I’d wanted to visit Cuba for so long. From way back in the 1980s, when I studied European Studies at university and learned all about the Cold War, Cuba’s revolution and long term stand-off with the USA, this communist Caribbean island has fascinated me.
In order to make this wish a reality, there was a lot of bureaucratic red tape. With the help of a travel agent, we arranged our itinerary, flights, accommodation and visas. It’s worth bearing in mind that if you travel to Cuba, you no longer qualify for a US ESTA visa waiver. So if you subsequently wish to visit the USA, you must apply for a visa, probably attend an interview and pay in the region of $180.
We spent 10 days in Cuba, starting and finishing in the capital, Havana for plenty of sightseeing. In addition, we took a side trip to Cayo Coco for some R&R by the beach. (We had intended to travel more, but a bout of food poisoning put paid to this.) This vibrant, historic city, overlooking the sea where the Gulf of Mexico joins the Atlantic Ocean, is so beguiling that it turned out to be one of my all time favourite places. Narrowing it down to just ten things I enjoyed doing here was difficult. However, here is my pick of the top 10 things to do in Havana.
How to get to Havana
We flew to Havana from London via Spain, as there are no direct flights from the UK. José Martí International Airport is around 12 miles south of downtown Havana. Although we usually travel independently, we did use an agent to book our trip to Cuba. This included provision of an airport shuttle bus which took us direct to our hotel.
Getting Around Havana
The old town is best visited on foot. For further afield, we opted either for a tuktuk or taxi (preferably a classic American car for which the island is famous). Both can easily be flagged down anywhere in the city. On our final day in Havana, we hired a classic car for a city tour. This is an absolute must-do Havana experience, in my opinion.
Where to stay in Havana
We stayed at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. This iconic hotel is steeped in history. It contains not one, but two museums. The interior has been preserved in its original state, so it’s actually rather like staying in a museum. Facilities include a pool and a cabaret show. In the gardens you can see the bunker used by Fidel Castro during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Nacional is a fascinating place and I loved my stay here. I thoroughly recommend staying here. If you don’t, it’s still worth a visit just for the history.
On our last night in Havana, the Nacional was fully booked, so we stayed at the Hotel NH Capri. This is another fascinating old hotel, formerly owned by the Mafia.
The Capri was originally built in the 1950s and its 2014 refurbishment has maintained a ’50s vibe. I loved everything about the place, particularly the roof top pool with spectacular views across the bay in one direction and the city in the other.
Havana: Top 10 Things to do
| 1 | Visit the iconic Hotel Nacional de Cuba and enjoy a show at the Cabaret Parisien |
| 2 | Take a stroll along the Malecón |
| 3 | Visit the Catedral de la Virgen María on the Plaza de la Catedral |
| 4 | Visit the Convento de San Francisco on the Plaza de San Francisco de Asís |
| 5 | Drink craft beer and enjoy the ambience in Plaza Vieja |
| 6 | Visit the opulent Capitolio Nacional |
| 7 | Enjoy a cocktail or two at El Floridita or Sloppy Joe’s |
| 8 | Take a classic car tour to see the iconic murals and enjoy the view from Monumento Jose Marti on Plaza de la Revolución |
| 9 | Learn about Cuba’s turbulent history at the Museo de la Revolución |
| 10 | Learn about rum manufacturing and sample the produce at the Museo del Ron |
No 1 – Visit the iconic Hotel Nacional de Cuba and enjoy a show at the Cabaret Parisien
Even if you don’t stay at the Nacional (and I thoroughly recommend that you do), it’s well worth a visit.
In the grandiose foyer, you will find a Museum telling the hotel’s history and a Hall of Fame detailing some of the celebrities who have stayed at the Nacional, such as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Winston Churchill. Perhaps more famously, in 1956 Nat King Cole was contracted to perform in Havana, but was not allowed to stay at the Nacional because the hotel was segregated.
In the hotel gardens, amidst the flower beds, you can find the bunker where Fidel Castro hunkered down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which he made the hotel his base. I love this stuff. I’m in my element and we haven’t even left the hotel yet!
Cabaret Parisien
Another reason to stay at the Nacional is that is is home to one of Havana’s best cabaret shows; Cabaret Parisien. We purchased tickets which included dinner, a cocktail and a show.
First, a 3 course dinner, which was very good. Then the show, which contains a mixture of music and dance, all very well choreographed and performed. In all, an enjoyable evening. And we only had a few metres to crawl afterwards to bed.
Tickets to the show, including a welcome drink and 3 course dinner cost $75.
No 2 – Take a stroll along the Malecón
The Malecón is a 7 kilometre long coastal strip, which runs along the northern edge of the city, skirting Havana Bay. From the Nacional to the Old Town is around 3 kilometres.
Some of the buildings are beautifully restored, others lie decaying. Somehow the urban decay just adds to the city’s charm.
No 3 – Visit the Catedral de la Virgen María on the Plaza de la Catedral
The succinctly named La Catedral de la Virgen María de la Concepción Inmaculada de La Habana is an 18th century cathedral with two unequal towers. It is one of the oldest churches in the Americas.
The cathedral takes up one side of the Plaza de la Catedral. Constructed in the 18th Century, this is actually the youngest of the four plazas in the old town.
No 4 – Visit the Convento de San Francisco on the Plaza de San Francisco de Asís
In another plaza, Plaza de San Francisco, lies another formidable religious building, the Convento de San Francisco.
The Plaza de San Francisco dates back to the 16th Century when Spanish galleons first starting docking here. Cue construction of a church…
I love this intriguing sculpture by Etienne, entitled La Conversación.
No 5 – Drink craft beer and enjoy the ambience in Plaza Vieja
The 16th Century Plaza Vieja (called the Plaza Nueva when it was built) contains an eclectic mix of buildings, both in terms of age and architectural style. And in terms of state of renovation. Some buildings have been beautifully restored, while others are gently decaying whilst waiting their turn.
Stop for lunch at the Cerveceria Plaza Vieja. The pros; you can sit on a terrace in the Plaza Vieja, enjoy a nice cold beer from the Cerveceria’s own microbrewery and listen to the band as you eat. The con; skewers hung on a rack. A basic knowledge of science (or of hanging up laundry to dry) indicates that this is a sure fire way to make your food go cold, very quickly. That and it just looks generally unpleasant, like carcasses hanging in an abattoir. But the beer is good.
No 6 – Visit the opulent Capitolio Nacional
Havana’s grandest building is the Capitolio Nacional. Built in the 1920s during Cuba’s capitalist heydays at huge expense, it was modelled on the Panthéon in Paris. The Capitolio looks similar to the Capitol in Washington DC, but is actually a metre higher, a metre wider, and a metre longer. When we visited, it was closed for renovation, so we had to make do with admiring it from the exterior.
The Capitolio is open daily from 9 am until 8 pm. Entry costs 10 CUC.
No 7 – Enjoy a cocktail or two at El Floridita or Sloppy Joe’s
There are two cocktail bars which are synonymous with Havana and one of its most famous imbibers, Ernest Hemingway.
El Floridita
El Floridita is one of Havana’s most famous bars. Take a break and enjoy a daiquiri (or two) at this iconic bar, one time favourite hang out of writer and prolific drinker Ernest Hemingway. It was at El Floridita that the daiquiri was invented in 1931. The following year, Hemingway rocked up. The rest, as they say is history…
There is even a bronze statue of Hemingway propping up the bar (next to a photograph of him having a cozy chat with Fidel) for you sit and drink with. All my photos from El Floritida are blurred – I can’t think why!
Sloppy Joe’s
Another of Havana’s most famous bars is Sloppy Joe’s.
Here, in another popular haunt of Ernest Hemingway, the famous sandwich bearing the bar owner’s name is said to have been invented.
No 8 – Take a classic car tour to see the iconic murals and enjoy the view from Monumento Jose Marti on Plaza de la Revolución
Classic Car Tour
A Havana must is to take a Classic Car Tour in a convertible. The tour takes in some of Cuba’s top attractions, with stops for you to take plenty of classic car selfies. Prices vary depending on the length of the tour and type of car. Expect to pay around $90 for a 3 hour tour in a convertible.
The tour includes some downtown attractions, such as the Plaza de la Revolución before driving through the tunnel under the mouth to Havana port to the north side of the city.
Plaza de la Revolución
2 kilometres south of the old town is the suburb of Vedado, where you will find the Plaza de la Revolución. Here you can see two government office blocks adorned with iconic murals. The Ministerio del Interior has a silhouette of Che Guevara with the words Hasta la victoria siempre (Always toward Victory) underneath.
On the adjacent telecommunications building is Castro’s comrade Camilo Cienfuegos with the words: Vas bien Fidel (You’re going well Fidel).
Memorial a José Martí
Across the enormous plaza is the Memorial a José Martí, a towering monument donated by the USSR. At 138.5 metres tall, the monument is Havana’s tallest structure. You can take a lift to a lookout near the top of the monument. At the base is a small museum dedicated to Martí.
The monument is open daily except Sunday from 9.30 am until 5 pm. Entry costs 3 CUC. There is an additional 2 CUC charge for the lift to the lookout.
No 9 – Learn about Cuba’s turbulent history at the Museo de la Revolución
The fascinating Museo de la Revolución is in two parts. The main building is housed in what was the Presidential Palace up until the revolution. You enter via a grand marble staircase, where you can spot the bullet holes from an unsuccessful revolution in the 1950s.
The museum tells the story of Cuba’s infamous revolution with plenty of contemporaneous artifacts, which sit incongruously in plain glass boxes set in front of the original ornate decor designed by Tiffany’s of New York.
The building has been altered from its original colonial design to a more revolutionary style by, for example, giving the cherubs on the ornate ceiling frescoes communist flags.
Just behind the main museum is another building; the Pavillón Granma, which houses the remains of the Granma; the boat which carried Fidel Castro back to Cuba to join the revolution.
The pavilion is surrounded by other vehicles associated with the revolution.
No 10 – Learn about rum manufacturing and sample the produce at the Museo del Ron
After lunch we take a tour of the Museo del Ron at the old Havana Club rum distillery. Here, you can visit the historic distillery, learn about the rum manufacturing process and, of course, sample some rum.
The guided tour of the factory, takes you through the history and production of Cuban rum and finishes in the bar, where you get to taste the product.
The museum is open daily from 9 am until 5 pm (10 am to 4 pm at weekends). There are a number of tour packages available. The basic 45 minute tour including a glass of rum costs 7 CUC.
- Trip Taken: October 2015
- Updated: May 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For more top picks from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Top 10 Things To Do list here.
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