Havana - The culturally rich but impoverished capital city of Cuba



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Havana travel within the city

By Car
By far the best way to explore Havana is by hiring a rental car. Havana and the rest of Cuba are served by extensive roads and a network of Petrol stations. Traffic can be chaotic within city limits due to the bicycle riders veering in and out of traffic. It is mandatory for state run vehicles to pick up hitchhikers.

By Taxis
Tourists must only use the state run taxis. However there are also private taxis which are usually old American Chevy’s of the 1950s. Though it is illegal for tourists to use them their use can result in substantial savings. Three wheel coco taxis and cicio taxis as well as bicycle rickshaws or pedicabs are other options available to the tourist in Havana. Taxi Collectivos are metered taxis which are meant for the local populace to travel in and are not meant for tourists.

By Bus
Havana’s local bus service has a strange contraption called El Camello in its midst .A crude adaptation of the popular bendy bus which operates in Western countries, El Camellos is a bus which is pulled along by a semi truck and is often crowded. Exact peso change is required for the fare.

Havana has several prominent neighborhoods, Old Havana (Havana Vieja) the Havana of the salsa beats and all the tourist activity with colonial houses and baroque churches, Havana Centro which tends to be quieter and Vedado which is the most verdant section of the capital while Malecon is the popular seaside promenade. There is much to see and do in this eclectic and intellectually stimulating capital city, which so captured the imagination of authors such as Ernest Hemingway, Graham Greene and luminaries from the celluloid and political worlds such as Ava Gardner and Winston Churchill.

To See
Jose Marti National Library (Revolution Square)
Jose Marti is the father of the Cuban nation and is known as the padre de la patria. This museum houses memorabilia including a lock of his hair and the shackle he wore when he was imprisoned by the Spanish. It also includes volumes of his writings and maps, engravings and a photo from the time he spent in the USA as a newspaper columnist for a Cuban revolutionary newspaper.

Carmen Montilla House (Old Havana)
Carmen Montilla, a Venezuelan artist aided the restoration of this house which is a fine exponent of Cuban Architecture and contains a ceramic mural by a Cuban artist Alfredo Sosabravo. It has a permanent exhibit of works by Latin American artists.

Revolution Square (Vedado)
Known before the revolution simply as Civic square it was the location for much of the action during the revolution when political congregations took place here. It is surrounded by the buildings that house several of Cuba’s political bodies’ .The iconic image of Che Guevara adorns the Interior Ministry Building.

Cristobal Colon Cemtery (Vedado)
Not merely a burial ground this cemetery founded in 1868 has many of Cuba’s brightest lights buried here including Cuban novelist Cirilo Villaverde and Alejo Carpentier . The monuments are elaborately carved and ornate. The cemetery itself is located behind an gigantic archway.

Catedral de La Habana  (Havana Vieja)
Work on Havana’s famous church was begun by the Jesuits in 1748 but they were expelled by the Spanish King Carlos III in 1767. The church is an imposing edifice with asymmetrical towers. The bell in the thicker tower is made of bronze. At the end of the Calle Empedrado where the Cathedral is situated, a flea market of arts and crafts is held from Monday to Saturday.

Copellia Ice cream parlour (Vedado off the Malecon)
A veritable Cuban institution this ice cream parlor and park was established by the revolutionaries to combat the ice cream parlors which prior to 1959 were discriminatory. It is a state run establishment serving as many as 25000 customers daily. Initially its menu featured many flavors but food shortages in the early 1990s made one flavor a day the norm.

Museo del Ron
A visit to the Museum of Rum is enlightening to see the process of how the famous Havana Club rum is brewed. A cocktail bar and dancing lessons are added attractions of the museum.

National Theater of Cuba (Vedado)

Thrown open to the Public forty eight years ago the National Theater showcases Cuba’s considerable musical, artistic and theatrical talent. The Theater has a coffee bar called Café Cantante which features live music.

Capitolio (Havana Centro)
Washington’s domed Capitol provided inspiration for Havana’s Capitolio located in Havana Centro. It has statues which depict Work and Virtue and bas relief’s which provide a glimpse into Cuba’s turbulent history. The huge main hall is called the Salon de los Pasos Peridos ( Hall of lost steps).

Museo De Revolucion (Museum of Revolution) Havana Centro
The site of an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Fulgencio Batista in 1957 the Museum chronicles the successful Cuban revolution of 1959.It used to be the Palacio Presidencial and its interior was decorated by Tiffanys the famous New York jeweler. Now it has photographs and evidence including blood stained uniforms as well as a SAU-1 tank used by Castro in the Battle of the Bay of Pigs in 1961 as exhibits to illustrate pages of Cuban history.

Havana has a plethora of other Museums such as Associan Cultural Yoruba de Cuba, Casa Oswaldo Guayasamin , Museo de la Cuidad and the Hemingway Museum are some of them. Most of the attractions in Havana have a nominal $2 or $ 3 entrance fee.

John Lenon Park (Vedado)
The only park built to commemorate a western musician. There is a statue of the famous ‘Beatle’ in the park and the spectacles adorning the statue are periodically stolen and replaced.

Carnival and Festivals
Havana boasts of several top notch salsa clubs and also has a yearly Carnival with street fairs and music performances. Carnival is held in July and it is worth visiting Havana then to experience the sheer vibrancy of the Cuban people. Apart from Carnival several other festivals are held in Havana throughout the year. The Havana International Book Fair is an important literary event held at El Morro . Premio Casa de les Americas is another literary event held yearly to honor Latin American authors. Festival International de Musical de Benny More, a famous Cuban musician accredited with increasing the popularity of Cuban music the world over. This festival is held in September. Tecnotur Trade Fair held in June is geared for the tourism industry. The Cigar Festival is a recent addition to the events and gives one a chance to visit Cigar factories of brands such as Partagas and learn about the art of cigar making. The Latin American New Cinema Festival is held in December every year.

Music the way of life in Havana
A must see for the Tourist in Havana is the world famous Tropicana Cabaret show held in lush surroundings at Marianao just south of Miramar. It boasts of gorgeous dancers from the many local Havana dance clubs and the Cabaret is held from Tuesday to Sundays after the cabaret ends the club converts into a disco. Club Ipanema in Hotel Copacabana is another hot dance club with a $5 cover charge Zorro a y el Cuervo on La Rampa is a tiny jazz club near the Hotel Habana Libre. Along the Malecon the locals like to congregate and often dance and party so it is easy to join the festive atmosphere that prevails in the city.

Hotels and Bars
Havana has several iconic Bars and Hotel. Many are left over from the 1950 when the Americans came to Havana in search of a good time. Habana Libre on La Rampa is a favorite with journalists, it has great views and a lively rooftop discotheque called Turquino. Hotel Nacional in Vedado has played host to Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardener and Winston Churchill. One must sample the famous Cuban cocktail Mojito in its bar while taking in a live performance. Hotel Inglaterra in Havana Vieja had Graham Greene as an illustrious guest; it has a buzzing café –Gran Café de Louvre. La Bodeguita Del Medio is a bar which Ernest Hemingway used to frequent, one should sample a Mojito here as well.

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