 The
city of La Habana is the capital of the
Republic of Cuba and was founded on November
6, 1515. Its founders called it villa San
Cristóbal, in honor of Christopher
Columbus, but the Indians of the area insisted
in calling it Habana. Due to its geographical
position and the excellent characteristics
of its bay it was given the name of Llave
del Mundo (Key of the World). For centuries,
it was an obliged stop for the Spanish fleets,
conquerors and adventurers.
Nowadays, La Habana comprises
two areas: La Habana Antigua, commonly known
as Habana Vieja (Old Havana), declared World
Heritage; and La Habana Moderna (Modern
Havana), not less attractive and full of
life and visitors.
La Habana Vieja (Old Havana)
La Habana Vieja (Old Havana)
has so much charm that only visiting it,
it is possible to capture fully the contrasts,
sounds and colors that coexist there. It
has the typical appearance of a colonial
city, once a Spanish villa, highly appreciated
for being the perfect route of communication
and trade with the New World. A wide presence
of the defensive system created in those
years in order to protect the city from
corsairs and pirates’ attacks remains
in the city. That is why it is impossible
to walk along the area without stumbling
with impressive fortresses, such as, el
Castillo de la Real Fuerza, el Castillo
de San Salvador de la Punta, La Cabaña,
and the most unique of all of them, El Morro
(The Morro Castle), located at the entrance
of the bay. From this place, each night,
the lights of the lighthouse guide the navigators.
During the day, thousands of visitors climb
there to admire the most beautiful view
that the capital offers.
Not less relevant are
its plazas (squares), spacious and extremely
beautiful, from where two-wheeled calashes
still ride, ready to guide you throughout
the whole historic center at the slow pase
of the horses. Mulatas dressed as in old
times also walk with fruits and flowers,
retracing the stone paved squares, la Plaza
de San Francisco de Asís, la Plaza
de Armas, la Plaza Vieja and la Plaza de
La Catedral, fixed symbol of photos and
post cards of Cuba. Inserted in this typical
environment of that time, you may taste
the flavor of the Cuban cocktails while
sitting peacefully in open places that offer
greater contact with the buildings and the
people. The sound of guitars, keys and the
voices of the troubadours will accompany
you in your visit. 
The museums enrich the
old villa for their quality and historical
value. Museums such as el Palacio de los
Capitanes Generales (Palace of the Spanish
Governors), de Ciencias Naturales (Science),
el Gabinete Arqueológico (the Archaeological
Bureau), the automobile museum, and the
recently inaugurated Complejo Museológico
de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) are some
of the most recommended ones. Nevertheless,
the whole of Habana Vieja (Old Havana) constitutes
in itself a vast historical stage, due to
the presence of restored mansions which
have become inns, for the restaurants located
in colonial patios, and for the enormous
quantity of pictures that delight with some
nostalgia Cuban scenes. A little far away,
crossing the bay, in La Cabaña, there
is one of the largest arms collection of
Cuba, and in El Morro (the Morro Castle)
there is a permanent exhibition of the whole
process of the construction of the fortress.
Also located on that side of the bay you
can see the statue of El Cristo (the Christ),
where the nights are special and La Habana
can be seen full of lights.
Something you should not
miss is El Templete, located on La Plaza
de Armas. In this place there is a ceiba
(a huge Cuban tree), that after being substituted
several times, points out the place where
the first public mass of the municipal council
was celebrated. Another place worth visiting
is la Necrópolis de Colón
(Colón Necropolis), the only cemetery
in America named after the Admiral. There
are sculptural monuments of huge proportions,
with avenues and inner front doors made
with great mastery.
Another point of interest
is el Barrio Chino (China Town) with hundreds
of restaurants that recall the eastern trade.
Very near this area there is one of the
largest fragments of the old defensive wall
of La Habana, which construction started
in 1674 and finished in 1740, and was pulled
down twenty-three years after.
Lastly, the visit to the
model of the city, the libraries and art
galleries; the walks along Obispo boulevard,
the sunsets at the Malecón and a
Daiquirí at the Floridita Restaurant,
complete our proposals of the tour along
Old Havana.
La Habana Moderna (Modern
Havana)
Contrasting with the colonial
atmosphere of La Habana Vieja (Old Havana)
stands La Habana Moderna (Modern Havana),
cosmopolitan and lively made up by several
areas that recall the architecture of the
fifties, and also from the current revolutionary
period in Cuba.
One of the most populated
areas is el Vedado, which main artery is
the famous calle 23 (23 Street) with la
Rampa Habanera, named like this because
of its slope streets that flow into the
sea. The diversity of cultural centers,
restaurants and tourist agencies give a
special connotation to this zone which attract
the population; among them, Coppelia ice-cream
parlor, Yara and La Rampa cinemas and the
Tryp Habana Libre, a hotel that has in its
facade a fresco of the prestigious Cuban
painter Amelia Peláez.
Full of life are the plays
and concerts offered at the Amadeo Roldán,
Bertolt Brecht and Mella Theatres. Besides
these cultural centers there are several
night clubs that offer musical performances,
among them we may point out El Gato Tuerto,
el Jazz Café, Cocodrilo, el Habana
Café and Dos Gardenias.
In the present Habana
there are also prestigious museums ; such
as, Artes Decorativas (Decorative Arts)
and the museum del Ballet Nacional de Cuba
(the Cuban National Ballet); art galleries,
as la Casa de las Américas, Galería
Habana, Miriarte, etc.
In relation with the urban
weaving the avenues stand out, for example
we may mention: la Avenida de los Presidentes,
El Paseo, Carlos III and Quinta Avenida,
this last one located on the residential
area of Miramar. Along this beautiful avenue
there are important hotels, business companies
and shopping centers.
Fishing events take place
at Hemingway Marina in different seasons
of the year, as well as the possibility
of practicing scuba diving and sightseeing
the Havana littoral in luxurious yatchs.
It is impossible not to
mention the famous Tropicana Cabaret with
its formidable show of music and colors,
el café cantante Mi Habana and La
Macumba discotheque, meeting place of music
and dance.
Another charming place
is el Malecón, a very dear spot for
the Habaneros and Cubans in general. Every
day it is visited by troubadours, flower
sellers, children that play, and couples
that watch the glare of the sunset in the
sea. Sitting in its wall, all these people
offer the capital the best of their smiles.
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