Old Havana
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Old Havana And Its Fortification System, 1982); The Largest And Best Preserved Spanish Colonial Centre In The Americas · Havana, La Habana
Havana is the largest and best-preserved Spanish colonial city in the Americas, and walking it is the reason most people come to Cuba at all. Four great squares anchor the old town - the cathedral square with its asymmetrical baroque towers, the arcaded Plaza Vieja, the Plaza de Armas where the city began, and the Plaza de San Francisco on the harbour - and between them run streets of columned arcades, iron balconies and courtyard houses, with the sea wall of the Malecon curving away to the west. It is also two cities at once, and the row would be dishonest not to say so: the restored core is magnificent and the streets a few blocks beyond it are propped up with timber, buildings do collapse, and the country's shortages mean daily power cuts, thin shelves and improvisation everywhere. Come with cash, patience and low expectations of schedules, and the city is still the finest colonial centre in the Americas.
Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja, La Habana, Havana, La Habana, Cuba
The streets and squares are open at all hours. Museums, forts and galleries keep daytime hours and close on varying days; POWER CUTS CLOSE THINGS WITHOUT NOTICE, including museums, restaurants and shops. The cannon ceremony at La Cabana is fired at nine each evening. Restaurant opening depends on what has been delivered that week. Confirm anything you are planning a day around.