Americas

[Visited: January 2002]

Many visitors will somehow include Havana in their trip to Cuba. After decades of neglect, very serious lack of maintenance, many parts of the old city can almost be called ruins. Streets are narrow, houses are high, and you come across empty spaces regularly - that's where houses once stood. In Old Havana you can find old churches (especially the San Francisco and Cathedral), squares (Plaza de la Catedral, and, in my taste much nicer, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza de San Francisco and de la Catedral).
If you walk west, down the narrow old streets, you end up at Parque Central, and a large square next to it. Here you find the Capitolio, and also the Gran Teatro. We visited the latter, where you can actually see (mostly ballet) performances Friday through Sunday, on a tour. It is surprising that after all the rubble of the old city there would be such a classic building housing a theatre and stage you would not expect easily in these surroundings.
Plaza de Armas holds various musea, and also a bookfair where many second (or third, fourth and fifth)-hand books are being sold. More in the north, we also visited the Museum of the Revolution. No matter what your opinion about Cuba and it's system, a must-see. Even if you don't enter, there are several cars, boats and planes that all played a role in the Cuban revolution in the 1950s on display right outside the museum.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Habana Vieja (Cuba). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Habana Vieja.
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