11 Best Sights in Havana, Cuba

Havana's famous Malecón, sheltered by a sea wall, runs west for 7 km (4 miles) from La Punta (where it's also known as Avenida Antonio Maceo) and the harbor's entrance to the Santa Dorotea de Luna de la Chorrera fortress, near the mouth of the Río Almendares. Although it was designed in 1857 by a Cuban engineer, it wasn't built until 1902, thanks, in part, to the American capital that flowed to the island after the Spanish-American War. Once an opulent promenade flanked by brightly painted houses, the Malecón today is dark and dilapidated, the houses crumbling, and the wide limestone walkway broken and eroded. Yet it still has its charms. As it faces north, it offers spectacular views of both sunrise and sunset—perhaps accounting for the belief that there's not a single habanero who hasn't professed love eternal here at one time or another. Crashing waves and the rainbows created from their spray and the sun adds to the Malecón's magic.

As you walk, look for rectangles carved into the stone. These were once (and are still used as) sea baths, which fill at high tide and allowed people to splash about, safe from both currents and sharks. Just west of the Hotel Nacional you'll come to Monumento alMaine, honoring the 260 American sailors killed in the 1898 explosion of that U.S. warship, which was visiting Havana in a display of American might. The event lead to what the United States calls the Spanish-American War (for Cubans this was the final stage of their War of Independence, which began in 1868) followed by a period of heavy U.S. involvement in Cuban affairs. A plaque dedicated by the Castro government here reads: "To the victims of the Maine, who were sacrificed by imperialist voracity in its eagerness to seize the island of Cuba."

This plaza in upper Vedado may seem grandiose and soulless, but it has several monuments with a lot of heart. Since the Revolutionary victory of 1959, it has been the official parade ground for events ranging from the annual May Day celebration to masses celebrated by Popes John Paul, Benedict, and Francis. A political, administrative, and cultural hub, the square is surrounded by army, police, Communist Party, and other ministries. In better days Castro's whereabouts, which were always a mystery, included visits to these government centers, though he was just as likely to be coaching the national baseball team, resting in one of his many secret Havana residences, or off fishing on the Península de Zapata. It's hard to miss the giant etching of Che Guevara on the Ministerio del Interior (Ministry of the Interior) at the plaza's northwestern edge. It bears the words "hasta la victoria siempre" ("always onward to victory"). On the square's western edge, across Avenida Carlos Manual de Céspedes, is the Teatro Nacional, Cuba's most important theater. Other highlights of the Plaza de la Revolución include the Museo Memorial José Martí at its center, the Museo Postal Cubano around the corner from the Ministerio de Comunicaciones (Communications Ministry), and along Plaza de la Revolución's northern edge is the Biblioteca Nacional José Martí, Cuba's largest library.

Along Plaza de la Revolución's northern edge is the National Library, which, with 2 million volumes, is Cuba's largest. You must call in advance to book tours of the building.

The house containing this museum was built in 1927 and owned by José Gómez Mena, one of Cuba's wealthiest aristocrats. The collection is a staggering display of treasure and taste: antique furniture; Aubusson rugs; a Louis XVI secrétaire; Ming vases; paintings by Tocqué, Nattier, and Largillière. Don't miss the impressive comedor (dining room) with its vast array of silverware or the main salón, dripping with chandeliers.

The highlight of the Plaza de la Revolución is the memorial at its center. It consists of a massive granite sculpture of the national hero—in a seated, contemplative pose—on a 30-meter (98-foot) base and a 139-meter (456-foot) tower constructed of marble from La Isla de la Juventud (where Castro was imprisoned for his attack on the Moncada Barracks). The museum contains first editions of Martí's works, drawings, maps, and other memorabilia. Also on display are the original plans for both the monument and the square. You can also climb to the top observation deck for some views of the city.

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).

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.

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.