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Havana's Habana Vieja District
Habana Vieja (4.5 square km) is defined by the limits of the early colonial settlement that lay within fortified walls. The legal boundary of Habana Vieja includes the Paseo de Martí (Prado) and everything east of it.
The major sites of interest are centered on Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral
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Castillo de la Real Fuerza in Havana
The pocket-size Castillo de la Real Fuerza (Royal Power Castle, O’Reilly #2, tel. 07/864-4488, Tues.-Sun. 9:30am-5pm, entrance CUC3, cameras CUC5), on the northeast corner of the plaza, was begun in 1558 and completed in 1577. It’s the oldest of the four forts that guarded the New World’s most pre
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Sights at Havana's Harbor Channel
Throughout most of the colonial era, sea waves washed up on a beach that lined the southern shore of the harbor channel and bordered what is today Calle Cuba and, eastward, Calle Tacón, which runs along the site of the old city walls forming the original waterfront. In the early 19th century, the
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A Guided Walk Along Calle Obispo in Havana
Linking Plaza de Armas with Parque Central, pedestrians-only Calle Obispo is Habana Vieja’s busiest shopping street and a fascinating walking tour steeped in history. You’ll have the opportunity to visit half a dozen museums and historical sites, including one of Hemingway’s old haunts
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Touring Havana’s Cigar Factories
You’ll forever remember the pungent aroma of a cigar factory, a visit to which is de rigueur when you’re in Havana. The factories, housed in colonial buildings, remain much as they were in the mid-19th century. Though now officially known by ideologically sound names, they’re still commonly
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Sights In and Around Parque de la Fraternidad
The Parque de la Fraternidad (Friendship Park) was laid out in 1892 on an old military drill square, the Campo de Marte, to commemorate the fourth centennial of Columbus’s discovery of America (in the mid-1850s it was the site of the city’s train station). The current layout by Jean-Claude Nicolas
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Havana Neighborhood Highlights
Each neighborhood in Havana has its own unique flavor, especially when it comes to their sights and histories. To make your explorations easier, here’s a quick roundup of the highlights of each.
Restored building on Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.
Habana Vieja
The fi
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Sights Along Havana's Paseo de Martí
Paseo de Martí, colloquially known as the Prado, is a kilometer-long tree-lined boulevard in Havana’s Habana Vieja neighborhood that slopes southward, uphill, from the harbor mouth to Parque Central. The beautiful boulevard was initiated by the Marqués de la Torre in 1772 and completed in 18
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Restoring Old Havana
Old Havana has been called the “finest urban ensemble in the Americas.” The fortress colonial town that burst its walls when Washington, D.C., was still a swamp is a 140-hectare repository of antique buildings. More than 900 of Habana Vieja’s 3,157 structures are of historical importan
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Sights in and Around Havana's Plaza de Armas
The most important plaza in Habana Vieja, and the oldest, handsome Arms Square was laid out in 1519 and named Plaza de Iglesia for a church that was demolished in 1741 after an English warship, the ill-named HMS Invincible, was struck by lightning and exploded, sending its main mast sailing down o
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Catching a Cab in Cuba
Catching a cab in Cuba is fairly straightforward while at the same time a little confusing for the unprepared–there are a lot more options than flagging down a familiar yellow car! As always with travel, it’s best to be prepared ahead of time for local customs when it comes to fares and expe
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The Best of Havana's Paladares Part 1
Forget all the horror stories about Cuban dining. True, many state restaurants still attain truly Soviet-class awfulness, especially the hotel buffets. Fortunately, these days Havana is in the midst of a culinary revolution. Privately owned restaurants (paladares) have exploded in number since 201
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The Best of Havana's Paladares Part 2
Along with Havana’s continuing culinary revolution, here is part two of all the best privately owned restaurants (paladares) in Havana offering a new level of style and flavor in Cuban dining. Few state restaurants can compete for ambience and flavorful fare, although many are improving as t
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Havana's Universidad de la Habana
The Universidad de la Habana (University of Havana, Calle L y San Lázaro, tel. 07/878-3231, Mon.-Fri. 8am-6pm) was founded by Dominican friars in 1728 and was originally situated on Calle Obispo in Habana Vieja. During the 20th century the university was an autonomous “sacred hill” that neither th
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Where to Go in Havana: Municipio of Playa
West of Vedado and the Río Almendares, the municipio of Playa extends to the western boundary of Havana as far as the Río Quibu. Most areas were renamed following the Revolution. Gone are Country Club and Biltmore, replaced with politically acceptable names such as Atabey, Cubanacán, and Siboney,
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Sights Along Havana's Calle Oficios
Facing the cathedral, cobbled Calle Oficios is lined with 17th-century colonial buildings that possess a marked Mudejar style, exemplified by their wooden balconies. Many of the buildings have been converted into art galleries, including Galería de Carmen Montilla Tinoco (Oficios #162, tel. 07/866
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Sights in Plaza Vieja, Havana
The last of the four main squares to be laid out in Habana Vieja, Plaza Vieja (Old Square, bounded by Calles Mercaderes, San Ignacio, Brasil, and Muralla) originally hosted a covered market. It is surrounded by mansions and apartment blocks where in colonial times residents looked down on executio
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The Churches of Southern Habana Vieja
The mostly residential and dilapidated southern half of Habana Vieja, south of Calle Brasil, was the ecclesiastical center of Havana during the colonial era and is studded with churches and convents. This was also Havana’s Jewish quarter.
View inside Iglesias Nuestra Senora de la Merced. Photo © C
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A Walk Down Calle Mercaderes, Havana
Cobbled Calle Mercaderes between Obispo and Plaza Vieja, four blocks south, is full of attractions. Setting out toward Plaza Vieja from the Hotel Ambos Mundos, after 20 meters you’ll pass the charming Museo de Ásia (Asia Museum, Mercaderes #111, tel. 07/863-9740, Tues.-Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 9am-1pm,
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Vedado, Havana's Modern Commercial Heart
The municipio of Plaza de la Revolución (pop. 165,000), west of Centro Habana, comprises the leafy residential streets of Vedado and, to the southwest, the modern enclave of Nuevo Vedado and Plaza de la Revolución.
Vedado and Plaza de la Revolución.
Formerly a vast open space between Centro Habana
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