Old Havana

La Habana Vieja

A UNESCO-class colonial old town with four squares, colourful buildings, vintage cars, and street musicians, with stories of Hemingway and the mojito at every turn.

Old Havana covers about 2 square kilometres and has more than 900 historically significant buildings, ranging from 16th-century Baroque to the neoclassical and Art Deco styles of the early 20th century. For a walking tour, the four main squares form the backbone: (1) Plaza de Armas, the city's oldest square, surrounded by the Governor's Palace (now the City Museum) and the small chapel El Templete, modelled on a Greek temple, which marks the spot where the city was founded. The square has old book stalls. (2) Cathedral Square (see separate entry). (3) San Francisco Square, facing the bay, with a 16th-century monastery and the “Lion Fountain.” (4) Plaza Vieja, the most colourful square, surrounded by restored colonial mansions, the Factoría Plaza Vieja craft brewery, and the Cámara Oscura, a camera obscura offering panoramic views of the city. Linking the four squares, Obispo Street is a pedestrian shopping street where bands play salsa. Hemingway's footprints: he lived for seven years in Room 511 of the Hotel Ambos Mundos (you can visit it), drank mojitos at La Bodeguita del Medio and daiquiris at El Floridita, where a bronze statue of him stands by the bar. Both are priced for tourists. Other highlights include the Museum of the Revolution (former Presidential Palace), the Havana Club Rum Museum, and the Belén Convent in the southern part of the old town. Staying in the old town or a nearby guesthouse is recommended, since early morning and evening strolls through the lanes are the most atmospheric. Be wary of people who approach you unprompted and try to take you to a “cigar cooperative” or a “music festival.”

Old Havana

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