) Despite its erstwhile Hemingway connections, this bar has (so far) managed to remain off the standard Havana tourist itinerary. Out of the way and a little seedy, it was a favorite watering hole of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca during a three-month stopover in 1930. With its long wooden bar and salty seafaring atmosphere, it can’t have changed much since.
La Dichosa (cnr Obispo & Compostela; 10am-midnight) It’s hard to miss the rowdy La Dichosa on busy Calle Obispo, despite the fact that it doesn’t display its name outside. Small and cramped with at least half the space given over to the resident band, this is a good place to stall for a quick drink before heading off down the road.
Café Taberna ( 861-1637; cnr Brasil & Mercaderes) Founded in 1772 and still glowing after a recent 21st-century makeover, this drinking and eating establishment is a great place to prop up the (impressive) bar and sink a few cocktails before dinner. The music – which gets swinging around 8pm – doffs its cap, more often than not, to one-time resident mambo king Benny Moré. Skip the food.
Taberna de la Muralla ( 866-4453; cnr San Ignacio & Muralla; 11am-midnight) Havana’s only homebrew pub is situated on a boisterous corner of Plaza Vieja. Set up by an Austrian company in 2004, it sells smooth cold homemade beer at sturdy wooden benches set up outside on the cobbles or indoors in an atmospheric beer hall. Get a group together and they’ll serve the amber nectar in a tall plastic tube, which you draw out of a tap at the bottom. There’s also an outside grill.
El Baturro (cnr Av de Bélgica & Merced; 11am-11pm) In the long tradition of drinking houses situated next to train stations, El Baturro is a rough-and-ready Spanish bistro with a long wooden bar and an all-male drinking clientele.
El Floridita ( 867-1300; Obispo No 557; 11am-midnight) Promoting itself as the ‘cradle of the daiquirí,’ El Floridita was a favorite of expat Americans long before Ernest Hemingway dropped by in the 1930s (hence the name, which means ‘little Florida’). A bartender named Constante Ribalaigua invented the daiquirí soon after WWI, but it was Hemingway who popularized it and ultimately the bar christened a drink in his honor: the Papa Hemingway Special (basically, a daiquirí made with grapefruit juice). His record – legend has it – was 13 doubles in one sitting. Any attempt to equal it at the current prices (CUC$6 a single shot) will cost you a small fortune – and a huge hangover.
Alternatively, hit the Monserrate Bar ( 860-9751; Obrapía No 410) a couple of doors down, where daiquirís are half the price due to the fact that Hemingway never drank here.
Centro Habana
Prado No 12 (Paseo de Martí No 12; noon-11pm) A slim flat-iron building on the corner of Prado and San Lázaro that serves drinks and simple snacks, Prado 12 still resembles Havana in a 1950s time-warp. Soak up the serendipitous atmosphere of this amazing city here after a sunset stroll along the Malecón.
Prado & Animas (Paseo de Martí cnr Ánimas No 12; 9am-9pm) Another good old-fashioned Prado place with a time-warped ’50s feel. The cafe also serves simple food and coffee but it’s best for a beer, sitting at one of the window tables beneath the baseball memorabilia (including a picture of a pelota-playing Fidel).
Vedado
Café Fresa y Chocolate (Calle 23 btwn Calles 10 & 12; 9am-11pm) No ice cream here, just movie memorabilia. This is the HQ of the Cuban Film Institute and a nexus for coffee-quaffing students and art-house movie addicts. You can debate the merits of Almodóvar over Scorcese on the pleasant patio before disappearing next door for a film preview.
Bar-Club Imágenes ( 833-3606; Calzada No 602; 9pm-5am) This upscale piano bar attracts something of an older crowd with its regular diet of boleros (ballads) and trova, though there are sometimes comedy shows; check the schedule posted outside. Affordable meals are available (minimum CUC$5).
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ENTERTAINMENT
Folk & Traditional Music
Casa de la Amistad (Map; 830-3114; Paseo No 416 btwn Calles 17 & 19, Vedado) Housed in a beautiful rose-colored mansion on leafy Paseo, the Casa de la Amistad mixes traditional son sounds with suave Benny Moré music in a classic Italian Renaissance–style garden. Buena Vista Social Club luminary, Compay Segundo, was a regular here before his death in 2003 and there is a weekly ‘Chan Chan’ night in his honor. Other perks include a restaurant, bar, cigar shop and the house itself – an Italianite masterpiece.
El Hurón Azul (Map; 832-4551; cnr Calles 17 & H, Vedado) If you want to rub shoulders with some socialist celebrities, hang out with the intellectuals at Hurón Azul, the social club of the Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (Uneac; Union of Cuban Writers and Artists), Cuba’s leading cultural institution. Replete with priceless snippets of Cuba’s under-the-radar cultural life, most performances take place outside in the garden. Wednesday is the Afro-Cuban rumba, Saturday is authentic Cuban boleros, and alternate Thursdays there’s jazz and trova. You’ll never pay more than CUC$5.
El Gato Tuerto (Map; 836-0212; Calle O No 14 btwn Calles 17 & 19, Vedado; drink minimum CUC$5; noon-6am) Once the HQ of Havana’s alternative artistic and sexual scene, the ‘one-eyed cat’ (as Gato Tuerto translates into English) is now a nexus for karaoke-crazy baby-boomers who come here to knock out rum-fuelled renditions of traditional Cuban boleros (ballads). Hidden in a quirky two-story house just off the Malecón, with turtles swimming in a front pool, the upper floor is taken up by a restaurant while down below late-night revelers raise the roof in a chic nightclub.
Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba (Map; Calle 4 No 103 btwn Calzada & Calle 5, Vedado; admission CUC$5; 3pm Sat) Founded in 1962, this high-energy ensemble specializes in Afro-Cuban dancing (all of the drummers are Santería priests). See them perform, and dance along during the regular Sábado de Rumba at El Gran Palenque. This group also performs at Teatro Mella. A major festival called FolkCuba unfolds here biannually during the second half of January.
Callejón de Hamel (Map; Vedado; from noon Sun) Aside from its funky street murals and psychedelic art shops, the main reason to come to Havana’s high temple of Afro-Cuban culture is for the frenetic rumba music that kicks off every Sunday at around noon. For aficionados, this is about as raw and hypnotic as it gets, with interlocking drum patterns and lengthy rhythmic chants powerful enough to summon up the spirit of the orishas (Santería deities). Due to a liberal sprinkling of tourists these days, some argue that the Callejón has lost much of its basic charm. Don’t believe them. This place can still deliver.
Jazz
Jazz Club La Zorra y El Cuervo (Map; 833-2402; cnr Calles 23 & O, Vedado; admission CUC$5-10; 10pm) Havana’s most famous Jazz Club is La Zorra y El Cuervo (the vixen and the crow) on La Rampa, which opens its doors nightly at 10pm to long lines of committed music fiends. Suitably shoehorned into a cramped, smoky basement, the freestyle jazz showcased is second to none and, in the past, the club has hosted such big names as Chucho Valdés and George Benson.
Jazz Café (Map; top fl, Galerías de Paseo, cnr Calle 1 & Paseo, Vedado; drink minimum CUC$10; noon-late) This upscale joint located improbably in a shopping mall overlooking the Malecón is a kind of jazz supper club, with dinner tables and a decent menu. At night, the club swings into action with live jazz, timba and, occasionally, straight-up salsa. It attracts plenty of big-name acts.
Rock, Reggae & Rap
Patio de María (Map; Calle 37 No 262 btwn Paseo & Calle 2, Vedado; admission 5 pesos) Rather unique in Cuba for a number of reasons, the Patio de María, near the Teatro Nacional de Cuba, is a nexus point for Havana’s burgeoning counterculture hosting everything from rock music to poetry readings. Run by María Gattorno, the venue has received heavy media coverage in Cuba and abroad, partly due to Gattorno’s AIDS and drug-prevention educational work. You can catch all kinds of entertainment here from videos and debates to workshops and theater, but the real deal are the rock nights (to canned music) that take off most weekends. Check the cartelera posted at the door or head to Parque de los Rockeros (Calles 23 and G) to find out what’s happening.
La Madriguera (Map; 879-8175; cnr Salvador Allende & Luaces; admission 5-10 pesos) Locals bill it as a ‘hidden place for open ideas,’ while outsiders are bowled over by its musical originality and artistic innovation. Welcome to La Madriguera – home to the Hermanos Saíz organization, the youth wing of Uneac. This is where the pulse of Cuba’s young musical innovators beats the strongest. Come here for arts, crafts, spontaneity and the three Rs: reggaetón (Cuban hip-hop), rap and rumba.
Dance Clubs
Havana’s dance clubs range from suave lounges to wall-vibrating hotel discos that continue well into the small hours. Alternatively you can uncover a more local caliente (hot) scene and mingle congenially with Cubans as they dance energetically to timba, salsa/jazz, reggaetón and rap.
CENTRO HABANA
El Palermo ( 861-9745; cnr San Miguel & Amistad; admission CUC$2; from 11pm Thu-Sun) A hole in the wall with a heavy rap scene. Fun but fuerte (intense).
VEDADO
Cabaret Las Vegas ( 870-7939; Infanta No 104 btwn Calles 25 & 27; admission CUC$5; 10pm-4am) Don’t get duped into thinking this is another Tropicana. On the contrary, Cabaret Las Vegas is a rough and seedy local music dive (with a midnight show) where a little rum and a lot of No moleste, por favor will help you withstand the overzealous entreaties of the hordes of haranguing jineteras.
Salón Chévere (Parque Almendares, cnr Calles 49C & 28A; admission CUC$6-10; from 10pm) One of Havana’s most popular discos, this alfresco place in a lush park setting hosts a good mix of locals and tourists.
Pico Blanco ( 833-3740; Calle O btwn Calles 23 & 25; admission CUC$5-10; 9pm) An insanely popular nightclub, the Pico Blanco is situated on the 14th floor of the Hotel St John’s in Vedado and kicks off nightly at 9pm. The program can be hit or miss. Some nights it’s karaoke and cheesy boleros, another it’s jamming with some rather famous Cuban musicians.
Café Cantante ( 879-0710; cnr Paseo & Calle 39; admission CUC$10; 9pm-5am Tue-Sat) Below the Teatro Nacional de Cuba (side entrance), this place is a hip disco that offers live salsa music and dancing, as well as bar snacks and food. The clientele is mainly ‘yummies’ (young urban Marxist managers) and ageing sugar-daddy tourists with their youthful Cuban girlfriends. And the Café tends to get feistier than the adjacent Piano Bar Delirio Habanero. Musically, there are regular appearances from big-name singers such as Haila María Mompie. No shorts, T-shirts or hats may be worn, and no under-18-year-olds are allowed.
Vedado has a few mixed peso-Convertible discos that are great fun (especially if your budget has blown out), including Club La Red ( 832-5415; cnr Calles 19 & L; admission CUC$3-5) and the ferociously caliente Karachi Club ( 832-3485; cnr Calles 17 & K; admission CUC$3-5; 10pm-5am). To the west are Discoteca Amanecer ( 832-9075; Calle 15 No 12 btwn Calles N & O; admission CUC$3-5; 10pm-4am) and Club Tropical ( 832-7361; cnr Línea & Calle F; 9pm-2am). As with all clubs, late-night Friday and Saturday are best.
Nightclubs
Piano Bar Delirio Habanero (Map; 873-5713; cnr Paseo & Calle 39, Vedado; admission CUC$5; from 6pm Tue-Sun) This suave lounge upstairs in the Teatro Nacional de Cuba hosts everything from young trovadores to smooth, improvised jazz. The deep red couches abut a wall of glass overlooking the Plaza de la Revolución, and it’s stunning at night with the Martí Memorial alluringly backlit. Escape here when the adjoining Café Cantante nightclub gets too hot.
Habana Café (Map; 833-3636; Paseo btwn Calles 1 & 3, Vedado; admission CUC$10; from 9:30pm) A hip and trendy nightclub cum cabaret show at the Hotel Meliá Cohiba laid out in 1950s American retro style. After 1am the tables are cleared and the place rocks to ‘international music’ until the cock crows.
La Casa de la Música Centro Habana (Map; 862-4165; Av de Italia btwn Concordia & Neptuno, Centro Habana; admission CUC$5-25) One of Cuba’s best and most popular (check the queues) nightclubs and live-music venues; all the big names play here, from Bamboleo to Los Van Van – and you’ll pay peanuts to see them. Of the city’s two Casas de la Música, this Centro Habana version is a little edgier than its Miramar counterpart (some have complained it’s too edgy), with big salsa bands and little space. Price varies depending on the band.
Cabaret
Cabaret Nacional (Map; 863-2361; San Rafael No 208, Centro Habana; per couple CUC$10; 9pm-2am) Barely noticeable below the Gran Teatro de La Habana across from Parque Central, this subterranean dance cellar has a show nightly at 11:30pm if enough patrons are present. It’s a little camper than other Havana cabarets and the noise – rather annoyingly if you’re watching the opera – sometimes filters through into the Lorca auditorium next door. There’s a couples-only policy and a ‘no shorts/T-shirts’ dress code.
Cabaret Turquino (Map; Calle L btwn Calles 23 & 25, Vedado; admission CUC$15; from 10pm) Spectacular shows in a spectacular setting on the 25th floor of the Hotel Habana Libre.
Cabaret Parisién (Map; 836-3564; cnr Calles 23 & O, Vedado; admission CUC$35; 9pm) One rung down from the Tropicana, in both price and quality, but this nightly cabaret show in the Hotel Nacional is well worth a look, especially if you’re staying in or around Vedado. It’s the usual mix of frills, feathers and semi-naked women, but the choreography is first class and the whole spectacle has excellent kitsch value.
Copa Room (Map; 836-4051; cnr Paseo & Malecón, Vedado; admission CUC$20; 9pm) Doormen in tuxes and an atmosphere that’s pure 1950s kitsch make the refurbished Copa Room in Meyer Lansky’s Hotel Riviera look like a nostalgic walk through The Godfather II.
Theater
With a well-entrenched and influential arts movement, Havana boasts a theater scene unmatched elsewhere in the Caribbean (and possibly Latin America), even if the auditoriums themselves may sometimes look a little run down.
CENTRO HABANA
Gran Teatro de La Habana ( 861-3077; cnr Paseo de Martí & San Rafael; per person CUC$20; box office 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 3pm Sun) The amazing neo-baroque theater across from Parque Central is the seat of the acclaimed Ballet Nacional de Cuba, founded in 1948 by Alicia Alonso. It is also the home of the Cuban National Opera. A theater since 1838, the building contains the grandiose Teatro García Lorca along with two smaller concert halls, the Sala Alejo Carpentier and the Sala Ernesto Lecuono – where art films are sometimes shown. For upcoming events enquire at the ticket office. Backstage tours of the theater leave throughout the day (CUC$2).
Teatro Fausto ( 863-1173; Paseo de Martí No 201) An eye-catching art-deco theater on Prado, rightly renowned for its sidesplitting comedy shows.
Teatro América ( 862-5695; Av de Italia No 253 btwn Concordia & Neptuno) Housed in a classic art-deco rascacielo (skyscraper) on Galiano (Av de Italia), the América seems to have changed little since its theatrical heyday in the 1930s and ’40s. It plays host to vaudeville variety, comedy, dance, jazz and salsa; shows are normally staged on Saturdays at 8:30pm and Sundays at 5pm. You can also enquire about dance lessons here Click here.
VEDADO
Teatro Nacional de Cuba ( 879-6011; cnr Paseo & Calle 39; per person CUC$10; box office 9am-5pm & before performances) One of the twin pillars of Havana’s cultural life, the Teatro Nacional de Cuba on Plaza de la Revolución is the modern rival to the Gran Teatro in Centro Habana. Built in the 1950s as part of Jean Forestier’s grand city expansion, the complex hosts landmark concerts, foreign theater troupes, La Colmenita children’s company and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The main hall, Sala Avellaneda, stages big events such as musical concerts or plays by Shakespeare, while the smaller Sala Covarrubias along the back side puts on a more daring program (the seating capacity of the two salas combined is 3300). The 9th floor is a rehearsal and performance space where the newest, most experimental stuff happens. The ticket office is at the far end of a separate single-story building beside the main theater.
Teatro Mella ( 833-5651; Línea No 657 btwn Calles A & B) Occupying the site of the old Rodi Cinema on Línea, the Teatro Mella offers one of Havana’s most comprehensive programs, including an International Ballet Festival, comedy shows, theater, dance and intermittent performances from the famous Conjunto Folklórico Nacional. If you have kids, come to the children’s show Sunday at 11am.
Sala Teatro Hubert de Blanck ( 833-5962; Calzada No 657 btwn Calles A & B) This theater is named for the founder of Havana’s first conservatory of music (1885). The Teatro Estudio based here is Cuba’s leading theater company. You can usually see plays in Spanish on Saturday at 8:30pm and on Sunday at 7pm. Tickets are sold just prior to the performance.
Teatro Nacional de Guiñol ( 832-6262; Calle M btwn Calles 17 & 19) This venue has quality puppet shows and children’s theater.
If you understand Spanish, it’s well worth attending some of the cutting-edge contemporary theater that’s a staple of Grupo Teatro Rita Montaner in the Sala Teatro El Sótano ( 832-0833; Calle K No 514 btwn Calles 25 & 27; 5-8:30pm Fri & Sat, 3-5pm Sun), not far from the Habana Libre. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm and Sunday at 5pm. Also check Café Teatro Brecht (cnr Calles 13 & I), where varied performances take place (tickets go on sale one hour before the performance).
Classical Music
Teatro Amadeo Roldán (Map; 832-1168; cnr Calzada & Calle D, Vedado; per person CUC$10) Constructed in 1922 and burnt down by an arsonist in 1977, this wonderfully decorative neoclassical theater was rebuilt in 1999 in the exact style of the original. Named after the famous Cuban composer and the man responsible for bringing Afro-Cuban influences into modern classical music, the theater is one of Havana’s grandest boasting two different auditoriums. The Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional play in the 886-seat Sala Amadeo Roldán, while soloists and small groups are showcased in the 276-seat Sala García Caturla.
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís (Map; Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Habana Vieja; tickets CUC$3-8; from 6pm Thu-Sat) Plaza de San Francisco de Asís’ glorious church, which dates from 1738, has been reincarnated as a 21st-century museum and concert hall. The old nave hosts choral and chamber music two to three times a week (check the schedule at the door) and the acoustics inside are excellent. It’s best to bag your ticket at least a day in advance.
Cinemas
There are about 200 cinemas in Havana. Most have several screenings daily and every theater posts the Cartelera Icaic, which lists show times for the entire city. Tickets are usually CUC$2; queue early. Hundreds of movies are screened throughout Havana during the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano in late November/early December. Schedules are published daily in the Diario del Festival, available in the morning at big theaters and the Hotel Nacional. Here’s a list of the best movie houses:
- Cine 23 & 12 (Map; 833-6906; Calle 23 btwn Calles 12 & 14, Vedado) One of a clutch of well-maintained cinemas on Icaic’s Vedado movie strip.
- Cine Actualidades (Map; 861-5193; Av de Bélgica No 262 btwn Neptuno & Virtudes, Centro Habana) Timeworn place centrally located behind the Hotel Plaza.
- Cine Charles Chaplín (Map; 831-1101; Calle 23 No 1157 btwn Calles 10 & 12, Vedado) An arthouse cinema adjacent to the Icaic HQ. Don’t miss the poster gallery of great Cuban classic films next door or the movie grapevine that is the Café Fresa y Chocolate opposite.
- Cine La Rampa (Map; 878-6146; Calle 23 No 111, Vedado) De Niro seasons, French classics, film festivals; catch them all at this Vedado staple that houses the Cuban film archive.
- Cine Payret (Map; 863-3163; Paseo de Martí No 505, Centro Habana) Opposite the Capitolio, this is Centro Habana’s largest and most luxurious cinema, erected in 1878. Plenty of American movies play here.
- Cine Riviera (Map; 830-9564; Calle 23 No 507 btwn Calles G & H, Vedado) Big pop, rock and sometimes rap concerts happen here. The movies are a myriad of Latin American, European and North American, and the audience has a strong student demographic.
- Cine Trianón (Map; 830-4698; Línea No 706, Vedado) Movies or live theater in a salubrious setting.
- Cine Yara (Map; 832-9430; cnr Calles 23 & L, Vedado) One big screen and two video salas (cinemas) here at Havana’s most famous cinema and the venue for many a hot date.
- Cinecito (Map; 863-8051; San Rafael No 68, Centro Habana) Films for kids behind the Hotel Inglaterra. There’s another one next to Cine Chaplín on Calles 23 & 12.
Sport
Estadio Latinoamericano (Map; 870-6526; Zequiera No 312, Vedado) From October to April, this 58,000-seat baseball stadium in Cerro is home to Los Industriales and Los Metropolitanos (they alternate home fixtures). Entry costs a few pesos (but they like to charge foreigners CUC$1). Games are 7:30pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 1:30pm Saturday and Sunday. The benches are cement – painful after nine innings.
Ciudad Deportiva (Map; cnr Av de la Independencia & Vía Blanca, Vedado; admission 5 pesos) ‘Sport City’ is Cuba’s premier sports training center and big basketball, volleyball, boxing and track contests happen at the coliseum here. The P-2 metro bus from Línea & Av de los Presidentes (Calle G) stops across the street.
Sala Polivalente Ramón Fonst (Map; 881-4196; Av de la Independencia, Vedado; admission 1 peso) Basketball and volleyball games are held at this tatty-looking stadium opposite the main bus station.
For boxing, try Kid Chocolate (Map; 861-1546; Paseo de Martí, Centro Habana), directly opposite the Capitolio, which usually hosts matches on Friday at 7pm, or Gimnasio de Boxeo Rafael Trejo (Map; 862-0266; Cuba No 815 btwn Merced & Leonor Pérez, Habana Vieja). Here you can see matches on Friday at 7pm (CUC$1) or drop by any day after 4pm to watch the training. Travelers interested in boxing can find a trainer here. Enquire within; they’re very friendly.
Havana, with its spectacular Malecón sea drive, boasts one of the world’s most scenic municipal jogging routes. The sidewalk from the Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta to the outer borders of Miramar measures 8km, though you can add on a few extra meters for holes in the pavement, splashing waves, veering jineteros and old men with fishing lines.
The recent upsurge in fume-belching traffic has meant that the air along the Malecón has become increasingly polluted. If you can handle it, run first thing in the morning.
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SHOPPING
Art Galleries
The art scene in Havana is cutting edge and ever changing, and collectors, browsers and admirers will find many galleries in which to while away hours. The following list is just a pinprick; there are at least a dozen studios in Calle Obispo alone. For gallery events, look for the free Arte en La Habana, a triquarterly listings flyer (the San Cristóbal agency on Plaza de San Francisco de Asís usually has them; Click here).
HABANA VIEJA
Casa de Carmen Montilla ( 866-8768; Oficios No 164; 10:30am-5:30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) An important art gallery named after a celebrated Venezuelan painter who maintained a studio here until her death in 2004. Spread across three floors, the house exhibits the work of Montilla and other popular Cuban and Venezuelan artists. The rear courtyard features a huge ceramic mural by Alfredo Sosabravo.
Estudio Galería Los Oficios ( 863-0497; Oficios No 166; 10am-5:30pm Mon-Sat) Pop into this gallery to see the large, hectic but intriguing canvasses by Nelson Domínguez, whose workshop is upstairs.
Taller de Serigrafía René Portocarrero ( 862-3276; Cuba No 513 btwn Brasil & Muralla; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri) Paintings and prints by young Cuban artists are exhibited and sold here (from CUC$30 to CUC$150). You can also see the artists at work.
CENTRO HABANA
Galería La Acacia ( 861-3533; San Martín No 114 btwn Industria & Consulado; 10am-3:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat) This important gallery behind the Gran Teatro de La Habana has paintings by leading artists like Zaida del Río, plus antiques. Export permits are arranged.
VEDADO
Sevando Galería del Arte ( 833-9399; cnr Calles 23 & 10; 9am-6pm Tue-Sat) This cool gallery next to the Cine Chaplín and opposite the Icaic headquarters is in an arty part of town and displays some interesting modern paintings and prints. Be sure to check out the Cuban movie-poster gallery on the other side of the cinema (two doors away).
Galería Habana ( 832-7101; Línea No 460 btwn Calles E & F; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) This wonderful space in the heart of Vedado shows contemporary Cuban art in big, bright galleries. Come here to see what’s new and different.
Galería de Arte Latinoamericano (cnr Calles 3 & G; admission CUC$2; 10am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Situated inside the Casa de las Américas and featuring art from all over Latin America.
Other galleries worth a peek in Vedado are the Centro de Arte 23 & 12 (cnr Calles 12 & 23; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat) for contemporary Cuban art and the gallery at Uneac (cnr Calles 17 & H).
Shops & Markets
For photo services and camera needs, try outlets in the Hotel Habana Libre and the Hotel Nacional. There’s also the Galerías de Paseo (opposite).
HABANA VIEJA
Calle Mercaderes has some fantastic old stores restored by the City Historian’s office.
Habana 1791 ( 861-3525; Mercaderes No 156 btwn Obrapía & Lamparilla) A specialist shop that sells perfume made from tropical flowers, Havana 1791 retains the air of a working museum. Floral fragrances are mixed by hand and you can see the petals drying in a laboratory out the back.
Palacio de la Artesanía (Cuba No 64; 9am-7pm) A former 18th-century colonial palace turned into a shopping mall – the Americans could learn from this! Gathered around a shaded central patio is one-stop shopping for souvenirs, cigars, crafts, musical instruments, CDs, clothing and jewelry at fixed prices. Join the gaggles of tour-bus escapees and fill your bag.
Feria de la Artesanía (Tacón btwn Tejadillo & Chacón; Wed-Sat) Havana’s best open-air handicraft market sells all kinds of interesting souvenirs – paintings, guayabera shirts, woodwork, leather items, jewelry and numerous apparitions of the highly marketable El Che. If you thought communism had put an end to the fine art of business negotiation, try out your haggling skills with the amiable stall holders here. If you buy paintings, make sure you arrange an export license (Click here).
Longina Música ( 862-8371; Obispo No 360 btwn Habana & Compostela; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun) This place on the pedestrian mall has a good selection of CDs, plus musical instruments such as bongos, guitars, maracas, guiros and tumbadoras (conga drums). It often places loudspeakers in the street outside to grab the attention of passing tourists.
For rum check out the Fundación Havana Club shop (San Pedro No 262; 9am-9pm); for cigars try the Casa del Habano (Mercaderes No 120) in the Museo de Tabaco.
CENTRO HABANA
El Bulevar (San Rafael btwn Paseo de Martí & Av de Italia) This is the pedestrianized part of Calle San Rafael just behind the Hotel Inglaterra. Come here for peso snacks and surprises and 1950s shopping nostalgia.
La Manzana de Gómez (cnr Agramonte & San Rafael) This faded but elegant European-style covered shopping arcade built in 1910 is full of shabby, half-empty stores. Opposite the Plaza hotel is El Orbe bike rentals.
Area de Vendedores por Cuenta Propia (Máximo Gómez No 259; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat) This is a permanent flea market where you can pick up Santería beads, old books, leather belts etc.
VEDADO
La Habana Sí (cnr Calles 23 & L; 10am-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm Sun) This shop opposite the Hotel Habana Libre has a good selection of CDs, cassettes, books, crafts and postcards.
Feria de la Artesanía (Malecón btwn Calles D & E; from 10:30am, closed Wed) This artisan market has much of the same as its Habana Vieja counterpart, with a few handmade shoes and sandals, and some old stamps and coins thrown in for good measure.
ARTex ( 832-9430; cnr Calles 23 & L) A fabulous selection of old movie posters, antique postcards, T-shirts and, of course, all the greatest Cuban films on videotape are sold at this shop inside the cinema.
Galerías de Paseo (cnr Calle 1 & Paseo; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Across the street from the Hotel Meliá Cohiba, this place is a surprisingly upscale shopping center with Adidas and Chanel labels and even a car dealership. It sells designer clothes and other consumer items to tourists and affluent Cubans.
Plaza Carlos III (Av Salvador Allende btwn Arbol Seco & Retiro; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) After Plaza América in Varadero, this is probably Cuba’s flashiest shopping mall – and there’s barely a foreigner in sight. Step in on a Saturday and see the double economy working at a feverish pitch.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Cubana Airlines (Map; 834-4446; Calle 23 No 64 cnr Infanta, Vedado; 8:30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-noon Sat) has its head office at the Malecón end of the Airline Building on La Rampa. You can buy international or domestic tickets here. If it’s packed, try the helpful Sol y Son (Map; 833-3647; fax 33-51-50; Calle 23 No 64 btwn Calle P & Infanta, Vedado; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-noon Sat) travel agency a few doors down.
Aerocaribbean (Map; 832-7584; Airline Bldg, Calle 23 No 64, Vedado) is another airline with domestic services.
Boat
Buses connecting with the hydrofoil service to Isla de la Juventud leave at 9am from the Terminal de Ómnibus (Map; 878-1841; cnr Av de la Independencia & 19 de Mayo, Vedado), near the Plaza de la Revolución, but they’re often late. You’ll be told to arrive at least an hour before the bus to buy your ticket and it’s best to take heed of this advice. Bus/boat combo tickets are sold at the kiosk marked ‘NCC’ between gates 9 and 10 and we found the staff quite unhelpful. Tickets cost CUC$55. Bring your passport.
Bus
Víazul (off Map; 881-1413, 881-5652; www.viazul.com; cnr Calle 26 & Zoológico, Nuevo Vedado) covers most destinations of interest to travelers, in deluxe, air-conditioned coaches. All buses are direct except those to Guantánamo and Baracoa; for these destinations you must change in Santiago de Cuba. You can board all Víazul buses at the inconveniently located terminal 3km southwest of Plaza de la Revolución, or at the Terminal de Ómnibus. Here tickets for Víazul services are sold immediately prior to departure in the Venta de Boletines office. You can get full schedules on the website or at Infotur (Map; Obispo btwn Bernaza & Villegas, Habana Vieja), which also sells tickets requiring you to board at its originating station in Nuevo Vedado.
Havana-bound, you can usually get off the Víazul bus from Varadero/Matanzas in Centro Habana right after the tunnel (check with the driver beforehand), but if you arrive from most other points you’ll be let out at the Nuevo Vedado terminal. From here city bus 27 will take you to Vedado or Centro Habana (ask). Alternatively a taxi will cost you a rip-off CUC$10 – unless you negotiate extra hard. Otherwise, if your bus stops at the Terminal de Ómnibus on Av de la Independencia, jump off there.
The 8am, 10am and 12pm buses to Varadero stop at Varadero airport. The 8am service also makes a scheduled stop at the Infotur office in Guanabo, Playas del Este. The two daily Viñales buses are scheduled to stop at Las Terrazas (at the Rancho Curujey). The 9:30am Santiago de Cuba bus stops at Entronque de Jagüey on the Autopista, as do the 8:15am and 1pm buses to Trinidad. The 8:15am Trinidad bus takes a different route from Jagüey via Playa Girón. It can drop you off (on request) at Playa Larga.
Buses to points in the Havana province leave from Apodaca No 53, off Agramonte, near the main train station in Habana Vieja. They go to Güines, Jaruco, Madruga, Nueva Paz, San José, San Nicolás and Santa Cruz del Norte, but expect large crowds and come early to get a peso ticket.
Taxi
Small Lada taxis, operated by Cubataxi, park on Calle 19 de Mayo beside the Terminal de Ómnibus. They charge approximately CUC$0.50 per kilometer. This translates as CUC$70 to Varadero, CUC$80 to Pinar del Río, CUC$140 to Santa Clara, CUC$125 to Cienfuegos and CUC$165 to Trinidad. Up to four people can go for the price. It’s worth considering in a pinch and is perfectly legal.
VíAZUL BUS TIMETABLE
Train
Trains to most parts of Cuba depart from Estación Central de Ferrocarriles (Map; 862-1920, 861-8540; cnr Av de Bélgica & Arsenal), on the southwestern side of Habana Vieja. Foreigners must buy tickets in Convertibles at La Coubre station (Map; 862-1006; cnr Av del Puerto & Desamparados, Habana Vieja; 9am-3pm Mon-Fri). If it’s closed, try the Lista de Espera office adjacent, which sells tickets for trains leaving immediately. Kids under 12 travel half-price.
Cuba’s best train, the Tren Francés (an old French SNCF train), runs every other day between Havana and Santiago stopping in Santa Clara (CUC$17) and Camagüey (CUC$32). It leaves Havana at 7pm and arrives in Santiago the following morning at 9am. There are no sleeper cars, but carriages are comfortable and air-conditioned and there’s a snack service. Tickets cost CUC$62 for 1st class and CUC$50 for 2nd class.
Slower coche motor (cross-island train) services run to Santiago stopping in smaller stations, such as Matanzas (CUC$4), Sancti Spíritus (CUC$13), Ciego de Ávila (CUC$16), Las Tunas (CUC$23), Bayamo (CUC$26), Manzanillo (CUC$28) and Holguín (CUC$27). One train goes as far as Guantánamo (CUC$32). There are separate branch lines to Cienfuegos (CUC$11) and Pinar del Río (CUC$6.50).
The above information is only a rough approximation of what should happen; services are routinely delayed or canceled (including the Tren Francés, which was temporarily out of service at the time of writing). Always double-check scheduling and from which terminal your train will leave.
For information about the electric train from Casablanca to Matanzas, Click here. Suburban trains and local services to points within the Havana province are discussed under Getting Around (below).
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GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí is at Rancho Boyeros, 25km southwest of Havana via Av de la Independencia. There are four terminals here. Terminal 1, on the southeastern side of the runway, handles only domestic Cubana flights. Three kilometers away, via Av de la Independencia, is Terminal 2, which receives flights and charters from Miami and New York and some to and from the Cayman Islands. All other international flights use Terminal 3, a well-ordered, modern facility at Wajay, 2.5km west of Terminal 2. Charter flights on Aerocaribbean, Aerogaviota, Aerotaxi etc to Cayo Largo del Sur and elsewhere use the Caribbean Terminal (also known as Terminal 5), at the northwestern end of the runway, 2.5km west of Terminal 3. (Terminal 4 hasn’t been built yet.) Check carefully which terminal you’ll be using.
Public transport from the airport into central Havana is practically nonexistent. A standard taxi will cost you approximately CUC$20 (40 minutes). You can change money at the bank in the arrivals hall.
True adventurers with light luggage and a tight budget can chance their arm on the P-12 metro bus from the Capitolio or the P-15 from the Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras on the Malecón, both of which go to Santiago de Las Vegas stopping close to the airport (about 1.5km away) on Av Boyeros. This is a lot easier for departing travelers who will have a better knowledge of the local geography.
To/From the Bus Terminal
The Víazul bus terminal is in the suburb of Nuevo Vedado and taxis will charge between CUC$5 and CUC$10 for the ride to central Havana. There are no direct metro buses from central Havana. If you take the P-14 from the Capitolio, you’ll have to get off on Av 51 and walk the last 500m or so.
Bici-taxi
Two-seater bici-taxis will take you anywhere around Centro Habana for CUC$1/2 for a short/long trip, after bargaining. It’s a lot more than a Cuban would pay, but cheaper and more fun than a tourist taxi. Laws prohibit bici-taxis from taking tourists and they may wish to go via a roundabout route through the back streets to avoid police controls – a cheap tour! If they get stopped, it’s them that get the warning/fine, not you.
Bicycle
Havana’s (and Cuba’s) only official bike rental shop, El Orbe (Map; 860-2617; cnr Agramonte & San Rafael, Centro Habana; 9:30am-4:40pm Mon-Sat) in the La Manzana de Gómez shopping center in Centro Habana, was closed at the time of writing. Whether it opens again was a matter of much speculation. The bikes here were passable imports, mainly from Canada, but don’t bank on using them for anything more than a city tour. The best time to cycle in Havana is on a weekend morning when the Malecón is traffic-free and positively sublime. Locks and helmets are a must (El Orbe used to supply them).
Boat
Passenger ferries (Map; 867-3726) shuttle across the harbor to Regla and Casablanca, leaving every 10 or 15 minutes from Muelle Luz, at the corner of San Pedro and Santa Clara, on the southeast side of Habana Vieja. The fare is a flat 10 centavos, but foreigners often get charged CUC$1. Since the ferries were hijacked to Florida in 1994 and again in 2003 (the hijackers never made it outside Cuban waters), security has been tightened. Expect bag searches and airport-style screening.
Car
There are lots of car-rental offices in Havana, so if you’re told there are no cars or there isn’t one in your price range, just try another office or agency. All agencies have offices at Terminal 3 at Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí. Otherwise, there’s a car-rental desk in any three-star (or higher) hotel. Prices for equivalant models are nearly always the same between the companies; it’s called socialismo.
Cubacar ( 835-0000) and/or Havanautos ( 273-2277) – it’s essentially the same government-run company – have desks at most of the big hotels, including: Meliá Cohiba, Meliá Habana, NH Parque Central, Habana Libre, Comodoro and Sevilla.
Rex Rent a Car (Map; 836-7788; cnr Línea & Malecón, Vedado) rents fancy cars for extortionate prices.
Servi-Cupet gas stations are in Vedado at Calles L and 17; Malecón and Calle 15; Malecón and Paseo, near the Riviera and Meliá Cohiba hotels; and on Av de la Independencia (northbound lane) south of Plaza de la Revolución. All are open 24 hours a day.
Guarded parking is available for approximately CUC$1 all over Havana, including in front of the Hotel Sevilla, Hotel Inglaterra and Hotel Nacional.
Public Transport
HAVANA BUS TOUR
The handy new hop on/hop off Havana Bus Tour ( 831-7333; Calle L No 456 btwn Calles 25 & 27) runs on three routes. The main stop is in Parque Central opposite the Hotel Inglaterra. This is the pickup point for bus T1 running from Habana Vieja to the Plaza de la Revolución (via Centro Habana, the Malecón and Calle 23), and bus T3, which runs from Centro Habana to Playas del Este (via Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña). Bus T2 runs from the Plaza de la Revolución (where it connects with T1) to Marina Hemingway (via Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón and Playa). Bus T1 is open-top. All-day tickets are CUC$5. Services run from 9am to 9pm and routes and stops are clearly marked on all bus stops.
BUS
Havana’s bus service has improved immensely in recent years with the introduction of a brand new fleet of Chinese-made ‘bendy’ buses that replaced the famously crowded and dirty camellos (the city’s former metro buses) in 2007. These buses run regularly along 14 different routes, connecting most parts of the city with the suburbs. Fares are 20 centavos (five centavos if you’re using Convertibles), which you deposit into a small slot in front of the driver when you enter.
Cuban buses are crowded and little used by tourists. Beware of pickpockets and guard your valuables closely.
All bus routes have the prefix P before their number:
- P-1 Diezmero – Playa (via Virgen del Camino, Vedado, Línea, Av 3)
- P-2 Diezmero – Línea y G (via Vibora & Ciudad Deportiva)
- P-3 Alamar–Túnel de Línea (via Virgen del Camino & Vibora)
- P-4 San Agustín – Terminal de Trenes (via Playa, Calle 23, La Rampa)
- P-5 San Agustín – Terminal de Trenes (via Lisa, Av 31, Línea, Av de Puerto)
- P-6 Calvario – La Rampa (via Vibora)
- P-7 Cotorro – Capitolio (via Virgen del Camino)
- P-8 Calvario – Villa Panamericano (via Vibora, Capitolio & harbor tunnel)
- P-9 Vibora – Lisa (via Cuatro Caminos, La Rampa, Calle 23, Av 41)
- P-10 Vibora – Playa (via Altahabana & Calle 100)
- P-11 Alamar – G y 27 (via harbor tunnel)
- P-12 Santiago de Las Vegas – Capitolio (via Av Boyeros)
- P-13 Santiago de Las Vegas – Vibora (via Calabazar)
- P-14 San Agustín – Capitolio (via Lisa & Av 51)
- P-15 Santiago de Las Vegas – Hermanos Ameijeiras (via Av Boyeros & Calle G)
- P-16 Hospital Naval – Playa (via Calle 100 & Lisa)
Older buses still run along some cross-town routes (eg bus 400 to Playas del Este) but there are no printed timetables or route maps. Individual services have been mentioned in this chapter where appropriate.
Taxi
Metered tourist taxis are readily available at all of the upscale hotels, with the air-conditioned Nissan taxis charging higher tariffs than the non-air-conditioned Ladas. The cheapest official taxis are operated by Panataxi ( 55-55-55), with CUC$1 starting fare, then CUC$0.50 a kilometer. Tourist taxis charge CUC$1 a kilometer and can be ordered from Havanautos Taxi ( 73-22-77) and Transgaviota ( 206-9793). Taxi OK ( 204-0000, 877-6666) is based in Miramar. Drivers of the tourist taxis are government employees who work for a peso salary.
The cheapest taxis are the older yellow-and-black Ladas, which are state-owned but rented out to private operators. They won’t wish to use their meters, as these are set at an unrealistically low rate, but you can bargain over the fare. They’re not supposed to pick up passengers within 100m of a tourist hotel.
Private pirate taxis (ie those that aren’t supposed to take foreigners) with yellow license plates are a bit cheaper, but you must agree on the fare before getting into the car, and carry exact change. There are usually classic-car taxis parked in front of the Hotel Inglaterra.
Walking
Yes, walking! It’s what the gas-starved Habaneros have been doing for decades. Most parts of Habana Vieja, Centro Habana and Vedado can be easily navigated on foot if you’re energetic and up for some exercise. You’ll see a lot more of of the local street life in the process.
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OUTER HAVANA
Splaying out on three sides from the downtown district, Havana’s suburbs are full of quirky and easy-to-reach sights and activities that can make interesting day and half-day trips from the city center. Playa boasts a decent aquarium, top-class conference facilities and Cuba’s best restaurants; Guanabacoa and Regla are famous for their Afro-Cuban religious culture; and the bayside forts of La Cabaña and El Morro exhibit some of the island’s most impressive military architecture.
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PLAYA & MARIANAO
The municipality of Playa, west of Vedado across the Río Almendares, is a paradoxical mix of prestigious residential streets and tough proletarian housing schemes.
Gracious Miramar is a leafy neighborhood of broad avenues and weeping laurel trees where the traffic moves more sedately and diplomats’ wives – clad in sun visors and Lycra leggings – go for gentle afternoon jogs along Av Quinta (Fifth Avenue). Many of Havana’s foreign embassies are housed here in old pre-Revolution mansions, and business travelers and conference attendees flock in from around the globe to make use of some of Cuba’s grandest and most luxurious facilities. If you’re interested primarily in sightseeing and entertainment, commuting to Vedado or Habana Vieja is a nuisance and an expense. However, some of the best salsa clubs, discos and restaurants are out this way and the casas particulares are positively luxurious.
Cubanacán plays host to many of Havana’s business or scientific fairs and conventions, and it is also where several specialized medical institutes are situated. Despite the austerity of the período especial, vast resources have been plowed into biotechnological and pharmaceutical research institutes in this area. Yachties, anglers and scuba divers will find themselves using the Marina Hemingway at Playa’s west end.
Marianao is world-famous for the Tropicana Nightclub, but locally it’s known as a tough, in parts rough neighborhood with a powerful Santería community and a long history of social commitment.
Information
INTERNET ACCESS & TELEPHONE
- Hotel Business Centers (Hotel Meliá Habana; Av 3 btwn Calles 76 & 80, Miramar) Meliá Habana charges CUC$7 per half-hour for internet access. Also try the Aparthotel Montehabana (p157O) and the Occidental Miramar.
MEDICAL SERVICES
- Clínica Central Cira García ( 204-2811; Calle 20 No 4101 cnr Av 41, Playa; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, emergencies 24hr) Emergency, dental and medical consultations for foreigners (consultations CUC$25 to CUC$35).
- Farmacia Internacional Miramar ( 204-4350; cnr Calles 20 & 43, Playa; 9am-5:45pm) Across the road from Clínica Central Cira García.
- Pharmacy ( 204-2880; Calle 20 No 4104 cnr Calle 43, Playa; 24hr) In Clínica Central Cira García; one of the city’s best.
- Spa Club Comodoro ( 204-5049; Hotel El Comodoro, cnr Av 3 & Calle 84, Miramar) Treatments for stress, relaxation, beauty and fitness; also a pharmacy.
MONEY
- Banco Financiero Internacional Miramar ( 203-9762; Sierra Maestra Bldg, cnr Av 1 & Calle 0); Playa ( 267-5500; cnr Av 5 & Calle 92)
- Cadeca Miramar ( 204-9327; Av 5A btwn Calles 40 & 42; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun); Playa ( 204-9087; cnr Av 3 & Calle 70)
POST
- DHL ( 204-1578; cnr Av 1 & Calle 26, Miramar; 8am-8pm)
- Post office (Calle 42 No 112 btwn Avs 1 & 3, Miramar; 8am-11:30am & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-11:30am Sat)
TOURIST INFORMATION
- Infotur ( 204-7036; cnr Av 5 & Calle 112, Playa; 8:30am-5pm Mon-Sat, 8:30am-noon Sun) Oddly located but informative office.
TRAVEL AGENCIES
All of the following agencies sell the organized tours listed in the Downtown Havana section (Click here).
- Cubanacán ( 204-8500) Desk in Hotel Meliá Habana.
- Gaviota ( 204-4411; cnr Av 49 & 36, Kohly)
- Havanatur ( 204-7541; Sierra Maestra Bldg, cnr Av 1 & Calle 0, Miramar; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat)
Sights
MIRAMAR
The fascinating museum at the Fundación Naturaleza y El Hombre ( 204-0438; Av 5B No 6611 btwn Calles 66 & 70, Playa; admission CUC$3; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri) displays artifacts from the 17,422km canoe trip from the Amazon source to sea led by Cuban intellectual and anthropologist Antonio Nuñez Jiménez in 1987. Other exhibits in a truly astounding museum include one of Cuba’s largest photography collections, books written by the prolific Nuñez Jiménez, the famous Fidel portrait by Guayasamín stalactites, and ‘the glass house’ – glass cases containing all kinds of intriguing ephemera from the founder’s life. The museum is a foundation and one of Havana’s most rewarding.
If you thought the Maqueta de La Habana Vieja was impressive, check out the Pabellón para la Maqueta de la Capital ( 202-7303; Calle 28 No 113 btwn Avs 1 & 3; admission CUC$3; 9:30am-5pm Tue-Sat), an ultramodern pavilion containing a huge 1:1000 scale model of the whole city originally created for urban-planning purposes, but now a tourist attraction. Nearby, the two parks on Av 5, between Calles 24 and 26, with their immense banyan trees and dark lanes, are an atmospheric pocket.
The Acuario Nacional ( 202-5872; cnr Av 3 & Calle 62; adult/child CUC$5/3; 10am-10pm Tue-Sun) is a Havana institution founded in 1960 that gets legions of annual visitors, particularly since its 2002 revamp. In the environment context, this place leaves all other Cuban acuarios (aquatic centers) and delfinarios (dolphin shows) in the shade (which isn’t saying much). For a start, it’s designed to be both educational and conservationist. Saltwater fish are the specialty, but there are also sea lions, dolphins and lots of running-around room for kids. Dolphin performances are almost hourly from 11am, with the final show at 9pm; admission price includes the show.
The Stalinist obelisk that dominates the skyline halfway down Av Quinta is the Russian Embassy (Av 5 No 6402 btwn Calles 62 & 66, Playa). More aesthetically pleasing is the domed Iglesia Jesús de Miramar (cnr Av 5 & Calle 82, Playa), a gigantic neo-Romanesque church.
MARIANAO
The former Cuartel Colombia military airfield at Marianao is now a school complex called Ciudad Libertad. Pass through the gate to visit the inspiring Museo de la Alfabetización ( 260-8054; admission free; 8am-noon & 1-4:30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat), which describes the 1961 literacy campaign, when 100,000 youths aged 12 to 18 spread out across Cuba to teach reading and writing to farmers, workers and the aged. In the center of the traffic circle, opposite the entrance to the complex, is a tower in the form of a syringe in memory of Carlos Juan Finlay, who discovered the cause of yellow fever in 1881.
CUBANACáN
The leading art academy in Cuba is the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA; Calle 120 No 1110), established in the former Havana Country Club in 1961 and elevated to the status of institute in 1976. The cluster of buildings – some unfinished, some half-restored, but all gloriously graceful due to the arches, domes and profuse use of red brick – was the brainchild of Che Guevara and a team of architects. Among them was Ricardo Porro, who designed the striking Facultad de Artes Plásticas (1961) with long curving passageways and domed halls in the shape of a reclining woman. Some 800 students study here, and foreigners can too (Click here).
Also known as the Havana Convention Center, the Palacio de las Convenciones ( 208-5199; Calle 146 btwn Avs 11 & 13) is one of Cuba’s most dramatic modern buildings. Built for the Nonaligned Conference in 1979, the four interconnecting halls contain a state-of-the-art auditorium with 2101 seats and 11 smaller halls. The 589-member National Assembly meets here twice a year and the complex hosts more than 50,000 conference attendees annually. Not far from here is Pabexpo ( 271-6614; cnr Av 17 & Calle 180), 20,000 sq meters of exhibition space in four interconnecting pavilions that hosts about 15 trade shows a year.
Many of Cuba’s cutting-edge scientific and medical facilities are out here, including Centro de Ingenería Genética y Biotecnología (CIGB; 271-6022; cnr Av 31 & Calle 190), the focus of Cuba’s genetic engineering and biotechnology research; the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas (Cenic; 208-2546; cnr Av 25 & Calle 158), where the anticholesterol wonder drug Ateromixol, or PPG, was created; and the Centro Internacional de Restauración Neurológica (Ciren; 271-6844; cnr Av 25 & Calle 158), where Cuba has developed breakthrough neurological treatments. All these installations are heavily guarded, so unless you’re a patient, don’t even think about visiting.
Museo del Aire ( 271-0632; Calle 212 btwn Avs 29 & 31, La Lisa; unguided/guided CUC$2/3, camera CUC$2; 9am-4pm Tue-Sun) has 22 planes and helicopters on display, most of them ex-military aircraft. Don’t miss Che Guevara’s personal Cessna 310, or the space suit used by Cuba’s first cosmonaut.
Activities
There are many water activities available at Marina Hemingway in Barlovento, 20km west of central Havana. Fishing trips can be arranged at Marlin Náutica ( 204-6848; cnr Av 5 & Calle 248, Barlovento) from CUC$150 for four anglers and four hours of bottom fishing, and CUC$280 for four anglers and four hours of deep-sea fishing. Included are a captain, sailor, open bar and tackle. Marlin season is June to October. Scuba packages for CUC$35 per dive and tours of Havana’s littoral (CUC$60 in a catamaran) can also be arranged. Hotel tour desks should also be able to arrange these things.
La Aguja Marlin Diving Center ( 204-5088; cnr Av 5 & 248, Barlovento), between Cubanacán Náutica and the shopping center, offers scuba diving for CUC$30 per dive, plus CUC$5 for gear. It has one morning and one afternoon departure. A diving excursion to Varadero or Playa Girón can also be arranged. Reader reviews have been favorable.
Sleeping
MIRAMAR
Casas Particulares
Marta Rodríguez ( 203-8596; Calle 42 No 914; r CUC$40; ) There aren’t so many casas in Miramar, but Marta’s could be worth the trip. There are art-deco beds, TV, VCR, a music system and lots of space in the two rooms here. Look for the shiny 1959 Mercedes parked outside.
If Marta’s full, try Rina & Geraldo ( 202-4112; Av 3A No 8610 btwn Calles 86 & 88, Playa; r CUC$25-30), who rent two clean rooms, one with a sun terrace.
Hotels
Hostal Costa Sol ( 202-8269; Calle 60 No 307, Miramar; s/d CUC$25/36) Operated by the Ministerio de Educación Superior, this small cheap place with 11 rooms is Miramar’s only true bargain. Cubans are the premier guests, so don’t expect tourist-style luxuries, though there’s an OK restaurant and the staff is friendly enough. Phone ahead rather than turn up as this place is sometimes block-booked.
Hotel El Bosque (Gaviota; 204-9232; Calle 28A btwn Calles 49A & 49B, Kohly; s/d CUC$45/60; ) Economical and grossly underrated, El Bosque is the better and less costly arm of the Gaviota-run Kohly-Bosque complejo (complex). Clean and friendly, the hotel lies on the banks of the Río Almendares surrounded by the Bosque de La Habana – the city’s green lungs – and is a good (and rare) midrange choice in this neck of the woods. The 54 rooms are small but functional, there’s 24-hour internet, and out back a pleasant terrace overlooks the wooded slopes of the nearby river.
Hotel Kohly (Gaviota; 204-0240; cnr Calles 49A & 36, Kohly; s/d CUC$50/65; ) Just up the road, the Kohly is similarly priced to El Bosque and makes up for its utilitarian exterior with an inviting swimming pool and excellent pizza restaurant which is often open until late.
Aparthotel Montehabana (Gaviota; 206-9595; Calle 70 btwn Avs 5A & 7, Playa; s/d/tr CUC$60/80/110; ) This modern Gaviota giant opened in December 2005 with the promise of something a little different. One hundred and one of the rooms here are apartments with living rooms and fully equipped kitchens – a great opportunity to hit the Havana markets and find out how the Cubans cook. To help you in the kitchen there are microwaves, refrigerators, toasters and coffee machines – even your own cutlery. If you’re not up to cooking, the restaurant does a CUC$8 breakfast and a CUC$15 dinner buffet. Elsewhere the facilities are shiny and new with 24-hour internet, car rental and an on-site minimarket. Guests can use the pool at the Hotel Occidental Miramar next door.
Hotel El Comodoro (Cubanacán; 204-5551; cnr Av 3 & Calle 84, Playa; s/d CUC$65/90; ) Right on the coast with its own man-made beach (and ugly sea wall), this sprawling complex is a maze of shops, restaurants and accommodation, both old and new. The tatty main four-story building dates from 1952 and was last refurbished in 1987 (it shows). Elsewhere the two-story cabañas and bungalows, interspersed with a seemingly endless mishmash of swimming pools, are rather more attractive. There’s a tangible resort atmosphere here and with its varied shops and reputable spa, the Comodoro is pretty self-contained.
Hotel Chateau Miramar (Cubanacán; 204-0224; Av 1 btwn Calles 60 & 70, Playa; s/d CUC$90/125; ) It’s marketed as a ‘boutique hotel,’ but read between the lines – this château ain’t no Loire Valley retreat. Still, techno addicts will appreciate the free internet, flat-screen TV and direct international phone service that come with the otherwise mediocre rooms.
Panorama Hotel Habana (Gaviota; 204-0100; cnr Av 3 & Calle 70; s/d CUC$95/120; ) Gaviota’s flashy ‘glass cathedral’ on Playa’s rapidly developing hotel strip opened in 2003. The rather strange aesthetics – acres of blue-tinted glass – improve once you step inside the monumental lobby where ultramodern elevators whisk you promptly up to one of 317 airy rooms that offer great views over Miramar and beyond. Extra facilities include a business center, a photo shop, numerous restaurants and a spacious and shapely swimming pool. But, shrinking you in its scale, the Panorama is almost too big, giving the place a rather deserted and antiseptic feel.
Occidental Miramar (Gaviota; 204-3584; fax 204-3583; cnr Av 5 & Calle 74; s/d CUC$100/130; ) Formerly the Novotel, this 427-room colossus was taken over by Gaviota a few years back and has benefited as a result. Professional staff, great business facilities and high standards of service throughout are par for the course here. There are also plenty of sporty extras if the isolated location starts to grate, including tennis courts, a swimming pool, sauna, gym and games room.
Hotel Meliá Habana (Cubanacán; 204-8500; Av 3 btwn Calles 76 & 80; r CUC$220; ) Ugly outside but beautiful within, Miramar’s gorgeous Hotel Meliá Habana, which opened in 1998, is one of the city’s best run and best equipped accommodation options. The 409 rooms (four of which are wheelchair-accessible) are positioned around a salubrious lobby abundant in hanging vines, marble statues and gushing water features, while outside Cuba’s largest and most beautiful swimming pool stands next to a desolate, rocky shore. Throw in polite, punchy service, an excellent buffet restaurant, and the occasional room discount, and you could be swayed.
CUBANACáN
There are two hotels in this neighborhood where you might end up if you’re here for an organized activity/conference.
Hotel Bello Caribe (Cubanacán; 273-9906; cnr Av 31 & Calle 158; s/d CUC$50/67; ) Next to the huge Centro de Ingenería Genética y Biotecnología, this hotel has 120 rooms often used by foreigners undergoing treatment at the nearby medical facilities.
Hotel Palco (Cubanacán; 204-7235; Calle 146 btwn Avs 11 & 13; s/d CUC$91/111; ) Two kilometers to the north and attached to the Palacio de las Convenciones, the Palco is a top business hotel normally block-booked by foreigners in town to attend a conference/symposium/product launch.
MARINA HEMINGWAY
Hotel Acuario (Cubanacán; 204-6336; cnr Aviota & Calle 248; s/d CUC$60/90; ) You really shouldn’t come to Marina Hemingway for the hotels. With the El Viejo y el Mar currently hosting medical patients from Venezuela, the only real option for foreign travelers is the strung-out Acuario, splayed between two of the harbor channels and infested with cheap out-of-date furnishings. If you’re booked for an early morning diving excursion, this place might just qualify, otherwise stay in Havana and count your blessings.
Eating
Playa contains some of Havana’s and Cuba’s best paladares, most of them situated in beautiful early 20th-century mansions with alfresco dining options. There are also some surprisingly good state-run restaurants. It’s worth the CUC$5 to CUC$10 taxi fare from the city center to eat out here.
PLAYA & MARIANAO
Paladar Los Cactus de 33 ( 203-5139; Av 33 No 3405 btwn Calles 34 & 36, Playa; noon-midnight) Reviewed in international lifestyle magazines and used as a setting on Cuban TV, this place has impeccable service, elegant surroundings, well-prepared food and outrageous prices, once you’ve factored in the taxi fare (it’s well out of the way). Bank on a minimum of CUC$20 for the house special, chicken breast with mushrooms, olives and cheese.
MIRAMAR
Pan.com ( 204-4232; cnr Av 7 & Calle 26; 10am-midnight) Not an internet cafe but a haven of Havana comfort food with hearty sandwiches, fantastic burgers and ice-cream milkshakes to die for. Join the diplomats under the airy front canopy.
Casa Española ( 206-9644; cnr Calle 26 & Av 7; noon-midnight) A medieval parody built in the Batista-era by the silly-rich Gustavo Guitérrez y Sánchez, this crenellated castle in Miramar recently found new life as a Spanish-themed restaurant cashing in on the Don Quijote legend. The ambience is rather fine, if you don’t mind suits of armor watching you as you tuck into paella, Spanish omelet or lanja cerdo al Jerez (Jerez-style pork fillet).
Dos Gardenias ( 204-2353; cnr Av 7 & Calle 28; noon-midnight) You can choose from grill, Chinese and pasta restaurants in this complex, which is also famous as a bolero hot spot. Stick around to hear the singers belting out the ballads later on.
Paladar Mi Jardín ( 203-4627; Calle 66 No 517; noon-midnight) The rare Cuban menu that offers chicken mole or tacos and quesadillas makes this Mexican place a keeper. Dining beneath the vine-covered trellis in the garden is recommended, as is the house special, fish Veracruz.
El Aljibe ( 204-1583/4; Av 7 btwn Calles 24 & 26; noon-midnight) On paper a humble Palmares restaurant, but in reality a rip-roaring culinary extravaganza, El Aljibe has been delighting both Cuban and foreign diplomatic taste buds for years. The furor surrounds the gastronomic mysteries of just one dish, the obligatory pollo asado (roast pork), which is served up with as-much-as-you-can-eat helpings of white rice, black beans, fried plantain, French fries and salad. The accompanying bitter orange sauce is said to be a state secret.
Paladar La Cocina de Lilliam ( 209-6514; Calle 48 No 1311 btwn Avs 13 & 15; noon-midnight) Slick service, secluded ambience and freshly cooked food to die for, La Cocina de Lilliam has all the ingredients of a prize-winning restaurant par excellence. Set in an illustrious villa in Miramar and surrounded by a garden of trickling fountains and lush tropical plants, diners can tuck into such Cuban rarities as chicken mousse and tuna bruschetta in an atmosphere more European than Caribbean. Not a cheese and ham sandwich in sight!
Paladar Calle 10 ( 205-3970; Calle 10 No 314 btwn Avs 3 & 5; noon-3pm & 6-11pm) Paladar Calle 10 is situated in – ur – Calle 10 in the ‘posh’ Miramar neighborhood and, while the name might be a little unimaginative, the food certainly isn’t. Set up barbecue-style in the owner’s back garden, the alfresco seating is arranged under an attractive thatched canopy and the printed menu is both varied and adventurous. Delicious main dishes include octopus (CUC$5), ropa vieja (CUC$7) and a tempting chicken in balsamic vinegar (CUC$8). Portions are huge and arrive with assorted roasted vegetables and a memorable pureed potato. There are even profiteroles for dessert.
Paladar La Fontana ( 202-8337; Av 3A No 305) Havana discovers the barbecue or, more to the point, the full-on charcoal grill. Huge portions of meat and fish are served up in this amiable villa-cum-paladar, so go easy on the starters which include crab mixed with eggplant, quail eggs and fried chickpeas. La Fontana specializes in just about everything you’ll never see elsewhere in Cuba, from lasagna to huge steaks. Big-shot reviews from the Cigar Aficionado and the Chicago Tribune testify the burgeoning legend.
Paladar Vista Mar ( 203-8328; Av 1 btwn Calles 22 & 24; noon-midnight) The Paladar Vista Mar is in the 2nd-floor family-room-turned-restaurant of a private residence in Miramar that faces the sea. The oceanside ambience is embellished by a beautiful swimming pool that spills its water into the sea. If enjoying delicious seafood dishes overlooking the crashing ocean sounds enticing, this could be your bag. Most mains run from CUC$8 to CUC$15 with salad.
La Esperanza ( 202-4361; Calle 16 No 105 btwn Avs 1 & 3; 6:30-11pm, closed Thu) Few would disagree that the food, ambience and gastronomic creativity showcased at this unassuming Miramar paladar puts it among Havana’s (and undoubtedly Cuba’s) best eating establishments. While unspectacular from the street, the interior of this house is a riot of quirky antiques, old portraits and refined 1940s furnishings. The food, which is produced in a standard-sized family kitchen, includes such exquisite dishes as pollo luna de miel (chicken flambéed in rum), fish marinated in white wine, lemon and garlic, and a lamb brochette.
Don Cangrejo ( 204-4169; Av 1 No 1606 btwn Calles 16 & 18; noon-midnight) Right on the seafront, this unique seafood restaurant is run by the Ministry of Fisheries and scores high points for atmosphere and service. Fresh fish dishes include red snapper, grouper and prawns (CUC$8 to CUC$12), while lobster plucked from the pit on the terrace comes in at CUC$20 to CUC$25.
El Tocororo ( 202-4530; Calle 18 No 302; meals CUC$12-35; noon-midnight) Once considered (along with El Aljibe) to be one of Havana’s finest government-run restaurants, El Tocororo has lost ground to its competitors in recent years and is often criticized for being overpriced. Nonetheless, the candlelit tables and inviting garden are still worth a visit, while the unprinted menu, with such luxuries as lobster’s tail and (occasionally) ostrich still has the ability to surprise. El Tocororo also has a small attached sushi bar and restaurant called Sakura.
Supermercado 70 (cnr Av 3 & Calle 70; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Still known as the ‘Diplomercado’ from the days when you had to show a foreign passport to be able to shop here, this place is gigantic by Cuban standards with plenty of selection.
CUBANACáN
El Buganvil ( 271-4791; Calle 190 No 1501 btwn Calles 15 & 17, Siboney; noon-midnight) A solid paladar with a pleasant outdoor plant and thatch setting, this place has sterling service and good comida criolla. The house specialty is loma ahumado (smoked pork loin; CUC$4), but if you get a group of six together, they’ll smoke a whole pig for you.
La Cecilia ( 204-1562; Av 5 No 11010 btwn Calles 110 & 112; noon-midnight) All-time Havana classic, this classy place is up there with El Aljibe in terms of food quality (check out the ropa vieja), but trumps all comers with its big-band music that blasts out on weekend nights inside its large but atmospheric courtyard.
El Palenque (208-8167; cnr Av 17 & Calle 190; Siboney; 10am-10pm) A huge place next to the Pabexpo exhibition center that sprawls beneath a series of open-sided thatched bohíos (traditional Cuban huts), the Palenque offers an extensive menu at prices cheap enough to attract both Cubans and foreigners. The cuisine is Cuban/Italian, with pizzas starting at CUC$3, steak and fries coming in at CUC$9 and lobster mariposa maxing out at CUC$22.
La Ferminia ( 273-6786; Av 5 No 18207, Flores) Havana gets swanky at this memorable restaurant set in an elegant converted colonial mansion in the leafy neighborhood of Flores. Dine inside, in one of a handful of beautifully furnished rooms, or outside on a glorious garden patio – it doesn’t matter. The point is the food. Try the mixed grill, pulled straight from the fire, or lobster tails pan-fried in breadcrumbs. There’s a strict dress code here: no shorts or sleeveless T-shirts (guys). It’s one of the few places where Fidel Castro has dined in public.
MARINA HEMINGWAY
Restaurante La Cova (cnr Av 5 & Calle 248; noon-midnight) In Marina Hemingway, this place vies with Paladar Piccolo in Playas del Este as Havana’s best pizza joint. Part of the Pizza Nova chain, it also does fish, meat and rigatoni a la vodka (CUC$8). The pepperoni topping is purportedly flown in from Canada.
Papa’s Complejo Turístico (cnr Av 5 & Calle 248; noon-3am) There’s all sorts of stuff going on here, from beer-swilling boatmen with Hemingway-esque beards to warbling American Idol wannabes hogging the karaoke machine. The eating options are equally varied, with a posh Chinese place (with dress code) and an outdoor ranchón (rural restaurant). Good fun if there’s enough people.
Entertainment
MIRAMAR
Teatro Karl Marx ( 203-0801, 209-1991; cnr Av 1 & Calle 10) Size-wise the Karl Marx puts other Havana theaters in the shade with a seating capacity of 5500 in a single auditorium. The very biggest events happen here, such as the closing galas for the jazz and film festivals and rare concerts by trovadores like Silvio Rodríguez. In 2001 it hosted Welsh rockers The Manic Street Preachers, the first Western rock band to play live on the island (with Fidel Castro in the audience).
Casa de la Música ( 202-6147; Calle 20 No 3308; admission CUC$5-20; 10pm Tue-Sat) Launched with a concert by renowned jazz pianist Chucho Valdés in 1994, this Miramar favorite is run by national Cuban recording company, Egrem, and the programs are generally a lot more authentic than the cabaret entertainment you see at the hotels. Platinum players such as NG La Banda, Los Van Van and Aldaberto Álvarez y Su Son play here regularly; you’ll rarely pay more than CUC$20. It has a more relaxed atmosphere than its Centro Habana namesake.
MARIANAO
Tropicana Nightclub ( 267-1871; Calle 72 No 4504; 10pm) A city institution since it opened in 1939, the world-famous Tropicana was one of the few bastions of Havana’s Las Vegas–style nightlife to survive the clampdowns of the puritanical Castro Revolution. Immortalized in Graham Greene’s 1958 classic Our Man in Havana, this open-air cabaret show is little changed since its ’50s heyday, featuring a bevy of scantily clad señoritas who climb nightly down from the palm trees to dance Latin salsa amid colorful flashing lights on stage. Tickets go for a slightly less than socialistic CUC$70.
Salón Rosado Benny Moré (El Tropical; 206-1281; cnr Avs 41 & 46, Kohly; admission 10 pesos-CUC$10; 9pm-late) For something completely different, check out the very caliente action at this outdoor venue. The Rosado (aka El Tropical) packs in hot, sexy Cuban youths dancing madly to Los Van Van, Pupi y Su Son Son or Habana Abierta. It’s a fierce scene and female travelers should expect aggressive come-ons. Friday to Sunday is best. Some travelers pay pesos, others dollars – more of that Cuban randomness for you.
Circo Trompoloco (cnr Av 5 & Calle 112, Playa; admission CUC$10; 7pm Thu-Sun) Havana’s permanent ‘Big Top’ with a weekend matinee.
Estadio Pedro Marrero (cnr Av 41 & Calle 46, Kohly) You can see soccer matches on weekends at 3pm at this 15,000-seat stadium.
LA LISA
Sala de Fiesta Macumba Habana ( 273-0568; cnr Calle 222 & Av 37; admission CUC$10-20; 10pm) Cocooned in a residential neighborhood southwest of Cubanacán is Macumba, one of Havana’s biggest venues for live salsa. The outdoor setting is refreshing and the sets long, so you’ll get a lot of dancing in. You can also dine at La Giradilla in the same complex. This is a great place to catch jazz-salsa combos and timba music, a modern extension of salsa mixed with jazz and rap and championed by NG La Banda (who perform here regularly).
Shopping
La Casa del Habano (cnr Av 5 & Calle 16, Miramar; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun) Smokers and souvenir seekers will like La Casa, arguably Havana’s top cigar store. There’s a comfy smoking lounge and a decent restaurant here as well.
La Maison (Calle 16 No 701, Miramar) The Cuban fashion fascination is in high gear at this place, with a large boutique selling designer clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics and souvenirs.
For CDs head to Egrem Tienda de Música (Calle 18 No 103, Miramar; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat), which has a great selection, or visit the Casa de la Música (cnr Av 35 & Calle 20, Miramar; 10am-10pm). The Miramar Trade Center (Av 3 btwn Calles 76 & 80) is Cuba’s largest and most modern shopping and business center with myriad stores.
Getting There & Away
The best way to get to Playa from Havana is on the Havana Bus Tour (Click here), which plies most of the neighborhoods’ highlights all the way to Marina Hemingway. Coming from Habana Vieja or Centro Habana, you’ll need to change buses at Plaza de la Revolución. Plenty of metro buses make the trip, though they often ply the more residential neighborhoods (Click here).
Getting Around
Havanautos ( 203-9104; 3rd fl, Sierra Maestra Bldg, cnr Av 1 & Calle 0) can rent out cars for around CUC$70 per day including insurance.
Cubacar ( 204-1707) has offices at the Chateau Miramar and the Meliá Habana hotels.
Vía Rent a Car ( 204-3606; cnr Avs 47 & 36, Kohly) has an office opposite the Hotel El Bosque.
There are Servi-Cupet gas stations at Av 31 between Calles 18 and 20 in Miramar, on the corner of Calle 72 and Av 41 in Marianao (near the Tropicana), as well as on the traffic circle at Av 5 and Calle 112 in Cubanacán. The Oro Negro gas station is at Av 5 and Calle 120 in Cubanacán. All are open 24 hours.
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PARQUE LENIN AREA
Parque Lenin, off the Calzada de Bejucal in Arroyo Naranjo, 20km south of central Havana, is the city’s largest recreational area. Constructed between 1969 and 1972 on the orders of Celia Sánchez, it is one of the few developments in Havana from this era. The 670 hectares of green parkland and beautiful old trees surround an artificial lake, the Embalse Paso Sequito, just west of the much larger Embalse Ejército Rebelde, which was formed by damming the Río Almendares.
Although the park itself is attractive enough, the mishmash of facilities inside has fallen on hard times since the onset of the Special Period. Taxi drivers will wax nostalgic about when ‘Lenin’ was an idyllic weekend getaway for scores of pleasure-seeking Havana families, though these days the place retains more of a neglected and surreal air. Fortunately, help is on the way. New management and millions of pesos of Chinese investment are currently financing a major renovation project, but it’s a big job that’s still a long way from completion.
Sights
The main things to see are south of the lake, including the Galería de Arte Amelia Peláez (admission CUC$1). Up the hill there’s a dramatic white marble monument to Lenin (1984) by the Soviet sculptor LE Kerbel, and west along the lake is an overgrown amphitheater and an aquarium (admission CUC$2; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun, closed Mon) with freshwater fish and crocodiles. The 1985 bronze monument to Celia Sánchez, a long-time associate of Fidel Castro who was instrumental in having Parque Lenin built, is rather hidden beyond the aquarium. A ceramics workshop is nearby.
Most of these attractions are open 9am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday, and admission to the park itself is free. You can sometimes rent a rowboat on the Embalse Paso Sequito from a dock behind the Rodeo Nacional. A 9km narrow-gauge railway with four stops operates inside the park from 10am to 3pm Wednesday to Sunday.
A visit to Parque Lenin can be combined with a trip to ExpoCuba ( 66-42-92; admission CUC$1; 9am-5pm Wed-Sun) at Calabazar on the Carretera del Rocío in Arroyo Naranjo, 3km south of Las Ruinas restaurant. Opened in 1989, this large permanent exhibition showcases Cuba’s economic and scientific achievements in 25 pavilions based on themes such as sugar, farming, apiculture, animal science, fishing, construction, food, geology, sports and defense. Cubans visiting ExpoCuba flock to the amusement park at the center of the complex, bypassing the rather dry propaganda displays. Don Cuba ( 57-82-87), a revolving restaurant, is atop a tower. The Feria Internacional de La Habana, Cuba’s largest trade fair, is held at ExpoCuba the first week of November. Parking is available at Gate E, at the south end of the complex (CUC$1).
Across the highway from ExpoCuba is the 600-hectare Jardín Botánico Nacional ( 54-93-65; admission CUC$1; 8:30am-4:30pm Wed-Sun). The Pabellones de Exposición (1987), near the entry gate, is a series of greenhouses with cacti and tropicals, while 2km beyond is the tranquil Japanese Garden (1992). Nearby is the celebrated Restaurante El Bambú (right), where a vegetarian buffet (a rare treat in Cuba) is CUC$15. The tractor train ride around the park departs four times a day and costs CUC$3, gardens admission included. Parking costs CUC$2.
Let’s face it; you don’t come to Cuba to see elephants and lions. The Special Period was particularly tough on the island’s zoo animals, and a visit to the Parque Zoológico Nacional ( 881-8195; adult/child CUC$3/2; 9am-3:30pm Wed-Sun), on Av Zoo-Lenin in Boyeros 2km west of the Parque Lenin riding school, only bears out the fact. Though the zoo grounds are extensive and some fauna such as rhinos and hippos roam relatively free, the park is hardly the Serengeti, and many of the big game languish in cramped cages. A trolley bus tours the grounds all day (included in admission price).
Activities
In the northwestern corner of Parque Lenin is the Club Hípico Iberoamericano ( 44-10-58; 9am-5pm). Horseback riding through the park on a steed rented from the club costs CUC$12 an hour, but horses rented from boys at the nearby amusement park (undergoing major renovations at the time of writing) or at the entrance to Parque Lenin proper (you’ll be besieged) costs CUC$3 per hour, guide included. Watch out for undernourished or maltreated horses.
The Club de Golf La Habana ( 45-45-78; Carretera de Venta, Km 8, Reparto Capdevila, Boyeros; 8am-8pm) lies between Vedado and the airport. Poor signposting makes it hard to find and most taxi drivers get lost looking: ask locals for directions to the golfito or Dilpo Golf Club. Originally titled the Rover’s Athletic Club, it was established by a group of British diplomats in the 1920s and the diplomatic corps is largely the clientele today. There are nine holes with 18 tees to allow 18-hole rounds. Green fees start at CUC$20 for nine holes and CUC$30 for 18 holes, with extra for clubs, cart and caddie. In addition, the club has five tennis courts and a bowling alley (open noon to 11pm). Fidel and Che Guevara played a round here once as a publicity stunt soon after the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. The photos of the event are still popular. Che won – apparently.
Sleeping & Eating
Las Ruinas ( 57-82-86; Cortina de la Presa; 11am-midnight Tue-Sun) One of Havana’s most celebrated restaurants – at least in an architectural sense – is situated on the southeast side of Parque Lenin. Melding off-beat modern architecture – including some eye-catching stained glass by Cuban artist René Portocarrero – onto the ruins of an old sugar mill, this place has an arty and elegant atmosphere, though the food (which is grossly overpriced) doesn’t quite live up to the lavish setting. The menu includes lobster plus a selection of Cuban and Italian dishes and you’ll be lucky to get much change out of CUC$30. Overrated.
Restaurante El Bambú (Jardín Botánico Nacional; noon-5pm, closed Mon; ) This is the first and finest in Havana vegetarian dining and has led the way in education efforts as to the benefits of a meatless diet. The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is served alfresco deep in the botanical gardens, with the natural setting paralleling the wholesome tastiness of the food. For CUC$15 you can gorge on soups and salads, root vegetables, tamales and eggplant caviar.
Getting There & Away
Your public transport choices to Parque Lenin are bus, car or taxi. The bus isn’t easy. The P-13 will get you close, but to catch it you have to first get to Vibora. The best way to do this is to get on the P-9 at Calles 23 and L. Havana taxi drivers are used to this run and it should be easy to negotiate a rate with stops for CUC$25 and up.
Getting Around
There’s a Servi-Cupet gas station on the corner of Av de la Independencia and Calle 271 in Boyeros, north of the airport. It’s accessible only from the northbound lane and is open 24 hours a day.
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SANTIAGO DE LAS VEGAS AREA
While not exactly brimming with tourist potential, downbeat and dusty Santiago de las Vegas offers a fleeting glimpse of Cuba apart from the coffee-table photo spreads. Most visitors encounter this settlement – a curious amalgamation of small town and sleepy city suburb – every December during the 5000-strong devotional crawl to the Santuario de San Lázaro (named after a Christian saint known for his ministrations to lepers and the poor) in the nearby village of El Rincón.
Sights & Activities
On a hilltop at El Cacahual, 8km south of Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí via Santiago de las Vegas, is the little-visited mausoleum of the hero of Cuban independence, General Antonio Maceo, who was killed in the Battle of San Pedro near Bauta on December 7, 1896. An open-air pavilion next to the mausoleum shelters a historical exhibit.
Another feature of this area is the well-kept AIDS sanatorium Los Cocos, which opened in 1986 and has helped Cuba maintain an HIV-positive rate that is one of the world’s lowest (0.01%).
Getting There & Away
To get here, take bus P-12 from the Capitolio or bus P-16 from outside Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras just off the Malecón.
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REGLA
pop 42,390
The old town of Regla, just across the harbor from Habana Vieja, is an industrial port town known as a center of Afro-Cuban religions, including the all-male secret society Abakúa. Long before the triumph of the 1959 Revolution, Regla was known as the Sierra Chiquita (Little Sierra, after the Sierra Maestra) for its revolutionary traditions. This working-class neighborhood is also notable for a large thermoelectric power plant and shipyard. Regla is almost free of tourist trappings, and makes an easily reachable afternoon trip away from the city; the skyline views from this side of the harbor offer a different perspective.
Sights & Activities
As important as it is diminutive, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla ( 97-62-88; 7:30am-6pm), which lies just behind the boat dock in the municipality of Regla, has a long and colorful history. Inside on the main altar you’ll find La Santísima Virgen de Regla, a black Madonna venerated in the Catholic faith and associated in the Santería religion with Yemayá, the orisha (spirit) of the ocean and the patron of sailors (always represented in blue). Legend claims that this image was carved by St Augustine ‘The African’ in the 5th century, and that in the year AD 453 a disciple brought the statue to Spain to safeguard it from barbarians. The small vessel in which the image was traveling survived a storm in the Strait of Gibraltar, so the figure was recognized as the patron of sailors. These days, rafters attempting to reach the US also evoke the protection of the Black Virgin.
A hut was first built on this site in 1687 by a pilgrim named Manuel Antonio to shelter a copy of the image, but this structure was destroyed during a hurricane in 1692. A few years later a Spaniard named Juan de Conyedo built a stronger chapel, and in 1714 Nuestra Señora de Regla was proclaimed patron of the Bahía de La Habana. In 1957 the image was crowned by the Cuban Cardinal in Havana cathedral. Every year on September 8 thousands of pilgrims descend on Regla to celebrate the saint’s day and the image is taken out for a procession through the streets.
The current church dates from the early 19th century and is always busy with devotees from both religions stooping in silent prayer before the images of the saints that fill the alcoves. In Havana, there is probably no better (public) place to see the layering and transference between Catholic beliefs and African traditions.
If you’ve come across to see the church, you should also check out the quirky Museo Municipal de Regla ( 97-69-89; Martí No 158; admission CUC$2; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun), which is spread over two sites, one adjacent to the church and the other (better half) a couple of blocks up the main street from the ferry. Recording the history of Regla and its Afro-Cuban religions, there’s an interesting, small exhibit on Remigio Herrero, first babalawo (priest) of Regla, and a bizarre statue of Napoleon with his nose missing. Price of admission includes both museum outposts and the Colina Lenin exhibit.
From the museum head straight (south) on Martí past Parque Guaicanamar, and turn left on Albuquerque and right on 24 de Febrero, the road to Guanabacoa. About 1.5km from the ferry you’ll see a high metal stairway that gives access to Colina Lenin. One of two monuments in Havana to Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (better known to his friends and enemies as Lenin), this monument was conceived in 1924 by the socialist mayor of Regla, Antonio Borsch, to honor Lenin’s death (in the same year). Above a monolithic image of the man is an olive tree planted by Bosch surrounded by seven lithe figures. There are fine harbor views from the hilltop.
Getting There & Away
Regla is easily accessible on the passenger ferry that departs every 10 minutes (10 centavos) from Muelle Luz at the intersection of San Pedro and Santa Clara, in Habana Vieja. Bicycles are readily accepted via a separate line that boards first. Bus 29 runs to Guanabacoa from Parque Maceo between the ferry terminal and the Museo Municipal de Regla.
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GUANABACOA
pop 106,374
Guanabacoa is the little village that got swallowed up by the big city. In spite of this, the settlement’s main thoroughfare, diminutive Parque Martí, still retains a faintly bucolic small-town air. Locals call it el pueblo embrujado (the bewitched town) for its strong Santería traditions, though there are indigenous associations, too. In the 1540s the Spanish conquerors concentrated the few surviving Taínos at Guanabacoa, 5km east of central Havana, making it one of Cuba’s first official pueblos Indios (Indian towns). A formal settlement was founded in 1607, and this later became a center of the slave trade. In 1762 the British occupied Guanabacoa, but not without a fight from its mayor, José Antonio Gómez Bulones (better known as Pepe Antonio), who attained almost legendary status by conducting a guerrilla campaign behind the lines of the victorious British. José Martí supposedly gave his first public speech here and it was also the birthplace of the versatile Cuba singer Rita Montaner (1900–58), after whom the Casa de la Cultura is named.
Today, Guanabacoa is a sleepy yet colorful place that can be tied in with an excursion to nearby Regla (easily accessible by ferry).
Information
- Banco de Crédito y Comercio (cnr Martí & EV Valenzuela)
Sights
The Iglesia de Guanabacoa (cnr Pepe Antonio & Adolfo del Castillo Cadenas), on Parque Martí in the center of town, is also known as the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, and was designed by Lorenzo Camacho and built between 1721 and 1748 with a Moorish-influenced wooden ceiling. The gilded main altar and nine lateral altars are worth a look, and there is a painting of the Assumption of the Virgin at the back. In typical Cuban fashion, the main doors are usually locked; knock at the parochial office ( 8-11am & 2-5pm Mon-Fri) out back if you’re keen.
The town’s main sight is the freshly renovated Museo Municipal de Guanabacoa ( 97-91-17; Martí No 108; admission CUC$2; 10am-6pm Mon & Wed-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun), two blocks west of Parque Martí. Founded in 1964, it tracks the development of the neighborhood throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and is famous for its rooms on Afro-Cuban culture, slavery and the Santería religion with a particular focus on the orisha Elegguá. The museum has another arm further west along Calle Martí in the Museo de Mártires (Martí No 320; admission free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun), which displays material relevant to the Cuban Revolution.
Eating
Centro Cultural Recreativo Los Orishas (cnr Martí & Lamas; admission CUC$3; 10am-midnight) Situated in the hotbed of Havana’s Santería community, this funky bar-restaurant hosts live rumba music at weekends, including regular visits from the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional. The pleasant garden bar is surrounded by colorful Afro-Cuban sculptures that depict various Santería deities such as Babalou Aye, Yemayá and Changó. Well off the beaten track and hard to get to at night, this quirky music venue is usually visited by foreigners in groups. It also does a good selection of food from a CUC$1 pizza to CUC$20 lobster.
Los Ibelly Heladería (Adolfo del Castillo Cadenas No 5a; 10am-10pm) As close as Guanabacoa gets to the Coppelia, with quick-serve ice cream.
Getting There & Away
Bus P-15 from the Capitolio in Centro Habana goes to Guanabacoa via Av del Puerto. Alternatively, you can walk uphill from Regla, from where the Havana ferry docks, to Guanabacoa (or vice versa) in about 45 minutes, passing Colina Lenin on the way.
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SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA
In 1939 US novelist Ernest Hemingway rented a villa called Finca La Vigía on a hill at San Francisco de Paula, 15km southeast of central Havana. A year later he bought the house (1888) and property and lived there continuously until 1960, when he moved back to the US.
The villa’s interior has remained unchanged since the day Hemingway left (there are lots of stuffed trophies), and the wooded estate is now the Museo Hemingway (Map; 891-0809; unguided/guided CUC$3/4, camera/video CUC$5/25; 9am-4:30pm, closed Tue). Hemingway left his house and its contents to the ‘Cuban people,’ and his house has recently been the stimulus for a rare show of US-Cuban cooperation. In 2002 the Cubans agreed to a US-funded project to digitalize the documents stored in the basement of Finca La Vigía, and in May 2006 Cuba sent 11,000 of Hemingway’s private documents to the JFK Presidential Library in America for digitalization. This literary treasure trove (including a previously unseen epilogue for For Whom the Bell Tolls) was finally made available online in January 2009.
To prevent the pilfering of objects, visitors are not allowed inside the house, but there are enough open doors and windows to allow a proper glimpse into Papa’s universe. There are books everywhere (including beside the toilet), a large Victrola and record collection, and an astounding number of knickknacks. Don’t come when it’s raining as the house itself will be closed. A stroll through the garden is worthwhile to see the surprisingly sentimental dog cemetery, Hemingway’s fishing boat El Pilar and the pool where actress Ava Gardner once swam naked. You can chill out on a chaise lounge below whispering palms and bamboo here.
To reach San Francisco de Paula, take metro bus P-7 (Cotorro) from the Capitolio in Centro Habana. Tell the driver you’re going to the museum. You get off in San Miguel del Padrón.
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SANTA MARÍA DEL ROSARIO
Santa María del Rosario, 19km southeast of central Havana, is an old colonial town founded in 1732. Unlike most other towns from that period, it has not become engulfed in modern suburbs, but stands alone in the countryside. The charms of this area were recognized by one of Cuba’s greatest living painters, Manuel Mendive, who selected it for his personal residence. You can also see the countryside of this area in Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s metaphorical critique of slavery in his movie La Última Cena.
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario ( 5:30-7:30pm), also called the Catedral de los Campos de Cuba, on Santa María del Rosario’s old town square, was built in 1720 by the Conde de Casa Bayona near the Quiebra Hacha sugar mill, of which nothing remains today. Inside are a gilded mahogany altar and a painting by Veronese. It is one of suburban Havana’s most attractive secrets.
From the Capitolio in Centro Habana take the metro bus P-7 to Cotorro and then bus 97, which runs from Guanabacoa to town.
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PARQUE HISTÓRICO MILITAR MORRO-CABAÑA
The sweeping views of Havana from the other side of the bay are spectacular, and a trip to the two old forts of the Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña is a must. Despite their location on the opposite side of the harbor, both forts are included in the Habana Vieja Unesco World Heritage Site. Sunset is a good time to visit when you can stay over for the emblematic cañonazo ceremony (see boxed text,).
CASTILLO DE LOS TRES SANTOS REYES MAGNOS DEL MORRO
The imposing Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro (El Morro; per person incl museum entrance CUC$4) was erected between 1589 and 1630 to protect the entrance to Havana harbor from pirates and foreign invaders (French corsair Jacques de Sores had sacked the city in 1555). Perched high on a rocky bluff above the ebbing Atlantic, the fort’s irregular polygonal shape, 3m-thick walls and deep protective moat offer a classic example of Renaissance military architecture. For more than a century the fort withstood numerous attacks by French, Dutch and English privateers, but in 1762, after a 44-day siege, a 14,000-strong British force captured El Morro by attacking from the landward side. The Castillo’s famous lighthouse was added in 1844.
Aside from the fantastic views over the sea and the city, El Morro also hosts a maritime museum. To climb to the top of the lighthouse is an additional CUC$2.
FORTALEZA DE SAN CARLOS DE LA CABAñA
An 18th-century colossus, the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña ( 862-0617; admission day CUC$5, night CUC$8, guide CUC$1; 8am-11pm) 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 defenses. In 1762 the British had taken Havana by gaining control of this strategically important ridge and it was from here that they shelled the city mercilessly into submission. In order to prevent a repeat performance, the Spanish King Carlos III ordered the construction of a massive fort that would repel future invaders. Measuring 700m from end to end and covering a whopping 10 hectares, it is the largest Spanish colonial fortress in the Americas.
The impregnability of the fort meant that no invader ever attacked it, though during the 19th century Cuban patriots faced firing squads here. Dictators Machado and Batista used the fortress as a military prison, and immediately after the Revolution Che Guevara set up his headquarters inside the ramparts to preside over another catalog of grisly executions (this time of Batista’s officers).
These days the fort has been restored for visitors and you can spend at least half a day checking out its wealth of attractions. As well as bars, restaurants, souvenir stalls and a cigar shop (containing the world’s longest cigar), La Cabaña boasts the Museo de Fortificaciones y Armas and the engrossing Museo de Comandancia del Che. The nightly 9pm cañonazo ceremony is a popular evening excursion (see boxed text, above).
Eating
Paladar Doña Carmela ( 863-6048; Calle B No 10; evenings only) A private eating option that offers quality chicken and pork in a very pleasant alfresco setting (when it’s open). Makes a good dinner before or after the cañonazo, but check ahead as opening times are sporadic.
Parts of the fortresses have been converted into good restaurants and atmospheric bars. The Restaurante Los Doce Apóstoles ( 863-8295; noon-11pm), below El Morro, so named for the battery of 12 cannons atop its ramparts, serves comida criolla. It’s a better-than-average government-run kitchen, and the prices are fair. Bar El Polvorín ( 860-9990; 10am-4am), just beyond Los Doce Apóstoles, offers drinks and light snacks on a patio overlooking the bay. There’s zero shade, but it’s perfect for those famous Havana sunsets.
Back below La Cabaña, just beyond the Dársena de los Franceses, is another battery of huge 18th-century cannons. The upscale but approachable Restaurante La Divina Pastora ( 860-8341; noon-11pm) behind the guns, offers well-prepared seafood, including lobster and fish. You can also just sit and soak in the views with an icy Cristal and some crisp tostones (fried plantain patties).
Getting There & Away
Cyclists can get to the fortresses from Havana with the specially designed CicloBus leaving from the corner of Dragones and Águila at Parque El Curita in Centro Habana (Map). This seatless bus is accessible via small ramps that lead to the doors. Cyclists are obliged to use it to get to La Habana del Este as riding a bicycle through the tunnel is prohibited. If you don’t have a bicycle, you can walk to the head of the line and get on the first bus (ask the person selling bus tickets). Get off at the first stop after the tunnel; it’s only a 10-minute walk back to either fortress. You can also get there on the P-15, P-8 or P-11 metro buses (get off at the first stop after the tunnel), but make sure you’re near an exit as very few other people get out there. Otherwise, a metered tourist taxi from Habana Vieja should cost around CUC$4.
One of the quickest ways to get here without a car is via the Casablanca ferry. From the entrance to La Cabaña, go down into the moat and follow it around to a gate just below the huge Christ statue.
Parking costs CUC$1 at the fortresses.
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CASABLANCA
Casablanca, just across the harbor from Habana Vieja, is dominated by a white marble statue of Christ (Map) created in 1958 by Jilma Madera. It was allegedly promised to President Batista by his wife after the US-backed dictator survived an attempt on his life in the Presidential Palace in March 1957. As you disembark the Casablanca ferry, follow the road uphill for about 10 minutes until you reach the statue. The views from up here are stupendous and it is a favorite nighttime hangout for locals. Behind the statue is the Observatorio Nacional (Map; closed to tourists).
Passenger ferries to Casablanca depart Muelle Luz, on the corner of San Pedro and Santa Clara in Habana Vieja, about every 15 minutes (CUC$1). Bicycles are welcome.
The Casablanca train station ( 862-4888), next to the ferry wharf, is the western terminus of the only electric railway in Cuba. In 1917 the Hershey Chocolate Company of the US state of Pennsylvania built this line to Matanzas (see boxed text,). Trains still depart for Matanzas five times a day (at 4:46am, 8:35am, 12:48pm, 4:38pm and 8:46pm). The 8:35am service is an ‘express.’ You’ll travel via Guanabo (CUC$0.80, 25km), Hershey (CUC$1.45, 46km), Jibacoa (CUC$1.65, 54km) and Canasí (CUC$1.95, 65km) to Matanzas (CUC$2.80, 90km) and dozens of smaller stations. No one on a tight schedule should use this train; it usually leaves Casablanca on time but often arrives an hour late. Bikes aren’t officially allowed. It’s a scenic four- to five-hour trip, and tickets are easily obtainable at the station.
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COJÍMAR AREA
Situated 10km east of Havana is the little port town of Cojímar, famous for harboring Ernest Hemingway’s fishing boat El Pilar in the 1940s and ’50s. This picturesque, if slightly run-down harbor community served as the prototype for the fishing village in Hemingway’s novel The Old Man and the Sea, which won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. It was founded in the 17th century at the mouth of the Río Cojímar. In 1762 an invading British army landed here on its way through to take Havana; in 1994 thousands of ‘rafters’ split from the sheltered but rocky bay, lured to Florida by US radio broadcasts and promises of political asylum.
To the southwest of Cojímar just off the Vía Blanca is the rather ugly sporting complex and athletes’ village built when Cuba staged the 1991 Pan-American Games.
Information
Bandec ( 8:30am-3pm Mon-Fri, 8:30-11am Sat), which is just down the Paseo Panamericano, changes traveler’s checks and gives cash advances. For Cuban pesos there’s Cadeca ( 95-15-78; Bldg 46 Btwn Avs 5 & 78), just down the side street, across the avenue from Bandec.
Sights
The huge 55,000-seat Estadio Panamericano, on the Vía Monumental between Havana and Cojímar, was built for the 1991 Pan-American Games and is already looking prematurely dilapidated. There are also tennis courts, Olympic-sized swimming pools and other sporting facilities nearby.
Overlooking the harbor is the Torreón de Cojímar, an old Spanish fort (1649) presently occupied by the Cuban Coast Guard. It was the first fortification taken by the British when they attacked Havana from the rear in 1762. Next to this tower and framed by a neoclassical archway is a gilded bust of Ernest Hemingway, erected by the residents of Cojímar in 1962.
East across the river from Cojímar is Alamar, a large housing estate of prefabricated apartment blocks built by micro brigadas (small armies of workers responsible for building much of the postrevolutionary housing), beginning in 1971.
Sleeping
Hotel Panamericano (Islazul; 95-10-00/10; s/d incl breakfast CUC$46/60; ) If this four-story ugly duckling was the best accommodation Havana could muster for the 1991 Pan-American Games, then thank God they’re not hosting the Olympics. Inconveniently located and rough around the edges, the Panamericano establishment was due to reopen at the time of writing after a spell housing Operación Milagros. Call ahead to check the status.
Eating
Restaurante La Terraza ( 93-92-32; Calle 152 No 161; noon-11pm) Another photo-adorned shrine to the ghost of Ernest Hemingway, La Terraza specializes in seafood and does a roaring trade from the hordes of Papa fans who pour in daily. The terrace dining room overlooking the bay is pleasant. More atmospheric, however, is the old bar out front (10:30am to 11pm) where mojitos haven’t yet reached El Floridita rates. The food is surprisingly mediocre.
Just down from the Hotel Panamericano is a bakery ( 8am-8pm). Across the Paseo Panamericano is a grocery store, the Mini-Super Caracol ( 9am-8pm), and a clean and reasonably priced Italian restaurant Allegro ( noon-11pm) with lasagna, risotto, spaghetti and pizza, all for CUC$4.
Getting There & Away
Metro bus P-8 goes to the Villa Panamericano from the Capitolio in Centro Habana. From the hotel it’s around 2km downhill through the village to the Hemingway bust.
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PLAYAS DEL ESTE
In Cuba you’re never far from an idyllic diamond-dust beach, and Havana is no exception. The city’s very own pine-fringed Riviera, Playas del Este, begins just 18km to the east of the capital at the small resort of Bacuranao, before continuing east through Tarará, El Mégano, Santa María del Mar and Boca Ciega to the town of Guanabo, 27km from Havana. Although none of these places has so far witnessed the kind of megadevelopment redolent of Cancún or Varadero, Playas del Este is still a popular tourist drawcard and, during the summer months of July and August, this is where all of Havana comes to play and relax on the soft white sands and clear aquamarine waters of the beautiful Atlantic coastline.
But while the beaches might be postcard-perfect, Playas del Este can’t yet boast the all-round tourist facilities of other Cuban resorts such as Varadero and Cayo Coco, much less the all-out luxury of celebrated Caribbean getaways. Come here in the winter and the place often has a timeworn and slightly abandoned air and, even in the summer, seasoned beach bums might find the tatty restaurants and ugly Soviet-style hotel piles more than a little incongruous.
But for those who dislike modern tourist development or are keen to see how the Cubans get out and enjoy themselves at weekends, Playas del Este is a breath of fresh air.
Each of the six beaches that dot this 9km stretch of attractive coastline has its own distinctive flavor, allowing travelers to shop around until they find something to suit their taste. Tarará is a yacht and diving haven, Santa María del Mar is where the largest concentration of resorts (and foreigners) can be found, Boca Ciega is popular with gay couples, while Guanabo is the rustic Cuban end of the strip, with shops, a nightclub and plenty of cheap casas particulares.
Information
MEDICAL SERVICES
- Clínica Internacional Habana del Este ( 96-18-19; Av de las Terrazas No 36, Santa María del Mar) Open 24 hours; doctors can make hotel visits. There’s also a well-stocked pharmacy on-site. This clinic was being renovated at the time of writing.
- Farmacia (cnr Av 5 & Calle 466, Guanabo)
MONEY
- Banco Popular de Ahorro ( 796-2269; Av 5 No 47810 btwn Calles 478 & 480, Guanabo; 8:30am-5:30pm Mon-Fri) Changes traveler’s checks.
- Cadeca Guanabo ( 96-41-34; Av 5 No 47612 btwn Calles 476 & 478; 8am-6pm); Santa María del Mar
(Edificio Los Corales, Av de las Terrazas btwn Calles 10 & 11)
POST
- Post office (Av 5 btwn Calles 490 & 492, Guanabo; 8am-6pm Mon-Sat)
INTERNET ACCESS & TELEPHONE
- Etecsa Telepunto (Edificio Los Corales, Av de las Terrazas btwn Calles 10 & 11, Santa María del Mar)
TOURIST INFORMATION
- Infotur Guanabo ( 96-68-68; Av 5 btwn Calles 468 & 470); Santa María del Mar ( 96-11-11; Edificio Los Corales, Av de las Terrazas btwn Calles 10 & 11)
TRAVEL AGENCIES
Cubatur and Havanatur both have desks at Hotel Tropicoco, between Av del Sur and Av de las Terrazas in Santa María del Mar. Their main business is booking bus tours, though they might be willing to help with hotel reservations in other cities.
Activities
Yacht charters, deep-sea fishing and scuba diving are offered by Cubanacán Náutica Tarará ( 96-15-08/9; VHF channels 16 & 77; cnr Av 8 & Calle 17, Tarará), 22km east of Havana. Ask about this at your hotel tour desk.
There are a number of Club Náutica points spaced along the beaches aside from Club Mégano at the westernmost end of the Playas. The most central is outside Club Atlántico in the middle of Playa Santa María del Mar. Here you can rent pedal boats (CUC$6 per hour; four to six people), banana boats (CUC$5 per five minutes; maximum five people), one-/two-person kayaks (CUC$2/4 per hour), snorkel gear (CUC$4) and catamarans (CUC$12 per hour; maximum four people plus lifeguard). A paddle around the coast exploring the mangrove-choked canals is a pleasure.
Beach toys such as sailboards, water bikes and badminton gear may also be available; ask. Many people rent similar equipment all along the beach to Guanabo, but check any water vessels and gear carefully as we’ve received complaints about faulty equipment. Consider leaving a deposit instead of prepaying in full, should anything go awry.
Sleeping
GUANABO
Casas Particulares
Guanabo has dozens of casas, and if one’s full they readily recommend somewhere else.
Elena Morina ( 796-7975; Calle 472 No 7B11 btwn Avs 7B & 9; r CUC$25-30; ) Hay Perro reads the sign, but don’t worry, the pit bull that lives here is friendly (really) as is the hostess Elena who once lived in Italy. The chatty host makes great coffee and rents two decent rooms with a leafy patio a few blocks back from the beach.
Pablo M Durán Jubiel & Rosario Redonda ( 796-5281; Calle 476 No 905 btwn Avs 9 & 9B; r CUC$25-30; ) This little house five blocks from the beach comes with a kitchen and patio; there are also rooms at Nos 906 and 9B01 nearby.
Hotels
Villa Playa Hermosa (Islazul; 796-2774; Av 5D btwn Calles 472 & 474; s/d CUC$22/26; ) This unpretentious villa has 47 rooms in small single-story bungalows with shared bath and TV. It’s a popular spot with vacationing Cubans, so expect music, dancing and drinking to all hours; the beach is nearby.
SANTA MARíA DEL MAR
None of Santa María’s hotels are knockout and some are downright ugly. The Blau Club Arenal is the closest the strip gets to Varadero levels of comfort.
Complejo Atlántico – Las Terrazas (Islazul; 797-1494; Av de las Terrazas btwn Calles 11 & 12;
1-/2-/3-bedroom apt CUC$50/75/88; ) An amalgamation of two old aparthotels, the 60 or so apartments (with kitchenettes) here are mainly the preserve of families. The two-bedroom units sleep four people and the three-bedrooms accommodate six, so it’s great for a group. Ask specifically if your unit will have a fridge, as not all of them do. This is a decent-value choice that is just 100m from the beach.
Hotel Tropicoco (Cubanacán; 797-1371; btwn Avs del Sur & de las Terrazas; s/d all-inclusive CUC$69/99; ) Picked up by Cubanacán from the now-defunct Horizontes chain, this big blue monster is an architectural disaster both inside and out. Pity the poor Canadians who book this on-line without looking at the photos first. The main (only) benefit for the terribly unfussy is the price (cheap) and the location – you could hit a (big) home run onto the beach from here.
Hotel Blau Club Arenal (Cubanacán; 797-1272; s/d all-inclusive CUC$95/150; ) Playas del Este’s most stylish option, this modern hotel is on the Laguna Itabo, between Boca Ciega and Santa María del Mar. It has 166 rooms set around a translucent pool. Ground-floor rooms have patios, but suites are much larger and cost about 20% more. The beach is just 150m away via a wooden footbridge suspended over the lagoon (which you can explore by rowboat).
Club Atlántico – Los Pinos (Gran Caribe; 797-1085; Av de las Terrazas btwn Calles 11 & 12; s/d/2-bed house all-inclusive CUC$105/150/160; ) Another amalgamation of two of Playas del Este’s better resorts, the Atlántico is a 92-room hotel right on the beach, and Los Pinos a collection of little houses (two to four bedrooms) with kitchens and TVs that were holiday homes before the Revolution. Collectively, they’re one of the resort’s best bets. Extra facilities include tennis courts, a swimming pool, cabaret and a Club Náutica point renting boats etc on the beach.
BACURANAO
Villa Bacuranao (Islazul; 65-76-45; s/d CUC$38/44) On the Vía Blanca, 18km east of Havana, this is the closest beach resort to Havana. There’s a long sandy beach between the resort and mouth of the Río Bacuranao, across which is the old Torreón de Bacuranao (inside the compound of the military academy and inaccessible). The beach here isn’t as nice as its more easterly counterparts, but the price is nice.
Eating
GUANABO
Paladar El Piccolo ( 796-4300; cnr Av 5 & Calle 502; noon-11pm) This paladar is considered by many Habaneros to be the best pizza restaurant in Cuba, and they’re not far wrong. Out of the way and a little more expensive than Playas del Este’s other numerous pizza joints, it’s well worth the walk.
Restaurante Maeda (Av Quebec; noon-midnight) Guanabo’s other paladar is still going strong hidden away on the hill (near Calle 476).
Pizza for CUC$1.50 and up per slice is available at Pizzería al Mare (cnr Av 5 & Calle 482; 24hr), and there’s the peso stuff served out of a charcoal-stained shack nearby. For ice cream, head to Bim Bom (cnr Av 5 & Calle 464; 11am-1am). Panadería D’Prisa (Av 5 No 47802; 24hr) is the place for pastries and light snacks.
BOCA CIEGA
El Cubano ( 796-4061; Av 5 btwn Calles 456 & 458; 11am-midnight) This is a spick and span place with a full wine rack (French and Californian), checkered tablecloths and a good version of Gordon Bleu (chicken stuffed with ham and cheese).
SANTA MARíA DEL MAR
Restaurante Mi Cayito ( 797-1339; 10am-6pm) On a tiny island in the Laguna Itabo, this place serves lobster, shrimp and grilled fish in an open-air locale. Nice ambience and cheap pork fillets. There’s a live show here every Saturday and Sunday at 3pm, which you can enjoy for the price of a drink.
Restaurante Mi Casita de Coral (cnr Av del Sur & Calle 8; 10am-11pm) Tucked just off the roundabout by the international clinic, this secluded little place is surprisingly upscale for this neck of the woods and serves good seafood at reasonable prices.
When the Guanabo pizza gets too much, head for Don Pepe (Av de las Terrazas; 10am-11pm), a thatched-roof, beach-style restaurant about 50m from the sand. It specializes in seafood, as the waiters will keenly explain.
Among the many small grocery stores in and around Santa María del Mar are Minisuper La Barca (cnr Av 5 & Calle 446; 9:15am-6:45pm Mon-Sat, 9:15am-2:45pm Sun); Mini-Super Santa María (cnr Av de las Terrazas & Calle 7; 9am-6:45pm), located opposite Hotel Tropicoco; and Tienda Villa Los Pinos (Av del Sur btwn Calles 5 & 7; 9am-6:45pm).
EL MéGANO
Pizzería Mi Rinconcito (cnr Av de las Terrazas & Calle 4; noon-9:45pm) Located near Villa Los Pinos, this place contains a surprisingly delicious pizza-fest (CUC$2 to CUC$3), plus cannelloni, lasagna, salads and spaghetti (CUC$2 to CUC$3.50).
Entertainment
GUANABO
Cabaret Guanimar ( 796-2947; cnr Av 5 & Calle 468; per couple CUC$10; 9pm-3am Tue-Sat) An outdoor club with a show at 11pm; if you want to be in the front rows, it’s CUC$16 for a couple.
Teatro Avenida ( 796-2944; Av 5 No 47612 btwn Calles 476 & 478) has children’s matinees at 3pm Saturday and Sunday. For a movie try Cine Guanabo ( 796-2440; Calle 480; 5:30pm except Wed) off Av 5.
SANTA MARíA DEL MAR
Playas del Este’s gay scene revolves around a beach bar called La Paté (Calle 1), near Restaurante Mi Cayito, at the east end of Santa María del Mar. You might also check all the way west on Playa El Mégano for cruising opportunities.
Shopping
Photo Service (Hotel Tropicoco btwn Avs del Sur & de las Terrazas) This place will satisfy most of your film and camera needs.
Getting There & Away
BUS & TAXI
The Havana Bus Tour (Click here) runs a regular (hourly) service from Parque Central out to Playa Santa María stopping at Villa Bacuranao, Tarará, Club Mégano, Hotel Tropicoco, Club Atlántico and Hotel Blau Arenal Club. It doesn’t go as far as Guanabo. All day tickets cost CUC$5.
Bus 400 to Guanabo leaves every hour or so from Calle Agramonte in Centro Habana and stops near the central train station in Habana Vieja. Going the other way, it stops all along Av 5, but it’s best to catch it as far east as possible. Bus 405 runs between Guanabacoa and Guanabo.
A tourist taxi using Taxis OK ( 796-6666) from Playas del Este to Havana will cost around CUC$20.
TRAIN
One of the most novel ways to get to Guanabo is on the Hershey Train, which leaves five times a day from either Casablanca train station or from Matanzas. The train will drop you at Guanabo station (little more than a hut in a field), approximately 2km from the far eastern end of Guanabo. It’s a pleasant walk along a quiet road to the beaches.
Getting Around
A large guarded parking area is off Calle 7, between Av de las Terrazas and Av del Sur, near Hotel Tropicoco (CUC$1 a day from 8am to 7pm). Several other paid parking areas are along Playa Santa María del Mar.
Cubacar (Club Atlántico 797-1650; Hotel Blau Club Arenal 797-1272; Guanabo 796-6997; cnr Calle 478 & Av 9) rents average-sized cars for far from average prices – bank on CUC$70 a day with insurance.
Both Servi-Cupet gas stations (Guanabo 96-38-58; cnr Av 5 & Calle 464; west of Bacuranao Vía Blanca) have snack bars and are open 24 hours. The gas station west of Bacuranao is opposite the military academy.