30 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN HAVANA

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Havana is the soul and heart of Cuba, is its capital, its most representative city, its pride and its pain. Havana is one of those cities with a personality that captures, with colored facades, beautiful ladies at the doors of their homes, children playing in the streets, smells of tropical fruit, garbage and congri rice. Havana will make you fall in love, but you may not realize it until you are back hundreds, thousands of kilometers away.

And to see a lot useful information To prepare your trip, you just have to go to the end of the article where we tell you how to get there, how to move, where to sleep, taxis, etc.

Here are the 30 things to see and do in Havana:

1. Sit in a bank of theMain Square and let yourself be surprised by what is going on around you ... there is always some curious character that walks around XD And of course, sign up for this free tour to get to know the city center 😉

2. Marvel at the National Hotel of Cuba, the most legendary in the city. Did you know that the main members of the American mafia met here in 1946? We already told you: the history of Cuba is very interesting 😉

3. It is well known that the Internet, in Cuba, is very little accessible. Take advantage of the "disadvantage" and mark yourself a digital detox: Being offline is a luxury today!

4. Eat an ice cream in the famous Coppelia ice cream shop (if you manage to hold the tails).

5. Walk along the Malecon and loses his eyes on the sea. Or in ice cream carts. Or on the avenue full of almonds. Or in the Cubans. Or in all of the above.

6. Get lost in the streets of Old Havana, without direction or meaning: only then can you know the soul of the city.

7. He freaks out how beautiful the Havana Cathedral and its homonymous square. You can climb to its bell tower (2CUC) to have very cool views. For us it is one of the most charming places in the capital of Cuba.

8. Forget Coca Cola and give the opportunity a chance Tukola, the most beloved local drink.

9. Did you know that Havana has a Chinatown? Yes, it's true 🙂 Like every big city in the world that boasts! Peek into its alleys and be surprised, although what we recommend you do here is…

10.… go eat “The lotus flower", a very, very, very good Chinese / Cuban restaurant. Of course, it arrives in "weird" hours or get ready for the wait: it is one of the most famous places in Havana. And yes, it is cheap! And yes, it's all delicious! And yes, the dishes are huge!

11. Although, if you really want to eat cheap, start make friends with the “windows”, places where food is sold (especially pizzas, pastas and sandwiches) through the windows of the houses.

12. Visit the Castle of the hill, or if you prefer not to climb there, you can see it from the Castle of San Salvador de la Punta.

13. Go to the Old Square and take a craft beer in The Old Factory. They make very rich blonde, black and red beer. The drink costs 2 CUC (about € 2) and we never had problems, although we read on Tripadvisor that the attention is usually bad and that, sometimes, they try to charge more ... so be careful!

14. Old Havana is the best preserved part of the city, but not by far all neighborhoods are this well cared for (unfortunately). You can start to see the difference by entering Havana Center and see how houses and streets are increasingly deteriorated. Although the atmosphere and personality of the city remain intact.

15. One of the symbols of the city is the Capitol. Yes, it is very similar to Washington and it is inspired by it!

16. A neighborhood worth discovering is Vedado, with its old mansions, wide avenues and more elegant and refined atmosphere. It is not in vain that this is where people lived with pasta and power, and it was “forbidden” to the rest of the humble and working classes.

17. Take a picture with Che and Camilo Cien Fuegos in the Revolution Square, where people usually gather in marches and protests. Here is also the memorial to José Martí, one of the most beloved Cuban heroes.

18. Walk the hamel alley, where Afro-Cuban culture shows itself at its best (and is a great place for lovers of street art):

19. Take a Mojito. Or two. Or all that arise. One of them tries to be in the Bodeguita del Medio (where it was invented), although beware of prices: the mojito here costs 5 CUC, when in the rest of the city it is around 2-3 CUC.

20. If you prefer to drink a Daiquiri, that you know that they also originated in Havana (these people do know). More specifically in the Floridita. But same speech: they cost 6 CUC, when, in the rest of the premises they are much cheaper (and equally rich). So there you ...

21. Relax in the Central Park, where there is a statue dedicated to José Martí.

22. Not too far from there is the Paseo del Prado, a beautiful avenue full of artists and street vendors.

23. If you want to continue knowing Cuban art, we advise you to visit the Museum of Fine Arts (5 CUC).

24. If instead you are more interested in diving in the interesting history of Cuba, you cannot miss the Museum of the Revolution (4 CUC).

25. At 9:00 p.m. the cannon shot ceremony, which recalls the firing of the cannon during the colonial era to warn of the closing of the walls of the Old City. It is done from the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña, and to get there it is better to do it by taxi.

26. Take a tour of the University of Havana, really big and very pretty. It is the oldest in Cuba and one of the most prestigious.

27. If you want to have breakfast, lunch or dinner in a great place, rich and with prices not too expensive, we recommend you do it in the biki, a very elegant and European-style restaurant that we loved.

28. Do you want to party? The Cuban Art Factory It is a great place to start the night. And later? Dance salsa, of course! What do you not know how to take a step? Take a dance class, it's one of the most fun things to do in Havana 🙂

29. If you are a Hemingway fan, take something in the bar of the Ambos Mundos Hotel, where the writer stayed for a while.

30. Ride in an "almond tree", the old American cars that seem to have arrived directly from Route 66, and runs along the Malecon or part of the center. Although Havana is easily traveled on foot, but please do not get into a horse carriage, do not be part of the animal business. What we do recommend you do is a 2-hour tour of Havana in an almond tree. Our advice is to haggle it there but if you prefer to have everything tied, you can book this one.

Sure there are many more things to see and do in Havana, but these are a good start, right?

Useful information

How to get to Havana from the airport?

It is best to take a taxi. The price should not be more than 20CUC, if you are asked for 25 you can probably lower it to 20CUC, although cheaper than that is difficult to achieve. In the opposite direction, from Havana to the airport, if it can be taken by 15CUC.

How to get around Havana?

There are different options to get around the city. One of them is the urban bus, although we do not use it. Focusing on taxis, there are three types: the yellow taxi, which costs about 7-8CUC for a race from Old Havana to Centro Habana or El Vedado; the almonds that for the same route they charge about 5CUC; and the collective taxis, which are larger and shared with other people, in which case you will pay 1CUC per person.

Where to get money in Havana?

In the airport itself there are several CADECAs (exchange houses), take the opportunity to change money there. They all have the same exchange rate. It is best to change € (never USD) in CUC and a small part in CUP. For example, if you have € 300, change € 270 in CUC and € 30 in CUP.

In the city there are also several CADECAs, especially in Old Havana.

Where to sleep in Havana?

We stayed in the Centro Habana neighborhood both times. We stayed in private houses that we booked through Airbnb, although there is no problem in finding accommodation of this type by going around. The approximate prices are:

20CUC for a private room (sometimes with bathroom included), with air conditioning.
30CUC for a studio apartment.

Where to eat in Havana?

We will prepare an article with the best places to eat in Havana and the different options.

Taxi from Havana to other cities

We search and ask in several places and in the end Luis gave us the best price. Here we leave your phone to call you and ask for their rates: +53 78709895 / +53 53342333