Top Rated Tourist Attractions
Nowdays is Havana a desired tourist destination that nobody wants to miss. This city awakens passions, relives nostalgia and its colonial neighborhoods tell its history 500 years for everyone who visits it.
Havana, formerly known as “Ciudad de la Habana” is the current capital city of Cuba and the most populated city of the Island as well as the entire insular Caribbean.
Its Foundation
Havana was the sixth town founded by the Spanish on the island, called San Cristóbal de la Habana. Its name combines San Cristóbal and saint of Havana and is derived from the name Habaguanex, a Native American chief who controlled this area. Also its location along a magnificent deep-sea bay with a sheltered harbour made the city a prime location for economic development from Spanish colonial times in the early 16th century and now days too.
Typical weather
Havana enjoys a pleasant year-round climate that is tempered by the island’s position in the belt of the trade winds and by the warm offshore currents. Average temperatures range from 72 °F (22 °C) in January and February to 82 °F (28 °C) in August. The temperature seldom drops below 50 °F (10 °C). Rainfall is heaviest in Mai and lightest from February through April, averaging 46 inches (1,167 mm) annually. It is undoubtedly the perfect moderate warm climate to spent your holiday with warm breezes and beaches.
1 El Malecon
This seawall is an iconic and the soul of Havana. Therefore it is the best place to meet local residents in a relaxed environment. The Malecón runs for 8 km along the Caribbean shoreline of Havana from the mouth of the harbor to the Old Havana waterfront. Lovers, musicians, fishermen, joggers, tourists and bohemian people alike can be found day and night during a stroll here.
2 Plaza Vieja
This is one of the favorites places to visit cause its beauty and elegance. The famous Plaza Vieja “Old Square” is known for its architecturally as well as its predominance of elegant colonial mansions, baroque palaces and art nouveau buildings. Built in 1559 as a public square after the construction of the Plaza des Armas and Plaza de San Francisco de Asis, Plaza Vieja was originally called Plaza Nueva “New Square”
Nowadays, Plaza Vieja remains a beautiful square filled with traditional Cuban architecture and a few outdoor cafes and restaurants.
3 Finca La Vigia of Ernest Hemingway
The novelist Ernest Hemingway, who won the Nobel prize in literature in 1954, wrote some of his best-known works during the 21 years he lived at Finca Vigía, or Lookout Farm, now a museum in San Francisco de Paula on the outskirts of Havana.
Hemingway Cuba’s first visit was 1928. After marrying Martha Gellhorn his third wife the couple bought Finca Vigía , a one-story house set on a beautiful piece of property just outside of Havana. Hemingway spent almost twenty years in this home. He traveled regularly to Cuba during the winter, so he could enjoy the warm tropical weather and continue with the writing of his books. Meanwhile Cuba was the perfect place to relax, enjoy the lifestyle in Cuba and was the inspiration he sought to enliven his novels.
Hemingway wrote “Islands in the Stream”, “A Moveable Feast”, and the famous “The Old Man and the Sea”.
4 Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro
The Castle of the Three Kings of the Morro or just “El Morro” as it is most commonly known, is the first fort you’ll come to after crossing under the harbor channel tunnel. Sitting on the point overlooking Havana’s narrow harbor channel, it was built between 1589 and 1630 and served as an important line of defense against pirate attacks and naval invasions. In addition to its ramparts, barracks, and banks of cannons.
El Morro has a series of exhibition rooms and mini museums, where you will find more interesting stories regarding El Morro. You also can walk the fort’s ancient streets and even climb the still-functioning and 19th-century lighthouse for capturing the best view of the city of Havana.
5 Santa Maria del Mar Beach
Santa Maira del Mar belongs to the well-known beaches of the East “Playas del Este” is the biggest and most popular Havana beach frequented by tourists and its inhabitants. The beach has an approximate area of 10 km of fine sand and is only 23 km away about 20 minutes by car from the center of Havana. Here you can find many restaurants and stores, but also small stands selling souvenir. If you are in Havana it is a great option to escape from the city and enjoy a relaxing day at the beach.
6 Plaza de la Catedral
Havana Cathedral “Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana” is a marvelous example of Baroque architecture and one of Havana’s finest churches. A very peculiar detail of the cathedral is that its architects used coral for much of the building material.Therefore it is possible to see fossilized marine fauna and flora in the stone walls. You can enjoy inside of a wide number of important paintings and historical sculptures but also you can climb to the top of one of the towers and enjoy views of the square. This attraction is located in the heart of the Old Havana neighborhood. It’s quick and easy to get here by foot from other major attractions.
7 The Capitol
Remarkable symbol of the city of Havana and one of the great buildings of Cuba. Of great architectural richness, sumptuously ornamented. Throughout the construction of the building materials of excellent quality were used, such as: Italian marbles, details in walls, ceilings, doors and lamps, most of them were fused in France. Cun a height of 91.73 meters this historic and elegant building can be reconcerned from various points of Havana due to its height.
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