80 Best Sights in Havana, Cuba

Just east of the etching of Che Guevara and around the corner from Ministerio de Comunicaciones (Communications Ministry), you'll find this museum dedicated to the Cuban postal service. As well as documenting the history of the country's postal service, it also displays hundreds of stamps from all over the world, old Roman and Greek tablets dating as far back as the year 2300 BC, letters, and old seals. Keep a look out for Cuba's postal rocket, a unique experiment which was carried out in 1939.

The Christopher Columbus Cemetery sprawls behind a huge ceremonial arch and is a repository for a great deal more than just the deceased. Founded in 1868 by Bishop Espada, it's a veritable pantheon of monuments commemorating poets, novelists, musicians, soldiers, statesmen, and rank-and-file citizens. Cuban novelist Cirilo Villaverde and Cervantes-laureate Alejo Carpentier are here, as are the martyrs of the Granma yacht landing, the students killed in the 1957 assault on the Palacio Presidencial, and Buena Vista Social Club member Ibrahim Ferrer Planas. This is also a place full of extraordinary legends, some of them macabre. You can learn all about them on a guided tour (highly recommended; you can arrange for one in English for a small fee at the hut just inside the grounds to the right). Be sure to ask about the story of La Milagrosa (The Miraculous).

Just past the Parque de la Fraternidad Americana's southwest corner is this Italianate mansion built in 1840 by the Spanish merchant Domingo de Aldama. His son, Miguel de Aldama, worked for Cuban autonomy from Spain until his palace was sacked by the Spanish authorities in 1869. Don Miguel fled to the United States, where he continued his work as an activist for Cuban independence until his death in 1888. The building isn't open to visitors, but the massive columns and monumental size of the place are striking proof of the economic power of the 19th-century Cuban sugar barons, dubbed the zacarocracia by Cuban journalists and historians.

At the western end of the Plaza de Armas is the former residence of the men who governed Cuba. A succession of some five-dozen Spanish captain-generals (also called governors) lived here until 1898, and the U.S. governor called it home prior to the Revolution. The wooden "paving" on the plaza in front of it was installed on the orders of a 17th-century captain-general, who wanted to muffle the clatter of horses and carriages so he could enjoy his naps undisturbed. Today the palace is the Museo de la Ciudad de la Habana, with such unique treasures as a throne room built for the king of Spain (but never used); the original Giraldilla weather vane that once topped the tower of the Castillo de la Real Fuerza; and a cannon made of leather. Groups of pioneros often gather in the gallery here for art-history classes, and you can buy art books in the on-site shop. Inside it to the right is a plaque dated 1557; it commemorates the death of Doña Maria de Cepeda y Nieto, who was felled by a stray shot while praying in what was then Parroquia Mayor, Havana's main parish church. The tomb in the pit to the left holds the remains of several graves discovered in the church cemetery.

Across from the Hotel de Inglaterra and the Gran Teatro de la Habana, this park has always been a hub of Havana social activity. Centered on a statue of (who else?) José Martí and shaded by royal palms and almond trees, this is the place for heated debates on Cuba's national passion—baseball. The Hotel Plaza is on the park's northern end. On its southern end, notice the opulent 1885 Centro Asturiano, now the home of the Museo de Bellas Artes and its Arte Universal collection.

This is one of the best places to hire a classic open-top American car and driver for a tour around the city or a sunset drive down the Malecón.

Named for the 1870 ballet by the French composer Léo Délibes, this Vedado park and its ice-cream emporium are Havana institutions. The Star Wars–type flying saucer in the middle of the square was the Revolution's answer to the many ice-cream parlors that, prior to 1959, were highly discriminatory. This state-owned establishment serves more than 25,000 customers daily. While many Cubans prefer waiting in the long lines and paying with the more accessible "national" pesos, tourists or those willing to fork out convertible pesos have that option. The parlor once offered a legendary number of flavors, but after the Special Period (the national emergency declared upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, after which Cuba suffered severe shortages of everything from fuel to food) supplies became scarce, and a flavor a day became the rule. While at first glance the fearfully long lineups don't make the place very attractive—especially if a few scoops of ice cream provide the light at the end of the tunnel. But ice cream is only an alibi here. Cubans tend to chatter, mix, and mingle while waiting. Forget Facebook; this is a real-life social-networking venue.

This park is dedicated to the Mexican revolutionary agrarian reformist Emiliano Zapata (1889–1919). The Iglesia de Santa Rita, next to the park, is notable for its tower and for the sculpture of Santa Rita (by Rita Longa, whose work adorns the entrance to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes–Colección Cubana) just inside to the left. With sensuous lips, smooth features, and graceful curves, the work was branded as too erotic to display by the early 20th-century chaplain, and the sculpture was hidden away until the mid-1990s.

This vast amusement park was popular with Cubans before the 1992 collapse of the Soviet Union. The penury of the Special Period, however, has caused the carousels and other fairground attractions to be shut down. Developed on what was once a farming estate 20 km (12 miles) southwest of Havana, the 745-hectare (1,841-acre) park contains rolling meadows, small lakes, and woodlands. Look for the Monumento Lenin, a mammoth granite sculpture of the Russian Revolutionary. The Monumento a Celia Sánchez has photographs and portraits of Cuba's unofficial First Lady. The park's offerings also include art galleries, ceramics workshops, and a movie theater, although keep in mind that much of it is rundown. Horseback riding, boating, and swimming are options here as well. You can have a good meal in Las Ruinas and stay overnight in the comfortable motel.

Built in 2010 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Galileo's astronomical discoveries, the modern planetarium doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of Plaza Vieja's colonial grandeur; nonetheless, it makes for an interesting visit. Inside there's a scale model of the solar system, as well as a range of interactive games and a large viewing theater, which currently only has audio descriptions available in Spanish.

Reservations must be made in advance.

Just beyond the Laguna Itabo and the mouth of the Río Boca Ciega you'll find a small, but lively stretch of sand, mostly used by those staying at the nearby Hotel Blau Arenal. There's always something going on here such as salsa lessons or limbo competitions. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: partiers.

Locals will tell you that this is the best and prettiest beach of the Playas del Este, and it's certainly the liveliest, too, popular with both tourists and visiting habaneros. Here you'll find the Hotel Club Tropicoco and the Hotel Atlantico, behind the dunes. Think beachside restaurants, sun beds, massage tents, live Cuban music, water sports, and individual food vendors, selling everything from tamales to pizza and boxes of rice and beans. Amenities: water sports; food and drink. Best for: partiers; swimming.

Just 2 km (1 mile) east of Playa Tarará is a wide stretch of white sand, which marks the very beginning of the popular Playa de Santa María. Here you can rent sun beds or pedalos and enjoy the facilities of a simple beachside café. There's also on-sand dining, catered by the hotels located behind the dunes. It's busier than Bacuranao and Playa Tarará, but still quiet enough to find your own stretch of sand. Amenities: water sports; food and drink. Best for: walking.

If you head farther east from Playa Boca Ciega, you'll come to the bustling town of Guanabo and its pretty golden-sand beach with calm clear waters. With its many bars, restaurants, shops, and horse and carriage--style taxis, Guanabo is a popular weekend getaway spot for local habaneros. This is also where you'll find the greatest concentration of casas particulares, which can often have better facilities than many of the area hotels. The beach has a relaxed vibe during the day, with inexpensive sail and pedal boats for rent, but it gets busier in the evenings with impromptu rum and dance parties. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming.

Santa Cruz del Norte, 10 km (6 miles) east of Playa Guanabo, is an industrial town that's home to Cuba's greatest distillery, the Ronería Santa Cruz, where the ubiquitous Havana Club rum is made. Don't let the offshore oil rigs or the less than pristine waters here deter you from continuing. Just 3 km (2 miles) east of Santa Cruz is the best and least spoiled of all of the beaches near Havana. Nestled between headlands at the mouth of the Río Jibacoa, its white sands are backed by cliffs that overlook crystal clear, aquamarine waters. Divers will appreciate the coral reefs here, while terrestrial types can follow hiking trails from the beach into the backcountry. The Breezes Hotel here is one of the finest beach hotels in Cuba. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: snorkeling; walking.

Two km (1 mile) east of Bacuranao is a small stretch of white sand that's only accessible via a modern private residential area; tourists are welcome for a small fee. It's home to the 50-berth Marina Tarará/Club Naútica, site of the Old Man and the Sea Fishing Tournament every July. Here you can arrange boat rentals, yacht cruises, fishing trips, and diving or snorkeling excursions. There are also accommodations and a good restaurant at the Hotel Villa Armonía Tarará. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: snorkeling.

So-called for its use as a drill field by colonial troops, this plaza was the city's administrative center and command post almost from the beginning. The statue in the center is of Manuel de Céspedes, hero of the Ten Years War, Cuba's first struggle for independence from Spain. Today, this is the city's most literary square; an army of erudite secondhand booksellers encircles it during the day.

Nearby is the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, across from which are El Templete and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza. Note that there are often concerts in the plaza on Sunday evenings—events not to be missed.

On the northwestern corner of Plaza de Armas is the Palacio del Segundo Cabo, which at the time of writing was undergoing renovation. When complete, it will become the Center for Interpretation of the Cultural Relations between Cuba and Europe. Opposite this, on the other side of the plaza, you'll find the Museo Nacionale de Historia Natural de Cuba (Cuba's Natural History Museum), which is home to a rich collection of Cuban flora and fauna, as well as various mineral samples and fossils.

What is now called the Old Square was originally Plaza Nueva (New Square), built as a popular alternative to Plaza de Armas, the military and government nerve center. Later called Plaza del Mercado (Market Square) as Havana's commercial hub, Plaza Vieja was the site of executions, processions, bullfights, and fiestas—all witnessed by Havana's wealthiest citizens, who looked on from their balconies. The original Carrara marble fountain surrounded by four dolphins was demolished in the 1930s when President Gerardo Machado (1871–1939) built an underground parking lot here. Today the square's surrounding structures vary wildly in condition, though all of them are noteworthy. Don't miss the splendid view west down Calle Brasil (Teniente Rey) to the Capitolio.

The impressive mansion on the square's southwestern corner is the Casa de los Condes de Jaruco (1733–37), the former seat of the Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales (BFC; Cuba's version of the National Endowment for the Arts). Its lush main patio is surrounded by massive, yet delicate, pillars. Look for the ceramic tiles along the main stairway and the second-floor stained glass windows. Today the building houses members of the Génesis Galerías de Arte and an upstairs restaurant. On the second floor La Casona Galería de Arte displays the works of contemporary Cuban and international artists, while on street-level Diago Galería de Arte shows the works of native Cuban painters. To your left as you exit is the interesting 1762 Elias Durnford painting A View of the Market Place in the City of the Havana [sic].

On the square's southeastern corner, the Palacio Viena Hotel (also known as the Palacio Cueto) is a 1906 Art Nouveau gem that was occupied by several-dozen families after the Revolution. The intense floral relief sculpture and stained-glass windows are still intact, if a little sooty, on all five stories. This building has perennially been under renovation, and it's anybody's guess when the grand structure will once again take its place in the square.

On the square's western edge is the 1752 Casa de Juan Rico de Mata (Calle Mercaderes 307), now housing the Fototeca de Cuba, a contemporary photography gallery that has rotating temporary exhibitions of Cuban and international photographers. Also along the western edge, heading north, you'll see the planetarium, housed in an old cinema, and the Camera Obscura, located in the 20th-century Villa Gómez. The Casa de las Hermanas Cárdenas (Calle San Ignacio 352), on the square's eastern side, was once used by Havana's first philharmonic society. It's now home to the Centro de Desarrollo de Artes Visuales (Center for the Development of Visual Arts), which hosts temporary exhibits.

In the 18th-century Casa del Conde San Estéban de Cañongo (Calle San Ignacio 356), you'll find the Artesanías para Turismo workshop. Strangely, a permanent exhibition here presents Wallonia, French Belgium, and its industry and agriculture, as well as its most noteworthy comics like Tintin. Apparently the exhibition was granted after Belgian interests put up the money to restore the building. There would probably be much more exciting ways to use this prime property than a pedantic exhibit that ultimately gives little to the creative life of the community.

While wandering along San Ignacio, notice the faded "vapores cuba–españa" ("steamboats cuba–spain") sign on the wall inside the entryway of No. 358. The 18th-century Casa del Conde de Lombillo (Calle San Ignacio 364; not to be confused with the Conde de Lombillo house in the Plaza de la Catedral) has lovely original murals in amber hues with faded blue and green floral motifs decorating its facade. Today it houses the charming Café Bohemia, which has upstairs suites for rent. The restoration of the 17th-century Colegio del Santo Angel (Calle Brasil/Teniente Rey 56, esquina de Calle San Ignacio) almost a decade ago. It was originally the house of Susana Benitez de Parejo, a wealthy young widow who departed for Spain in the mid-19th century; it was later used as an orphanage for boys under 12 years of age and then as a music conservatory until it collapsed in 1993, leaving only the facade standing. Now housing an excellent restaurant and 11 luxury apartments, this is one of the finest triumphs of the restoration work in Plaza Vieja.

Probably named for a West African Yoruba deity, this seafarers' and fishermen's enclave retains a rough vitality. Originally a camp for black slaves—especially of the Ibibio, Bantu, and Yoruba tribes—Regla's Afro-Cuban roots are strong.

The waterfront Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla, the first stop as you leave the ferry, was built in 1810. It's famous as the home of La Virgen de Regla (The Black Virgin of Regla), a black Madonna who cradles a white infant. Identified with Yemayá, the Yoruban orisha of the sea, the Virgin is the patron saint of motherhood and of sailors. On September 8 both Catholic and Santería celebrations honor her. There's a procession through the streets to the wailing of dirge music. The faithful also fill the church—dressed in their finest and wearing something blue, the color of the sea and of Yemayá—waiting their turn to touch the virgin or their favorite icons and crucifixes in side chapels. At the water's edge, women standing ankle-deep in the harbor's oily waters sing or pray to Yemayá, sometimes tossing in a coin or launching offerings of flowers, oranges, or melons. A branch of the Museo Municipal de Regla, just to the right of the church, has a display of Afro-Cuban orishas. There's also a shrine to Yemayá in the entryway of a private house, two doors up at No. 15.

Occupying what was once the Casa Juan Gelats, one of Vedado's finest early 20th-century mansions, the National Union of Writers and Artists is the site of cinematic events, lectures, and prose and poetry readings, as well as musical performances. On Wednesday evenings (5–8 pm) you can see trova or Afro-Cuban performances, while Saturday (9 pm) is the night of boleros. Have a seat at the bar with a Cuba Libre, and you are likely to end up chatting with some of the creative types that appear here. Writers, filmmakers, artists gather here, as their union offices are in the building. The building across Calle H from this one is an important UNEAC annex.