Cuba Travel Guide: Old Havana Tour

Start your exciting Cuba travel adventure in the beautiful capital of La Havana, and learn about the city’s fascinating history as you wander the streets and admire the grandiose buildings, remainders of the country’s wealth and power.



Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, Old Havana is the historic district of Cuba’s lively capital city, founded by the Spanish in 1519. The city was used as a stopping point on the route from the "Old World" to the "New World", and rapidly came to be the front door to the vast Spanish colonial empire. By the 17th century, La Havana had become one of the Caribbean’s main centers for ship building.



The predominant style in Old Havana is what is known as "tropical baroque", a simple yet graceful combination of column, arch and volute resulting from the blending of Mudejar and Baroque influences from Southern Spain with Cuban local material such as mahogany, cedar, and coral limestone.



Many of Old Havana's finest buildings have been converted into museums, and there are many interesting churches, palaces, castles, revolutionary monuments and markets to visit. Start your tour in the Plaza de la Catedral, one of the most beautiful squares in the city, dominated by the towers of the Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana. Nearby is the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the oldest Latin American colonial fortress in the Americas. Check out the west tower, crowned by a bronze weathervane dating back to 1632.



The imposing Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, located on the west side of the city’s main square, Plaza de Armas, is one of Cuba’s most impressive buildings. Now housing the City Museum, this spectacular palace is the former house of La Havana’s governors.



To get a good feel of what life is La Havana, stroll down Calle Obispo, a pedestrian street running off the Plaza de Armas. This is the most popular street in La Havana and was one of Ernest Hemingway's favorite hangouts.



This guide to Old Havana’s sights was written by a Cuba travel expert at Cuba For Less available to help you custom design your exciting and adventurous Cuba vacations.